On February 7, 2014 the Winter Olympics will kick off in Sochi, a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located along the coast of the Black Sea. Hundreds of thousands of people will watch athletes from around the world compete for a coveted Gold medal in a variety of winter sports, including skiing, curling and ice skating.
Likely, many of your members will be watching the Games with excitement and awe, drawing inspiration from the amazing athletes that grace this year’s Winter Olympics. One of those inspiring athletes is Maggie Voisin, who at 15, is the United State’s youngest athlete to compete in the Winter Games since 1972.
Take advantage of the inherent inspiration that the Olympic Games provide. Next month, display the Games in your common-areas, and let members know what channels the Games can be watched on individual elliptical and treadmill screens.
Ask your trainers and instructors to tailor a special Winter Games-inspired class. In August 2012, during the Summer Games in London, Crunch Fitness debuted a specialty Olympics-inspired class called “The Decathlon,” which had members tackle a different sport, such as swimming, track & field and gymnastics, in a circuit format.
This year, ProMedica Wildwood Athletic Club, a medically-based health club in Toledo, Ohio, is hosting a “Go for the Gold” challenge for its members, inspired by the Sochi Games. The challenge includes three fitness categories: flexibility, strength and cardio, with mini-sub categories in each. The member that logs the most hours in each sub category between February 9-28, will win a Gold medal of their very own.
“We like to give our members fitness challenges each quarter to keep them motivated,” said Sommer Vriezelaar, a master personal fitness trainer for Wildwood. According to Vriezelaar, the Sochi Games were natural inspiration for a fitness challenge. “We’ll be posting who’s in the lead every day,” she continued. “We want [members] to be competitive with each other.”
And don’t forget to post updates from the 2014 Winter Olympics on your social media accounts. People love to hear about the accomplishments and victories of athletes from their home country. The full list of athletes from the U.S. who’ll make an appearance at Sochi can be found here.
Keep an eye out for those names and enjoy watching some of the most revered displays of athleticism in the world. Personally, I’ll be keeping an eye on Voisin. The 15-year-old from Whitefish, Mont., is the perfect example of how hard work and dedication can lead to the fruition of a coveted dream.
Rachel Zabonick is the assistant editor for Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.
