Hello Pierce Families!

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On June 11th, Illinois moved into Phase 5, so when we returned from tumbling Nationals we did some research to see what that means for Youth Sports & our programs at Pierce Athletics. We were able to confirm with the Stephenson County Health Department that we can move forward with getting the gym back to “normal”. So what does that mean?…

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Athletes are able to resume utilizing the cubbies inside the gym for their belongings when they arrive. You will notice that our social distance colored squares & other floor markings have been removed. Athletes should place their belongings inside the gym upon their arrival & keep their masks on until they are brought onto the mat for their class.

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The water purification system has been reopened. Athletes should still plan to bring water with them in a covered bottle/container, but they can refill their water as much as needed to maintain proper hydration levels from inside the gym. Spectators are welcome to use the water purification system as well. We ask that you please make sure to sanitize before use.

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The classes no longer must be kept 30′ apart from one another; however, we have decided that the current class locations provide for more active mat time for our athletes, so all of our classes will maintain their current location/layout. This also allows us to maintain a 6′ distance between our athletes while they are in class.

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Spectators are allowed to return to watching their athlete(s) from inside the gym. However, space is limited, so we ask that you follow the current CDC recommendations for mask requirements. Remember that most of our population at the gym is younger than 12 and that doesn’t allow them the option to be vaccinated. Please help us continue to do all that we can to keep all of our athletes safe.

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You will notice that the tables & benches outside the gym have been relocated. Please make sure that all chairs remain in the table area & are not relocated into the gym. We have moved the 2nd set of bleachers outside the red door so that more people can view inside the gym from outside the gym. Find a place that you feel most comfortable & enjoy the new layout!

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Some of our classes have been adjusted in start time/length due to the mat sharing required for those classes to take place. Athletes in those classes have been contacted by the front desk via Remind/email to confirm their new class times. Classes that utilize separate mats per athlete have not changed & will continue to sanitize between all classes.

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The Health Department has asked that our pit remain closed for all classes except for our Advanced Power Tumbling athletes. They agree that these athletes truly need the loose foam pit for the purpose of training & learning new skills safely. All athletes that are training skills requiring pit use will be allowed to utilize the safety of the pit as needed for learning & the pit will be sanitized regularly.

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We thank you SO much for your continued patience & support of our efforts to follow the safety guidelines & truly keep our athletes safe in ways we never felt we would have to. We look forward to welcoming you back to the gym this week in the most “normal” setting we have been able to have since March 2020.

Hello Pierce Families!

We are no longer taking temperatures upon the arrival of our athletes & spectators. Please be sure to self-check at home and not come into the gym if you have a temperature of 100.4 or higher.

Once inside the building, all athletes & spectators are expected to wash their hands and always maintain social distancing with their masks on. Spectators may sit in the designated area outside of the gym during their athlete’s class. Upon the conclusion of their class/practice, athletes and spectators are welcome to leave the building, using the front door, with their masks on properly covering their nose & mouth.

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Email: We will share all updates via email with the email address each family has on file
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Text: We will also share updates via our Remind text group. If you are not already a part of this communication, you can stay in the loop – just text ‘@pierceinfo’ to 81010.
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Facebook: We also have a closed Facebook group for all our current athletes & their families. If Facebook is a convenient way to stay in touch, please search for the ‘Pierce Athletics (Current Athletes/Families)’ group & request to join.

Hello Pierce Families!
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With the winter months & weather upon us, we wanted to be in contact with all our current families to make a slight adjustment to our current gym entrance procedure. Due to the unpredictability of the temperatures as well as the road & sidewalk conditions, we are going to allow all our athletes to enter the gym without being escorted in by a staff member. This will ensure prompt entry to avoid any uncomfortable winter weather.
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Once inside the building, all athletes & spectators are expected to wash their hands and always maintain social distancing with their masks on. A staff member will be located at a table by the NEW front desk area. Everyone coming into the gym must stop at this table to check-in before entering the common area where the spectators may sit during their athlete’s class & the athletes’ items are removed & stored during their class time. At this time, the staff will take everyone’s temperature, confirm everyone is wearing a mask & will ensure all hands are sanitized. In addition, the staff will take attendance & guide each athlete to their class number where they can prepare & wait until their staff comes out of the gym to get them for their class.
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The Stephenson County Health Department would like to help us get back to our regular programming as soon as possible, so we will continue to consult with them to see what things look like. They will let us know as soon as the numbers will allow us to return to our classes safely. At this time, we must continue to provide a safe and healthy environment for our staff, our athletes, and all who visit Pierce Athletics by providing instruction in the form of private lessons. However, this could change at any time (including mid-week), so please watch for any updates that are posted to make sure you are prepared for any changes that are made to our programming
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Email: We will share all updates via email with the email address each family has on file
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Text: We will also share updates via our Remind text group. If you are not already a part of this communication, you can stay in the loop – just text ‘@pierceinfo’ to 81010.
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Facebook: We also have a closed Facebook group for all our current athletes & their families. If Facebook is a convenient way to stay in touch, please search for the ‘Pierce Athletics (Current Athletes/Families)’ group & request to join.

Hello Pierce Families!
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The new mitigations that take effect today require us to make a change in our instructional programming. We have consulted with the Stephenson County Health Department to finalize our plan. The great news is – we do NOT have to close the gym! However, to follow our guidelines & continue to provide a safe and healthy environment for our staff, our athletes, and all who visit Pierce Athletics, we are modifying our class structure to resume in the form of private lessons. This will decrease the number of athletes in the gym at one time. Our intention is for every athlete to remain in the gym during the same days & approximate time that they are currently scheduled to be in their class(es). Their regular staff will teach 30-minute private lessons with up to 2 athletes at a time during each currently scheduled class time.
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To assist our staff in preparing for this transition, we have adjusted our Thanksgiving Break to include the entire week of November 23rd-26th. This will give us time to reach out to all of our families individually to confirm all private lesson times & allow us to resume this modified programming with all of our athletes simultaneously. It will also allow us to continue to train & educate our staff on any changes they need to make to help this transition be as smooth & safe as possible for everyone. All current athletes will have 1 week added onto their trial/membership to make up for this unintended break in instruction. Please note that make-ups will be extremely limited at this time & must be pre-scheduled with the office due to private/staff availability.
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Prior to returning to Pierce Athletics the week of November 30th, please review the procedures attached with the reminder that these necessary steps allow us to keep our doors open. Understand that these procedures will continue to change and evolve over time following any new or revised guidelines by the state of Illinois or Pierce Athletics. The Stephenson County Health Department would like to help us get back to our regular programming as soon as possible, so we will consult with them in 2 weeks to see what things look like at that time. They will let us know as soon as the numbers will allow us to return to our classes safely.
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We are SO excited that we do NOT have to close the gym completely & that we get to see our athletes back in the gym very soon! We have SO much to be thankful for!
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You will be hearing from us early next week to finalize your athlete’s private time(s). Thanks again for your patience & support. Have an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with your family! We are blessed to have you as part of our Pierce Athletics family, too!

Thank you!
If you have further questions or concerns feel free to contact us!
(815) 599-0705 | PierceAthletics@msn.com

Pierce Athletics Family,

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We are VERY excited to be able to take another small step forward in the process of our soft re-opening of the gym. Starting on Monday, we will welcome the following changes to our current COVID policies & procedures:

1. All athletes will be allowed to have 1 same-household adult come into the building when they come in for class. Note that the in-gym seating area is still closed for spectators, but the ability to come inside the building with your athlete during class is available with ample seating that provides social distancing in the area outside the office. We do need all adults to wear a mask & follow our safety guidelines that allow our business to be able to be open.
2. The entrance door will be unlocked; however, we continue to require all athletes & adults entering the building to wait outside in the designated area provided & be escorted into the building by our staff. All adults will remain in the building until their athlete’s class ends, and they will be escorted out of the building by our staff. The path that we take out of the building is through another tenant’s area, so it is allowed by our landlord by staff escort only. We have been asked to provide a separate entrance & exit so that everyone can maintain a safe 6′ distance and not cross paths with other athletes & adults when arriving or leaving the gym.
3. Parents can continue to watch their athletes in class via Zoom (whether you come into the building or not). The call ID is the gym phone number – 8155990705. Adults that do come inside the building will not be allowed to stand outside the red gym door to watch their athlete in class. Due to safety & fire regulations, we need the doorway kept open from spectators. In addition, with the athletes not wearing masks while inside the gym, there must be 6′ between them & anyone outside the door when they leave the gym after class.
4. Athletes can begin scheduling make-up classes for the 12 weeks we were closed during quarantine. These make-ups must be scheduled in advance, so we know when you are coming into the gym. This has always been a gym rule, but it is now also a COVID rule as well – no walk-ins are allowed. We must be able to maintain a record of what athletes are in the building & keep our class sizes down to meet our maximum class size as well as our 50% capacity limits.
   1. We will soon begin to schedule some Super Saturdays that will also be able to be utilized as make-up classes for those athletes that need additional opportunities to get their make-ups in. We apologize, but we cannot allow make-ups to be used for our summer skills clinics or summer day camps.
5. We are blessed that a LOT of athletes have maintained their memberships with us throughout all of this and we are VERY grateful! Many memberships have expired & have been verbally extended until contact was able to be made to get them resigned. Now that the gym can allow an adult to enter for each athlete, we would appreciate it if you would stop by the office to re-sign your membership to get them up to date. Please make sure to wear your mask & maintain a safe 6′ distance while waiting to enter the office.
6. Lastly, we want to say, ‘Thank you!’ to the athletes that have gotten involved with our FUN Friday Zoom calls over the quarantine. It has been SO fun getting to see them in their home environment & get to know more about them than just how hard they work in the gym. With the weather more favorable & more opportunities now to occupy your time, we have decided to discontinue our weekly Fun Friday call. We are going to miss them, so we may throw one in now & again. Watch our ‘Current Athletes/Families’ Facebook group to see when those are scheduled, so you can join us again.

I have attached our Revised Phase 2 Plan for you to reference.

Welcome back into the gym! We look forward to seeing you soon!

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If you have further questions or concerns feel free to contact us!
(815) 599-0705 | PierceAthletics@msn.com

Pierce Athletics Family,

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As Pierce Athletics begins taking important steps towards a return to in-person programming, we need your help. In order for us to provide a safe and healthy environment for our staff, our athletes, and all who visit Pierce Athletics, we are asking you to become our partners. We have implemented many new procedures specific to the safe resumption of our instructional programming. Prior to returning to Pierce Athletics, please review the procedures attached with the reminder that these necessary steps allow us to keep our doors open. Understand that these procedures will change and evolve over time following any new or revised guidelines by the state of Illinois or Pierce Athletics.

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Our class schedule has had to be modified. Class times have been shortened; however, this is temporary. Note that new class locations will allow most of our athletes their own mat space so there is limited/no waiting in line. The modification to our class schedule requires us to confirm each athlete’s classes before resuming in-gym instruction next week on June 15th. Space is limited to 8-10 athletes per class, so please contact the office to confirm your athlete’s new class(es). A revised schedule has been emailed to all of our current membership and trial athletes.

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All athletes (who haven’t already) will need a parent to submit a new ‘Pierce Athlete Waiver’ online as of June 1st. This can be done directly via the Member Login or PierceAthletics.org.

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We are SO excited to see our athletes back in the gym! If you are not comfortable with your athlete returning to the gym yet – please notify the office ASAP, so we can set up our new virtual class schedule that will start next week.

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Thanks again for your patience & support. We are blessed to have you as part of our Pierce Athletics family!.

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If you have further questions or concerns feel free to contact us!
(815) 599-0705 | PierceAthletics@msn.com

Pierce Athletics Family,
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We want to first say a huge “Thank You” for your love and support as the last ten weeks have elapsed. Second, we wanted to let everyone know about a couple of incentives families will be receiving if you maintained your monthly membership tuition & enrollment with us since March! These incentives will automatically be applied to your account so all you have to do is let us know when you are ready to use them! Third, based on the governor’s most recent updates for Phase 3 Youth Sports & Day Camp Guidelines, we’re anticipating being able to safely reopen in June with some restrictions. We cannot tell you how excited we are to hear we could start to see some faces back in the gym soon!
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That said, it’s important to us to ensure we’re keeping your family and our staff safe at all times. For that reason, we’ve been working hard on a 3-phase system of reopening slowly to ensure we can maintain adequate social distancing and comply with all regulations.
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Click Here To View Our Reopening Plan
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We are offering 1:1 private lessons starting on Monday, June 1st. Registration will begin on Friday, May 29th at 5:00 PM. Note that private lessons will be booked on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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Athletes looking to register for private lessons will need to:

• register online via the Member Portal
• submit payment online 24-hours prior to their scheduled class.
• submit a new Athlete Waiver online prior to their 1st scheduled class

We will offer our virtual training as currently scheduled, until we are able to enter our Phase 2. We are hopeful that we can reach that Phase in the next few weeks. At that time, we are willing to continue offering virtual training until every family feels comfortable returning to the gym. We understand this could take weeks and we will gladly continue those classes as long as necessary.
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So, you might be wondering….What kind of ‘incentives’ families will be eligible for. Those families that have maintained their monthly membership tuition & enrollment since mid-March will receive:

1. A $50 credit to be used for two FREE private lessons in June (membership pricing is $25/30-minute private lesson). If you are uncomfortable returning to the gym at this time, you may use this as a tuition credit for your family once the gym enters our Phase 3.
2. Beginning in our Phase 3 – Make-up classes for anything you’ve missed throughout the last ten weeks – including FREE admission into Super Saturdays (as two make-up classes).

Trial athletes will be eligible to register for private lessons & can continue participating in our virtual training; however, they are not eligible for the above incentives. All trial athletes will resume their 6-week trial once the gym enters our Phase 2.
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Non-member & non-trial athletes will be eligible to register for private lessons; however, they are not eligible for the above incentives. All non-membership pricing for privates is $40/30-minute private lesson.
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We are so extremely grateful for those who were able to maintain their enrollment, and we’re hoping these incentives show just a fraction of our gratitude toward each of you.
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Thank you!
If you have further questions or concerns feel free to contact us!
(815) 599-0705 | PierceAthletics@msn.com

Pierce Athletics Family,
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Thank you for your support through this difficult time. We love your children very much, and their safety is always our #1 priority. As was mentioned in the emails we sent our current athletes, we have transitioned into offering virtual classes as of Monday, March 30th, and have closed the gym until further notice for all in-person classes and practices.
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We are offering unlimited virtual classes to all our members and trial athletes. We have something for all ages and levels! Our virtual classes have had a very positive response, and your participation in this modified membership will allow Pierce Athletics to re-open when restrictions are lifted. We’ve spent 19 years building this amazing community and place for children within our area to feel loved and happy. Our staff truly gives their entire hearts to every class they teach, and we want to continue to be able to provide this after the pandemic passes. 
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Members: Don’t forget to check your inbox for sign-in & class schedule information!
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Here’s what to plan for virtual classes: 

• You ONLY need a 4×6-ft space. (In fact, most kiddos need even less than that.)
• We will use basic household items. Our staff is amazing and creative! 
• You’ll need a mobile device, tablet, or laptop to live stream the programs. If you are tech-savvy, we’d also recommend screen sharing or screen mirroring to your TV’s

Please know – your child CAN absolutely continue to progress during this time. Staying active and having the opportunity to socialize (even virtually) is so important to the morale of our kids. Many gyms do not teach through hands-on spotting – instead, they use many, many drills. During every class, we’ll focus on warmup, conditioning, drills/skills, and flexibility.  
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Thank you for your support of our small business. We are thinking about each of you during this time. We’re committed to making positive memories with your children and giving them something fun and exciting to look forward to each day. By joining us online, you’re graciously contributing to the sustainability of our business as we navigate this new normal – with your support, we will weather this storm and re-open on the other side.
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Thank you!
If you have furthur questions or concerns feel free to contact us!
(815) 599-0705 | PierceAthletics@msn.com

Pierce Athletics Families,
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This is an extremely challenging time for our families, businesses, and community. We are thankful for your support and patience as we assess, day to day, and hour to hour, our options, and the best approach for dealing with COVID-19. We will continue to keep you posted on our class schedules and the steps we are taking to keep our kids, staff, and families safe.
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We have been working diligently to keep our already extremely clean facility sanitized and have made every effort to stay open while keeping our children safe. However, with the new orders over the weekend, and the warning of more closing orders to come,
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Pierce Athletics will be suspending all classes and team practices effective today on Monday, March 16th, until further notice.
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At this time, we hope to re-open at the end of the month; however, we will continue to evaluate the situation day today and will send out an update at the end of next week’s scheduled Spring Break.
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Thanks to the assistance of some of our staff & team families, we have diligently cleaned and disinfected the facility and all equipment over the weekend, so when we return to regular operating hours, families can trust that all preventative measures have been taken.
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When we return to classes and team programs, we will be as flexible as possible with make ups for our enrolled members.
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Pierce Athletics is a small family business with under 20 employees who live in our community. Many of these employees depend on this additional income to help them support their financial situation. Over the last few days, we have received multiple messages of support. We know that it may be difficult for our members to see the entire picture of impact when we are deciding whether to close or not, so thank you for supporting our staff and small business! We truly appreciate you being an essential part of the Pierce Athletics family <3
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Enjoy your extra time with your family.
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We look forward to reuniting with all of you at the gym soon!
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Thank you!
If you have furthur questions or concerns feel free to contact us!
(815) 599-0705 | PierceAthletics@msn.com