Here you can find some updates regarding our reopening plan and policies. Reopening will be a moving target until we know a specific timeline and guidelines from the city and state but we’ll keep you updated along the way.
CFSBK Reopens on Sept 2nd!!!
After 5 long months of closure, CFSBK will be reopening our gates to members next Wednesday, September 2nd at 6:00am. It seems unreal doesn’t it?? Too good to be true. Well it is true and we’ve got a lot to do before then so hold onto your butts. Below are some of the major things to be aware of right now. We’ll be be providing more information all week about our reopening plans as well as what you need to do and know. We can’t wait to see (half) your faces again!
Equipment Return
We need our stuff back! While we know you and your foster equipment have become very attached over the past 5 months, its time for them to come home. Below are some upcoming opportunities to drop off your equipment. Conversely you could also bring your loaner to any park workout. Depending on how many people bring equipment to the park we might need a hand taking it back to the gym!
For the pick-up times below, come directly to 597 with your equipment, a staffer will note your return on the spreadsheet and indicate which building to replace your equipment. Cleaning product will be provided for you to disinfect it before leaving. Masks, obvi.
Thursday 8/27: 11-2
Saturday 8/29: 1130-3
Sunday 8/30: 10-12
Monday 8/31: 9-11
Can’t make any of these times? That sounds suspicious. Reply to the email you get about this and we’ll work something out.
Memberships
Members will be emailed today with information about how to sign up or transfer their memberships to the new ones as well as FAQs about the new membership options. Once we transfer your membership you’ll be able to start RSVPing for classes.
If you didnt see it already, you can check out this portion of our town hall where we discuss what the new membership options, prices and answer a few questions.
Virtual & Park Classes
Virtual Classes will remain essentially identical going forward with some minor changes we’ll announce. Programming will adjust to be more inclusive of folks without a dumbbell or Kettlebell given our equipment recall. As we reopen our facilities we’ll continuously reassess this program based on attendance.
The final park classes will happen next Monday morning. There will be no classes on Tuesday the 1st.
Covid Saftey Plan
We have released our member facing COVID Saftey Plan! This document will give you a look at some of our planned practices to comply with recently released state guidelines. It will live in the drop down menu in the “About” section.
Tuesday 8.18.20
Yesterday Gov. Cuomo released a much anticipated, and in our opinion way overdue update on reopening guidelines and time frames for gyms.
What initially seemed like we could be opening as early as Monday turned out to be a bit more complicated than that. While localities have been given the green light to start reopening gyms as soon as next week, its up to local government to determine the timeline and conduct inspections. Deblasio has made it clear that gyms will not be opening up soon and that schools and daycare facilities need to be inspected and processed before gyms would be. This considerably opens up the time line and I’m not sure how that interrelates with Cuomo saying gyms will be open “but by Sept 2nd”. The response from all the other gym owners I’ve spoken with has been primarily confusion and cautious uncertainty.
Most of the language released primarily pertains to big box gyms. Ominously noting that allowing group classes would be assessed on a case by case basis, which ignores the fact that a huge percentage of fitness studios are exclusively class based. Air filtration systems were also noted as being very important, however no mention of facilities like ours and so many others who don’t have AC. Basically if you don’t look like a YMCA or Planet Fitness you’re not really sure how much all this affects you yet. Gyms were also told inspections would need to happen by DOH but at this point no further information on how that process would work has been released. Finally, gyms will be operating at 33% capacity and require masks and distancing, all of which we were planning on doing anyway essentially.
So, we’ll see what happens. Stay tuned for updates on this as well as when we’re going to start collecting loaned equipment.
Friday 8.14.20
Baby Nia wants you to tell Cuomo that gyms needs to open!
Sign this form to tell NY Sen. Brian Kavanagh, NY Assemb. Jo Anne Simon and Governor Andrew Cuomo that we need to reopen gyms in New York State. Today marks 5 months that our gym has been closed and we’ve been given no updates or metrics about when we will be able to reopen our doors. Gyms are closing and fitness professionals like our own SBK coaches are in a really rough spot now that federal unemployment benefits have expired. We believe that gyms are essential for the mental and physical health of our communities and can operate as safe or safer than many other industries that are currently open or on the verge of opening like public schools. The longer this closure goes on, the more likely gyms like our own will not survive, taking out dedicated fitness professionals with them.
We take Covid-19 seriously and are prepared to implement robust safety protocols like distanced training, masked workouts and thorough cleaning protocols. Additionally, unlike most other businesses we can contact trace and control the flow of people in our facility. Most importantly, without a vaccine or effective treatment available, the best way to keep people safe from Covid-19 is by keeping people healthy. We all know that those at highest risk of hospitalization are individuals with compromised immune systems and lifestyle based chronic diseases. Lets intelligently open New York gyms so we can keep our citizens safe, happy and healthy.
Sunday 8.09.20
We are starting outdoor workouts at Thomas Greene Park this week! Details below:
Thomas Greene Park Workout Information
Friday 8.07.20
Thank you to everyone who came out to our Virtual Town Hall! Below is the archived version for those who could not make it live.
Wednesday 7.15.20
Last week several gyms filed a class action lawsuit against New York State in response to fitness centers being withheld from phase 4 reopening plans. Many of these gyms were from regions north of the city who had entered phase 4 however along with indoor malls and movie theaters were told shortly before their planned reopenings that the city would require their businesses to remain closed indefinitely. It appears the reason for removing our businesses from phase 4 is due to concerns about filtration abilities of HVAC systems. Here’s our take:
I think the fitness industry needs to be smart, but not brash about the situation. Many gyms owners I’ve talked to around the country argue that there’s “no evidence” to suggest gyms are significant vectors for spreading the virus, sometimes pointing to this study from Norway with a sample size of 3,754 participants, half of whom were allowed to go back to the gym and others who were told to remain home. The conclusion of the study showed that there was not an increased infection rate of gym goers, however Norway and the United States are not analogs and given how much of an outlier the US has been with infection rates, I think the study’s applicability to our situation is promising but limited. It stands to argue that with a virus who’s primary means of transmission is respiratory droplets, indoor training environments are a unique concern. However way more nuance is needed in assessing the risks given the specifics of the training environment and style as well what mitigation efforts have been put in place. The fitness industry is not a monolith, a second floor equinox with circulated air and a gym like our own with roll-up gates and no AC system are two very different situations. I’m also frustrated in the lack of rational going into some of the reopening decisions. For example indoor gymnastics, basketball and baseball were all included in phase 3 as well as physical therapy, chiropractic care and massage therapy. If these industries have been allowed to reopen can’t appointment based personal training and masked small group training with no recirculated air return? Furthermore many businesses that use HVAC systems like barbershops, nail salons and super markets have been allowed to open without concern or requirement for additional filtration systems.
Additionally, we have not been given any metrics or timeline to suggest when we would be able to reopen. Being in phase 4 at least gave us some reasonable timeline to plan around, but no additional guidance has been given since we were removed from phase 4 and don’t know if that means a few extra days, weeks or months that we should be preparing for. If gyms are mandated to be closed indefinitely, rent abatement and extension of federal unemployment benefits need to be implemented in order to keep small businesses and people afloat. The numbers in the north east have been promising and we hope that we can open our doors sooner than later.
We’re taking covid seriously. We understand that we have a unique and powerful responsibility to keep our members and the greater community we live in safe. We believe in science and that masks and distancing are necessary mitigation efforts to keep covid numbers under control. But we also want answers, transparency and more economic relief from our government if we’re to continue to remain closed.
Monday 7.06.20
Friday 6.12.20
We’ve been hard at work cleaning out the gym, painting, moving equipment around and planning for our eventual reopening. The city has gyms in phase 4 for reopening which puts us at roughly 5-6 weeks away from opening our doors, assuming covid cases don’t spike. On top of all the stress and details related to reopening, as you all know we’ve been dealing with the self-inflicted damage related to (now former) CrossFit CEO and founder Greg Glassman’s comments regarding George Floyd and Covid-19. The history of problematic leadership at CrossFit HQ is a long and complicated one and as a result of this we’ve decided to step away from the company, rebranding ourselves as “Community Fitness South Brooklyn”. This was not an easy decision given all we owe to the methodology and community at large that has given us so much, however, values and actions are more important than 8 letters associated with our name and now more than ever it’s important to be on the right side of history. We unequivocally believe that black lives matter and changing our name is only one step in the direction of making our gym even more equitable and accessible for more people. Creating sustaining and benefactor rates, partnering with local organizations, changing elements of how we program and the kinds of events we run in the future will further demonstrate our commitment to more equitable access to our program and highlight our values of inclusivity and our commitment to progressive politics. We’re hard at work putting all the details together and are excited to be rolling out some of our plans in the coming days and weeks. We appreciate everyone’s support, understanding and patience as continue to operate primarily online and know that we want nothing more than to safely open our gym for our community.
Monday 5.30.20
As we prep the gym for our eventual reopening we’re asking members to come pick up all their shoes, belts, logbooks, and other items left at the gym. We’ll host 3 one-hour pickup windows starting this Tuesday.
If you can’t come in to get your stuff email us at crossfitsbk@gmail.com before next Friday, June 5th. We will be donating or discarding EVERYTHING left behind!
Sunday 5.17.20
- For those of you who have been purchasing virtual class drop-ins, we now are offering a 10 class punch card for virtual classes so that folks dont need to purchase a new class every time they want to participate.
- A reminder that anyone who is experiencing financial hardship which prevents them from being able to pay our posted rates should contact us to work something out, we don’t want to leave anyone behind and know you especially need community and fitness.
Monday 5.11.20
- Programs & Classes we have confirmed that we will not immediately relaunch with are: Diapers & Dumbbells, Foundations, Strong Fit, Next Level Weightlifting Club, Free Intro Class and CrossFit Kids programs. Stay tuned regarding other programs.
- Virtual classes will continue to be available as demand warrants them beyond when we are able to reopen. These will be available for members at a discounted virtual only membership rate or as a free add on to your normal membership.
- All equipment will need to be returned to the gym the week prior to us being able to open our doors. If you plan on continuing virtual classes, we recommend you invest in 1-2 dumbbells. We recommend hexagonal dumbbells. These are currently in high demand, so you’ll have to keep your eyes open and shop around for when they become available. This style of dumbbell is usually pretty robust, regardless of brand.