My wife had been a member of the McLean Racquet and Health Club for many years, but I resisted joining, focusing instead on outdoors cycling and hiking for exercise. I did not realize what I was missing, until she finally prevailed upon me to join the club six years ago. The variety of excellent activities and classes at the club soon expanded my horizons.

Contrary to my expectations, the club not only had indoors activities, but arranged numerous outdoors activities all year round, which has sustained my interest and active participation over the last six years. Of the very many activities and classes, my personal favorite is cycling, and I must highly commend the variety of the cycling classes and the outstanding trainers. Not only have the indoors classes vastly improved my outdoors cycling ability, but have given me the opportunity to participate in many more rides and “Seagull Centuries” than I did before I joined the club.

Over the six years, I have seen the participation in the annual Seagull Century grow from a handful of club riders in 2008 to over seventy in 2012, in no small measure due to the personal interest and encouragement provided by the trainers. In addition to the exercise aspect, my wife and I have enjoyed the camaraderie and the many social events that the club’s “Team Eco” frequently arranges. I have found the quality of the staff and the services to be excellent.

It is particularly reassuring that a high proportion of the staff and the trainers/instructors have been there much longer than I have, so there is a sense of continuity. I have a hard time with names and faces, so I find it quite amazing to see the staff and trainers address the members by name, as though we were family. In a way, I suppose we are a family, which is a good reason to be a member of this club.”