Greetings from the Fitness Club! Last month, we introduced you to the new Grand Poobah, Leigh Anne Hall. Now, we will take this opportunity to get to know our fantastic staff.
Our first instructor, Kate Medina, teaches cardio/core, weight training, circuit, and tabata classes.
• Two of Kate’s great traits are adaptability and resilience. These traits come from being raised in a military family. Kate had six brothers and sisters (they had a whole baseball team!), and they moved around the country and the world, living in diverse places like Guam and Illinois. An athlete from a young age, she ran track and competed in volleyball at the collegiate level.
• Later, she started coaching fitness classes for kids at the YMCA. She and her husband, Kevin, spent 30 years in Colorado before moving to Punta Gorda in January 2024. Their son, Ryan, and grandson, Paxton, still live in the Evergreen State, and they are all smiles, after spending three weeks with them.
• When she and Kevin came to Burnt Store, they knew this was the lifestyle they wanted. She started volunteering with St. Vincent de Paul and taking indoor aqua classes. “I was super excited a few months ago when Leigh Anne asked me if I wanted to teach,” she says. “I immediately began working on my Group Fitness Instructor Certification.”
• She teaches an array of classes and encourages her participants to explore all the club’s offerings for a well-rounded fitness regime.
Updates from the Tennis Community
Congratulations to all the Burnt Store Marina tennis teams for a great 2024-2025 league play season. Did you know that we have ten competitive teams? They had a successful season. A big shout-out to the Men’s 75+ team, the Green Hornets, and the Women’s 3.0 division team, Simply Smashing, on their first-place wins in their divisions. The courts stayed busy with league play on Monday, Thursday, and Friday, and team practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. Spectators enjoyed watching matches under the sunshade on the new furniture purchased with funds from generous donations from the BSM tennis community.
The season kicked off with a fun Turkey Tourney tennis social in November. Everyone was dressed in fall colors, the tournament winners donned turkey hats, and everyone enjoyed lots of good food served at the pickleball social area. January’s social was another fun tournament hosted by the men’s Gold team, who cooked delicious burgers and brats for the group. February brought the ALL ABOUT the LOVE social with lots of great tennis and yummy food from Mission BBQ. In March, BSM tennis pro, Jay Penny, and fellow teammate, Mark Walker, provided a fun Cardio Tennis Clinic. It was a great clinic with music and fun drills, and open to all fitness club members.
The BSM tennis program is growing with the addition of a new men’s team and new women’s 70+ teams. Our men’s and women’s programs have room for new players, and we also have programs available for brand-new players. Our women’s 2.5 team is a great place to start if you’re interested in learning to play and are always looking for new team members. If you are interested in the BSM tennis program, please contact one of our tennis ambassadors: Clif Behney, 717-639-5676, [email protected]; or Kelly Millar, 530-305-1451, [email protected].
