Same bat time

RPM Family, 

There is no easy way to say this, so for starters I will just cut to the chase. It is with a heavy but grateful heart that I must announce that the gym will be closing permanently at the end of September. Thank you doesn’t even begin to cut it, so if you’re interested, I’ve shared some more personal thoughts below. For those who’d rather skip my sappy ramblings, here are some quick answers to your likely logistical questions… 

• Everyone who has credit on our books in the form of pre-paid yearly membership or private training will be getting a full refund for that credit. 

• Our zoom virtual schedule will be discontinued at the end of the month, but stay tuned, there may be something new coming on that front soon. 

• If you have equipment on loan, you have the option to purchase it (with the exception of the cardio equipment) at 50% off retail.  Otherwise, we ask that it be returned by Sept. 30th. We’ll be in touch this week with what your total equipment price would be if you choose to keep it, or to arrange when/where to return it.  

And now for some reflection… 

On April 1st 2004, Alicia went into labor with our first child. It was an early morning a few days ahead of her due date, and, as life would have it, also the day that all of our equipment was being delivered for the soon to open, Cadence Fitness, aka CrossFit Cadence, aka RPM. So I spent the morning trying to be present for the birth of our first child, while also coordinating the birth of our new business. It was a pretty epic April Fool’s joke to be honest, but then again, this cosmic connection always grounded me to the gym in a way that may not have been possible otherwise. It was like the universe saying “Don’t F this up”. 

After many long days, late nights, and unreasonably early mornings, we managed to build something that provided countless memories and well over a decade of joy (hanging with members every day), satisfaction (seeing people truly transform their lives), and excitement (watching the birth of CrossFit take place in our own backyard with our very own super-star… settle down Joey, I use that term loosely).

We had a ton of support, of course. From our parents, who welcomed us back home with a new baby to help get our business off the ground. To our amazing coaches, without whom I would have never been able to keep all the balls in the air. I’ve realized, after 16+ years, that you can’t simply just pluck a great coach off the street anytime you need one. It is, in fact, very rare. Having our awesome crew essentially fall into my lap time after time for so many years feels like an incredible stroke of luck. So to my coaches, THANK YOU for your loyalty, trust, friendship, and endless work ethic. To our members (and there were thousands of you over the years), THANK YOU for putting your trust in us and bringing your positive energy, inspiring effort, and hilarious (often ridiculous) sense of humor on a daily basis. It made for quite a ride. 

I always pictured when we decided to close the gym that we would go out with an epic reunion, complete with a crazy workout, a thousand tacos, 17 dogs, and a bunch of kids playing in the chalk… Alas, it doesn’t look like that’s in the cards, but it doesn’t change the fact that I feel beyond lucky to have spent the last 16 years on this wild journey with you all. 

The factors that have brought us to this final decision are numerous and largely out of our control, so it seems the best option is to pull back, regroup, and make the best of our next opportunity. We don’t plan to stay out of the gym biz forever, and the brand of RPM is just getting started, so hopefully we’ll get the chance to reconnect with all of you down the road. In the meantime, wherever your training takes you, we wish you the very best. And if there is anything that I can do to help guide that next decision, or if you just want to chat about why Charles is so ripped at 60, or how Chelsea held the “strongest girl in the gym” title as a 15 year old and never relinquished it, or why we were so interested in two mediocre athletes duking it out in the Open every year, or which taco truck we always used (actually that one’s top secret)… but all those other things, please hit me up any time!  

Love and health to you all. 

Onward and upward.  

Josh