AusLeisure

Recognised as one of the top five best equipped facilities in the world, the Thomastown Recreation and Aquatic Centre (TRAC) has attracted more than 3,000 members in less than a year – well ahead of expectations.

City of Whittlesea Manager Leisure & Community Inclusion Paul Reading is thrilled with the result stating "we had hoped to reach the milestone of 3,000 members by 2012, so we're especially delighted with reaching this target so early and with TRAC's multi-use facilities, we can still accommodate many more.

"People in the community have really responded to a good-quality facility with state-of-the-art equipment and health and wellness programs."

TRAC is proudly owned by the City of Whittlesea and is managed by Liz Cann of the Belgravia Leisure Group.

Cann explains "the Thomastown community got behind the TRAC redevelopment early with many people buying memberships three months before the centre reopened last September.

"I'm proud of how well it's doing. I put it down to the passion of the community – people were really excited about TRAC reopening.

"It's been such a positive thing for our community – everyone's talking about it."

When choosing equipment for the TRAC gym, the City of Whittlesea selected Technogym as a business partner to provide its latest and most expansive range to satisfy TRAC's diverse customer base.

TRAC features a 450 metre2 health club decked out with wall-to-wall Technogym equipment including 49 pieces of cardio equipment featuring all the latest pieces in the Excite+ cardio line - VARIO, CROSSOVER & CARDIOWAVE. The cardio equipment has recently been updated with the VISIOWEB digital platform providing internet access on the machines. TRAC also features pin-loaded and plate-loaded strength equipment, FLEXability pieces and KINESIS ONE.

Included in the extensive range of Technogym equipment offering variety for members is:

• VARIO – the latest piece of equipment in the Excite cardio line, which allows users to step, walk or run with a natural and fluid movement. It has the longest stride length on the market (0 to 83cm), which can be set by the user.
• VISIOWEB – an entirely user-managed, integrated screen for gym equipment with internet access. It creates a direct, digital, interactive communication channel between the gym and its clients. Individual users are constantly updated on their performance while having an extensive entertainment platform at their fingertips.
• KINESIS – This patented innovation allows users to move tri-dimensionally while providing resistance to every possible movement of the body. It's a highly versatile and space-efficient piece of equipment.

TRAC Health Club Coordinator, Jordan Green says "the equipment provides the members with some really fun features to help push them through their workouts. I will often chat to members as they are battling it out on one of the games on the cardio equipment or trying to increase their ranking on the Wellness System. 

"Recently our members and teen-gymers have been getting a real buzz out of being able to catch up with the latest news or what's happening on Facebook since Visioweb was introduced. It all helps to make TRAC a place our members want to spend their time, with something always happening to keep them involved.

"After being open a year it's great to see the equipment remains the way it was the day it was installed. The machines all still have a gloss and shine to them but more importantly they have all kept operating just as smoothly. The callouts and scheduled maintenance, managed by the online maintenance system on Technogym Direct, have made sure we quickly have our maintenance representative at the centre when callouts are necessary." 

Additional facilities at TRAC include:

• 25 metre pool
• Hydrotherapy pool
• Warm water pool that can be completely enclosed by shutters for private use
• Leisure pool with water features for children
• Spa, Sauna & Steam Room 
• Multi-purpose sports court
• Program gym dedicated to personal training, ladies only, seniors training and teen training
• Group cycle room with 25 Technogym spin bikes
• Café, Crèche and Wellness Centre
• Outdoor Recreation Area with BBQs and picnic tables plus lots of activities for the kids in the children's play area 

The facility prides itself on being wholly accessible for people with disabilities. All pools have ramps for ease of access, tactile flooring and braille encoded signage for the vision impaired.

Other drawcards at the centre include dedicated family changing rooms, a rock climbing wall, personal training and swimming lessons. Pools and fitness rooms can also be booked for private use.

With Technogym equipment featured in all gym areas, TRAC also operates the Technogym Wellness System. Featured on all cardio and pin-loaded strength equipment, the machines are operated with the use of members' Technogym wellness keys which store fitness history and machine settings.

The Wellness System is a customer relationship management solution that's fully integrated into the equipment, to offer individual programmes to users to maximise the benefit of their workouts, as well as to help monitor and control member retention.

Green strongly supports the Wellness System and its benefits for both members and staff, adding "Technogym has provided the centre and its members with equipment and a system that is unlike anything I've seen in the industry. I have continually seen exercise programs written for clients that don't promote their development. These programs are of no benefit and end up going unused. It's been great to see our clients developing while getting steadily stronger and fitter as the Wellness System guides them through their program. Every member I see using a wellness key, I know is working with an individually tailored program that is set up to maximise their results and keep them moving towards their goals.

"Trainers and clients love being able to stay in contact with one another via the Wellness System. It helps to promote a bond between trainer and client but also lets the client know there is always someone there to assist them. We use the Wellness System as a way of keeping in contact with all our members, updating their programs and finding out how they are doing, plus to market TRAC's different programs. If a member starts to lose motivation, the Wellness System lets our trainers know so we give them a call and get them on the right track again, it's a great way to help with our customer retention."

With the introduction of cutting edge technology from easy access throughout the centre to state-of-the-art Technogym equipment, TRAC is recognised as one of the top five best equipped facilities in the world.

For more information about Technogym Australia, click here to contact them via their entry in the Australasian Leisure Management Supplier Directory. 

21st September 2011 - TRAC USES SOCIAL MEDIA TO SHARE CLIENT’S SUCCESS STORY

7th September 2011 - PALAZZO VERSACE CHOOSES TECHNOGYM FOR THE ULTIMATE WELLBEING LIFESTYLE

20th July 2011 - TRAVERSE WALL CLIMBING SOLUTIONS REACH NEW HEIGHTS 

2nd June 2011 - EZYPAY REVEAL SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS AT FITNESS EXPO

4th October 2010 - LATEST TECHNOLOGY FOR TRAC

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