Whatup team coach Thor here,

After a VERY long few months negotiating with major software companies, trying to switch softwares, switching back, moving to new payment providers and all kinds of other painfully boring back end stuff...

If you just want to know what’s going down next week you can skip to the info post here: https://www.raincityathletics.ca/blog/threepointoh

If you want to read my usual rambles & rants you can scrowll down :P

Raincity 3.0 is finally here!

First up I want to put out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped get this done, either by contributing OR just by putting up with me in the process. Many don’t know this, but one of the only reasons I can afford to own/run a gym the size of Raincity Athletics is because I don’t have to hire out so many little (but expensive) things; from the website, to facility & machine maintenance, and everything in between - it’s me at my 5 monitor home office setup clicking away to get things updated (or after hours in a tool belt). So a massive thank you to our community (and coaches) for putting up with me while we navigated our way out of a pandemic and into the Raincity Athletics I’ve always wanted to run...

What’s the big deal?

Raincity 3.0 and it’s varying levels of programs is the gym I’ve always wanted Raincity to be. Over the past 5+ years we had a ton of athletes doing individualized programming, which was pretty awesome - but COVID reminded me why I opened a gym in the first place; and it wasn’t so that people could come in by themselves and workout alone. It was because, as Coach Alexi said best ‘I just love a good fking group class’ - there’s nothing better!

The goal of Raincity 3.0 is to ensure all athletes have access to an affordable GROUP progam that will suit them and their goals, as opposed to every athlete paying MORE to have a (very similar) program written ‘just for them’. We will still continue to offer programming options, as it’s a crucial part of reaching specific goals, recovering from injuries, and more - but focusing on those options being ‘addons’ and not the central piece.

What’s happening in 3.0?

For the full breakdown please see the website article here: https://www.raincityathletics.ca/blog/threepointoh

Again, thanks for being a part of our community and I’m VERY excited to share our new and improved Raincity Athletics and getting back to providing you the community you love and that we all need to help us recover from the post COVID slumps <3

I can’t believe it’s been 9 years 🤯

If you were a part of Raincity at ANY point in the last 9 years, or even just friends with someone who was - come join us!

We’ll setup to tent early to claim some space at China Creek North Park - but if the weather’s sh*t (or we can’t fit) then we’ll just setup shop outside Raincity! Come by anytime after 2PM, the BBQ will be up and running by 3 :)

We’ll provide the BBQ and all that, you just bring something to throw on it! We’ll also haver plenty of cups / plates / sides / mix / etc. but also support you bringing your own re-usable items to help minimize trash or if you have any specific requests or dietary requirements.

We’ve got a handful of field games and a few chairs, but feel free to bring a picnic blanket or any of your favorite field games as well! 

RSVP to be updated on the final location decision, via Zenplanner HERE or by joining the slack channel HERE (or both).  We’ll be there all afternoon until Sunset - come by anytime!

Looking forward to seeing everyone <3

Coach Thor & The Raincity Athletics Team

If you’re not already in the Raincity Athletics community slack channel we’ve got another reason for you to join! 

Coach Thor will be dumping his favorite shots into the #athletes-media channel in slack & tagging you if you’re in there! Feel free to share or use them as you wish - just make sure to tag @RaincityAthls & say something nice :) 

Reminder; if we ever post a pic of you (privately in slack or publicly anywhere) never hesitate to contact us if you’d like it removed.

Details on how to join slack: www.rncty.ca/social

A bit delayed getting this out as multiple coaches got floored by a bug (some covid, some not) but better later than never! 

Friday classes are here! 7AM / 12:00PM / 5:15PM

A ~45 minute class focusing on the basics of conditioning and developing your aerobic and anaerobic engine via a variety of interval based workouts. Movements will primarily focus on cyclical machines (row, ski, bike) as well as some bodyweight and plyometrics (jumping, running), and some basic lightweight functional fitness movements (battle ropes, sleds, slam balls, etc).

Looking to pickup some of that epic raincity swag? If you’re not... you should be!

We’ve got limited remaining quantities in hoodies, Raincity Barbell Club shirts, and RAINDMC shirts & tanks! Not to mention just a few pairs left of our incredible #RaincityPRIDE socks!

You can check our inventory online: www.rncty.ca/retail or at the front desk!  See something you like? Login to zenplanner & buy it, then just ask a coach to grab it for you :)

Looking to change up your routine a bit?... Have you talked about ‘running more’ but just can’t motivate yourself to do it?... Or maybe in a moment of inspiration you signed up for a major event (like triathlon or marathon) that you need to train for?...

As always, Raincity Athletics is here to provide you the community & accountability you need to reach your goals!

The #RaincityRunClub with Coach Sarah begins Thursday Feb 17th!

WHO?

Anyone who can run pain free :)  More advanced athletes (with specific goals / paces / times) are encouraged to bring your own heart rate monitor and/or stopwatch - but the beauty of a track day is anyone of any level can join!

WHAT? 

Running!... or even speed walking! Or even just come and watch other people run, that’s cool too.

WHEN?

Every week starting next Thursday Feb 17th. ~5:30-6PM start.

There is a Raincity Run Club class in Zenplanner that you can reserve 24 hours in advance. Start time may be adjusted so make sure to check before you reserve - then check the slack channel for location and any other details.

WHERE?

Location will vary! Join us in the #athletes-runclub slack channel to get updates each week on start time & location and anything else you need to know :) 

This week is your last week of ‘warnings’ and these rules will be STRICTLY enforced starting next week.

Sometimes sh*t happens and you're running a bit late... as long as it's sometimes, that's ok! But our 'late for class' protocol is there to help keep athletes safe, as well as our classes running as on time as possible.

Every minute = 5 Burpees OR 2 Calorie Assault bike

Why? because if you're 5 minutes late, you missed the general warmup (getting the heart rate up) for the day - which is a key part of avoiding injury.

No you cannot 'just go for a run' or do something else. So don't argue with your coach - get on a bike or start doing your burpees because time spent arguing = additional reps / cals.

What is 'ready for class?'

Ready for class means you're in your gear and on the floor ready to go. Ie when a coach says 'go for a 400m run' you're out the door - not grabbing your shoes, tying up your dog, filling your water, THEN heading out the door.

What if I'm more than 10 minutes late?

At this point it's up to the coach whether or not to allow you take part in the days strength work. Since you're now WAY behind on a proper warmup, your risk of injury has increased exponentially.

The class coach may ask you to wait no the side until they complete the strength work of the day, or to hop in (after completing your Cals / burpees) but not to load any weight on your barbell unless they say you can.

What if class is running late?

We do our best to keep things on schedule - but things vary depending on number of athletes, level of athletes, and how much Coach Thor rambles. If you come in at 5:02 and coach hasn't called everyone over to the TV or sent everyone out for a run yet, then you're safe - but don't rely on this...

Read more: www.rncty.ca/late-faq

A reminder on how to log your scores properly :) 

Remember - if you don’t complete the ( round brackets ) for ANY portion of the workout, it’s SCALED. It’s important to log things properly for your own records so that down the road when you do complete ALL parts as Rx you know you earned it!

Barbell lifts are ALWAYS logged as Rx, unless you did a different lift that day IE hang power snatch when it was listed as a hang squat, etc. 

Read more: www.rncty.ca/rx-faq

Cleaning up, cheering each other on, and moving throughout the space... 

A few important reminders...

If you’re first / early to finish the workout - be respectful of those who haven’t finished yet! If there’s lots of time in class, don’t rush to clean up your equipment if everyone else is still working out, cheer on some fellow athletes and clean up after!

Don’t walk in front of someone who’s about to lift - sometimes it’s unavoidable... but whenever possible, try not to walk directly in front of someone’s site line while they’re setting up for a lift!

Be cautious when entering and exiting - as things get busier please be VERY aware as you move throughout the space. If there’s no clear path into the gym mid class, you can enter from the other side, or wait until an opportunity arises to get through, please don’t walk through the middle of a class / workout.

Sharing a barbell rack doesn’t mean you have to do the same weight - as we get busier athletes will have to start sharing barbells / racks for some classes. Just remember, this does NOT mean you should be doing the same weight! Lift what you should be lifting, don’t be lazy and just follow somebody else’s weights ;) 

Thanks to a software update from Zenplanner - we’ve streamlined our late cancellation / no-show policy! Please make sure to read & understand the details below, the most up to date version will also be on the FAQ: www.rncty.ca/no-show

NO-SHOW PROCEDURE UPDATES

You will no longer be charged if you no-show for a class (whether full or not) - you will ONLY be charged the no-show fee if you want the class back 

Athletes can now ‘un-reserve’ themselves within 4 hours (or later) to get their class back and will be AUTOMATICALLY CHARGED the no-show fee (see screenshot below)

This will put the class back on your account so you can use it to make a new reservation

If you do NOT want the class back then DO NOT un-reserve yourself, and you will not be charged :)

We still request that you post in slack if you are unable to make it (if you don’t plan to un-reserve) so that the coaches can notify anyone on the wait-list! www.rncty.ca/social

We will be lenient for the next week or so on those who cancel / un-reserve by mistake, but after that we will stop ‘returning classes & deleting no-show bills’ so please pay attention before you click!

Temporary bugs in the system

Though this update is a game changer for us / back end wise (saving us a lottt of emails & back end work) it has come with some bugs that we’ve made Zenplanner aware of and are told are actively being fixed... but please do not hesitate to contact us if you notice something odd: