Hamilton's successful and upscale fitness club, The Olympic Club, owned and managed by Bermudian, Scott Stallard, is celebrating its tenth anniversary. It is a phenomenal place to do something positive for yourself! "About 300 people come through each day. We are a friendly facility which tries to accommodate each member.

"We are proud to say that most of Bermuda's Olympic hopefuls train here for free,'' advised Mr. Stallard.

Over the years the club has become bigger and better and offers 8000 square feet of workout space.

The Olympic Club, located on Dundonald Street, originated in 1990 when it was owned by two partners, Nick Jones and Scott Stallard.

Nick Jones started in the fitness business in 1984 when he partnered with Robert Moulder who originally opened the International Fitness Centre on Happy Valley Road in 1983.

The business grew quickly and the pair moved into a larger facility of the Forty Thieves Building on Front Street.

The Fitness Centre became the Bermuda Nautilus Fitness Centre and Scott Stallard joined as a third partner in 1988.

In January of 1990 Stallard and Jones built their new club, The Olympic Club and celebrated their grand opening on September 29, 1990 and officially opened for business on October 1. They had a large membership of about 950 members at that time.

Stallard bought out Jones in December of 1998. Since then he has made a conscious effort to reconstruct, tile, added new machinery, renovated the cardio-room with treadmills, stairmaster, recumbent bikes, and rowers.

The free weights and the aerobic room were revamped in 1990 and present the 500 members with a state-of-the-art fitness facility open seven days a week.

The first floor is devoted to weight training on Nautilus and Cybex exercise machines and there are over 10,000 pounds of free weights.

Also, very soon the club will be offering a healthy foods take-out service for work out members on the go from the first floor across from the reception area.

Mr. Stallard explained: "Basically we will be offering lunch food to be catered from Miles Market which will include foods like salads, fresh fruit, raw veggies, sandwich wraps, nuts and healthy snacks. There will not be any food smells permeating the club.

"We will offer delicious Smoothies, frozen fruit drinks, and protein shakes which can be used as meal replacements.'' The second floor specialises in aerobic conditioning. There are a host of classes giving vigorous workouts which focus on your heart and lungs.

After you finish Power Aerobics, Guts and Buts, Kickboxing and/or the stairmaster, the cycles, rowing machines and other equipment you can relax with a shower and get back to the office if you are still alive.

The location is great for many business people who work in Hamilton and choose to spend their lunch hours and free time striving for fitness. It is a handy stop for a good workout immediately following work too.

During the week at 11 am there is a special programme called Kid-fit which focuses on aerobic exercise for nursery school kids. Many children come daily from the Woodmont Nursery.

Mr. Stallard said: "Getting kids motivated to exercise is an excellent way to encourage healthy kids become healthy adults. It also helps kids excel in sports and have the confidence to participate in sports.'' Johnny Bento, a seventh degree Black Belt, teaches students at Saltus and has been teaching for 30 years. He also teaches kickboxing and jiu jitsu and is well known as an instructor at The Olympic Club.

The Olympic Club's hours are: Monday through Thursday 6 am-9 pm, Friday 6 am-8 pm. Saturday 9 am-1 pm and Sunday 9 am-1 pm. Telephone: 441-292-4095.

Visitor rates are $12 daily, $35 weekly and student daily is seven dollars.

Other rates vary but are extremely fair, considering Bermuda's prices.

Grand opening 1990: Nick Jones and Scott Stallard, on the right, were thrilled at opening The Olympic Club, Bermuda's largest fitness facility.

Scott Stallard (standing) on the spot: Sole owner of The Olympic Club spots a workout member in the extensive weight room. Members can body build using state-of-the-art equipment.

Kid-fit at The Olympic Club: Young kids come almost daily from the Woodmont Nursery School and enjoy a wonderful exercise routine. Fit kids grow up to be fit adults.