The Goulais River Fitness Center officially opened its doors on Nov. 1.
Owned by Brian and Jessie Dickson, the couple says the opening of the health club fills a need for Goulais River residents.
“We surveyed a cross section of over 2,000 local residents and they confirmed that there is a need in the community for a fitness centre. Nearly 50 per cent of respondents said that they would sign up as soon as possible and that they felt our community would benefit from a local fitness centre,” Brian told SooToday.
Brian is a registered nurse who works at Sault Area Hospital while Jessie works full time at the gym.
“Brian and I do a lot of cardio and work with the weights. We eat healthy and stay in shape as best as we can. We have three young children so we have to stay in shape to keep up with them,” Jessie said with a chuckle.
“I’ve lived out in Goulais my entire life. This community needed something like this and we’ve been waiting for years. Watching people come in and push themselves and better themselves makes us happy. There’s never been a gym out here. All our members are excited about it," she added.
The facility is staffed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday and those hours may be extended in the future. Members can access the centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week with their membership key fobs.
“The shift workers love that,” Jessie said.
“We see consistent member use in the early morning from 4 to 6 a.m. and also evenings from 7 to 9 p.m.” Brian said.
The gym offers memberships - with over 30 members so far - as well as fitness classes and personal training.
The Goulais River Fitness Centre has professional instructors in what Brian described as “a non-judgmental and supportive atmosphere, and a bright inspiring facility.”
Brian is a fitness enthusiast who has worked with various trainers over his lifetime. He has a passion for community wellness as a registered nurse and former firefighter.
Jessie has had a lifelong passion for sport and is an experienced cheerleading and dance coach who also enjoys Crossfit, a physically demanding combination of weightlifting, gymnastics, running, rope climbing and other athletic activities.
The 2,500 square-foot fitness facility has equipment such as treadmills, a rowing machine and strength training equipment. There is an overhead press, shoulder press, leg extension, leg curl and lay pulldown machines, squat cages with Olympic bars and plates, bench press and cable systems, battle ropes for an intense cardio workout and a full range of dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls and slam balls.
There are also tanning beds and a sauna.
There is a first aid kit on site in case of an emergency and video cameras monitor the premises for customer safety.
The Dicksons originally intended to open the Goulais River Fitness Center in 2021.
“Life had different plans and our location fell through at that time," Brian said.
"Then we were presented with an opportunity to lease our current space, which in our opinion allows us much more to offer our customers than our previous plan. This is our first joint business venture and the community as well as our landlords have been so helpful and supportive in getting this off the ground and opening the doors.”
The gym is located at 2771 Highway 17 North and shares the property with other businesses such as Pine Shores IDA Drug Mart, Castle Building Centre, and Country Kitchen.
More information on the Goulais River Fitness Center, including membership prices, can be found through social media.