| Hello BTS! Within the last couple of months, I coached my 5,000th class at Birdtown. I track a lot of metrics – and this is one that I am especially proud of. Outside of coaching, I’ve spent another 2,500+ hours on growing and running BTS and over 1,000 hours here as an athlete in class. If you’ve ever read Malcom Gladwell’s book “The Tipping Point,” you know that he uses 10,000 hours as the time it takes to be an expert at something. While I’m not at that 10,000 hour Birdtown Strength Expert yet, I am close and invested in getting there. Now more than ever, I truly am invested in Birdtown – as the sole owner of the gym. If you haven’t had a chance to read Tricia’s email from last week, I encourage you to (search “BTS Send Off from Tricia”). Things are going to change – and they will stay the same. I’m excited to unshelve some ideas and bring some fresh energy to the gym. Taking on the gym is not a solo endeavor. Team BTS is a standout group of individuals that helps keep the energy up and operations running smoothly. I am looking for more than status quo, I want the gym to grow – in our fitness and community. To do just that, I am excited to bring Coach Claire in as our new General Manager. Claire has been transitioning into this position since early November, and will shift to full-time in January. If you could – join me in congratulating Claire on his new role! Feel free to send a message to Claire directly at claire@birdtownstrength.com. The first batch of investment projects… are not the most sexy, but are pretty important. Claire’s intro to to the GM role has been in deep cleaning the gym. The next bigger project we’ll start in the new year is replacing much of the plywood flooring. If you hate splinter, this one’s for you! There’s also paint projects and some rearranging of spaces coming in the short-term. When it comes to growth, BTS wants your help. And to facilitate that, we’re introducing a member referral program starting.. NOW! The simple version is refer a new athlete to BTS and in a few months, you’ll get a credit on your bill. The longer version has a few more brackets around it – • Program covers net new athletes to BTS who sign up for a six-month plans • New athlete must include current BTS athlete’s name in registration, or include in email when scheduling fundamentals / start date • New athlete must be in good standing (all bills paid) for three months, then in Month 4 – the referring / current BTS athlete gets a $50 credit on their account if the new athlete selected an unlimited plan or a $40 credit if the new athlete selected a 3x month for the six-month commitment We want growth in terms of members, and to bring out some activities that helped our community grow in the first place by offering monthly activities from social happenings to fitness challenges, and probably much in between. One of my recent classes fully volunteered to participate in a future “Social Committee” after coming up with ideas that included Friday night WOD & Happy Hours, Women’s WOD Week surrounding International Women’s Day, and Color Days ( anyone remember color wars from grade or high school?), and weekend afternoon Open Gyms for our BTS Kids (especially in the winter months when they need to burn some energy off). Last but not least, new apparel coming in the new year! We’ve heard some requests – like sweat shirts and long-sleeves, and a request for a simple/neutral color scheme – what else you got?! Is there any older apparel that you would like a rerun of? We’ll be working on designs in the next month, then setting up for a pre-order in January. That was a lot! If you want to talk, please reach out – or grab me the next time you see me in the gym. We’re also going to send out surveys early 2025 to offer better ways to collect feedback and ideas. And if you can, block your calendar now to celebrate another year of Birdtown Strength at our 12th Annual Holiday and Anniversary Party on January 11 at Plank Road Tavern. Yours truly, Jillian Ps. The “typical” Month Ahead content is below: Monthly Programming November left everyone stuffed with fitness, and we definitely got fitter because of it! We finished off our last strength cycle, testing the Back Squat, Deadlift, and Push Press. That landed the week of Veteran’s Day, so we also paid homage to all those who served by completing the Hero Workout Chad. We had not two, but THREE Thanksgiving-themed workouts to ensure that everyone got a little taste of the holiday and to help burn off some of that Turkey! It was a packed month and as we transition to the final month of the year the priority will be to keep things fun, and to also start prepping for next year’s training! In December, we are looking at a month full of General Physical Preparedness (GPP) lifting and weeks that are VERY varied! We want to make the last month of the year fun to get everyone excited for the holidays AND the 2025 training year that is quickly approaching! You will see plenty of opportunities to lift, classic workouts, and some fun new and old named workouts to take us to the end of 2024. We have Christmas-themed workouts coming your way, including the 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS WOD on Saturday, December 21! Followed by some New Years-themed workouts to finish out the year. Let’s keep getting after our training this final month and hit the ground running in January! Workout Weekly December Commitments • (1x/ Week) Workout of the Week or Benchmark/ Classic workout • (1x/ Week) Optional Partner Workout • 1x Hero Workout • 3 Holiday Themed Workouts • 2 New Years Themed Workouts Year End After Party Challenge! 2024 Year End After Party Challenge is coming up! This is the our first and longest lasting AP Challenge that we created at the end of our first year. Ten After Parties over the last Ten Days of the Year. Each AP is about 100 Reps for Ten Different Movements. To the goal is to finish the year on a high note by putting in a little extra work. Do the work, then add your name and times to the board. Everyone who finishes all ten APs is a winner and gets a prize! The Year End AP Challenge kicks off on Saturday, December 21. Holiday Schedule • Christmas Eve and New Years Eve: Regular morning (5:00, 6:00, and 7:00am) and 4:00pm classes plus Open Gym at 12:00pm. No 5:30pm or 7:00pm classes. • Christmas Day and New Year’s Day: Closed 2025 Annual Unlimited Plan This remains our most economical option with a 12 month Unlimited Class Plan* for $1500, beginning January 1, 2025. If you’re interested, reach out to jillian@birdtownstrength.com. *This plan is for 12 consecutive months with no extensions or holds. This is not to be combined with any other offer and is nonrefundable. That’s all folks! Onwards and upwards, Jillian and Team BTS |
Share this page