Norm's Notes for August 2025
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Norm Cates
■Hello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Founder and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in with our 380th monthly edition of this 30+ year running club business publication I refer to as: A Labor of Love! I'm very thankful that you've tuned in again for this iteration of Norm's Notes, as I proceed on my keyboard with my longtime habit of "Telling-It-Like-It-Is!" I'm really happy that you're reading this edition, and I want to THANK YOU ALL for sticking with us every month! As usual, we have a bunch of health and fitness club business news, so please read on!
■Is AMERICA a GREAT COUNTRY, or WHAT!? Hmm... hmm... hmm! And, as usual, let me start these Norm's Notes with my normal monthly salutation to you all: GOD BLESS AMERICA and GOD BLESS YOU, YOUR FAMILY and YOUR BUSINESS!!!
■In a recent edition of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) newspaper, a very special article entitled: "You Can Build Muscle as You Age - Here's How." was published. The piece was very well written by DANIELLE FRIEDMAN of the New York Times and reprinted in the AJC. The article featured a place called Greysteel Strength and Conditioning Gym in Farmington Hill, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The photo with the article featured a weightroom with lots of weights, etc. and a photo of an elderly lady named ANN BUSZARD, age 84, deadlifting 225 pounds. Yes, you read that correctly! The article went on to say, "Older adults enjoy a stronger sense of community at gym. Some are well into their '80s and '90s."
Folks, if the Lord's willing, since my next birthday will be my 80th, this Note is FUN for me to share with y'all. PLUS, it's making me feel like I better get moving more... that's for sure!
■The Health Fitness Association's (HFA) 2025 Global Report shows record memberships, rising revenues and booming wellness trends, signaling a worldwide industry in peak form and hungry for even more growth!
"The Global Report is one of the most important resources we provide because it brings together market data, consumer trends and policy developments from across the world in one place," said LIZ CLARK, HFA President and CEO. "It offers a clear picture of where the industry is going and how stakeholders can help shape its future."
Check out the Press Release on Page #6.
■This item is from London in the United Kingdom: The Fit Guide (TFG), an independent global rating system for boutique fitness clubs and studios, has released its second annual evaluations for London. Widely regarded as the "Michelin Guide for fitness," The Fit Guide offers anonymous and objective assessments of top-tier clubs, scoring each club across five categories and 250 service and experience standards. After a tough year for the city's fitness scene that has seen numerous closures, no London club achieved the coveted Fit Guide 5-Star Award in 2025, down from five recipients last year, signaling a significant drop in boutique fitness standards and excellence. "This year's evaluations come off the back of a tough year for London's fitness scene," said JACK THOMAS, Co-Founder of The Fit Guide. "We've seen clubs improve in some operational areas, but there was a clear drop in front-of-house hospitality and in-class experience, two crucial components of premium service." Despite the overall drop at the top, The Fit Guide's evaluations also revealed areas of progress.
Key London 2025 Findings:
- Zero 5-Star Award winners (down from five in 2024);
- Cycling clubs saw the largest drop in standards and average score, falling from 84% to 77%;
- Before and after class service scores fell significantly, from 75% to 69%;
- Sales and retention, the lowest scoring area globally, dipped further from 43.9% to 43.2%.
Improvements and Bright Spots:
- Staff showing genuine interest in clients increased from 21.4% to 30.6%;
- Front desk name usage rose from 29.3% to 45.7%;
- Post-class departure service rose from 46.2% to 54.5%;
- Public Areas, Digital & Technology and Equipment & Studio categories all saw modest improvements.
MATT LAVENDER, Co-Founder of The Fit Guide, noted, "We remain committed to raising the standard of fitness experiences globally. While London didn't reach the same level as last year, these evaluations are a reminder of the importance of experience and hospitality and an important step toward long-term progress."
The Fit Guide continues to expand globally, providing data-driven insights that empower clubs to improve and guide fitness enthusiasts toward the world's leading gyms and experiences. Their weekly podcast and YouTube show, Five-Star Fitness, provides tips and hospitality guidance for club owners and managers. Check out www.thefitguide.com.
■Folks, in our January 2024 edition of Club Insider, I wrote the following Norm's Note expressing my sincere THANKS and APPRECIATION to seven people in my life who have made a HUGE DIFFERENCE. One day, while reviewing some of my past comments, I came across this Note, and right then, I decided I just had to share it again! Especially for those of you who may not have previously read it. It read and has been updated to read:
I would be remiss were I to finish these Norm's Notes this month without expressing my VERY SINCERE THANKS and APPRECIATION to seven people in my life who've 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 him, along with our now deceased former partners, LYLE RAY IRWIN and FRED STRECK, I would have spent my working life as a commercial 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 all he's done for me, JUSTIN and for ALL of US in the entire industry worldwide. Without "UNCLE RICK's" talented efforts, dedication and hard work for over 55 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 32nd year of publication because he was one of those who helped me dream up Club Insider. And, he has hugely contributed to our efforts over the past 30+ years! And, even more importantly along with Justin, Uncle Rick was one of the two people who saved Club Insider from going out of business, when in the Spring of 2020, I went blind in both eyes after I had a Retinal Stroke, which permanently blinded me in my right eye and then 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 that Rick, I and five others had dreamed up... The International Racquet Sports Association, a/k/a IRSA in the beginning (then IHRSA, and now, HFA). 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 as IHRSA Executive Director after John retired and Joe did a fine job for IHRSA.
Last, but for sure, not least, I also want to HEAP A HUGE AMOUNT OF PRAISE and MY VERY SINCERE THANKS and APPRECIATION on JUSTIN CATES, my fine Son and Partner in Club Insider. For 20+ years, Justin has done a truly great job every week and every month with our Club Insider WEEKLY and our Club Insider MONTHLY Editions. GOOD ON YOU, JUSTIN CATES! And, JUSTIN, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK on Club Insider and ALL you do for our industry worldwide!
And, last, but certainly not least, I want to recognize and acknowledge MS. ELIZABETH CLARK, HFA's highly esteemed and hardworking President and CEO since mid-2021. LIZ is doing a great job for the Association, and I want to thank Liz for ALL of her efforts!
Folks, I thought it was important for me to write this special Norm's Note recognizing, acknowledging and praising the special people in my life. THANK YOU ALL!
■Here's a good one for y'all! Not long ago, you may have read about 68-year-old college football COACH BILL BELICHICK, getting married to a young woman who's only 28 years old! Well, now, this same man has made more news as he has hired his son, STEVE, as the Defensive Coordinator at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. He circumvented the University's Board of Trustees, signing his son for a $1.3 million base salary, making him the highest paid Assistant Coach in UNC history! With the addition of Steve Belichick to the Tarheels' coaching staff, UNC is now paying nearly $12 million in salaries each year for Belichick's handpicked staff!
Folks, as you may know, I went to and played football for the rival N.C. State Wolfpack, so I look forward to seeing where this story goes... It's all in good FUN.
■JUSTIN and I want to THANK YOU for reading Club Insider! We appreciate you being with us. And, in particular, WE VERY SINCERELY APPRECIATE ANY and ALL SUPPORT OF OUR ESTEEMED Club Insider ADVERTISERS! PLEASE DO BUSINESS WITH THEM and WHEN YOU DO, PLEASE TELL 'EM Club Insider SENT YOU! THANK YOU ALL!
■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!
