The Little Gym of Lake Oswego Receives Presidents Circle Honor

Every year, The Little Gym owners from around the world get together for their annual conference. We actually call it The Little Gym Reunion because it’s really a time for gym owners to get together and reunite with other gym owners and our “corporate” friends at The Little Gym International.

This past weekend, was my sixth Reunion. It was held in Hot Springs, Virginia, at The Homestead, an historic resort that dates back to 1766. The location was gorgeous, and I was even able to take a guided hike of a local gorge.

Each year, at Reunion, we get an update about what’s in store for us in the year to come. Sometimes it’s a big splash, like 2 years ago, when we found out that The Little Gym was going to do a tie-in with Disney’s movie Enchanted. (We had a Disney/TLG commercial on TV, plus a raffle in which one The Little Gym member got the chance to walk down the red carpet to see the Enchanted premier in Los Angeles.)

Last year’s focus was on social networking and what Facebook, Twitter, and blogs were all about and how they could play a role in building community with our customers.

The Little Gym also brings in guest speakers each year. Last year Jeffrey Gitomer spoke about customer service. This year, Boaz Rauchwerger spoke about building relationships. I’m always energized after hearing great speakers such as Gitomer and Boaz.

Additionally, each year, we have various breakout sessions to learn more specifics about The Little Gym International initiatives and to learn best practices from other The Little Gyms. I always have pages and pages of tips and suggestions to bring back to our gym.

But the best part of Reunion is seeing the gym owners that I’ve gotten to know over the past 6 years. I love seeing gym owners who went through “Boot Camp” with my wife and me and comparing notes about how things are going in the various parts of the country. I love seeing Mitch from Miami who’s always *so* positive. And Katie from New Jersey who’s gym has just rocketed in the past few years. And my prior advisors Stephen and Joel who are so excited about our recent success here in Lake Oswego. This year I also got to spend some time picking the brain of Adam from Chicago, the most successful The Little Gym. And I had a really nice chat with Jodi, the wife of Robin Wes, the founder of The Little Gym.

My goal each year is make it into President’s Circle, the recognition of the top performing gyms. The whole team here in Lake Oswego has worked incredibly hard to ensure we follow The Little Gym’s axioms of always teaching the best classes, telling everyone about them, and building long-lasting relationships. We spend 2 hours each week in our staff meetings, training, drilling, and practicing gym skills, and how to ensure you and your children are getting the absolute best value out of our programs.

This year we were honored in President’s Circle for the fourth straight year with a bronze-level award. President’s Circle honors are given based on gym performance and quality. Although I was the only person from the Lake Oswego gym there, it really was all of the instructors here that made that award possible. We’ve got a great team for which I am grateful.

Next time you’re at the gym, please congratulate your favorite instructors for achieving President’s Circle!

Here's a photo of me receiving our President's Circle Award.  To the left (my right) is Robin Wes, the founder of The Little Gym, still teaching after 34 years!  To the right is Bob Bingham, the President and CEO of The Little Gym International.

Parents Magazine Names The Little Gym #1 for Children's Birthday Parties

Recently, Parents Magazine surveyed over 40 national chain birthday party packages to assess which offer the most entertaining, unique and personalized experience at an affordable price. The Little Gym landed on top with the #1 ranking! Here is the press release we sent out to the local news media last month.

Parents Magazine Names The Little Gym #1 for Children's Birthday Parties

The Little Gym of Lake Oswego owner applauds parent company's recognition

Lake Oswego, OR (Grassroots Newswire) April 21, 2010 – Parents magazine just announced that The Little Gym has been named the #1 Birthday Party destination for children. The Little Gym of Lake Oswego Owner Ron Skoletsky is extremely proud to have received this distinction.

"This recognition reflects just how unique our birthday parties are for children – and also how memorable and stress-free they are for parents," Skoletsky said. "Awesome Birthday Bash parties, as we call them, involve games, music and fun activities led by trained, cheerful and child-friendly staff. We take care of almost everything! Nothing captures the magic of childhood better than a birthday party, and we enjoy making birthdays a magical milestone for the kids."

While most parents are no longer planning expensive, over-the-top birthday bashes because of the effects of the economy, they still want to make sure their child has a fun and memorable celebration, according to Parents magazine. The publication surveyed birthday party packages offered by national chains to assess which offer the most entertaining, unique and personalized experience at an affordable price.

"Our May issue is devoted to birthday parties and we wanted to find out which party chains not only throw fun birthdays that kids will love, but offer affordable packages that will make parents happy," says Dana Points, editor-in-chief of Parents. "We examined more than 40 popular party spots to bring readers the 10 best ones."

While researching national birthday chains, Parents magazine looked at what each place provided with regards to fun, games and food, as well as extra incentives such as invitations, party ware and goody bag favor offerings. In addition, the availability of instructors, personalization level, and party room size were also taken into consideration.

"Our primary focus is building confidence in children by helping them develop physical skills. So it is even more exciting to be recognized for the creativity and imagination that we put into our weekend birthday parties," said Paul Dickison of The Little Gym International.

"There are several factors that we believe draw parents to our birthday parties," Skoletsky added. "Our unique and proprietary music and curriculum are specially personalized to cater to each child's age, gender, and interests. And, unlike facilities where multiple parties occur at the same time, each birthday booking reserves the entire facility."

The Little Gym locations, including The Little Gym of Lake Oswego, make birthday parties a stress-free event for parents, as they take care of set up and clean up for the parties, provide party ware and even send out invitations to guests, "Our staff is well-trained to bring out the very best in children, which helps to make each birthday experience memorable and magical," Skoletsky said.

The first hour of the birthday party is spent in the gym engaged in age-appropriate instructor-led games and activities. The final half hour of the celebration is spent in the gym's special party room where children enjoy cake and drinks and open presents. The Little Gym provides drinks for the children, all paper goods, balloons for decoration and a list of opened gifts for thank you cards. The birthday child even gets a special The Little Gym T-shirt.

Aside from its Awesome Birthday Bash parties, The Little Gym also offers classes for children from four months of age to 12 years that range from parent/child classes in early motor skill development to grade school gymnastics, sports skills development, karate, cheerleading and dance. These programs are built on a structured curriculum where kids progressively build skills, leading to enhanced self-confidence and socialization.

For more information about Parents magazine's 10 Best Birthday Party Chains, visit: www.parents.com/fun/birthdays/ideas/top-10-birthday-chains-for-kid-birthday-parties/.

For more information about The Little Gym of Lake Oswego and its Awesome Birthday Bach parties, please contact Ron Skoletsky at 503-595-9702 or visit http://www.tlglakeoswegoor.com/.

About The Little Gym

The Little Gym is the premier developer of physical skills in children worldwide. The very first location was established in 1976 by Robin Wes, an innovative educator with a genuine love for children. The Little Gym International, Inc., headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., was formed in 1992 to franchise The Little Gym concept. Today, The Little Gym International has more than 300 locations in 21 countries. For more information, visit The Little Gym at http://www.thelittlegym.com/.

What do your teachers do on their day off?

Many times I've had parents come to the gym saying that their child has talked about Teacher Ron or other teachers and were wondering what they were doing right now, or if they sleep at the gym, etc...  So to help satisfy their curiosity, here's a vido of what I've been working on (off and on for the past 10 years).  The video you are about to see is the result of probably 20-30 hours of practice over the past 11 months.

Secret trick for having a great day!

Today I learned a new trick for how to have a great day.  During our 11:15am Mini Jacks sports skills class, one of the students' moms was bonding with her 2-year old daughter, painting her nails.  I walked by and put my hand flat on the table and said to 2-year old Morgan, "Hey, can I get my nails done too?"   Mom didn't miss a beat and painted one nail a bright pink.  Morgan and Mom got a kick out of it, and I had a smile on my face for a minute until I got caught up with something else at the gym.

At least 5 times during the day, I noticed my pink nail.  I proudly showed it off to my The Little Gym staff.  It helped keep me in a playful mood all day.   I don't know if I'll do it that often, but when you can live life, not taking yourself too seriously, the fun you can have, can make your good day into a great one.

Do something fun and silly today!