Gym Horror Story: The Case of the Sticky Shoes

The following is a short story that’s a part of our “Gym Horror Stories” series to celebrate Halloween. Each day this week, visit ClubSolutionsMagazine.com for a new tale from the gym. 

There is the saying, “No good deed goes unpunished.” Sometimes we feel that way here at the Newtown Athletic Club, when even our most well intentioned efforts go awry.

Recently we decided that it was time to replace some carpeting in the men’s adult locker room. It was getting worn, had a few stains and generally needed to be updated. Now, we’ve been in business since 1978 — 36 years — and have replaced carpeting many times over. Our current facilities team has done it many times in the last few years alone. So we know what we are doing and have products that we trust and use repeatedly.

Keeping all of that in mind, we replaced the carpet in the usual manor, using the brand of carpet, padding and glue that we like. For a few days, all was well with the world and the new carpet was receiving rave reviews, when out of nowhere, or I should say out of the carpet … there began to be a profuse seepage of glue that came up through the carpet and onto the bottom of members’ shoes.

Now, these were not just plain-old sneakers we are talking about, but expensive Ferragamo loafers or even Dior wingtips. Yes, we have a discerning crowd here at the NAC. Needless to say, these brands were not appreciative of their newfound attributes of “sticking” to their surroundings.

It took a couple of days for folks to realize that something more than our pleasant smiles and encouraging words was continually drawing them back to us. It was the glue that relentlessly held on as they gingerly tried to leave.

In the end, we ripped up the carpet, applied a new glue and eventually all was well with the world once again.

This may not seems so bad, and in fact, it was not, but we did feel a little silly…. a bit like we had egg on our face, but instead, it was glue on our feet. Our members are “good eggs” so they took it “in stride!”

Ok, that was a bad pun, but who among us has not been there before?

—Linda Mitchell, Newtown Athletic Club