It’s absolutely amazing to receive emails like this. Thanks Deb S. for taking the time to put together such a thoughtful and kind review of our services.
My experience at 604 has been everything I knew it would be, and more. I have watched the community from its inception and long before joining myself, I have been a fan and I would often tell people about the fantastic work they are doing, from coaching to programming to community development, because I heard about it from my family and also saw the results in their lives. Now I can participate in family dinner conversations, which inevitably turn to Crossfit at some point! I’ve watched Ray go from ‘not fat’ to the fittest he’s ever been in his life. I am grateful to 604 for giving me a buff and better version of my husband 🙂 My friends are envious!
Over the past couple of years, I have told Tom, one of the coaches, a few times that I’d join once there was a dance component added to the programme! I was committed to instructing Jazzercize and I was really enjoying it and there just isn’t time to do everything. But after a couple of years I started to have some issues with my hips because of the repetitive nature of a lifetime of dancing, so when an ankle injury made it necessary to take a break from instructing I was open to the idea of trying Crossfit. (After some strong campaigning by my daughter, Tat). Well, I’m not going back to Jazzercise aside from the occasional visit. I’ve found a new fitness home! I was so far outside of my comfort zone when I started at 604 that for the first month I couldn’t enter the gym without fear washing over me, especially if Jason, one of the owners, was there with that “are your ready to be pushed to your limits?” question gleaming in his eyes! But I’ve never been one to back down just because I’m afraid. And everyone, including Jason, was doing all they could to make me and my friend Emma feel comfortable as well as challenged.
The journey through on-ramp was as much psychological as physical. I felt so awkward and uncoordinated at times. As a dancer, I’m used to being graceful and having a good body awareness, so most movements usually come easy to me. The snatch lesson with Pete changed that! I’m getting better but that movement is still a challenge. “Let the bar float” he says. Ya, right! Another reason the on-ramp was such a psychological journey is because there was so much new information and it was challenging for me, a fitness instructor, to feel like I didn’t know stuff. After on-ramp, it was a relief to start going to regular classes and realize how much the on-ramp had prepared me for those classes.
The on-ramp and the merge programs are such a smart part of the 604 business plan. Yes, they prepared us for safe participation in classes, but they are also a very strong part of the customer experience that made us feel like we were welcome even though we were weak and inexperienced. The care and attention of all of the coaches, and their steady encouragement and guidance, has made me feel like my success and progress is as important to them as it is to me. It makes me feel special. And that is great business strategy!
I appreciate so much the culture the crew of 604 have consciously created. Making people introduce themselves to each other is so smart. And introducing me and Emma as new members when we first started taking regular classes really helped make us more comfortable. On so many occasions I have been touched when someone I just met encouraged me either during or after a workout. When they do that sort of thing, a kind word of encouragement during a gruelling run (even the shortest ones were brutal for me at the beginning) or when they see me pushing through the last few lifts of something that’s nothing to them but heavy for me, I appreciate them, but I give the credit to the dedicated management and staff at 604 for creating a community where that sort of thing happens.
Another great thing they do is a series of follow up emails both during and after on-ramp and merge. I know they are part of an automated drip campaign. But they have done an amazing job of creating the content with an authentic voice (Jason’s actually) that really augments the relationship building between members and the 604 community that is their trademark. Jason, one of the owners, is cc’d on each email so I know he is also getting the reminder of where I am at in my 604 journey. And if I answer an email, I get a quick response from Jason or Riley every time. That shows me they care and are paying attention to my experience.
In just two months, I have experienced such growth both physically and mentally. I am no longer afraid when I walk in to the gym. And I am so much stronger than when I started and I have begun to experience healing and recovery of some dance related injuries and issues that have plagued me for many years. I had started to think I’d just have to live with those issues; I even worried that I wouldn’t be able to do Crossfit as a result. But my initial consultation with Tom alleviated those concerns and over the past two months he has been proven right. I have done some things I never thought I’d be able to do! Recently Jason asked me if I was hooked yet. The answer is a most emphatic YES! It feels so great to feel this strong! And I’m just getting started!
The 604 Team has done an amazing job of creating an experience where members are supported through that initial phase where it would be easy to get overwhelmed and back away from the challenge and then they continue to support us well beyond that start up time. My husband Ray was very happy to get his 2 year t-shirt a while ago; that was such a meaningful gesture from 604 that made him feel valued as a member. Even I was moved by it; maybe that’s when I began wishing I could be a part of the community too 😉. I have been a fan of 604 since they started because it was clear from the beginning they were doing something great; now, I’m so happy I’m finally a part of the team, and I have the t-shirt to prove it! 😊
See you at the gym!
Best regards,
Deb
