13 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

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  Bent on May 11 at 7:06 p.m.

  I saw Mayor Bloem there on Sunday. She said she had been there non-stop since the opening. She looked tired and ready for some rest. BTW, the Kroc Center is fantastic. We are going to join…

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  JIMMYMAC on May 11 at 11:21 p.m.

  Joined today, as did about 8 people I know. It's seriously that good.

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  BigMac on May 12 at 7:21 a.m.

  My wife and I took a tour of the facility yesterday morning. We were underwhelmed. I've supported the center since it was first proposed, but now that I've seen it, I wonder if the Salvation Army had a clear idea of what they wanted. It seems like the Kroc Center is trying to be a fitness club, water park, convention center, and coffee bar all at once, and not excelling at any of those.

  I would want to use the Kroc Center primarily as a fitness club, but compared to other local clubs, Kroc is weak. They have beautiful cardio machines, but they're right in the middle of everything. I don't like to feel on display while I'm working out. Kroc's weight room is not up to standard for a local middle school, let alone a brand new, multi-million dollar, “world class” facility.

  I would have loved to see a racquetball court or two, but the Kroc employee said they “didn't want to compete” with local fitness clubs. Fine, I guess, but that leaves Ironwood as the only racquet club in town. Doesn't Kroc's water park compete with Triple Play and Silverwood?

  And Kroc is expensive for a family membership. My current club charges $54 for my wife and me, and it includes free day care for my 11 month old son while I work out. Kroc would run us $65 plus an additional $10 for daycare each month. I'm not anxious to pay a 48% markup for an inferior workout facility.

  So, some of you who love the new facility, please sell me on it. Why is the Kroc Center a good value for me and my family?
  

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  MikeK on May 12 at 8:49 a.m.

  Big Mac I'll give you my take - this is a “community center” not an exclusive “health club”. I've tried for 18 years on and off to get a regular program of swimming back into my life (shocking to those who know me, I used to swim competitively in high school - I wasn't particularly great but I was also 80 pounds lighter which was nice). This morning at 6 am there were dozens of kids being coached by the indefatigable swimming guru Bob Wood, and older folks just doing laps all at the same time coexisting beautifully. There were teenagers playing basketball - again at 6 am. There were lots of people on the cardio machines and several doing laps on the indoor track.

  When it's open we'll be bringing our kids to the Cove pool and having birthday parties in the rooms there. I'm going to see a Christian Youth Theater play that kids of friends of mine are in before too long. My son and I like to play ping pong but can't fit a table in our house (with all the kids), we'll be doing that, too.

  This center is a reflection of what the hundreds of community members who came to the meetings several years ago said was needed for here. It's not a carbon copy of the center in San Diego or San Francisco, it's what the citizens here who got involved said they needed.

  As for competition, we've been members of health clubs off and on in town, and have never found one that worked for us (but I found a few that didn't for a variety of reasons). So we're fitting the $62 a month into our budget (less than we'd pay at other clubs) so that my entire immediate family of 9 can participate. We'll pay an additional $25 a month for now so that we can drop the younger kids (under age 8) to be well taken care of for two hours a day if we so choose and spend that time with the older kids, or my wife exercising on her own - precious time that's darn hard to get otherwise while the younger kids have a blast in the very cool childcare room.

  So for us there's no competition here. I wouldn't be a member of a regular health club in town because there isn't one that suits our needs.

  The Kroc Center is a Community Center, not a health club, which suits us perfectly. And from what I can tell judging from the 4,000 other memberships they've signed up as of this morning when I asked (without any need for a guaranteed contract), they've knocked it out of the park.

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  MikeK on May 12 at 8:52 a.m.

  One last thought on the competition issue - you raised Silverwood - my wife and I have bought Silverwood summer passes as a gift to each other and the kids the last few years. No competition there either, we'll be doing that again this year, because they do different things than the Kroc Center and they do them very well.

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  ejs on May 12 at 10:18 a.m.

  I say let's just see how it goes. Time will tell. Some will love it some will not find it tickles their fancy.
  I've yet to find any endearing qualities but will by no means begrudge those that do find it enjoyable. Knock yourself out have fun and most of all,well,enjoy it.
  Denying that it competes with other establishments is a bit of a stretch but again time will tell.
  It's more like agreeing that it has brought those who otherwise would not join ANY other club to the table is what we are seeing and I suppose that's what it's purpose is, yes?
  Let's be realistic of course and remember that any council members would be glad to have their name/stamp of approval on this baby and why not. That being said always consider the source when hearing pro's and con's.
  Sheesh, it's only been a week, let's just let it do it's thing and not fight about it.

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  otisgexperience on May 12 at 11:33 a.m.

  I love the idea of people eating cheeseburgers, gaining weight, and then becoming members at the Kroc Center… so they can work out on machines that were paid for with cheeseburger sales!

  It's a wonderfully American cycle of life. :)

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