Dismissed

It was a bittersweet moment this early dark-thirty as we put another sixteen weeks of Super Eights to rest. More bitterness from the fact that due to declining attendance (I will attempt a marketing take down the line), not only did we wrap the set of S8s - our class has been cancelled as well. This was it, end game, no mas, last man standing, over and out. It was a painful reminder of the aphorism citing the only constant being change and the truth of impermanence. 

I brought gifts for the folks that made it through the entire sixteen weeks, asking them to recall the days when the starting protocol asked for a mere one thirty second bast of all-out power, and to visualize the adaptive process of adding one per week until we got to eight, a plateau we then navigated for eight weeks. I pointed out that the physical changes, while impressive, come nowhere near the increases to their self-confidence, awareness and ability to accept challenge. It was truly a magnificent journey.

And now it’s over. We did it, made it through the detours, the blind corners, up all the hills, over the potholes, past distraction and in the face of sloth, indifference and fear. We knew, as I knew waking this morning at 0300 with a sudden dose of endorphin flow hinting at the work, and its degree of difficulty, that lay in waiting. We rose, packed our kits, made it to the club and walked in. In full cognizance that this was going to test the limits of our abilities to execute, voluntarily, an hour of mental, physical and spiritual challenge. 

Taking us full oval to the present reality. What has changed in the five years since we would regularly fill the room to capacity every Wednesday? I will guess as follows:

1) We were negligent in attracting a recruiting class to replace the one currently in decline. Our core group is aging-up no longer needing to get in an early spin before commuting to work. They are retired and enjoying the hard-earned sleep-in time they acquired along with Social Security. 

2) Technology has stepped-in, rode-in actually, offering high-quality indoor smart trainers, much as we did at RacerMate, makers of CompuTrainer, thirty years ago, but this time with live video streams of professional trainers (models) leading virtual classes. I have often joked about this, asking semi-seriously, why would anyone come to my class at 0530 if they could stay at home and dial up a smoking hot session at their convenience, at home, and with their own set lists? I will ask it again at this time. Why?

3) Sadly, as I mentioned this morning, we do this protocol because it offers the best bang for the indoor training buck, a ROI of speed, power, endurance and camaraderie. The reality exists that perhaps it is too hard, eliminating most of the club membership as a result. After all they can always take a sauna and sit on a physio ball as an alternative to high-intensity intervals. We might call them Super Easy Eights and test the theory one day.

4) My style and my music are not everyone's cup of tea. I get this. It was easy to stick with the formula that for almost twenty years packed every club I worked, but one these days that might be getting tired, long in the training tooth. I don’t know and I am not 100% sure that I want to find out. 

5) The bikes, stereo, cycle room are all showing age as well. Parts wear-out, speakers blow and paint fades. If left unaddressed they will eventually have a negative effect on participation. 

6) Changing Island demographic. I have witnessed this phenomena over the course of my thirty years here. We have recently completed (I trust) a growth spurt that rivaled Seattle’s, we are after all, a bedroom community of the Emerald City, just a thirty-five minute ferry ride away from the riches and corporate power of Boeing, Starbucks, Amazon and Expedia. To name but a few. The numbers game should have created dramatic increases in both club membership and participation in group exercise classes. It hasn’t. For reasons I am still researching. 

There are six solid possibilities, chances are the analysis is some combination of them all. I hope that number four is not the prime example.

Either way, I, once again, wish to extend my ‘gratitude for and pride in’ the small group that completed our last session today, the fifteen that preceded it, the entire year, and every one of the Wednesdays since we took our first steps down this incredible path so many long years ago.

Straight up in the saddle and shoulders back. 

Dismissed.