New Sisters Athletic Club going up

Construction is well underway on the new Sisters Athletic Club. photo by Tom Chace

Walk through the double "air-lock" entry doors and a huge boulder, from which water is cascading, will greet the eye.

Behind that is a magnificent stone fireplace, with leather chairs for lounging while awaiting friends.

This is a gym? By next spring it will be the new Sisters Athletic Club.

The building, now under construction on Highway 20 east of town, will be "top-notch, smart, with the latest of everything in athletic and training equipment," said Tate Metcalf, manager and one of the owners.

Metcalf was with The Athletic Club of Bend before moving to Sisters.

"We learned from them what the problems or omissions were and tried to correct those things in our new building," he said.

"We also asked our members at our present site on West Hood (Avenue) what they liked and did not like about our facility. Those thoughts and ideas went into our plans for the new athletic club," Metcalf said.

The main feature will be an indoor swimming pool with a varied schedule of times for use. Some time will be set aside for lap swimming only; other times will be given over to family swimming; and there will be time for "hydro-fit" classes.

A lifeguard will be on hand for laps and family swim time.

"Our pool is 25 yards long," Metcalf said, "which is 15 feet longer than most indoor club pools and we have 7-1/2-foot-wide lanes. That too is unusual."

Also on the main floor, near the entrance, will be a serve-yourself cafe with ready-made sandwiches, soft drinks, espresso and eventually beer and wine.

"It will be open to the public, not just our members," Metcalf said.

There are plans for an adjoining full-service restaurant in a separate building to be added once the athlet- ic club is finished and operating.

Bill Willitts is a partner in the athletic club. Chip Dickinson, Ross Kennedy, Phil Arends, Metcalf and Willitts are owners of the real estate and building.

Patti Willitts, a shiatsu therapist, will own and operate the Shibui Spa within the main building. Shiatsu is a form of massage therapy.

The plans call for an outdoor hot tub open 12 months a year.

There will be a Kid's Club House for arts and crafts; a family locker room where young boys can change clothes with their moms and vice-versa, and private lockers available on a monthly rental basis where laundry service will also be offered.

"We'll have both men's and women's steam rooms and our toilets and showers will be in individual booths," Metcalf said.

There will be small meeting rooms for rent, holding 16 to 18 people, and a community theater for shows and other performances within the 18,000-square-foot building scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2004.

"All our equipment will be the latest 'state-of-the-art,'" Metcalf said.

"We'll have a 'Spin Studio,' indoor cycling on static bikes done in groups, creating reality."

This exercise is considered more motivational than choreographed aerobics.

"It is great group activity and the hottest thing in our business right now," he said.

There will be a quiet 'Stretch Room' with classical music and an 'EFX,' that's "an elliptical machine that's a cross between bike riding and a treadmill."

The club will also have the traditional free weight room and equipment that goes with it, plus personal trainers. They will offer Yoga and Pilates training.

Therapeutic Associates will occupy 1,800 square feet on the second floor. Kathy Nagel, a nutritionist, will also have an office in the building.

"A Pro Shop will offer a variety of sports gear for sale," said Metcalf, "so we will be a complete athletic facility."

For more information call Metcalf at 549-6878 or Willitts at 549-4955.