Chris and the rest of The Club crew all have many motivating stories to tell of how they were able to help someone change their life in a positive way. I know for certain that with the sincere and supportive help from my family and friends at The Club, my body is stronger, my brain is healthier, and my spirit is soaring.
Over the 20-plus years I’ve been scribbling out this column, I’ve had the great pleasure of sharing the stories of the positive things in my life. During the past three and a half years, it’s been great to write about how beneficial my move to the Regency at Hualalai has been. The very comforting atmosphere of our little community has been a big boost to all aspects of my life. I strongly believe that having the love, friendship and support of a community is good for all of us. Also, our family and community can come in a wide variety of different forms. I can definitely say my life has been blessed with support in many ways.
Since the mid 1990s I’ve been getting my daily dose of family, friends, love, comfort, compassion, understanding and support at The Club in Kona. For me, The Club is my home, and I could fill a phone book with statements of gratitude and appreciation for everything the Lee family has done for me. Our “family-and-friends” relationship goes way back to the beginning of our Frozen Pea Production events.
Jeff and Marlina Lee, who own The Club, would bring their kids, Kira and Kyle, to almost all of our pea events. They would participate as a family, and when we were really blessed, they would bring along Irene “Grama” Lee to cheer them on. All of them were extremely fit, healthy and overflowing with aloha. They were one of the first businesses to donate prizes to every pea event. The Club still supports us to this day, and when I moved to the Regency in July of 2008, they instantly let me know The Club could serve as an office where I write this column and get all of our pre-event paperwork photocopied.
Having their support for more than 20 years has been wonderful. It’s been amazing to watch Kira and Kyle grow up into wonderful people. Jeff, who has finished the Ford Ironman World Championship, continues to keep active and is looking as strong as ever. Marlina, who excelled in fitness and bodybuilding, seems to be aging backward. She is lean and fit, and her skin has a young and healthy glow usually only seen in teenagers.
“Grama,” my neighbor at the Regency, continues to amaze me every day. In June, she will turn 95. Besides being sharp as a tack and stronger than most people half her age, she continues to work at The Club five days a week. Her “tell it like it is” attitude always cracks me up. I feel honored to be her friend and neighbor, and part of her hanai family. The word aloha truly describes the Lee family and a very giving nature that has benefited countless charities and events over the years.
The Club is definitely a place where you can build your mental, physical and spiritual health. I find it to be nonjudgmental, motivational, inspirational and supportive. Every day, I seem to meet someone new, learn something or enjoy a lot of good ol’ talk story. This atmosphere is what gives The Club a special feeling not found elsewhere. It also has everything you can imagine in the areas of weights, machines and a huge variety of classes. And we get the bonus of a spa, sauna, steam room and lap pool.
Within our little community at The Club, there are so many good things I really don’t need to go anywhere else. Being as pea-nutty as I am, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know the island’s best physical therapist, Gordon Dong, at The Club’s rehab and physical therapy center. Gordon has helped me recover from a wide variety of sprains, strains and broken stuff. His whole crew is very talented and positive, especially Jeff Dietrichson, who helps me heal by keeping me laughing and entertained.
When I need bones adjusted, I simply walk across the hall and see Dr. Lisa DiNatale at TLC Chiropractic. She has some amazing machines and is very experienced and talented with her adjustments. She has definitely helped me out when I’ve had a sudden neck or back flare-up. Another blessing for me at The Club has been the recent addition of the Katherine Elizabeth Salon. I’ve been able to get my noggin buzzed by Kat several times over the past few months. Her salon inside of Dr. Lisa’s office has a really neat ambiance, and although my buzzed pea-head doesn’t have much style, you can count on Kat to give a style that works for you.
I’m also able to get my daily nutrition taken care of at The Club. Cathee Malapit, who runs Cathee’s Kitchen in The Club, keeps us all fueled up and very satisfied with her tasty cooking. Recent changes in how my tummy works have me on a liquid diet, so Cathee blends me up some really good-tasting and nutrition-packed drinks. Each one is so good I’m eating them with a spoon to savor the taste. She also does custom meals for many of the members with her personal chef program for weight loss and convenience. As if running the café, creating personal meals and catering events weren’t enough, Cathee also sells her famous salsa at several local stores. The delicious salsa that will soon be available in Costco will be served at this Sunday’s Peaman Splish-Splash and Super Bowl Shuffle Biathlon.
The Lees are very giving people who are also incredibly talented at surrounding themselves with good people. The current general manager, Eddie Brown, fits into The Club’s atmosphere perfectly. He is organized, creative and, like the Lees, attracts good, positive people into The Club. The Club crew is filled with sincere, positive, uplifting and motivational members. Everyone who works the front desk is awesome. “Grama” and the team that works behind the scenes in the office are amazing, and all of the trainers and class instructors are absolutely incredible.
If my energy is ever lagging, I’m instantly boosted by the dynamic duo of Aimee Zettel and Lihau Gonsales. These two have the energy of two dozen people. The honest enthusiasm for what they do is contagious. It’s great to see their classes constantly overflowing and wonderful to see so many people leaving with smiles on their faces after a session of body combat, body pump, or rpm on spin bikes.
Another outstanding instructor is The Club’s most veteran team member, Marianne Bangor. Like Aimee and Lihau, she easily fills her classes and puts so much sincere energy and love into each person in the class that she really makes a huge impact in their lives.
My life has definitely been boosted by being part of The Club’s family. Whenever I have something I need to talk about, I’m surrounded by a support group of friends and family who are by my side to help in any way. One of my friends who is always the first to offer his help is Chris Green. Although he is younger than me, I look up to him like an older brother. Like many of us, he has overcome some huge obstacles and challenges in his life. He has taken those lessons and used them to reshape his life in a positive way. At The Club, his intelligence and versatility make him the perfect team member. I look at Chris like the middle linebacker of a championship team. He is big and strong enough to tackle any maintenance problem, and he is quick and sharp enough to work the front desk. Chris is also preparing to get his personal training certification. I’m positive this will be a great area for him because he not only takes exceptional care of his mental, physical and spiritual self, but he is very good about passing along his knowledge and expertise in a simple and understandable way. Along with everything he does inside The Club, Chris also runs The Club Detailing Service. I can’t really think of anything better than going to The Club to tune up your physical body while Chris is outside detailing your car so you can drive home with a clean machine. Somehow Chris is also the first person to offer his help with any of our pea event projects. Recently, he helped me move 500 pairs of shoes that were distributed into the community, and he also re-organizes our FPP storage unit.
Chris and the rest of The Club crew all have many motivating stories to tell of how they were able to help someone change their life in a positive way. I know for certain that with the sincere and supportive help from my family and friends at The Club, my body is stronger, my brain is healthier, and my spirit is soaring.