Syracuse, N.Y. — Like most gym owners, Joshua Kimball has been frustrated by the coronavirus. His business has come to a halt. There are few reliable places to get information. It’s still unclear when gyms will open to the general public.
His frustration reached a new level just over a week ago when Kimball, the owner of North Syracuse’s Rev Fit gym, began to hear from customers that some of his competitors had opened.
A handful, he was told, opened as part of phase three despite the fact that state orders dictate gyms remain closed. Once some opened others followed, leaving a split among local fitness facilities.
Kimball has remained waiting patiently at the starting line. As he has, his phone has filled up with information about gyms that decided not to wait. He’s faced questions from customers about why he won’t do the same and inquiries from those trying to help him get back to business.
Kimball said he doesn’t believe he’s lost customers yet. He suspects if this lingers for another two weeks, he will.
More importantly, he said, he worries about whether this is safe. Gyms that opened likely tried to develop comprehensive reopening plans. But none of those, Kimball notes, have been approved by state medical experts. Some medical experts believe gyms provide an atmosphere conducive toward spreading the virus.
Kimball said he doesn’t want to assume the worst out of those in his industry. He’s reached out to ask gym owners how they’ve managed to get permission or adjust their business to comply with current regulations. He’s spent time worrying he’s missed information coming from the state or that he hasn’t cozied up to the right politician.
“It’s tough to understand where the determination that they’re able to open is coming from,” Kimball said. “Some have said they submitted a plan and been approved. .... but I find it hard to believe gyms would be individually approved. I’d think it would be a more universal approach.”
Ultimately, there is no way for Kimball to know. Kimball and his business partner, Kyle Hierholzer, contacted Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and other county officials about the places that might be operating out of phase. They haven’t heard anything back.
Kimball’s frustration is just the latest for gym owners in an industry that has endured a particularly frustrating experience with the coronavirus.
Central New York has not been impacted as severely as many places, and many gym owners believe they enhance public health by helping combat risk factors like obesity and diabetes. Many object to being forced to remain closed while businesses that cater to unhealthy habits, like liquor stores, remain open. Neither local, nor state officials have provided much information about businesses that have been subject to complaints or citations, creating questions about whether they have much interest in enforcing state mandates.
And the entire fitness industry has received scant guidance from the state throughout the past three months, leaving many gym owners preparing to open before dialing back and dealing with disappointment.
At one point, some gym owners believed they’d be able to open personal training services during phase two. Instead, guidance from the state seems to put nearly all indoor fitness activities in phase four.
But left to be their own judge, many gyms appear to have provided themselves friendly interpretations.
Some gyms have justified their return by saying that personal training and small group workouts are personal services and permitted to open as part of phase two. This doesn’t appear accurate. Kimball focuses on personal training and small groups. When information on the fitness industry is plugged into the state website it says: “Gyms, fitness centers, and exercise classes remain closed. CrossFit gyms and other forms of personal training remain closed. Remote instruction or streaming of classes from public or private schools or health/fitness centers is permitted, provided, however, that no other in-person indoor activities, including group classes or one-on-one personal training, are permitted.”
The State of New York currently says group fitness and personal training is not permitted.
Some owners have opted to rely on the state’s guidance that low-risk outdoor activities are allowed. The state doesn’t list fitness classes as a permitted outdoor activity. But it doesn’t explicitly prohibit it, either.
The ability to interpret those rules helped Jamar Clarke, the owner of Flight Room Fitness in Syracuse, feel like he’s permitted to open on a limited basis. He said he contacted the city of Syracuse and was told outdoor classes were permissible as long as he kept his numbers down and his customers spaced out appropriately.
“In my conversations with the city and other gym owners, everything is so open-ended that it’s how you interpret things,” Clarke said. “I read the rule as saying that if you do personal training, and that’s what we do in small groups, you’re allowed to be open if you follow CDC regulations. I opened up the gym and the response was great.”
Clarke has been public about his return, even posting a video of a workout to Instagram that showed individuals working out in his Syracuse facility. He talked of filling 47 of 48 spots last Saturday. Underneath it, his customers universally praised him for opening and the quality of the workout.
Prior to opening, Clarke said he sent a survey to his 150 customers, and 97% indicated they were ready to come back.
Clarke said that he ran three workouts last Saturday with a maximum of 16 people in each group. He utilized the gym’s indoor area in five-minute increments before clearing the room. Customers in the video used rowing machines, performed up-downs and push-ups. As they worked out, Clarke said he kept a garage door attached to the facility open to ensure what he felt was appropriate air flow.
It’s unclear if an open garage makes an “outdoor activity,” but Clarke said he interpreted the rules the best he could. He said he minimized the time spent inside to maximize safety.
“We went for a run and came in for a maximum of five minutes,” Clarke said. “We had a five-minute clock inside the facility and then you had to go back out. We did that for 40 minutes. My wife is a physician’s assistant and I have several members in the medical field that we talked to. No one shared equipment. Everyone stayed six feet apart. The best thing to do is get them outside.”
Clarke acknowledged that if his interpretation is different than government officials he could get “a slap on the wrist.”
But he said he hoped his decision would inspire others to follow his interpretation and take initiative as long as they feel confident in their plans. Clarke said he’s lost about 10% of his business during the pandemic. He’s worried about the potential of losing more.
“I want to motivate other gym owners to not be scared,” Clarke said. “I think that people are actually ready to come back and continue their health routine. The unknown has been the hardest part. You try to budget but you don’t know what you need and you don’t know how long you’ll be down. I have to keep my members involved. It’s important for me to get everyone back.”
Unlike Clarke, a number of other gym owners appear to have tried to keep their reopenings under the radar, announcing their returns in private social media groups or solicitations to members.
Among the tips that Kimball and Hierholzer received about gyms opening was a screenshot of one fitness facility telling its customers that small group training is a “personal service” and eligible to reopen in phase two.
Another local gym informed individuals on social media that it had been in contact with the “center for economic development.” That is not the exact name of any government body currently operating in New York. The gym declined to provide further explanation to syracuse.com.
Kimball said they’ve heard that some gyms have told customers that they have permission from local officials. With no way to know, Kimball said this has only added to his confusion and desire to see things enforced equally.
Justin Sayles, the spokesman for the Onondaga County Executive, said that enforcing rules is up to both county and local officials. Of the county, he noted, “We certainly investigate when we have the ability and resources.”
The county is not in charge of determining whether fitness facilities can operate against state orders and does not play a role in approval. Sayles said exemptions can only come only from New York State or Empire State Development.
“We do not give exemptions,” Sayles said.
Without a state exemption, businesses are expected to attest that they will follow state guidelines before returning to work. When Kimball and Hierholzer opened the massage portion of their businesses, it was suggested that massage therapists take coronavirus tests every two weeks. It’s guidance they plan to abide by so they can say they’re doing everything they can to keep customers safe. Without any guidance, they don’t believe fitness facilities currently operating can say the same.
“I find it really hard to understand without having specific guidelines set out what they’re using to determine that they’re providing a safe, healthy, risk-free environment to their members,” Kimball said. “It boggles my mind a little bit.”
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS
Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources
Restarting NY: CNY could enter phase four soon, but that’s not the end
Gov. Cuomo coronavirus update: Less than 1% positives; 15 deaths, lowest daily total of the pandemic
Update: Onondaga County has 16 new Covid-19 cases since Friday
Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1639
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