Affinity 3.0 

...and extra details of each class

Join us online - for JOY and FUN in movement

This is a key part of the solution to this current global health challenge. And longer term, will be of value to our society, no matter how things may change. 

We can't or won't give up (and its not in our nature to).

We definitley are a resourceful, determined bunch here at Affinity (Gymnastics and Adult fitness) and Sapphire Elite Allstars (Cheerleading) and this time round we are ALL pulling together to move offerings online.

We're going all in - all Affinity, all Sapphire and all AffinityFit working together, collaborating our best offerings into one programme that everyone can find use and value (and fun!) from. It's pretty epic teamwork if I do say so myself. Plus, we have learnt from lockdowns 1 and 2 and further developed how we best do this. 

Here's how it works:

• You buy a 'zoom pass' for the month. We are working month by month - no matter what may change restrictions-wise. 
• You can then access any and all live Zoom classes from our combined timetable. So if you wanted, you could attend several sessions a week, and there are sessions not just for our existing athletes but for adults and the whole family.  Siblings are welcome too - essentially anyone you can get in front of your screen. 
• Each area of the club is working to their strength to contribute classes for gymnastics, cheerleading, fitness, skills, family classes and adult fitness and mindset support. More on that in a bit.
• You choose what to pay on a 'pay what you think' basis, with a minimum payment of £20 monthly. 
• You get to enjoy movement in lockdown and know you are supporting us in our mission to be here for our community in the long term.

More on the content - building a successful athlete

We've considered what aspects our athletes need to be successful - you need to be fit, you need to be strong, you need to be flexible, to be strong mentally and have great technique for your chosen activity. Each session covers one or more of these aspects and is open to athletes from any activity - there are just some age guidance in a couple of places to help us better cater for our older athletes (a piece of feedback from our older gymnasts). If no age is listed, it's suitable for all.

We have a weekly timetable, with some slots varying week by week as follows:
 

Mondays

4:00-4:30 Hiit Workout with Dan
6:30-7:15pm Flyer class with Sapphire Coaches and special guest Chelsey Knight on 15th March

Tuesdays

5:30-6:00pm Flexibility Training with Eleanor
6:30-7:15pm Base class with Sapphire Coaches

Wednesdays

5:15-5:45pm AffinityFit Adult fun fitness with Jen (16yrs+)
6pm Special weekly workshop. Varies each week in March - and has a guest coach Audrey Doklan, doing an amazing ZUMBA class. 

Thursdays

10:00-10:30am AffinityFit Adult fun fitness with Jen (16yrs+)
5:30-6:00 Special Weekly Workshop with Sapphire or Affinity Coaches - varies each week eg Beams, Tumble, Parkour and Cheer World workout.
Week 1 only each month: 7:30-8:15pm AffinityFit Mindset Session with Jen (16yrs+)
Week 3 only each month: 7:30-8:15pm AffinityFit Q&A session with Jen (16yrs+)

Fridays

5:30-6pm Teen Training with Eleanor - 10years +

Saturdays

10:00-10:45am Hiit Workout with Dan/Eleanor
 

 

Class Descriptions 

 

Hiit Workout 

A fun fitness class for all ages to enjoy to keep those fitness levels up. Using our fun games and activities.

Different themed weeks to maintain and build stamina, strength and overall fitness.

Flexibility Training 

A class to work on increasing flexibility - stretches and holds focusing on backs and shoulders one week and shoulders, legs and hips the next.

Special Weekly Workshops - Skills Technique

A class to work on technique for and development of a specific skill area each session. We'll use lots of drills and safe activities for use at home and be able to coach you interactively. In March we are very excited to introduce some Guest coaches to inspire and motivate us - see the timetable for all the details. 

Flyer Class 

Working core strength, shapes and performance through conditioning and technique drills. Led by Sapphire coaches, gymnasts also welcome to build strength.

Base Class

Building muscle memory and strength whilst working on grips through conditioning and drills. Led by Sapphire coaches, gymnasts also welcome to build strength.

Teen Training

Suitable for athletes 10yrs + working on the core attributes with added intensity, independence and adaptability.

FamilyFit

A fun fitness class for all the family to join in with together. Affinity style - lots of games, creativity and fun for all (and maybe some friendly competition?)

AffinityFit

Our recently new programme for adults, is included for everyone this month. Monday nights is a movement session suitable especially for those that don't like exercise. The Thursday sessions are pen and paper style. On the 1st Thursday of the month Jen will teach an area of mindset to support us with finding fun in movement (even in lockdown) and on the 3rd Thursday of the month is an open Q&A session to pick Jen's brains. Read a bit more about AffinityFit here.
 

Pay what you think

We know this time is adversely affecting a lot of people financially - ourselves included. That's why we feel the right thing to do, is to give you a choice in this. We've frozen usual memberships for our members. The lockdown version 3 programme is opt in with a minimum contribution of £20. If you are able to pay more, that would be fantastic, but we also understand if you can not. 

Financially, our aim in this lockdown is simply to bring in enough income to pay our minimum costs. If everyone was able to contribute £20, we would easily cover this and would use any extra to be better prepared for reopening three. Plus we could work towards some new goals and ideas for developing what we do.

Our coaches and indeed the whole team here continue to be 100% committed to each and every athlete, and will do absolutely everything possible for us all to succeed both now through this period, and our on-going futures, which is why we have chosen yet again, to not to give up. We'll choose this again and again and again and appreciate each and every one of you for supporting us in our efforts as best you can.
 

What you need to do now

If you'd like to join us online pop an email to hello@affinitygymnastics.co.uk letting us know the good news and also what amount you wish to pay. You can join at any point. We'll only pro-rata any fees within a month if you join part-way through. Payment will be requested through your DD when you sign up.

If you're not able to join us - we understand - but why not connect with us on social media in case your situation changes and you'd like to give it a try.

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For those interested in how we're managing this time financially as a small business:

• We've cut all costs possible and those that are left, including the coaching cost of the online programme come to approximately £4k per month. This includes minimal staff hours, rent, utilities, accountancy, maintenance costs, software, insurance and professional subscriptions.
• We're using the government furlough scheme for our active staff. Claiming it has been a challenge and has additional costs associated but it's well worth it to have our people supported. Our director, is unfortunately excluded from the help schemes due to taking dividends - which is frustrating, but she fortunately has some savings for this time.
• We'll get a grant of £1334 from the council for each month we are mandated shut - which is a help towards rents. We've made good contacts at the council who are assisting us with future support options.
• We were able to take out a bounce back loan to support our ongoing costs. The covid restrictions reduced the capacity in our classes, so we used some of this to support us in our covid-yet-open months. This has been a great help whilst we rebuild back our capacity - and we were implementing a whole plan for this of extra classes and awesome new things we can do. We will pick this back up again in future.
• Our sector unfortunately does not benefit from the VAT cut that other hospitality business have (we are shut down as part of leisure and hospitality). This seems strange, but is something we're raising with our local MP's to see if they can help. 
• But essentially don't worry - we are financially in much better a place than TopShop and you can trust us to be here to return to.

 

FAQ's  
Regarding Classes:

 
Q: What about siblings?
A: The zoom pass with cover the WHOLE family - if they can all fit in the screen!  So everyone can enjoy the fun and movement.

Q: What space do I need?
A: You need enough room to spread your arms wide in and turn around – without crashing into the tv!
 
Q: Do I need any gymnastics equipment?
A: No. We’ll use all usual house-found items. If you have a soft item to sit on, like a yoga mat or a rug, that would be helpful but not essential.
 
Q: How does Zoom work for the live classes?
A: It’s ace. We’ll give you a Zoom Pass for each month which you click at the class time you want to join. You’ll be able to see and talk to the coach and all your class mates. It’s like being in the same room together. 
 
Q: What if I don’t want my image shown to others?
A: You can choose to join without having your camera on. You still be able to see the coach and others, and speak, but they won’t see you. The coach won’t be able to give you feedback on what you are doing if they can’t see you, but we’re still happy you will be able to join in well with the group.
 
Q: Will classes be recorded?
A: We will be recording sessions, but only for our own internal use and monitoring. The recordings will be safely stored and not published anywhere external – as per our privacy policy and photograph consent. 
 
Q: Are we insured?
A: Yes! Our UK gymnastics insurance has specified that cover can be extended for these activities, as long as we keep things low risk and shared within our club.
 
Q: How will we keep everyone safe?
A: We’ll be advising you on how to provide a safe working space and ensuring your gymnast is dressed ready for class. We’ll be keeping activities firmly suitable for living room interaction. Actually, with our classes being interactive, our coaches can keep you safer than you might be watching a recorded video. 
 
Q: Does an adult need to be present or join in?
A: We need you to ensure your child has a safe space ready to participate in and knows where you are just in case they need you. If you want to join in – you are welcome! 
 
Q: What kind of activities will we be teaching?
A: There are LOADS of things we can do.
Now, we won’t be teaching back flips, for example, through the internet, as we can’t ensure your safety or that you wont need help. But what we can do are all the fundamentals that build towards skills. There’s lots to do with shapes, strengthening, balance, flexibility, agility, coordination. We’re spending the whole of next week preparing it all and are sure that there are lots of activities we can do together that you will enjoy and help progression of skills ready for when we are back at physical classes.
 
Q: Can we do 121 classes online?
A: Yes! We can do these ad hoc and as an extra. Contact us for details.
  
Q: How do I access the live classes?
A: We will email you a zoom pass link for our classes which will be the same for the entire month.
 

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FAQ's  
Regarding Membership:

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