“Dear PoPville,
Interesting guidance coming from the Y. This is the first I’ve heard that members would be required to wear a mask when working out. I support this but I imagine some will complain. I don’t think I would have problems wearing a mask when working out but maybe that’s a sign I don’t work out that hard?”
“Dear YMCA Member,
A CAUTIOUS OPENING (more…)
From the Office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced today that Town Sports International, LLC (TSI), the parent company of Washington Sports Club (WSC), will stop charging members while gyms are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The gym chain will also credit members for time the gyms were closed and offer free electronic membership cancellations through April 30. (more…)
Photo over the weekend at Lincoln Park by Stuart E. Allen
Ed. Note: On Friday we noted an increased police and National Guard presence at NPS run parks like Lincoln Park and Meridian Hill Park.
Ed. Note also: Per the Mayor’s Stay at Home Orders: “Allowable Recreational Activities means outdoor activity with household members that complies with Social Distancing Requirements, as defined in section IV.8 of this Order, and includes the sanitizing of any equipment used both before and after the activity. Outdoor activities should not be conducted with persons other than those from one’s own household.
Examples: Walking, hiking, running, dog-walking, biking, rollerblading, scootering, skateboarding, playing tennis, golfing, [Ed. Note: I believe tennis and golf were since rescinded] gardening, and other activities where all participants comply with Social Distancing Requirements and there is no person-to-person contact.”
Brett reports: “I was kicked out of Lincoln Park this morning by Nat’l Guard for doing solo workout. I’m confused as to the guidelines but want to respect those who are working to limit the spread of COVID. Are parks completely off limits? (more…)
And so concludes our latest WSC Saga Thanks to all who passed on from the Washington Sports Club parent company:
“April 8, 2020
Dear Valued Member:
We hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. We have adjusted our policies to align with your needs and industry best practices: As a result, your membership will be put on freeze — at no cost to you — going forward while we are temporarily closed. There is no action required on your part to enact the freeze. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
Some DC yoga instructors are banning together to create an online schedule of live streamed free and donation based classes to help pass the time in quarantine. If anyone is interested the schedule (and ways to access the classes) is here.” (more…)
Ed. Note: This demand follows multiple complaints discussed here.
From the DC Attorney General’s Office:
“Attorney General Karl A. Racine, New York AG Tish James, and Pennsylvania AG Josh Shapiro today demanded Town Sports International, LLC (TSI) stop charging membership dues to gym members during the COVID-19 public health emergency. In the District, TSI’s Washington Sports Club (WSC) facilities are closed as part of the District’s emergency response to the pandemic. While many fitness clubs have provided automatic membership freezes at no cost, TSI has continued to charge District customers for memberships they cannot use. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Ted Eytan
I thought we’d concluded our gym talk but after yesterday’s Washington Sports Club talk folks want to talk about Vida too. So here we are – thanks to Paul for sending the latest from Vida:
“To our VIDA Fitness Members,
Every day we are experiencing an unprecedented volume of twists & turns as our nation comes to grasp with the coronavirus pandemic. It’s vital that I continue to keep you abreast of what we are doing and provide you with the most accurate and up-to-date information.
In my original letter dated March 15th, I wrote to inform you that we voluntarily closed all VIDA locations from March 16th to March 31st. A few days after we voluntarily closed, Mayor Bowser mandated that all health clubs must remain closed through April 24th. Yesterday, the Mayor issued a Stay At Home Order. We are also dialed-in to the many briefings from Governor Northam and Governor Hogan. We expect things will continue to progress and find it unlikely that we’ll receive approval to reopen our doors before the end of May. (more…)
Photo by Andrea
Ed. Note: We had a lengthy discussion about gyms on Thursday but I continue to get a ton of messages asking specifically about WSC so I’ll dedicate this post to talk about your experiences with them.
“Dear PoPville,
Has anyone figured out what’s going on with Washington Sports Clubs? Are they continuing to charge membership dues despite being closed?
I reached out to them on 3/21 to cancel my month-to-month membership because I was moving out of DC. No answer. Followed up a few days later; no answer (they have not been answering their phones either). I take to social media and find the below email address, which just sent this auto-reply and directs you to this BS letter about how they are basically unreachable and will deal with “credits” after they are back up and operational. This is absurd! Would love to know if you’ve gotten any intel from other readers.”
Noodle writes: “Washington Sports Clubs seems to have tacitly refused to suspend membership charges during closure. This auto message (above) seems to indicate they intend to continue charging & will count the undue charges as future credits after they reopen.”
Mike writes: “This is now the second email in the past couple of days that I’ve received from Washington Sports Clubs parent company (Town Sports International) which, after not receiving any correspondence from them from the beginning of the pandemic until now, states that they will continue collecting membership dues from all members throughout the crisis. This is, of course, problematic on multiple fronts, not the least of which is that I suspect they know this behavior is unseemly (at best) due to the defensive posture of the email below. (more…)
Photo by PoPville flickr user Ted Eytan
I’ve been getting tons of messages about folks concerned about what’s happening with their gyms. So let me just dedicate this post to it. Since gyms have now been ordered closed – what is your gym doing regarding your memberships?
Based on all the joggers I've seen and based on all the booze photos I've seen – half of us are gonna come out of this in the best shape of our lives while the other half will have lived their best life.
After careful consideration I've committed to the latter.
— PoPville (@PoPville) March 17, 2020
Thanks to Natalie for sending: “In the vein of creative entrepreneurial responses to COVID19 disruptions to local businesses”
From Cycled:
“We are excited to announce the CYCLED! Home Bike Rental Program! We have heard the community loud and clear, and we are thrilled to offer a weekly rental program to help you continue to enjoy the classes you know and love ♥︎ We have 45 bikes available for weekly rentals at the rate of $39 per 7 days. Checkout the details below, including the specifications of the bike, to determine if this is a good fit for you. (more…)