Norm's Notes for January 2024
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Norm Cates
■Hello Everybody and a Happy and Healthy New Year to YOU ALL! This is your Club Insider Founder and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in with you as we roll into our 31st year of publishing. Pinch me and tell me it ain't so! Tell me that 30 years have not already passed since Faust Roundtable #1 dreamed up the bright idea of Club Insider. 30+ years, folks!!! WOW! How TIME DOES FLY when you're having FUN!!!
Over the past 30 years, some of you may have noticed our little ads each month, little ads that simply say: MAKE IT FUN! We share that special message every month because, throughout my career as a health, racquet and sports club developer, owner and operator, I taught my staff that MAKING IT FUN in our clubs was one of the keys to success... right along with club cleanliness and a friendly, polite and very caring staff.
Before I close this first Norm's Note of 2024, I want to Tip My Black Hat to the following:
- JUSTIN CATES, my fine and extraordinarily talented son, and our highly esteemed Club Insider Publisher. Great job so far, Justin!
- Our Advertiser and Author Teams, because if it were not for you, we would not be able to present our weekly and monthly editions of Club Insider! Thank you for all that you do for us and our industry!
- Our Esteemed Readers, because if it were not for you, we wouldn't have a reason to do this! Thank you for giving us our why and all that you do for our industry!
■Here's an interesting and amazing item from the December 22, 2023 edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Get this... LARRY GUZY, at age 75, responded in an amazing manner to the COVID-19 Pandemic. When Larry's local gym was forced to close, he started his streak of running the equivalent of a 10K race every day, and he did that every day for 1,000 straight days! Guzy, a retired owner of an insurance company commented: "There wasn't anything else to do, so why not run?" Through wind, rain and faraway vacations, Guzy never missed his daily run of 6.2 miles. By mid-December of 2022, he had logged 6,387 miles and had retired 16 pairs of running shoes! The United States Running Streak Association/Streak International, which tracks records set by its members, saw a 60% jump between 2020 and 2021 in members who ran 365 straight days, said MARK WASHINGTON, the Association's President.
Guzy was still running his daily 10K in March of 2023 when he twisted his right knee and self-diagnosed his condition as a torn meniscus. He kept pushing through, but on April 18, 2023, his three-year, one-month streak ended. But, his commitment to daily exercise and fitness stayed. Running was replaced with a daily workout on the elliptical and strength machines. As of mid-October of 2023 the meniscus had healed. Doctors tried to get him to agree to surgery, but he declined, saying, "Surgery would get in the way of exercise." Guzy added: "It took until mid-September of 2023 for me to seriously not miss the running, like losing a friend. Every day I see a runner, I want to re-start running. But, at age 76 now, a streak seems like it would be hard to start."
Here is Larry Guzy's guide to maintaining motivation to exercise. Remember the saying, "If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself!" Think about doing something about it early. Exercise is "ME TIME..." It is a great way to escape, and no one will object. Every time you exercise, you have a feeling of personal accomplishment once you are finished. You know you have done something great for your body and mind, whatever form suits you at the moment. Guzy added: "Exercise literally saved my life, all for a few minutes a day. Keep it up."
Congratulations to Atlanta's LARRY GUZY who's now age 76 and continuing to fuel his health with regular exercise!
■Congratulations to MIKE BAUGH as he's been named the new USPTA Florida Executive Director! Mike is the Director of Junior Tennis and Pickleball at Treasure Bay Golf & Tennis in Treasure Island, Florida. In addition, he serves as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the St. Petersburg College Women's Tennis Team. Baugh brings a wealth of expertise to his roles holding impressive certifications, including USPTA Elite Professional, USTA High Performance Coach and ISSA Master Certified Personal Trainer. He's also compiled more than 2,300 hours of continuing education. Mike's commitment to tennis extends beyond the court. He currently serves on the Yonex National Speaker's Team. And, his involvement in various USPTA committees and numerous local and statewide honors underscore his dedication to advancing the sport. Baugh commented: "I am thrilled to embark on this new journey as Executive Director, continuing my affiliation with the USPTA in Florida. I eagerly anticipate collaborating with the President, Board of Directors and members of the Florida Division, while working alongside USPTA leadership and staff to champion the organization and our sport." Mike took over the role on December 4. Best of luck, Mike!
■The following message is from DR. FERNANDO VIEIRA of the ALS Therapy Institute, and it is directed to everyone involved in the challenges associated with ALS. So, please read on:
"Dear ALS TDI Supporters, as we bid farewell to a remarkable year, a year that showed us the potential impact of more targeted treatments of ALS, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the incredible community that has propelled our ALS research forward in 2023. Your unwavering support has been the driving force behind our achievements, from the launch of the ALS Research Collaborative, a program dedicated to identifying the right treatments for the right people, to the continued advancement of promising drugs from our labs. This year, our collective efforts have set a new pace for progress, and it's all thanks to so many of you who are playing a crucial role. Drug discovery is challenging, and at times, the pace may feel slow. However, these hurdles introduce opportunities for breakthroughs. I'm immensely proud of how our team responds to these challenges, and I'm profoundly thankful for your steadfast support that allows us to persevere in our mission. I want you to know that your involvement is catalyzing discoveries and innovations that can, and will, change what it means to be diagnosed with ALS. I look forward to sharing more research updates with you in 2024, and I thank you for all that you have made possible in 2023."
■I would be remiss were I to finish these Norm's Notes without expressing my VERY SINCERE THANKS and APPRECIATION to special people in my life who have made a huge difference in my now 50 years of involvement in our wonderful industry. First, I want to thank my friend, RICH BOGGS, because were it not for Rich, along with our now deceased partners, LYLE RAY IRWIN and FRED STRECK, I would have spent my working life as an Airline Pilot, not as a Club Developer and Owner/Operator, and later, a Newspaper Owner and Publisher for 30+ Years. Next, it's important that I thank and acknowledge RICK CARO, for everything he's done for ALL of US in our industry. Without Rick's talented efforts, dedication and hard work for over 50 years in our industry, trust me folks, when I say that OUR industry would NOT be nearly as excellent and as advanced as it is today! And, for sure, Club Insider would not be in its 31st year of publication because "Uncle Rick," as my son, JUSTIN, and I call him, was one of those who helped dream up Club Insider and has hugely contributed effort to it over the past 30+ years! And, even more importantly, along with Justin, Uncle Rick helped save Club Insider from going out of business in the Spring of 2020 when I WENT BLIND in BOTH EYES after I had a retinal stroke, which permanently blinded me in my right eye, and I was going blind in my left eye because of cataracts. GOD blessed me with the return of my vision in my left eye after a successful cataract surgery a couple of months later.
I also want to Tip My Black Hat to our friend, the one and only JOHN McCARTHY. John is the man who successfully took on the organization called IRSA (now IHRSA) that Rick Caro, I and five others had dreamed up. I call him "Big John," because in my eyes, he IS BIG! John directed IRSA/IHRSA and made it successful for over 25 years before he retired! Thank you, Big John! And, I do not want to fail to mention my friend, JOE MOORE. Joe stepped into John McCarthy's role after John retired and did a fine job for 15 years. Sticking with IHRSA, I want to recognize and acknowledge MS. ELIZABETH CLARK, the Association's current highly esteemed and hardworking Executive Director. Liz is doing a great job for IHRSA, and I want to thank her for all of her efforts.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to HEAP A HUGE AMOUNT OF PRAISE and MY SINCERE THANKS and APPRECIATION on JUSTIN CATES, my fine son and Partner in/Publisher of Club Insider, for the truly great job he does every week and every month with our Club Insider Weekly and Club Insider Monthly Editions. GOOD ON YOU, JUSTIN CATES! And, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK on Club Insider and all you do for our industry worldwide!
Folks, I thought it was important for me to write this Norm's Note recognizing, acknowledging and praising the special people in my life who've helped me over the course of 50 years in this great industry. Thank you for reading!
■JUSTIN and I want to THANK YOU for reading Club Insider! AND, we both want to WISH YOU ALL a VERY HAPPY and HEALTHY NEW YEAR for YOU, YOUR FAMILY and YOUR MEMBERS!
■God bless our troops, airmen and sailors worldwide and keep them safe. Thank you, Congratulations and Welcome Home to all of our troops who have served around the world. God bless America's Policemen and women and Firemen and women; keep them safe. Finally, God bless you, your family, your club(s) and your members. God Bless America! Laus Deo!
