Boot Campers celebrating with me on Friday!
On January 23rd 2009, a ridiculously cold day and ludicrous day to start an outdoor fitness business, Boot Camp was born!
First person across the car park? NICKY! With a big hug and enthusiastic “WHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA!!”
Worst hangover that day? (And she said “yeah, don’t believe that stuff about Americans not drinking as much as us. They do.”) (Name withheld for the blog!)
Other lovely Expats who were so encouraging and, really, responsible for giving me the confidence that this could work: Tracy, Gillian, Lisa, Cliona, too many to mention and many have left Rye since.
Honorable mentions among friends who showed up very early days to support and offer feedback: Ann, Bill, Dawn, and of course, Ellen and Andy, who talked (listened!) about Boot Camp, every weekend for about 4 months.
Honorable mentions among people who took a chance having never met me and now get medals for “longest-serving-who-didn’t-know-Lee-before” : Debbie and Maggie.
And of course, in a category of her own…JULIE!! I got a colleague! One that makes me strive to be better to live up to her high, high standards.
You all know you have your own honorable mention category….Boot Campers who: wrote me letters/testimonials; told the most shocking jokes (sx or otherwise); wiped their nose on other people’s shirts; drove injured Boot Campers home so I could teach my second class; dug a path through the snow-covered beach; supported each other through the dark, grumpy, powerless, beachless days of Hurricane Sandy…
The list goes on. Thank you all so so much!
Too much fun to be called either a job or a workout!
