Doubts about new gym passes addressed by GGAC
Since its opening two years ago, the Guelph Gryphons Athletic Centre (GGAC), has been creating more options to help students reach their unique personal-growth goals and needs. Now, the GGAC offers the fitness centre (already paid for in your tuition!), for those who want to work out independently or with a personal trainer, as well as two different add-on class passes suited for different needs.
As an avid gym-goer, and a regular at many fitness classes, I was skeptical when I heard that the GGAC would be offering not only one class pass, the NRG pass, but a secondary pass called NRG PLUS.
The NRG class pass (which stands for Nurture the mind, Re-create the self, Gear up or “energy”) was introduced when the GGAC opened, and is a $50 membership pass (per semester) that gives students access to 92 different guided fitness classes. Students have the chance to try everything from Zumba and kickboxing to TRX and cycling with the all-inclusive pass. After seeing advertising for the newest pass, I thought, why fix something that’s not broken, and what good could a secondary, more expensive pass bring to students?
Without reassurance, it’s understandable to be wary of how the new option will pan out and doubts about the system are expected. The Guelph Gryphons Fitness and Recreation website only states that the new NRG PLUS pass ($80/semester) offers “preferred access to all NRG classes, special NRG PLUS only classes, and a Gryphons workout towel.” However, there is no further information to explain how this new system works.
I wondered whether the reserved PLUS spots would allow users to show up late to class and gain a prime location in the studio, or if regular NRG users would miss out on a class if too many PLUS users attended. Perhaps the most popular classes at the most ideal times of the day would be deemed “NRG PLUS only” as a way to entice students to buy the more expensive pass. Was this new option going to create elitism in the fitness centre, where the best service was only offered to those who paid the most?
My many uncertainties, paired with the doubts of friends and other gym-goers I talked to, brought me to the office of Lynne Skilton-Hayes, the University of Guelph’s fitness program supervisor, for a discussion about the classes at the GGAC.
In an interview with The Ontarion, Skilton-Hayes explained that the NRG pass is designed to create a sense of freedom that wasn’t offered in the years before GGAC. Students used to purchase their fitness centre pass, or their FITPAK, for both classes and the fitness centre, but regardless, certain classes such as cycle, TRX, pilates, and dance were separately added for additional fees, making a truly all-inclusive experience financially unattainable or undesirable for most students.
“We wanted to give the students the best,” Skilton-Hayes said. “To have it seriously be an experience where you do it all and it’s super affordable.”
“We don’t want our students feeling like they can’t get everything they need here and because they can’t that they have to go elsewhere,” Skilton-Hayes continued. “This is a student building. We listen to what they want and we really try to incorporate that.”
Although the website does not communicate this, the NRG PLUS pass will only be sold to 150 students per semester of the nearly 11,000 gym-goers that access the fitness centre and fitness classes per semester. According to Skilton-Hayes, the GGAC wanted regular NRG users to be unaffected by the change and NRG members have been protected. She stated that the studios, with a maximum capacity of 120 people each, seldom fill up to begin with.
PLUS members get preferred access to all NRG classes, meaning that they will be allowed into the studio where the class is held first, which can be highly desirable for those that like to be at the front of the room from where you can best see the instructor. However, “once a class starts and if there’s nobody in that NRG PLUS line, then those are considered open spaces,” said Skilton-Hayes.
PLUS users who are late to class do not have any advantages, and will have to find the remaining open spot on the studio floor just like anyone else. Beyond that, in classes with a smaller capacity, such as a spin class or TRX, only three NRG PLUS spots are reserved, so as not to disadvantage NRG users.
Beyond having access to all 92 regular NRG classes with advanced entry, NRG PLUS users are offered ten exclusive fitness classes just for PLUS holders.
These exclusive classes are not popular classes such as Zumba — like I thought they would be — but more niche classes like group personal training with a maximum of eight participants. These classes aim to get members one-on-one attention, and a style of training that will “feel guided, directed, and coached,” according to Skilton-Hayes.
In the weeks to come, as both the NRG and NRG PLUS members hit the gym, Skilton-Hayes remarked that “it’s important for them to know that we listen to them, we listen to suggestions, we really do listen to survey feedback we get.”
So, if you’re trying out the fitness centre or classes for the first time, or even if you’re a seasoned vet at the GGAC, remember to voice what you’d like more of, or less of, or what you think could change altogether so you can get the most out of your fitness experience.
“I get that a gym is a place with equipment and all gyms have it, but what really makes a gym a home for people is the experience and the welcoming environment that people really want to come back to because of the vibe and the energy,” said Skilton-Hayes.
Photo provided by Brezshia Ashcroft