We were lucky to catch up with Connie Sciolino recently and have shared our conversation below.

Connie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

When the COVID pandemic hit, all public gyms were closed immediately. It was swift and harsh, not just for gym owners but for their clients. Many people turned to at-home gym training; puchasing equipment, signing up for apps, and going at it alone. It has worked for many and we’ll see a large percentage of the fitness dollars still going to at-home training but we are now seeing some of those clients coming back to the gym. Why? Results. The Alpine Training Center is a small strength & conditioning that is community-based. This community is what helps my athletes achieve results that they couldn’t otherwise on their own. And with a coach that is constantly keeping them accountable, both in and out of the gym, the results stack up. After a few years of battling on their own, we are now seeing the trend of returning to the gym. The ATC had is best year in 2022, since it opened in 2009, and I look forward to keeping that trend going.

Connie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Connie Sciolino and I opened the Alpine Training Center in November of 2009. While the fitness is slowly changing, at the time I was one of a few women owning and operating a strength & conditioning. The industry itself is notoriously male dominated but the times are slowly changing and I was lucky enough to start when I did. I have always been interested in fitness and participated in a variety of sports growing up but it was training for ski racing that really peeked my interest and my desire to learn more about improving performance. I received my Master’s in Exercise Science and initially started as a personal trainer but didn’t feel like I was doing enough. Working in a group setting is so much more dynamic and fun and honestly different and exciting every day. The group dynamic really brings more variables to the gym.
My role as a strength coach is to help my athletes improve performance in their sport. We use the gym build a foundation of strength and conditioning that can be applied to a variety of outdoor sports. It is my job to write programs that do this for a variety of different athletes, in variety of sports and in a group setting. It is also my job ot monitor each athlete to make sure they are making the gains they want and need to better themselves. Additionally, as part of sport, we offer return to sport services. In returning from an injury, all athletes will have that in between time of recovery and full release to sport. The ATC does a great job of reintroducing the athlete to training and building them back up to their previous fitness level.
The best days at the gym are when an athlete comes in and tells me about their recent race results or accomplishment or simply just feeling better on daily basis. It’s then that I know I am doing my job and I do make a difference. And the smiles they wear while telling me, can’t be beat.
While the ATC continues to grow, I feel I am able to still have personal connections with all the athletes. Myself and the other coaches at the gym take the time to check-in with everyone and make sure their needs are met and they feel valued as a member of our community. It is this community that sets the ATC apart from a standard gym. Our athletes not only train together in the gym but have built lasting friendships outside the gym. This builds community and a sense of belonging for everyone at the gym and makes me proud of what I have built.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

When I first opened the Alpine Training Center there were just a handfull of athletes training with me and admittedly half of them were my friends. I was new to Boulder but had a few friends and a few connections but certainly not enough to open the doors and have a successful business from the start. But these few athletes trained with me, got to know me and my practices and in turn told their friends. One friend turned to two turned to three. And slowly over the years the gym has grown through word of mouth only. I do try to participate in my larger community outside of the gym, sponsoring events or making donations, to help get my name out. But in the end, it is the community that I’ve built at the gym that my athletes share with their friends that has grown my business.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Surviving and thriving after the pandemic is really illustrates how resilient I am and my business is. Like everyone, I can remember the exact moment I found out we would be shut down. Everything just stopped. It was unbelievable. At first it was just two weeks. Acceptable because I had no other choice. But then opening just kept being pushed back, week after week. It was hard to stay positive and there was no motivation except for my athletes. They were not giving up on the gym or me. It was really their push that kept me going and kept us together. We started with online training. I would post a workout each day and they would post results. Social media was our friend for sure, comparing results, commenting on other peoples successes, it kept us together. Then we started training outside. We could come together, see each other and actually do some training, and while it wasn’t perfect and the gym remained locked and dark, it was something. That eventually lead to a return to the gym, which took small group training to a new level. Prior to closing we had 12-15 athletes in the gym at a time, now we maxed at 3 and they had to stay a far from each other as possible. It seemed so sterile and unfriendly but again, better than not at all. And slowly that grew also. Small steps lead to a full re-opening but it was the community that I had built, that supported me and each other through tough times that really demonstrates my resilience and that of my community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thealpinetrainingcenter.com
• Instagram: @the_alpine_training_center
• Facebook: The Alpine Training Center

Image Credits
mike thurk