The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN a bid to have their voices heard collectively, the operators of local gyms and spas have banded together to form the Bahamas Gym Owners Alliance with the view of getting their doors reopened to the general public.

Under the coronavirus pandemic, the gyms and spas were closed in March and reopened in July. But once again, they have been closed and while other businesses are allowed to reopen, the gyms and spas remain closed.

The BGOA is headed by Dr Kent Bazard of Empire Fitness. The Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, headed by Joel Stubbs, has endorsed the alliance, along with the Bahamas Martial Arts Federation and the Bahamas Gymnastics Federation, as members.

Other members are Sofia Whitehead, owner of Club One Fitness Centre; Tangerine Curry-Dinnick, owner of Evolve Functional Fitness; Regina Smith, owner of Energy Fitness; Lorraine LaFleur, owner of Gainz 4 Life Fitness; Natasha Brown, owner of Downtown Core Fitness; Nonny Price, owner of Just Dance; Kenny Green, owner of Better Bodies Health and Fitness; Jimmy Mackey, owner of MacFit 360; Vaklev Bastian, owner of New Body Resurrection Fitness; Charles Johnson, owner of Da Box Fitness; Raphael and Jennifer Whylly, owners of GB Fitness; Demeko Nesbitt, owner of Fitness Connection; Wellington Sears, of Iron Man Gym; Matson Delancy, owner of Da Dungeon Fitness; Trevor Ramsey, owner of Nassau Nastics and Nardo Dean, owner of Bodyonix and Project Manager for the BBFF.

“In times of great stress, people who have the same interest often come together,” Dr Bazard said. “We felt we were not being listened to individually, so we decided to bond together and let our voices be heard.”

Dr Bazard said the alliance has also allowed the owners and operators of the various gyms and spas to enable them to function much better than they did before.

However, he said they are still concerned that collectively, they have not been able to sit and discuss the way forward for the fitness industry with either the Prime Minister’s office or the Ministry of Health. “We have written to both offices since May and we pretty much have been kept at a distance,” Dr Bazard said. “When we opened up in July, the protocols that were put in place were recommended by us.

“So essential, they took the advice that we sent in and again, there was no discussion, so there were some things that were added, but we were just happy that we were opened up again and so we decided to make it work.”

Every month they remain closed, Dr Bazard said the owners of the gyms and spas accumulate expenses that they are finding hard to deal with from a business point of view.

“This is an important industry for the health of the nation because we train a lot of professional athletes and competitors,” said Dr Bazard, whose club is located in the Seagrape Shopping Plaza.

“Sports is a major industry in the Bahamas, so we feel as if we deserve an audience on the way forward.”

Curry-Dinnick, whose Evolve Functional Fitness Gym is located on the corners of Rosetta Street and Montrose Avenue, said the members of the alliance group are just disappointed that no one is addressing their concerns on how they can reopen under the safety protocols.

“We’ve been closed the longest out of everyone,” she stated. “But we feel we can help in the combat of COVID-19 the right way by opening up our doors. We know that they closed us because they feel it’s a high risk with so many people coming in. “But not all of us are commercial gyms. I consider myself a family boutique gym and we are very small. Plus I know how many people are in the gym at any time because there is a signing procedure that they have to go through.”

When they reopened in July, Curry-Dinnick said they were able to properly manage their clientele and with a pool included in her facilities, she said it makes it even more convenient for persons to work out.

“We provide therapy, we provide home school activities. So schools are allowed to open, but I’m not allowed to open.

“We are lumped into one as gyms and so they are not allowing any of us to open. But we just want to have a seat at the table to discuss how we can have a safe reopening.”

Curry-Dinnick asked if persons can head to the beaches from 5 to 9am, there’s no reason why the gyms and spas should not be allowed to function at the same time.

“There’s no answer for any of us,” she stressed. “They’ve classified all of us as gyms and spas and after six months since they first closed us, but we still have high electricity bills, liability insurance, water costs and we still can’t operate in a safe manner.

“We feel we are safer than food stores. We all have done the necessary protocols to get our gyms and spas ready and yet they have not allowed us to reopen like everybody else.”