Extending Opportunities for our Juniors and Families

Long standing members will know that one of our core aims as a Club is to balance the needs of our junior members and families, with those of our “adult only” members. Each has a distinct set of requirements, and we try wherever possible to cater for both. Any changes that we make are carefully considered to ensure we maintain a good balance.

COVID has had a significant impact on our operations this year, affecting all members, but particularly our family members. For example, booking slots in classes, gym or pool/spa for multiple people is much more difficult than for a single member. As a result, we are introducing a few changes to our junior offering to ensure that our families still have plenty of opportunities to exercise together, and junior members have sufficient opportunities to use the Club.

The changes are summarised below. All of these changes will take effect from Monday 19^th October.

Gym use by 15-year old Juniors

We would like to offer the opportunity for our 15-year old juniors to use the gym (all areas except the free weights section) without the direct supervision of their parents, although parents/guardians must remain in the Club.

Obviously, gyms are dangerous places from a health & safety viewpoint and so, to take advantage of this opportunity, the following process must be followed:

• The membership of the 15-year old junior must be upgraded to the 16-18 category.
• The junior (& a parent/guardian) must do induction with one of our PTs and sign a Health Commitment statement (HCS), with one  parent/guardian also signing to say they are happy to their child to use the gym unsupervised.
• Juniors may attend with a friend, but groups (of more than 2 juniors) are not permitted.

The usual gym rules will need to be observed, such as booking a slot, cleaning equipment before and after use, etc. If you wish to take advantage of this opportunity, please do contact Reception to organise the membership change and induction process.

Parent and Junior Gym – Extended Times

Our 12-15 year old junior members may continue to attend the gym under parental supervision (without any membership upgrade) and we are extending the times of these parent-junior sessions. The new times are:

Weekdays: Any time apart from 17.15 – 20.15.

Weekends: Any time after 12.15.

Juniors may use any equipment apart from free weights and our plate-loaded kit. They must do a gym induction and sign a HCS before using the gym for the first time, with the parent also signing the HCS to record their approval.

The parent/guardian must obviously remain in the gym at all times, and we expect parents to keep an eye on their juniors whilst they are exercising, although they might be in a different part of the gym. The usual rules on booking a space, cleaning equipment and general gym etiquette apply, and both parent and junior must book a space before attending. 

Classes

We have made some slight changes to the classes that our 14/15 year old juniors can access. From 19th October, the classes they can do are: 

• Monday 5.15pm Grit Cardio
• Wednesday 6.00pm Body Combat
• Friday 6.30am Grit Cardio
• Friday 6.30pm Body Balance
• Saturday 11.15am Grit Cardio
• Sunday 12.00pm Body Attack
• Sunday 6.15pm Yoga

The big change here is that the parent does not have to accompany their junior, but the parent/guardian must remain in the Club, and their child must know where they will be.

Don’t forget that Club Towers Live, our streaming service, provides a great opportunity for juniors to do classes at home, and for families to do classes together. If you don’t have access to Club Towers Live yet, please ask at Reception.

Junior Gym Floor Workouts 

We are delighted to announce that we are now able to offer junior gym floor workouts for our 12-15 year old members from 19th October.   These 30-minute classes focus on all round fitness and strength, a great workout for teens of all levels.  Classes will be bookable on the App and will run at the following times:

• Tuesday 4.30-5.00pm
• Thursdays and Fridays 5.30-6.00pm

A parent/guardian must be in the Club but does not have to be on the gym floor.

Tennis, Table Tennis & Squash – a Reminder for Racquets Members

Please don’t forget that a junior racquets member age 11 and over who is capable of rallying on a squash or tennis court, can play with another junior of similar standard at any off-peak time, provided parents/guardians remain in the Club. Simply book a court and tell Reception that two juniors are playing together, and where they can find you in the event of an emergency.   The table tennis table is also available on Saturdays and Sundays between 2pm and 8pm and is currently booked with the Reception team.

Other Junior Activities

Finally, don’t forget all of our other activities for juniors, such as our family circuits at 12.30pm on Saturdays, the creche, and our swimming lessons and our tennis and squash coaching. We will have some new initiatives for these to announce before the end of the year. For further information please speak to the Reception team.