Trainer Games Fitness features online classes while waiting to open

Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

It has been a nervous few months for The Trainer Games Fitness Centre in Shelburne, but thanks to some savvy business moves by management, they are weathering the storm of being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The local gym had to close with no notice, along with thousands of others, when the province shut down many businesses in March.

“We've been closed. We haven't had anyone using the facility,” said Anthony Oragunye, who both owns the gym and is a trainer there. “I've gone in to do some maintenance, but that's it.”

Despite being shut down, Anthony said they are still solid and looking forward to re-opening soon.

“We were thinking ahead, and we run our business with a ‘Plan B'” he said. “You could be okay if you had a solid business plan in place. Also, our landlord has been very supportive.”

After classes were cancelled, they switched to an alternative way of teaching students.

“We've been running classes online. You're watching your instructor and they are watching you,” he said.

When things are back up and running, he said they will have to follow the guidelines of social distancing and keeping the place clean.

“We should be re-opening near the end of July or early August with government guidelines,” Anthony said. “We've always been very careful when it comes to sanitization. We'll just double what we normally do.”

His partner Terra, who handles the administrative side of the business, said it's like ‘living in a grey world' when it comes to operating a hands-on type of business where no one can actually visit.

“It was a little bit crazy at first and a little nerve wracking,” Terra said. “At first it was supposed to be for a couple of weeks and now it's going to be five months.”

She said that they have received a lot of support from students and people in the town.

“We have a big following in the the community. We have members calling us daily to ask when we will be re-opening. We're going to find out at the same time they are. It's a waiting game,” Terra said of waiting like everyone else to find out when certain businesses will get the okay to open their doors.

While it's going to be at least a few weeks before they can once again hold classes in the gym, the fact that they prepared for unforeseen circumstances means they will be able to open and get back to the business of keeping people in good physical shape.