This happens to be the week of both Teacher and Nurse Appreciation Week. These are two times where we take a moment to reflect on how important these people are to the greater good of our nation. Amidst all that is going on, their efforts to keep ourselves and our children safe have never wavered. When schools are shut down, teachers have found a way to support a nation of children virtually. While most of the world is asked to work from home, nurses remain at the forefront of serving those in need. In this time of crisis, you guys step up.
We want to thank everyone for your responses in our most recent survey. This has been a time which we have never known — and the only thing certain is we are in an uncertain world. And we are each navigating it differently. Although we serve a broad community, we have always strived to deliver an experience that works for YOU based on your individual needs — and now we have a HUGE layer of complexity that no could have ever expected.
There are no right answers. No right opinions. But we promise we are doing everything in our power to be sensitive to the emotions and needs of every single person. Whether you fall on the spectrum in terms of craving a class environment or want continued resources to workout on their own at home, we are doing everything in our being to make them equally fulfilling experiences. While this survey has been an invaluable resource to us in our planning for some level of operations resuming, it has also revealed some great questions, shed light on other concerns, and helped us realize we need to make some clarifications.
We will ultimately answer each question, but there were a few recurring questions we want to address from the outputs of the survey and Sunday night’s fireside chat.
We know there are major concerns from those athletes that are not comfortable to return to an outdoor class environment about giving up their home equipment. From the survey, we feel very confident that we will be able to provide equipment for ALL athletes that are primarily looking to train at home. In an effort to ensure we can meet the equipment needs of the entire community, we have reached out to a number of other gyms about the possibility of renting some of theirs. We don’t think this will be necessary, but we looking to be prepared. But the reason why we asked for ALL equipment to be returned is we need to re-inventory what was loaned out and re-work programming for both at-home AND at-gym workouts — and this will determine what we need at the facility and what can be in homes. We will then immediately re-deploy gear. If you are not comfortable coming in, please reach out to us directly and we are more than happy to figure out a solution.
In an effort to be transparent to the community we have shared some of the financial information about the gym. We have had some questions about the PPP loan and how we can utilize it. The PPP grant is to be used primarily for the payroll and is an amazing gift to us small business owners to pay staff. While most businesses understand much of it will be a forgivable loan, the banks are still uncertain about how that will work. But regardless, it is a lifeline. We desperately want to use this money for our coaching staff that we love so much, but please understand that our coaches (with the exception of Coach Holden) work part-time at the Cove and are paid hourly. The demands on their lives are just as great as yours. They work full-time jobs, have families to tend to, and also have all the additional pressures that exist during this COVID crisis. It is so difficult for them to able to dedicate any more time to the gym right now and we absolutely understand this. They are giving us all they have and we are so blessed that we can lean on them. But for most, it’s almost impossible to give more. We are, however, trying to get as creative as we can to add MORE to add value to you during this time — and hope to bring you some fresh ideas soon. So stay tuned!
Finally, we had some questions about how we have lost 40+ remembers but are down 30% as far as membership. We actually misspoke. We have lost over 20% of our membership, but those loses actually account for nearly 30% of our revenue base. The driving factor is that these lost memberships are primarily individual memberships (unlike lower cost ‘same HH’ and ‘Founder’s rate” memberships). We apologize for that error, but hopefully, this clarifies the percentages.
We do not know what the future has in store for us, but we will all get through this together. We thank you for sharing so much with us. We are in a delicate situation where we all have different needs and emotions, but we believe that with proactive thinking and robust dialogue we can meet you all where you stand. This is not about rushing to open, this is simply about being prepared for when we do. You mean more to us than you’ll ever know and we are trying our best. We will stumble. We won’t have all the answers. But you can trust that we will always have your best interests at heart.
We are thrilled that 65 people have filled out the survey so far and we’re hoping for more. As a reminder, it’s a pulse on what possible attendance could look like during Phase 1 (likely outdoor classes only permitted in MD) at some point in the future. But we are also learning a ton about your thoughts around opening in general, and once we have a few more in, we will get back to you with some clarifications and try to address questions that are coming up as best we can.
The goal of the survey is to help us plan better (safer, smarter and most appropriately) for when we are given the Governor’s guidances. Even though we have no specifics of dates or protocols, we can do a lot of pre-planning as here’s a lot that has to happen behind the scenes before any kind of re-opening. We know that many of you will not be comfortable coming back for some time and we are also feverishly making plans to give you everything you need for your fitness (physical AND mental)!. This is not just about re-opening, it is about serving and supporting every single one of you in the way you are most comfortable.
We know there are no one-size-fits-all solutions and we are truly trying our hardest solve for a wide spectrum of needs in a deeply connected community during a crazy time. Thank you for your unwavering and continued support. Please know that we want nothing more than to give you the same.
Last night we gave a lot (probably too much) context around our thought processes, so if you missed it we have a replay of the event below. In it, we outlined our vision of limited sized, socially distanced, safe outdoor classes at the Cove according to Governor Hogans’s timeline in his “Maryland Strong: Road to Recovery” plan. Of course, that plan can change at any time and we have no insight into when restrictions may be lifted… but again, our hope is to be as well thought-out and planned for when it happens. It is not about rushing to open at all, it is about preparing as best we can for when we do.
Here a PDF Document of our presentation. Be sure to check it out and we would love to hear from you via this survey.
For those that missed tonight’s Fireside Chat, we have a replay of the event below. In it, we outlined our vision of limited sized, socially distanced, safe outdoor classes at the Cove according to Governor Hogans’s timeline in his “Maryland Strong: Road to Recovery” plan.
Here a PDF Document of our presentation. Be sure to check it out and we would love to hear from you via this survey.
3 rounds
2 AMRAP stations w/ 20 second transition between
Over Equipment Burpees (DB or small box)
Pistols (or Air Squats)
Bent over row (or pullup if you have a bar)
DB Clean and Jerk (or backpack option)
As many of you know, Governor Hogan has developed a “Maryland Strong: Road to Recovery” plan which outlines the next steps in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Over the past couple of weeks, we have been putting together our plan on how we might play a role in this recovery. Tonight we will be presenting the broad strokes on how we will execute on our vision. We also will be answering your questions via Zoom’s chat feature.
Instead of Facebook Live, we will be presenting this plan via Zoom so we can screen share a number of slides. The meeting will be at 8:15 PM. We will be sharing out the recording of this presentation of the meeting via a Youtube channel after it is completed.
Finally, we also will be sending out a survey to get your feedback on our plan.
This Sunday we are going to have a special fireside chat at the Anglim’s house to talk about our thoughts about the future of the Cove as we are moving towards Governor Hogan’s “Maryland Strong Road to Recovery” plan. We will be posting on the Facebook Live private Cove Page and also rebroadcasting it via Youtube.
O2, which has become a fan favorite at the Cove, has a new campaign going called #Stayformay. They will be providing us a $100 gift card for all our members that are active members for May. It would be a $25 gift card for Born Primitive, Puori, Bear KompleX, and of course O2. There is no mailing list you will become part of, I will just be emailing out these coupon codes to all current members. A huge thank you to O2 (and your partners) in supporting our gym during these tough times. Finally, through Sunday cases of O2 are 50% off at www.drink02.com. Hopefully, we will be toasting with O2 in the gym soon.
BRING A FRIEND FRIDAY
VIRTUAL STYLE
We love connecting people through fitness and although far from ideal during this COVID crisis, we are going to be doing a “Bring A Friend Friday” Zoom class this Friday at 6 PM. The class will include simple movements and can be scaled for anyone. It is perfect for all ages (kids can take the class as well) and is a chance to get fit, connect with others, and just have a great time. Think of it as a fitness happy hour!
In an effort to take advantage of this “away from the gym” time, we are providing an accessory program focused on different movement issues and limitations. There are four tracks (choose one or two) designed to be done three (non-consecutive) days per week for about 10-15 minutes alongside normal Cove programming.
The fourth and last Weakness Work track is Single-Arm Stability! The video is below and the programming can be found in the description.
We love connecting people through fitness and although far from ideal during this COVID crisis, we are going to be doing a “Bring A Friend Friday” Zoom class this Friday at 6 PM. The class will include simple movements and can be scaled for anyone. It is perfect for all ages (kids can take the class as well) and is a chance to get fit, connect with others, and just have a great time. Think of it as a fitness happy hour!
In an effort to take advantage of this “away from the gym” time, we are providing an accessory program focused on different movement issues and limitations. There are four tracks (choose one or two) designed to be done three (non-consecutive) days per week for about 10-15 minutes alongside normal Cove programming.
The third Weakness Work track is Core Engagement! The programming is here and the accompanying video is below.
Next track: Single Arm Stability
QUARANTINE CARE with WRENN
If we were sitting together in my therapy office right now, I might tell you that if you are anything like me, these past weeks have brought a whole lot more scrolling and a whole lot more screens than I am used to. I am taking in more messages about what I am “supposed” to be doing during this time of quarantine and social distancing than ever before. Suddenly, everyone else seems to be the expert on my life.
I have heard that if I don’t come out of this with a new skill, new hobby, and new side hustle, then I have failed. I have heard that if I don’t come out of this having lost those pesky 10 pounds, then I have not taken advantage of this once in a lifetime event. If I don’t take the time to clean out every closet, log every old receipt, scrub my baseboards with a freakin’ toothbrush then, yep, you guessed it, I did not use this timecorrectly.
I am here to offer you a different message.
You are doing an incredible job surviving in the midst of a global pandemic.
Yes! You really are. Whether that means you are showing up to every zoom workout, or if you haven’t made a single one. If you are using your equipment or staring at it from your couch. If you have scrubbed your baseboards or if your trash is piling up. If you are using food as fuel or as comfort. You are doing a great job.
Surviving looks a little different for everyone right now. And that’s okay. I invite you to do whatever feels best to get through this. Your nervous system is on high alert, your amygdala is in overdrive. This is the time for gentleness towards all of your parts, urges, and feelings.
Also, while I am on the subject. Your hard is your hard. And while we all might be experiencing this differently, each of our experiences matter.
I cannot wait to see you all again.
Take good care of yourself,
Wrenn
P.S- This is an incredibly difficult time. As a licensed clinical social worker I am incredibly passionate about loving people by making sure they have the support they need. Please reach out to my confidential email address wrenn@wrennskidmore.com if I can help support you, or help connect you privately with a trusted professional resource. There is no need to go it alone. Especially now.
CONDITIONING
7 rounds
100m Sprint
15 Air Squats immediately after
Rest 90 sec
