Jackie Skelley's

NewHome

Anyone know what date the gym is opening? I joined on a New Year Resolution whim way back in January. I remember April being mentioned. Is that right?

eleMental

I asked in the office-place last week as my joining was a similar whimsical event and the guy told me its opening on 29th March. Am surprised I've not had anything through the post yet though...

daveyo

I rang them today say they are on course to open thurs 30th, something to confirm will be in the post soon.. christ what have i done ? anyone know about the tennis courts, i know the gym have nothing to do with them.. rang the greystones tennis club.. 3 yr waiting list..

MyPerfectCousin

It could be a couple of months before the rest of the complex including tennis courts are open, according to the WCC. They don't seem pushed. There were parents with kids at the playground the other day, but they had to be lifted over locked gate to get in and play.

I suggest ringing the council at 0404 20100 and asking for the Department of Community & Enterprise Development. If enough people ring and ask why they are letting this beautiful facility sit there and rot, maybe they'll get their finger out.

Wineman

Just spoke to the WCC about the sports complex, they say it is the developers holding everything up, apparently they are waiting for the weather ( funny how they can throw up houses and apartments all winter long) so they can complete the football pitches and baseball diamond, when that is all done the council can take over management of the place, she told me they are very frustrated with the progress and suggested residents should contact the developers to get things moving. She is emailing me there details, so I will post them on this thread when I get them.

MyPerfectCousin

Wineman wrote:

Just spoke to the WCC about the sports complex, they say it is the developers holding everything up, apparently they are waiting for the weather ( funny how they can throw up houses and apartments all winter long) so they can complete the football pitches and baseball diamond, when that is all done the council can take over management of the place, she told me they are very frustrated with the progress and suggested residents should contact the developers to get things moving. She is emailing me there details, so I will post them on this thread when I get them.

The weather excuse like you say is bogus. The [grass] football pitch (singular) and baseball diamond could have been seeded last summer (that's all they need). Far simpler and cheaper facilities to build than tennis courts and athletic tracks, but they were left till last for no good reason. WCC also looking for a health and safety plan from developer, or something.

Apip99

Just wanted to know if any one knows if they have any offeres running for membership? Missed out on the January one !!

Fiachra2

Are you guys aware that there is a very good gym and pool just down the road in the Mariott hotel? Is often closed for memebership and probably a bit pricey but is empty most of the time especially the pool.

NewHome

Well guys, got the welcome letter from Jackie Skelleys in the post yesterday. It is opening officially on Wednesday 29th March at 6.30am. They are holding group inductions for the month of April and then after that they will schedule a free personal training session for each member. I now have no more excuses. Eeeek.

Apip99, in the letter they said there were 50 places left for a special offer joining fee of €95. The offer will end on 30 April unless oversubscribed.

Johnc72

Just had my first 'session' in Jackie Skelly's at the weekend. Facilities are excellent, and there's a great view. On the downside, the place is overrun with kids.

eleMental

yep i thought the same - had an induction tour on saturday and felt like a right granny as the place was over-run with teenagers caked in makeup and children!! gym instructor said he felt like kindergarten cop but reckons its all just novelty value with all the machines etc and that it'll all die down in a couple of weeks. was up there this morning and it was grand - hardly any people and got a great workout.

JKB

Totally agree ! Was up there for the first time on Sat avo and they were running riot around the place, jumping from machine to machine, not having a clue what they were at. I asked at the desk on the way out what the story was. Apparently kids are allowed 9-6 every day, which means if you are trying to avoid them you have no chance on the week-ends (they are only open from 9-6), and they don't have to be supervised. Ridiculous !! I'll see how it tapers out, but if there is no improvement in the next few weeks I am going to complain.

NewHome

That's interesting about the 9-6pm rule for kids JKB, cos I was there last Thurs and Fri evening till about 7pm and there were kids everywhere :rolleyes: At one point there were 4 kids in a row using treadmills! It is a bit ridiculous but I do reckon that it is just novelty value and kids being kids will prefer to be outside running around. So hopefully it will calm down a bit in a few weeks. Anyone try out the pool yet?

Johnc72

NewHome wrote:

Anyone try out the pool yet?

After all those kids?!?:eek: Are you kidding me?

Perty

I risked the pool on Friday evening. It was a bit of a nightmare with all the noise from kids screaming and all of them standing around in the designated swimming lanes. They were running riot all over the place and in the steam room too even though there is an over 16 policy. Also three of the hairdryers in the ladies were already broken from the kids messing with them.

Wineman

Fiachra2 wrote:

Are you guys aware that there is a very good gym and pool just down the road in the Mariott hotel? Is often closed for memebership and probably a bit pricey but is empty most of the time especially the pool.

I rang the Marriot because it looked great on the website, they said it was €35 for a swim, I think I will buy a pool in Argos and tie my leg to a stake and pretend to swim......€35, are they mad!:eek:

JKB

I went up again yesterday evening, about 5:30 or so, and it was yet again like an after school care centre... but as soon as the clock hit 6pm the instructor went around and told them all to leave which was great !! BTW has anyone tried any of the classes up there ? There were two on when I was leaving last night and they looked pretty busy.

NewHome

I was there at that time as well JKB and saw the instructor telling the kids to hop it. Before that it was like a zoo.

I have tried two classes, I was in the spinning class last night which was great although I'm a bit sore this morning . The instructor was excellent so I will definitely go to that class again. Last Friday I did the Body Sculpt class which was absolutely atrocious, mainly down to the instructor (a different one). I used to go body sculpt classes in the YMCA in Dublin and this was a very poor relation, so will be giving that a skip from now on.

JKB

Excellent, will give the spinning a go soon. There is supposed to be a Step one on a Wednesday and Saturday but on my timetable it has a question mark beside it so not sure if they are going ahead or not. I'll check it out and report back

Ru

Does anyone have the the telephone number handy?
I haven't got my pass card yet and i want to sort it out before i venture up.
Their not listed yet.

Johnc72

Same happened to me, I just went up and asked them at the desk.

Andy1977

Hi all
I left the marriot to join jackie skelly and finally managed to get there last nite. Couldn't believe the amount of kids. And then they shut the pool just as I was about to go in? some problem with the chlorine levels? (probably just teething probs)

Anyway, i hope the novelty does wear off cos it'll be a nightmare if the kids are there all the time.
Was wondering how much they paid for membership? Cos if it's cheaper for kids then I'll definitely be complaining!!! Either that or there'll be killings in the pool! (joking obviously )

Just a quick note on the marriot - it's a lovely LITTLE gym. Nice and quiet, gym staff are well qualified. It's a bit pricy but if you can afford it, then I would defo recommend it.

FVC

tel number is 201 6088

there have been a few complaints about the water temp of the pool. Far to cold. Also the sauna is not hot enough as there is a 3" gap between the glass door and the floor that's letting the hot air out.

GAN

I went in last night for my "half hour induction tour" which turned out to be a ten minute walk around the place by an instructor who gave us only the bare minimum of information. Just as mentioned in previous posts, the place was overrun by teenagers. Apparently new members are not going to be given their initial assesments for three to four weeks because they are so busy -- i've been a member of lots of other gyms and have never seen such an unprofessional set-up. I'm really hoping it's just teething problems but if not I'm cancelling my membership pronto!!

Johnc72

Was in there again last night. Got down at about 6.45 and the place was full of kids, in fact I was greeted by the sight of a load of them throwing rocks at each other at the main entrance..charming . When I got in there there was a little fella who couldnt have been more than 4'2'' and not a day over 10 upstairs in the gym. This to me is a joke, if you look at all the machines' warning labels they state that children should be supervised whilst using them yet not an instructer in sight. The staff to me strike me as been amateurs and certainly seem to be winging it.

MyPerfectCousin

I'm not a member and probably won't be, and I can believe that the kids using the gym and pool are a nusiance and that the staff have not figured out a way to accommodate everyone. It sounds like a real pain.

However, the reason they are there in the first place is that there is a whole generation of kids who have been raised in Greystones without benefit of a public swimming pool nearer than Wicklow town. And if you look around the town, please let me know if you can see a place where kids/teenagers can go to do something healthy and supervised.

Parents obviously bought family memberships to encourage the older kids to do something healthy, to have a place to teach their younger kids how to swim without having to drive 20km each way, and so that they can bring their younger kids with them when they exercise. The latter case is not OK unless there is some sort of creche facility. They shouldn't let kids wander around while they're busy concentrating on themselves.

GAN

I think John c72 hit the nail on the head when he said that the staff are winging it -- the big problem is not so much that the kids are there, but that the staff seem totally unable to cope. I think it's crazy from Jackie Skelly's point of view, because not only are all of the adult members going to get very annoyed, but the chances are that one of the kids is going to end up injuring themselves or someone else because they are being let run riot.

FVC

I'm new to the boards.ie forum so not sure how this suggestion of mine will be taken

send a mail to info@jackieskellyfitness.com (head office) highlighting this thread to them. Providing them with the feedback of approx 15 members would be in my opinion, far more beneficial to us than if each of us complained separately to the Greystones branch.

fyi - in the Grove since Aug 05 with wife and two kids. having a great time here. Just in case you are wondering, my kids who are members of the gym wouldn't be running on those threadmills as the eldest is only 4

Eoin

FVC wrote:

I'm new to the boards.ie forum so not sure how this suggestion of mine will be taken

send a mail to info@jackieskellyfitness.com (head office) highlighting this thread to them. Providing them with the feedback of approx 15 members would be in my opinion, far more beneficial to us than if each of us complained separately to the Greystones branch.

fyi - in the Grove since Aug 05 with wife and two kids. having a great time here. Just in case you are wondering, my kids who are members of the gym wouldn't be running on those threadmills as the eldest is only 4

The only problem is that the boards.ie site admins frown upon commericial organisations using this site to pimp their services, or use it for interaction unless they get a forum set up in the "Shop > Interaction" area.

Probably best if you mention the thread and quote from it (provided the posters in question don't mind), but don't provide a link.

GAN

It's a thought but don't hold your breath -- I sent a complaint to that email address on Tuesday and haven't heard anything back. You're probably right about there being strength in numbers though

Sparks115

I sent one too last night so I will keep u posted if they got back to me...strenght in numbers as they say ..if we keep annoying them with emails maybe they will take some action to improve things;) !!