Gym members rally to keep doors open

By Sara Wiercinski

It’s the stuff of Christmas miracles: a small close-knit community mobilizes at the last minute to keep their beloved gym from closing.

That’s the story of the Curves gym at 510 E. 112th Street in the Red Bridge Shopping Center.

“The gym is like a family, and it would have been too hard to let it close,” said Joanna Rangel, who originally opened the location in 2003. Rangel, who is also a real estate agent, sold the franchise in 2020, just before COVID-19. The new owner faced pandemic challenges, and the franchise started losing members.

This past August, Rangel learned of the then-owner’s plans to end the five-year franchise agreement a year early, effectively closing the gym. She and her husband Perry, with fellow member Teresa Shock, took action. The three were willing to take over the franchise, but couldn’t do it alone. Rangel and Shock appealed to the gym’s 200 members and coaches for help raising the required $20,000 sum.

“On a Friday afternoon we sent the email, and by Monday, we had commitments from more than 20 women with enough to keep the place going,” said Rangel. “It was like that scene in It’s a Wonderful Life where people keep bringing in baskets of money at the 11th hour.”

Turns out, members were more than willing to make personal donations and increase monthly membership fees to support the gym they love.

Lisa Sorge drives to Curves from Raymore. “It’s a great workout, and a great community. I worked out at my husband’s gym before, but it just does not have the same family feel.”

The Curves method is a 30-minute circuit workout with strength training and cardio, using a combination of hydraulic machines, stretching and low-impact cardio designed to increase heart rate. A coach offers assistance and works with new members so they are confident using the equipment.

Each month, members step on the eVolt 360 scan, which reports weight, BMI, muscle mass and other key indicators. These benchmarks are helpful in setting health goals and sharing data with health care providers.

Co-owner Teresa Shock was in the process of retiring from a 38-year engineering career when she and Rangel took over the franchise.

“There’s such a sense of community here. It’s a great workout, no mirrors and it’s also very social.” Shock says that since retiring, she has enjoyed meeting a new group of women who work out during the morning.

Curves was founded in 1992 by a husband and wife team. The concept for an all-female circuit workout caught on fast, and eventually grew into Curves International boasting more than 10,000 franchise locations in 39 countries by 2006.

Through support from Curves International, The Exercise and Sports Nutrition Lab at Texas A&M University published multiple year studies looking at the safety and effectiveness of the Curves interval-style workout. The research showed that women engaging in Curves workouts over time saw less obesity, hypertension, glucose intolerance and inflammation than the control group.

Coach Jeanne Bevan has worked at the location since 2017, but was first a member. “My mom and I signed up together at another location. We just love Curves.”

Bevan added: “Women over the age of 30 need to be doing some form of strength training, or else we lose muscle mass and bone density. This workout is a safe, easy way to meet those needs.”

Cost to join Curves is $79-99 per month, depending on the selected plan. The gym hours vary by day, with morning hours and late afternoon hours most days. The program includes on-demand programming for effective home workouts with a stretch band.

Curves has 100 locations in the United States. The Kansas City metro area’s only other remaining Curves is at 312 S 291 Highway in Liberty. The Olathe location closed in 2017, and some former members now drive to Red Bridge.

Co-owner Rangel hopes more women will try Curves in the new year, and hopefully will feel comfortable and find a home there.

“We look forward to being a hub for community and wellness here in south Kansas City.”

Learn more at curves.com or by calling 816-942-5600.