The State of MidState
MidState was the first gym in Merced County to announce we would be closing our doors. We did this before the governor declared the “stay home” order. We felt this was necessary to ensure the safety of our community. For three days, we lent out kettlebells, dumbbells, jump ropes, ab mats, and wall balls. We spent the next two weeks refurbishing our barbells, then we lent all of those out as well. For some members, we even dropped off equipment to their homes. There are bikes, rowers, and several tons of plates; also currently with our members. For those of you that still need equipment, some is left, but not much. We didn’t keep track of the dollar amount of equipment leaving our doors, now in the community, but it is not an exaggeration to say that we have lent out tens of thousands of dollars of gear. If we had more, we would give more. Keeping our community strong is foundational to not only making it through this, but the philosophy of MidState.
We want to talk about the future of MidState, but first should reflect on the past. The Makinson’s, coaches and members who are with us now and in the past, gave MidState its unique feel. We strive to be a family friendly gym. We want to hold your kiddo while we critique your squat. We want to tell the kids over and over and over to stay off the mats. We want neighborhood kids to wander in and be better people because they were exposed to the diverse collection of incredible humans we have in MidState. We want to do that all while giving people confidence in their own bodies. We want to have nutrition, wellness, and fitness be the staple reason why physicians take our members off different prescriptions.We want to improve your mental health. For five years, these have been our goals. It has been a glorious journey.
Since Gabby and I took over management of MidState CrossFit, we have deep cleaned the building again and again and again. We have emptied out the loading dock. We rearranged and added to the floors. We created a more formal alternate lifting area for those who are trying to get fit during an active class. We had a winter wear and two new T-Shirt runs. The bathrooms and shower all have received a facelift. A big highlight being the wildly successful 2020 MidState Games. Stoic Body Restoration has also come on board as an additional in house resource to our members. We have done all of this with no change to schedule, membership fees, or culture. Going forward, we hope to continue to create value for our members and create a place where people want to be as often as possible to better themselves and their families.
MidState will reopen, but how do we reopen? We are dedicated to you, the many families and individuals who continue to support us through your monthly membership fees, your words of encouragement, and good vibrations sent our way. The future will not look like the past. When we are allowed to and when we are given more clear and concise directive, we will follow those directives and we will open. Some of this will likely include smaller class sizes, assigned equipment, and questionnaires. Be assured that we are dedicated to being here for our members and we will do everything we can.
The future is an uncertain concept right now. It’s not clear what the government will require of us to re-open, or when that will be appropriate. We are committed to the health and safety of our community and some things may have to change moving forward. We have already started planning for what we think are the most likely eventualities. We will use a program called Zen Planner to help members register for the classes that they want to attend. We have been using this program in the background to track memberships for many years. This is not a new system but we will be using it in a new way. We will need your help to manage attendance going forward.
The night before class individuals will be able to register for a class time until it is full. When you get to MidState we’ll ask you to check in to ensure that you’re attending the classes you registered for. Once you are successfully in the building, each member will go to an assigned station. That station will have everything you will need to get sweaty and have fun. It’s likely that there will be more oversight in the future. If they require information from you, our members, we will ask you to fill out a questionnaire to fulfill those requirements. It might also be that we are required to take member’s temperatures; if we have to in order to re-open, we will. We hope you understand.
At the end of each class, we will clean the stations we are assigned and head out the door to enjoy the day while keeping social distancing in mind. The first few times will feel awkward and contrived but it will get better and better each day. We will take feedback and improve the process and we will always look to make the process and experience better just like we have done with every other part of MidState CrossFit.
You, our community, is what makes MidState great. We want to keep that community healthy and strong so that we can continue to work, to love our families and serve each other because that’s what makes our greater community, our county, strong and great as well. We may be physically alone but we are together. Stay strong and stay safe.
#MidState Ohana
