Welcome to the first UK GCA News Letter - March 2009

About us

Founder Members

Jill Bellingham

Jill has worked in the fitness industry for over 25 years. Her first introduction to the RSA was when Andree Dean (The Chief Executive to the FIA) passed Jill for her first introduction to teaching fitness. Exercise Express has taught successfully dance and fitness to many ages and Jill continues to this day to teach classes as well as work for a group of accountants as their credit control manager.

Sean Blyth

Former soldier Sean has been involved in sport since his early teens where boxing was his first introduction to fitness at a serious level. Since then he has been fascinated with the human capabilities, and the bodies energy systems and the timings from results from X Training challenges. In 2006 he formed WorldGymChallenge.com Ltd and as managing director has traveled to most events, photographing, entering split times and writing race reports for the sport. There has been a steady growth in numbers into the WGC site and since the introduction of free membership events and interest from gyms has increased.

X Trainer Liaisons

A number of X Trainers , Personal Trainers and Fitness Professionals have expressed an interest in seeing this sport develop. Later on in the year a full list will be published of exactly who will be involved with clear defined roles. As a voluntary agency - with little to no funding, the sport income stream will be generated by putting on events throughout the UK, which will in turn source some of the finance necessary to provide for the association and the liaisons involved.

Exercise Movement and Dance Partnership

In 2007 - WorldGymChallenge Ltd made an unsuccessful attempt in approaching Sport England to define X Training as a legitimate Sport and act as a governing body. One of the reasons given at the the time for declining this request was that a governing body already exists in covering the term 'Exercise' and that a possible working relationship should develop from there. 

What's Next?

Whilst the formalities are being developed, we will be taking a look at the events that are on the horizon, the people who do the sport and any exciting event that the UK GCA has been involved in.

The sport of X Training is going through a transitional stage and more events are springing up all over the UK and added interest from gyms to add something that little bit different to focus and motivate for training means that the sport needs a clear sense of direction for it to evolve.

So with that in mind a few answers to some questions you may be thinking right now.

Why start the UK GCA ?

The UK GCA intention is to focus on the individual from the gym and act as a promotional tool to increase profiles of individuals from the many aspects of gym culture that is in today's society - we believe in some cases that the incredible fitness levels of many individuals are being over looked by many well established gyms and that as a consequence the sport of gyms is not being given the right conditions to establish itself as a credible sport.

The Olympic Effect

Many Gym Challenges are organised by gyms and gym chains and although this is a good introduction to the fine qualities of X Training - if you win any one individual challenge - are you really testing yourself? Take the Olympics, if only one country competed you would never find a true champion in any one sport - this is why World Gym Challenge has been created. To establish venues where worthy opponents are matched against each other, to find the true test of fitness - not just at individual gyms.

What areas are you planning on developing?

Crucially for any sport to grow there has to be an infrastructure behind it. Fortunately the 5,000 gyms in the UK alone would indicate that the reasoning behind growth for the spot of X Training can not only evolve but the UK can be a leading force in Gym Challenges worldwide. But let's not run before we can walk. There is a lot to do and a lot to get right in the process of development.

Listening to X Trainers over these past years - the one overriding factor more then any is the standard of judging - where inconsistency has often lead to many top athletes leaving the sport. This single reason more then any is probably why the sport has failed to ignite the mainstream into this new sport. There is of course as well, X Training is hard at the top level and many individuals have tried it and said its not for them, due to the intensity and somewhere between the two lies the answer to increase awareness of the gymathletes who take part and keep them active in the sport itself.

So let's focus on the the first three years, 2012 the year of the London Olympics and try and put some sort of order into the development.

• Increase the sport.
• Increase participation.
• Increase media awareness.
• Increase level of Judging

Four simple steps that involves a ton load of hard work.

How are you going to do this?

That my friends really is the million dollar question. How exactly? Well to begin with it's a two edged street - X Trainers who participate in the sport will have to play their role , this includes contributing at every available opportunity to see the sport take on as many new directions as possible - and here lies the first problem - around 5% of any gym would take part in a X Training Challenge - which individually for any gym to put time and effort into is not really efficient time of resources - but 5 % from each gym taking part in regional events at selected venues throughout the UK is a sport in anyone books. In these uncertain times of the 'Credit Crunch' Gyms will be looking at new ideas and initiatives to bring in a revenue stream or seek new programs as retention tools and X Training events in a dormant gym studio - is a great opportunity to take advantage of the pause before the storm. And as a free site the opportunity to expose the sport and the gymathlete has never been greater.

Ok, on paper it looks easy, but as we all know the sport really is depending on participation to survive and the UK GCA has taken on board many initiatives to increase levels of participation and although not compromising the integrity and severity of the sport at the elite levels it has introduced into its programs a number of lesser demanding physical challenges - this will be known as Stage 1 events, with Stage 2 (Intermediate ) and Stage 3(Advanced or Open) developing as gym members become more adapt to the stresses involved.

Results

At any one UK GCA event it is possible (as long as there is a connection to the internet) to publish results and splits 'Live' and straight into personal folders as each race is completed.

Can you sustain the sport?

The UK GCA is focusing on all aspects of gym challenges, not just X Training, to bring versatility in the culture of gym lifestyle. It has in the past reported on Paddy Doyle's World Record Attempts and other avenues of matters of interest in the gym, including one finger press up nutter (and good friend Micky Gooch). Strongman events and any aspect that raises the profile of what is a gym challenge and what are the people who do it all about.

There are no false promises here and the UK GCA realises that without sponsorship - or a sustained revenue stream as with many other companies it will struggle to provide a service that is appropriate to its aims and ambitions - but it will try and the next three years will see a path followed that will no doubt be as rocky as the first few years for worldgymchallenge.com - but resolute and absolute determination will be the qualities of this association and those actions that have seen WGC survive in a very hostile environment will be adapted until the sport gains recognition through Sport England.

Finally

It is my pleasure in witnessing the human spirit endure the greatest physical challenge in the time permitting in the new sport of X Training. I have witnessed events that are supported by friends and family, witnessing X Trainers challenge themselves to levels of fitness that they thought they could never achieve and it is my belief in the sport and the people who do it that as time progresses - more and more gym members will find the many benefits behind this sport and it will develop into a structured well maintained group of events - that as now, have the armed forces, police, fire services, sporting personalities and gym members competing in head to head challenges that really determine levels of fitness for that that all over 100% maximum race effort.

The charity aspect of it all is just waiting to be developed and the UK GCA wants to encourage - members, gyms, friends and family to support one another in raising finance for great causes - through the sport of X Training.

I wish everyone who competes in this sport all the very best to any event they enter.

Sean

UK GCA Coordinator