By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
As Bowling Green area residents try to work off their butts or guts, the city is seeing a glut of gyms in the community.
Gym members trying to burn off calories on cardio equipment and build muscles on weight machines may benefit from the exercise options – but the number of gyms could be unhealthy for the businesses.
There are many similarities at the gyms – lots of equipment for those who prefer solitary exercise, or classes in spinning, zumba or pilates for those who thrive on group motivation.
There are some differences at each location. The community center has a track, basketball and volleyball courts. St. Julian’s Fitness has free classes with memberships and is the official Silver Sneaker location in the city. Anytime Fitness is open round the clock and allows use of any other Anytime Fitness in the world. BGSU Recreation Center has a couple indoor pools. And Crossfit offers its own brand of specialized workouts.
Soon, people looking for just the perfect fit to perfect their bodies, will have another choice. Planet Fitness has announced plans to open a gym on South Main Street, near the Staples store.
Basketball at the community center
Generally, Kristin Otley, director of the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department, is in favor of new business growth to the city – especially since that means new tax revenue – even if it is another gym.
“I think competition is a great thing. It keeps us all on our game,” she said.
However, this latest entry has some gym officials breaking out into a sweat.
“That is concerning. This community can only support so much,” Otley said. “The pool of people is only so big.”
Oftentimes when new gyms come to town, they offer great deals that sweet talk customers into giving them a try.
The pass sales numbers at the community center for this year already show a continuing drop. Figures presented at the June meeting of the city’s park and recreation board showed pass sales this year totaling $117,177. That compares to last year’s sales of $130,059. The number of passes sold so far this year was 1,088, compared to 1,358 last year.
Stats at the community center show significant slumps when St. Julian’s gym reopened at its new site, and when Anytime Fitness opened up shop last year.
“What can we support?” Otley asked.
Shane St. Julian, whose gym predates all the other sites except BGSU Recreation Center, shares some of the concerns.
Shane St. Julian in classroom area
“In a community this size, it’s too many,” St. Julian said.
“I’ve dealt with competition since I’ve been in town,” he said. “We’ve been maintaining membership here pretty well.”
In many cases, attracting and retaining membership is dependent on finding a niche that others in the community don’t fulfill. For St. Julian’s, that’s Silver Sneakers classes for the older crowd, plus other fitness classes free with a membership. The gym has a wide variety of weight machines, a smoothie bar and longer hours than the community center.
“We try to make everyone feel at home,” St. Julian said.
Down the street at Anytime Fitness, the gimmick that gets them in the door and keeps them coming back is 24/7 access to the Bowling Green location and to the business’ 3,300 gyms worldwide. Manager Jeremy Vance said customers have a health coach assigned to mentor them, and free tanning with their memberships.
“We’re doing very well. I’m not a bit worried,” about another gym opening in the city, Vance said.
The key fobs get members in at any time of day or night, catering to shift workers who can’t make regular daytime hours.
“We get people who come all around the clock,” Vance said.
The community center also has its perks, in addition to the gyms and track. It offers youth and adult programming – though at additional costs.
“The community center is more than just someone signing in to use the track or fitness equipment,” Otley said. So in that way, the drops in memberships at the center don’t tell the whole story.
“When you look at the big picture of what a community center is there to do,” the facility is meeting that need, she said. Families with kids can leave the youngest in a day care type setting, while the others can play basketball or volleyball.
The community center also provides a more low pressure setting than some more intense gyms.
“People should feel comfortable coming here, whatever fitness level they’re at,” Otley said.
People walk the track at the BG Community Center.
Though some serious fitness types go to the community center, it is also a place for beginners – with no intimidation, she said. “We want to be that place. We want people to come use it, so we can keep people healthy.”
In response to the declining pass purchases, the city park and recreation board has discussed some marketing changes. For example, discounts for classes may soon be offered to gym members, and discounts on memberships may soon be offered to those who attend classes.
To try to attract more winter users, the center offered passes that would allow people to run at the gym on days when the temperature dipped below 10 degrees outside.
The community center tried to cut costs earlier this year by trimming back evening hours. Some long-time regulars at the gym voiced objections, but the hours were shortened anyway.
The center has also lost money on its limited Silver Sneakers program, since St. Julian’s is the only sanctioned Silver Sneakers class provider in the city. At the community center, seniors are offered free use of the facility – with the facility being reimbursed for each visit. However, that means that some seniors who previously paid for passes no longer buy memberships, and the reimbursements are often less than the previous revenue.
“That has really been an issue for us,” Otley said. “We have lost money on that.”
The membership costs for the gyms in the city vary – with some offering frequent deals for starters. The community center offers lower costs for city residents than for those who live outside the city. Most of the facilities boast personal trainers, and friendly staff who know the patrons by name.
“The goal is to get them healthy and fit,” Otley said.
