Fit to Print Volume 23 Issue 1: March 2014

A Very Good Year continued from page 22 Still Goin’ Strong: Noreen and Rosaria Rosaria: She was an easy target. Cathy: It was hilarious and terrible! Honestly, because Cor and I would usually show up at the same time, and I was, like, “Oh my God, this is going to be so bad! She's not going to like this!” Cor: We actually had spa-time in the backyard as well, if you remember. Cathy: Yes! You used to bring out the callus shaving tool, the thing from Argentina that shaved calluses! Cor: Little did I know we'd have an actual spa one day! Cor: Remember Dance France? And Carushka? Cathy: How about Hype? The denim dress with the zipper up the side? It was a copy of a Azzedine Alaia – very cool! Do you all realize that if we still had those clothes, this many years later, we could still wear them. Not that we'd want to! But they'd still ﬁt. Noreen: We'd come to the gym in a nice leotard, and end up wearing it all day. Rosaria: Yes! Noreen: I'd be at the supermarket in my bodysuit! Cathy: We'd see each other at the supermarket in the afternoon after we'd worked out a 9 that morning. So gross! The Reeboks with absolutely no support... Cor: We used to close the gym in the early afternoons in the early days, so you had that little time where you could change. But later on, the gym didn't close and you were there all day. Your kids would be there, you'd have breakfast there, lunch...you stayed all day, teach, 26 clean and be there right up until closing. Noreen: I remember babysitting for Jourdan on Tuesdays at 4:00 when you had a class. She was an infant. Now she's a women and I'm, like, “Where did my life go?” From Grove Place, to here. All the moves. All the rooms. All the classes...it's amazing. Still immaculate! Rosaria: Being a part of what it all has evolved into has been really amazing for us, Cor, because we've been here since day one. And watching the transformation...sometimes I look around at what you've built and what it's become and I'm staggered. Newer members get this great experience but don't know how far it all has come from the beginning, thanks to what of yourself you've put into it—your blood, sweat, and tears into every detail. So much more than simply throwing machines into a room, but the creation of an environment. Cathy: Remember what a big deal it was when we had two treadmills and two Schwinn Racer Cycles? Rosaria: We never even called it a gym in the beginning...it wasn't a gym. Cathy: And then there were those of us who struggled to use the word 'gym'. We'd be, like, “Studio! I mean, Gym! Studio! Gym!” To this day, my brothersin-law, my mom, they ask, “How's the studio doing?” Cor: My dad, until the day he died: “Cori, how is the studio?” Noreen: You know, I have to say that I miss the exercise from back then. The dance aerobics. There were no jumping jacks, or crazy stuff...it was just fun routines of dance... Rosaria: Ponies... Cor: Black cars Noreen: What amazes me also, Cor, is that both back then and now to this day, you know everybody's name, and everybody's kids' names. Cor: I'm lucky, I love what I do, and I love people. Of course sometimes the business can be trying, but I feel the same way now as I always have from the beginning. I never really feel like I'm the owner, I feel like a worker. Rosaria: Your excitement and enthusiasm about what you do is reﬂected in everything. There's always something new going on. It's just not that 'status-quo' kind of gym, where the owner throws a machine out on the ﬂoor and couldn't care less about what happens after that. Noreen: And it's never been 'just any Spring 2014 FIT to Print old instructor'. Every instructor here is so enthusiastic. I can relate because it reminds me of a lesson I learned. I was a ﬁrst grade teacher and when I was taking classes, one of the professors read a children's book. I thought, “That story was amazing!” So I bought the book and read it, and realized that while it was great it was actually the enthusiasm of the professor—his reading of it—that really made it great. That was the key, I realized. Cor: When you have a passion for something, it's infectious. Rosaria: I started as a young woman with little ones, and am now middleaged. So one of the most important things for me is the quantity and diversity of what you offer. It has allowed me to transition from doing the kinds of things I could when I was in my twenties to the present and still be ﬁt and physical. Even though there are some restrictions due to various inﬂuences, it's not as though I don't belong here anymore. It's still important and vital...there's still a place for me. Whether it's yoga, or lowimpact...I may have to make adjustments, but I still belong here. I can remember when I was in my twenties and being aware of the members who were then where I am now. They were here forever. There was always something available for them to do. Noreen: And feel comfortable coming. And that's not true in so many different things. I see a lot when I'm away. You just appreciate that there's so much more here, because there, it's not available. Rosaria: I moved out of Babylon two years ago, and the ride

Fit to Print Volume 23 Issue 1: March 2014 | Page 26