We caught up with Sarita Norton, the Health and Fitness Supervisor at Arena Joondalup, to share in their BODYCOMBAT 100 celebrations.
Arena Joondalup, managed by VenuesWest is an iconic community sporting complex in Western Australia, which caters to a diverse community that includes participants aged from 14 to 90 years. For 30 years, the centre has been aiming to ensure that every one of their 2,300 members “feels at home”. Currently, the centre sees around 8,000 visits for group fitness classes per month.
Les Mills Asia Pacific (LMAP): Tell us about your BODYCOMBAT 100 celebratory event
Arena Joondalup : Our theme was ‘Black and Gold’. We transformed our basketball courts into a vibrant stage for the event. We had seven Instructors on board – six from our team and one special guest, the WA Master Trainer. It was important to me that our Instructors celebrated alongside their Trainer, someone who truly connected them to the program. Although bringing in a guest required a lot of paperwork, I wanted to add an element of surprise with a mystery Instructor to gain members’ curiosity.
On the day of the event, we had plenty of prizes, giveaways and fun! Did I mention prizes? We offered our own merchandise as well as contributions from local businesses. I also created personal giveaways to celebrate members who had attended the most classes since we implemented our booking system.
We kicked off the festivities with a vote on favourite songs from the Instructors and members, starting with the crowd's top picks. During those tracks, we had exciting giveaway breaks. Then, we pressed play and launched into the 100th Release. The energy was electric – everyone was smiling and having an amazing time!
The event was for everyone – all clubs in the area! When I was working at Les Mills in Auckland City, one of the posters read: ‘Every body welcome’. I believe that everybody needs movement and so I opened our doors to everyone!
LMAP: What were your specific goals for this event?
My primary goal was to rekindle members' love for group fitness and create connection to our buildings and people. With smiles, thank yous and a buzz that has lingered for weeks, I’m thrilled to say we succeeded!
I aimed for 300 participants and celebrated 200 sign-ups – still, a huge success! I still have 300 as goal for the next big group fitness party.
Getting to my goal felt like launching a rocket. As one person backed by a team of passionate Instructors, I understood the significance of our mission. I was among the few who had experienced the very first classes at Les Mills in Auckland, and I wanted to share that excitement.
When I discussed my vision with managers and other departments, I could see their scepticism – after all, they had never witnessed the energy of a massive class. I painted a vivid picture of what Les Mills in Auckland City looked like 25 years ago with 300 people queuing down the stairs and across the bridge to the gym!
It was essential for me to convey who Les Mills is: an athlete, an Olympian, a mayor, and how his son Phillip brought these classes to the world.
My passion slowly drew them in. At first, I had to work hard to get everyone on board and help them visualise the event but they eventually all became excited.
The final week was all about managing the details and coordinating the Instructors.
LMAP: What was your investment for this event?
While hard to quantify, we dedicated over $1,000 in labour, fuelled by immense passion and teamwork. We were invested in making this happen and everyone pooled all their resources to bring this to life. It’s hard to put a value on love, but there was a billion dollars’ worth of love in there!
LMAP: What helped make this event successful?
We were able to make the event free! It wasn’t about the money but the connection to the program. Also, a lot of people are having a tough time, so it was a privilege to be able to offer an opportunity for people to find connection and happiness for free.
In addition, we have a team of super passionate Instructors and the support of our members, and this was at the heart of our success. The space we had available further enhanced the experience.
Everyone had such a fun time. Testimonials from our event included words like “spectacular,” “epic,” and “unforgettable.” The energy was palpable, and members truly loved every minute!
LMAP: Tell us about BODYCOMBAT in your club
We’ve offered BODYCOMBAT since Release 12! Currently, we offer six classes per week – all live – and the average number of participants per class is 28.
The typical demographics attending our BODYCOMBAT classes includes a very wide range of ages in a BODYCOMBAT class. At the launch, we had Sandy who was turning 80 that week, who completed 100 minutes!
LMAP: How has BODYCOMBAT stayed strong for 25 years?
The movements, unbeknownst to everyone, is a nervous system trauma release. If you know anything about trauma and how to process it in the body, you will know the teachings of Bessel van der Kolk, Steven Porges and Pat Ogden. It’s the secret of movement to a rhythm with others.
Globally, I think BODYCOMBAT is so popular because of the energy, the love, the endorphins – it makes you feel empowered and great!
I want to say ‘thank you’ to Rach and Dan for creating this program. And thank you to the team at Les Mills for bringing this workout to the world!
If your club would like to explore how BODYCOMBAT or other Les Mills programs can help attract, engage and retain members, contact your local Business Partnership Manager in Australia or Southeast Asia. Or to learn about becoming a BODYCOMBAT Instructor, go to www.lesmills.com.au/instructors/.
