Sunday, February 19, 2012
Big Wheels Keep On Turnin'
Just as I was starting to settle into a routine again after several weeks without a car, a friend who is a spin instructor mentioned to me that because she was changing jobs, she would no longer be able to teach the Friday Noon time spin class at my gym. She offered it to me and I promptly turned it down. Like so many other things that go exactly the way I plan in my life, I'll start teaching the class in 2 or 3 weeks.
My manager told me that if she couldn't find a replacement right away, she'd have to cancel the class until someone could be found. Inconsistency is the doom of all classes. It sours the participants and attendance falls off to practically nothing. Since it's a small class anyway with 3-6 being normal, 9 being packed, and 13 bikes being a full house, there isn't a lot of room for dwindling. I was afraid that if the class was canceled, the owner would seize the opportunity to cancel it altogether with no chance of reviving it. I agreed to take it on a trial basis. If it's a good fit, I'll continue teaching it. If not, I'll stay on until she can find someone else. Hopefully, that would happen before we lose all of the participants.
Since I've been spinning for almost 10 years and have a formal background in music, my manager suggested I go to an AFAA (Aerobic and Fitness Association of America) indoor cycling workshop and so last weekend I drove into Boston and participated in an all day affair (9am - 5pm) at Boston University's FitRec center. Nice facility. Freezing weather. I wouldn't have even considered driving all the way into town in my old car. I guess the new wheels are working out.
If you're a seasoned spinner and have been considering getting certified, don't hesitate. My friend told me I would be bored and boy, was she ever right. The material was quite pedestrian with very little to discuss which is good because the instructor didn't like discussions as much as she liked simply disseminating information and made that clear enough that most of us stopped trying to participate and just listened. I gave her an Average rating on the exit evaluation just because I'm nice. As bored as I was, I will probably go for a Johnny G certification in a couple of months just to compare the two styles.
The hardest thing won't be teaching, it will be following such a class act. I've had 26 different instructors over the years and have to say that my friend is also my favorite spin instructor which is good since that way I don't have to lie to her about how good she is. Unfortunately for me, she is well loved and no one is going to be happy about her leaving which is going to cause an uneasiness towards me because even though they know who I am, they don't know what kind of instructor they're getting. I'm happy that she has a job which works out better for her but it sucks for the rest of us. On top of that, I will no longer count towards the attendance so I'm already down a person.
It also seems I'm destined to be sick all winter. I should be out riding but I've been fighting a cold every other week and the pool at work has had issues that I won't even get into so lately most of my workout time has been spent on my bike trainer while watching TV. In light of my new adventure, I guess I'll have to change from watching my DVR programs to checking out new songs on VH1 for the class.
VH1?! Miley? Britney? Coldplay? UGH! I'm definitely going to be earning my money.
I knew I should have just stuck with "no."
My manager told me that if she couldn't find a replacement right away, she'd have to cancel the class until someone could be found. Inconsistency is the doom of all classes. It sours the participants and attendance falls off to practically nothing. Since it's a small class anyway with 3-6 being normal, 9 being packed, and 13 bikes being a full house, there isn't a lot of room for dwindling. I was afraid that if the class was canceled, the owner would seize the opportunity to cancel it altogether with no chance of reviving it. I agreed to take it on a trial basis. If it's a good fit, I'll continue teaching it. If not, I'll stay on until she can find someone else. Hopefully, that would happen before we lose all of the participants.
Since I've been spinning for almost 10 years and have a formal background in music, my manager suggested I go to an AFAA (Aerobic and Fitness Association of America) indoor cycling workshop and so last weekend I drove into Boston and participated in an all day affair (9am - 5pm) at Boston University's FitRec center. Nice facility. Freezing weather. I wouldn't have even considered driving all the way into town in my old car. I guess the new wheels are working out.
If you're a seasoned spinner and have been considering getting certified, don't hesitate. My friend told me I would be bored and boy, was she ever right. The material was quite pedestrian with very little to discuss which is good because the instructor didn't like discussions as much as she liked simply disseminating information and made that clear enough that most of us stopped trying to participate and just listened. I gave her an Average rating on the exit evaluation just because I'm nice. As bored as I was, I will probably go for a Johnny G certification in a couple of months just to compare the two styles.
The hardest thing won't be teaching, it will be following such a class act. I've had 26 different instructors over the years and have to say that my friend is also my favorite spin instructor which is good since that way I don't have to lie to her about how good she is. Unfortunately for me, she is well loved and no one is going to be happy about her leaving which is going to cause an uneasiness towards me because even though they know who I am, they don't know what kind of instructor they're getting. I'm happy that she has a job which works out better for her but it sucks for the rest of us. On top of that, I will no longer count towards the attendance so I'm already down a person.
It also seems I'm destined to be sick all winter. I should be out riding but I've been fighting a cold every other week and the pool at work has had issues that I won't even get into so lately most of my workout time has been spent on my bike trainer while watching TV. In light of my new adventure, I guess I'll have to change from watching my DVR programs to checking out new songs on VH1 for the class.
VH1?! Miley? Britney? Coldplay? UGH! I'm definitely going to be earning my money.
I knew I should have just stuck with "no."
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Getting a good workout and getting paid for it too? Cool.
ReplyDeleteCan relate to the cold. Caught one not long ago and it put me down. I am mostly over it. Hope you kick yours.
Our touring season starts this coming weekend with "Pedal Thru the Pines". However, with last year's fires and a rain that damaged some park roads, we will not be pedaling thru the pines as they have changed the route. Oh well, it knocks out 10 miles of 11% grade hills so depending upon perspective, there is a trade off.
Keep pedaling. August is right around the corner.
Yeah, the workout isn't as good as the other side of the room because I'm responsible for everyone's safety but getting paid is nice.
ReplyDeleteThis cold was pretty awful. I'm at about 95% now. I can't wait to read about the new route... and yes, August is hanging heavy over my head already.