Official Reopening Date!

Dear Community,

We are happy to report that our health inspection has been finalized with the Monroe County Health Department and we have been cleared to not only open, but open with a class based model! This is extremely positive news and was not expected!

There are still many changes to our operations that have been mandated to make this a reality so please read the following email carefully. To get the most asked question out of the way, we are targeting September 1st as our first official day back.

First, we have been asked to phase in our reopening of services. Nothing is set in stone on this timeline, but our current accepted plan is to start with our Adult services (ages 18+), followed by our Youth (ages 10-17), then Kids (ages 6-9), and finally our Tiny’s (ages 3-5).

Adult services will include:

• Adult Level 1
• Adult Level 2
• Movement Circuits
• Strength
• Mobility
• Training Time (new)

Additionally, our policies have been updated in accordance with Department of Health guidelines. A summary of the main points is as follows:

• All persons must wear a mask within our facility (vestibule, gym, lounge, and bathrooms included). Masks must be well fitting and should not require adjustments in order to fully cover your nose, mouth, and chin at all times
• The gym will be limited to no more than 30 persons inside the facility at any time. This includes participants, staff, and vendors
• Mandatory hand washing will be required prior to entering the gym & throughout your participation
• Anyone entering the facility will be required to complete a covid screen. This screen must be filled out in advance of your arrival each day and is mandated by the Health Department. It can be found here: https://forms.gle/ikogRyS7gwwbJf9NA
• All persons inside the facility from different households will be asked to comply with the social distancing parameters of 6ft separation at all times
• Participants interacting in the movement space will be asked to wash their hands prior to and after use of equipment within movement zones
• A full list of detailed policies can be found here: https://rochesterparkour.com/gym-policies/

Additionally, given the various hardships that many of these policies present with how we used to operate business, we’ve had to make some tough calls on how to orchestrate this roll out. With that said, until further notice, the following operating policies have been adopted:

• Service participation is being limited to All Access Memberships or members who have not altered their payments
• Open Gym services are not offered at this time. Instead, we are creating a new service that we’re calling “Training Time”. More information on how Training Time will function can be found further along in this email.
• Class Package holders will be phased in asap, but we currently have no timeline available for this. Please stay tuned to our newsletter, blog, and social media for updates on this in the next coming weeks
• Drop in passes, new class packages, and regular 5x Class Memberships will not be sold until further notice

We understand that these policies might cause dissatisfaction for some and, if that’s true for you, please know that we are doing everything and anything within our power to get back to where we were. Currently, we have no further information to share on how long we will be required to adhere to mandated policies nor how long we will be struggling with the financial consequences that they incur.

These are truly extraordinary times and we are doing everything within our power to ensure that the gym will survive. At least 5 Parkour Gyms across the nation closed for good during these shut downs and thousands more boutique fitness gyms as well. Our strong community is the only reason why we haven’t joined that list yet. You are all appreciated!

Phase 1 Reopening Details:

Based on the feedback provided by the many members who completed our survey, we have solidified the following schedule for phase 1 services:

Monday

• CLOSED

Tuesday

• 6-6:45pm Adult Level 1 class
• 7-7:45pm Adult Level 2 class
• 8-8:45pm Mobility class
• 5-9pm Training Time

Wednesday

• 6-6:45pm Adult Level 1 class
• 7-7:45pm Movement Circuits class
• 8-8:45pm Mobility class
• 5-9pm Training Time

Thursday

• 6-6:45pm Adult Level 2 class
• 7-7:45pm Strength class
• 8-8:45pm Mobility class
• 5-9pm Training Time

Friday

• CLOSED

Saturday

• 1-1:45pm Adult Level 1 class
• 2-2:45pm Strength class
• 3-3:45pm Mobility class
• 1-4pm Training Time

Sunday

• CLOSED

What is Training Time?

Given the complications that surround movement based indoor activities and social distancing requirements, we’ve created something like what Open Gym was, but with more structure. We want to bring Open Gym back as quickly as possible, but since we don’t have a time frame as to when that will be, we’re excited to introduce Training Time!

During Training Time hours, members may sign up for available spots in hour long brackets. Due to space restrictions, we are asking members to only sign up for a maximum of 2 back-to-back hour slots per day to ensure access to as many other members as possible.

The gym will be segmented into movement zones, each with their own borders, movement obstacles, and participant volumes. Zones will be assigned on a first come, first served basis. Travel between zones will be overseen by the gym supervisor.

If desired, there will be recommended skills, drills, techniques, and challenges for each zone. Otherwise, movement within TT zones is self-directed.

Online Classes?

We heard from many of you that you’re still not prepared to come back to the gym yet. We absolutely respect that decision and, in an attempt to keep you included as a part of the community, we have created a new offering to get you access to the education that we provide without having to physically be present in our space.

We have a new feature of our website: https://live.rochesterparkour.com.

This new software has been integrated to allow us to offer you the ability to virtually join a class and get the exact same knowledge that is presented in person! Only certain classes will have this option, but this software has many great features such as:

• It’s integrated into our website (no phishy sites or external services need to be remembered)
• No accounts are needed – all you’ll need is the room name and the password (provided by us)
• Privacy built in – No webcam or mic is required. You don’t even need to type anything in chat! No emails are required… it’s so simple!
• Recordings for future use – each class will be recorded and accessible through the cloud with a password for a short period of time after the class.

Live Classes can be enrolled for by anyone with an active membership. Pay-per-class registration is available to all others for $5/class. We anticipate a few bumps in the road as we work to roll out these virtual classes. More information on this offering will be outlined in a future email/blog post. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Wrapping Up

Our Phase 1 schedule is currently live on the website now and anyone with an applicable membership can begin enrolling into them. More information on Phase 2 Youth Services will be released soon.

It’s been quite the journey working through this and dealing with so many different government agencies, all the changing guidelines, and all the confusion and contradictions. The struggle is far from over, but it’s nice to finally be able to send out some news that actually includes real actions.

Just like in Parkour, complex movements are trained by breaking them down into simple mechanics and then slowly and methodically meshing them together. We’ll get back to where the gym was pre-COVID, but we have to train the mechanics again to get there.

Always remember, great things come from overcoming struggle. No one gets commended for doing something that’s easy. The path ahead is the most complex movement line we’ve ever come upon – but you gotta know how great it will feel to finally work it all together and nail it!

Because of you, we’re still fighting. Let’s find that greatness together.