Dear Loyal Families in our Community,
This is Katie Vollrath, Co-Owner with my husband James, of North Shore Academy of Gymnastics. I hope this message finds you healthy and safe in these unprecedented times. Everyone in the North Shore Gymnastics family remains healthy and positive about this experience, the lessons it will teach us, and the excitement about our (what feels like) long awaited return. We extend a special thanks to our brave healthcare workers, first responders and law enforcement. How inspiring to have such incredible people fighting this battle on our behalf.
First a couple of paragraphs about North Shore’s experience followed by our promise to you, your children and our community.
We can’t believe it has only been a little over 2 weeks since we closed operations at North Shore. Before the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent restrictions mandated by the Government, the gym was bursting with the life brought in by a new session. Children and families anxiously waiting to meet their new teacher, try their first class without their parents, or get another shot at the warped wall. The competitive teams and their coaches were gaining momentum as they approached the culmination of their season, poised to qualify for Regionals and Nationals, with the precision they had worked all year long to achieve. The gym was abuzz with the hustle and bustle of all the team parents, prepping for our annual Under the Sea Invitational, to be hosted at Concordia University in Mequon, March 14th and 15th. Everything about North Shore was aflutter with the promise of Spring on the horizon. James and I acquired the gym only 3 years ago and every day we would look around and say…”This place has its own life force…” We couldn’t stop it if we wanted to…And why would we…
In a few fast and hard days, everything changed. Things that we were normally able to do began quickly dropping off one by one…the Home Meet, classes, open gyms, team practice, the competition season-right down to the last day our employees were able to come into work. North Shore’s community is comprised of all of you-our lovely children, their families and the incredible passionate staff that nurture them. You were gone and along with you that lively momentum came to a quiet halt. There were no words to express my feelings as I stared out into an empty cold and dark gym. Its life force was gone. In the silence I was able to close my eyes and imagine it as it is supposed to be…Full of YOU. It brought me hope.
OUR PROMISE:
This is my promise to you dear North Shore families. We are built for adversity. Built for it. It lies within a fundamental principle that we teach every day in and out of the gym. Adversity is a blessing.
It takes COURAGE. It takes courage to act on something knowing you face adversity that challenges your success. Behind every principle there is a promise. We are fully prepared to weather this storm knowing that we are willing to put forth whatever effort and to whatever end and in doing so will emerge successful. There is no doubt that we have a future, whatever the road to that future may bring, we are ready and willing.
It takes INTEGRITY. We promised you something when you joined our community and you are going to get it- one way or another. Every student that comes through our doors is an opportunity of impact. We do not take this lightly, these are the children that walk away with a fundamental life lessons about fear and love, adversity, and a love for the other lessons learned in this sport. Whether it be a love for activity, or learning how to overcome obstacles, we have been blessed to equip our youth with an experience that will resonate with them for a lifetime. We have committed ourselves to maintaining our rent, utility and insurance expenses to ensure that your children will have a place to learn these lessons on the other side of this unusual situation. One of our most important lessons both before this outbreak and after, is to participate in this lifer and this sport with gratitude and joy. It only takes one moment to change everything. Our job is to recognize how precious each moment actually is and instill it in the young lives we touch.
It takes a COMMUNITY. We are who we are because of YOU.
YOU. That’s it…. It’s YOU.
In this challenging time, we are here to work with you in any way that you need us. That is what it means to be a part of a community and we are joyful to share in those efforts. For those of you enrolled in the Spring Session, facing uncertainty, know this…You will get every minute of North Shore that you paid for. EVERY MINUTE. One way or another. As a thank you for your support and continued enrollment in our Spring Session we would like to offer you a “Customer Loyalty Credit” of 10%, of what you paid for your Spring enrollment. If you are enrolled in the Spring Session you will earn an additional 10% in Loyalty credit, for use at North Shore for any program, service or good that we offer. This includes those who had to cancel Birthday Parties and left their deposit on file. Once things become clear on how we can proceed you will be able to use whatever money you have paid for the Spring Session and your CLC toward any future use that meets your needs. This offer is valid through the Spring Session 2021. Your Loyalty in our program truly enables us to ensure our ability to serve you in the future. We are profoundly grateful.
MOVING FORWARD…
Our Summer Session enrollment will be highly effected by the ongoing governmental restrictions along with CDC and WHO guidelines and recommendations. As a result, Summer Registration and Schedule Information will not begin April 22nd as planned. We are hoping to know more in the next two weeks and will be working diligently on getting our schedule out as soon as reasonably possible. As I am sure many of you are also experiencing a difficulty in setting plans for the upcoming months, we would like to put a schedule out that is in alignment with the reality of the situation we are facing. Doing so right now would not serve you, our customer, in the best way possible. We intend to run classes, birthday parties and Summer Camps as planned but understand that formatting such things will be affected in an effort to keep the gym less populated than it used to be, which will in turn affect our usual way of scheduling classes. Thankfully we have a fabulous staff and facility that will enable us to ease back into our new normal. We cannot wait to share it with YOU.
Be Safe, Be Healthy, Be Grateful…WE ARE.
Katie Vollrath