Elite MMA: School closure mandated by the state
3-20-2020

Dear Elite Team,

Wow! What incredible and unprecedented times. We hope that you and your families are well and safe. We closed Monday to conduct a deep clean, re-arrange the locations so no one would ever be within 6-10 feet of one another from the time of getting out of their car until they were back in their car, created a new calendar login to be able to schedule everyone’s class times so proper distances and the respective workouts would be safely coordinated,  created a video platform so everyone can review techniques from home, and we began building a platform to go live next week so you can do online classes – we will teach live from our studios to your homes so y’all can work out and we can even critique and interact with everyone in the group digitally (and joke around and give you a hard time 😊). We think this format will be fun, interactive, and help all our families get a little physical, mental, and social reprieve.

As you may know, Governor Abbot announced yesterday, through executive order and public health disaster declaration, that gyms, fitness studios, and schools are closed for two weeks effective Midnight tonight.

We have a number of thoughts and actions we are implementing in response to this declaration. First, we are extending students memberships an extra month due to this month’s business interruption (and will continue to be proactive if he decides to extend it). Second, we are continuing with the implementation of an online platform so members can do “virtual group” classes online (striking classes, fitness classes for martial arts, and even bjj for those who have kids or family members that they already share germs with. https://elite-mma.teachable.com/courses). Third, we are taking this weekend to design outdoor classes where people are more than compliant with any social gathering distance policy so we can work out (good that we are not in NYC and we actually have large fields we can go to) (p.s., I may have flash backs to farming as a kid and start coaching everyone to hoe the entire field as a workout and prep the soil to grow vegetable crops LOL).

Bottom line is that we are committed to working together to press through this safely. I trust the government to announce policies regarding what they can’t do, I have seldom seen government providing the leadership of what TO DO to innovate and solve problems. Just like in the Hurricane, we watched government employees leave elderly family members in 4 feet of water in their home for 26 hours, say on the phone they were going to rescue them 11 times, government officials drive by their front door on their motorized watercraft (of which they filled my kayak with water with their spray) yet not bother to go in and find the people – while we went in and loaded the stranded elderly people (that they were neglecting) into our kayak and paddle them out to safety). Bottom line, we are going to spend more time this weekend solving this problem and we will be announcing more innovative solutions to the obstacles that we are facing. God forbid that the government actually have the insight and leadership to recommend the grocery store I went to yesterday to place tape marks in the empty aisles so people would keep their social distance instead of all packing up at the register. Sorry, I can go on and on. I am grateful for the Elite community and what next week holds inside leadership, innovation, and some fun classes!!

Bottom line: 1) Monday we will be getting in communication with you around the new workout routines that are safe, fun, and our families and friends can do (you may be able to go online and train with a different coach nearly all day!!!). 2) Thank you guys for being great (if you have problems just be in communication so we can work together and pool resources), 3) we will be in touch around our “field work” (really liking the farming idea again!!!) .

Talk again Monday! 

Godspeed, Eric and The Elite Staff