A trainer changes the life of a young woman with cerebral palsy. A governor's endorsement puts a national spotlight on children's health. A simple idea for a party grows into much more than anyone anticipated. A group of diverse people come together when faced with a challenge. No, these are not the themes of the latest movies in Hollywood. These are the stories of the winning programs of Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro's annual Best of the Best competition.

Each winning facility plays the starring role. The 2008 Best of the Best winners include the Wyckoff Family YMCA in Wyckoff, NJ, for its behavior modification program; Minton's Sportsplex in Texarkana, TX, for its children's program; and Big Vanilla Athletic Club in Arnold, MD, for its new member integration program. In addition, Bodyworks Family Sports Centers in Lubbock, TX, won best community-based or nonmember program for the second year in a row.

All Best of the Best entries were rated by a panel of judges, who were chosen for their expertise in certain categories, on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their innovation, goal attainment, budgeting, participation, marketing, effectiveness and follow-up efforts. Each judge's totals were tallied, resulting in a total score for each club. Then, the judges discussed the top-ranked programs to determine the final winner in each category.

The editors of Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro would like to congratulate all of this year's winners and thank all facilities that entered the competition. Now, flip the pages to read more about these premier programs and find out what makes them the Best of the Best.

Judges:

• Nicki Anderson, president, Reality Fitness

• Kelli Calabrese, owner, Calabrese Consulting

• Casey Conrad, president, Communication Consultants

• Geoff Dyer, founder, Lifestyle Family Fitness

• Jasmine Jafferali, program coordinator and instructor, Educational Fitness Solutions Inc.

• Julie Main, co-owner and president, West Coast Athletic Clubs

• Bill McBride, COO, Club One

• Faith Pulis, president/CEO, Camp Thoreau Inc.

• Steve Tharrett, president, Club Industry Consulting

• Ed Tock, president, Eddie Tock Health Club Sales and Marketing Consulting

• Karen Woodard, president, Premium Performance Training

Best Behavior Modification Program

Wyckoff Family YMCA
Wyckoff, NJ

Personal Partners

Take a quick glance through the Wyckoff Family YMCA's entry for best behavior modification program, and it's easy to see why the program won. Besides a full description of the program and how it met its goals, the entry's three-ring binder is filled with letters from parents praising the program for its life-changing effects.

The program, Personal Partners, is an exercise program for individuals with learning disorders and disabilities, such as autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. The program pairs each participant with their own personal trainer, who does more than just show the client how to work out — each trainer becomes their “personal partner.”

Participants are paired with a Personal Partners staff member for his or her unique ability to connect with the special needs population, says Michael Morley, fitness director of the Y.

“When we started offering the Personal Partners program, we had one goal in mind: Offer an exercise program to those with special needs in which they can feel comfortable being who they are,” Morley says. “Our goal was to offer a program that was reasonably priced and would fit the budget of our projected participants. We expected there would be some interest in this program, but to our delight, the response was huge.”

A 30-minute session costs $15, and an hour session costs $25. Currently, 17 individuals participate in the program, and most of them participate in two one-hour sessions a week. The program brings in about $14,000 a year for the Y. The return on investment is high, Morley says, since the program requires only staff time and previously budgeted salaries.

When the program started in January 2006, the Y marketed it using fliers and postings within the facility. However, because word of mouth has been so strong, the Y no longer relies on paper marketing. Eight people joined the facility specifically to participate in the program. Once a participant starts Personal Partners, they rarely leave, Morley says.

Jasmine Jafferali, one of the Best of the Best judges for this category and the program coordinator and instructor for Educational Fitness Solutions Inc., says the Wyckoff Y's program won because it wasn't just about physical health.

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