Keep It Dark

Electricity notwithstanding Tripper Tuesday went on as scheduled with even more fanfare than when all the juice is flowing. We did have to make do with no ventilation and an oppressively hot CS but thanks to Gloria and her Toyota SUV equipped with an outlet the music played and played and we danced in our pedal stroke. The 830 and 945 rocked and being that I took both classes my cycle mates were in synchronicity with the music and as the darkened club was lit by the energy of the usual suspects I think we showed to ourselves that we all should be committed. The members of Woodbury can never be called faint of heart because at any other club given the same set of conditions would find a ghost town within.  

Our executive producer Louis made sure the constituents were supplied with plenty of water and the “Maintain” staff had a boatload of workout and bath towels to keep us all as comfortable as possible and it would seem that minus only some of the creature comforts it was business as usual. A few of the elite trainers had some of their clients in and probably could not anticipate that they would find the Lavender Palace as filled as it was.  Kristen will surely hear of our exploits and smile and know that she has us pegged as the best athletes in the metro area.  

Have you seen the old movies wherein the performer gets tomatoes thrown at them if their act is not meeting expectations? Tripper never one to disappoint had towels thrown at him in show of our appreciation and love for this iconic enthusiastic man that has more energy than LIPA before it went dark. 

For more Jack please see me here as well.  http://jackbriant.blogspot.com/2011/08/coxswain.html

TODAY CLUBS ARE CLOSED

TRIPP IS AT GREAT NECK FOR THE 945  ALL CLUBS ARE CLOSED EXCEPT GREAT NECK

A Day Without Spin

A day without spin is a day without sweat, meditation and communion with our fellow members. The growing sense in the CS and I can only speak from Tripp’s classes and KSC is that we have from the Beatle’s immortal classic: Come Together. And why not? We see each other nearly everyday and share a common experience, the bond of working out together. Most clubs find members engaged in exercise in isolation, we on the other hand feed off each other’s energy, presence and inspiration. In a competitive world this singular experience equips us in ways we may not have considered ever before. 

Where outside of our significant others and immediate family do we get the love and support we enjoy in the CS of Equinox Woodbury? Not too many places I suspect and it is here that we learn social skills our forefathers and mothers may not have been too adept at instilling in us. We all have the innate talents of loquaciousness and affability and spinning gives us the luxury of face-to-face contact and that has us enjoying what social media can deprive us of and that is being fully associated with our surroundings.  There is nothing like the human touch of all our senses.  It is here that we get what our psyches crave: the feeling of community in this our third space.    I think that  being in  close personal proximity of each other fosters the feeling that we can rely on our friends here for emotional support and the energy of wishing each other well especially when life takes us on detours we may not have been prepared for.  

Spin class isn’t that just exercise on a stationary bike? That’s like asking if kissing is just putting our lips together. 

The Big Umbrella

Is there still anyone in doubt about the effect or even the influence this man has?  I found one in the locker room but I will keep that to myself because some people just will never get it and that’s okay. Most times if you haven’t experienced something for yourself you can only sympathize with what someone else is going through and then it’s only a rationalization at best.  And then there are those that are either skeptical or even worse cynical and just take things so literal that they can never see the forest from the trees.  

Today it was yours truly that found shelter under The Big Umbrella Tripper opened and I scooted out of the rain as fast as I could. Dealing with personal issues is part of the human condition and no one; No One is immune from the grasp of life on life’s terms. One thing I know I am abysmal at and that is being a husband. I am also cognizant that I am not alone, but it never feels that way when confronted with the fact that when you let people down they can get pretty angry.  Okay suffice it to say that after being verbally assaulted last night I was able to keep my cool and say nothing to my would be assailant. Though she was never of major consequence in my life, when you are derided in public or private it can hurt and cut deep.  A friend told me to meditate on it and what better way to meditate than in spin class and spin amidst the music and sweat and heavy breathing works for me. Tripp’s words caught me by surprise but I was asking my angels what it was I could do and they gave me the answer through this remarkable man who I think is a channel for all of us to tune in to.  

I was able to get up early enough to catch the last half of the 6 am and I get to see people I ordinarily wouldn’t like Janene and PC two very beautiful souls that are a beacon to me in the darkened studio.  The Big Umbrella is something we all will need this weekend and as Tripp said get flashlights, water and think about the indomitable spirit of Tripp Doherty.   

Cycle for Survival is next February 4 and sign up begins next month. Look here for details.  

He's Authentic, Oh Yeah!

I had a visual recognition of another reason why our friend Tripp Doherty is authentic. Want to know why even though we already know that he is?  As he was pedaling this afternoon, he closed his eyes in the middle of a lucid dream and just then the broadest smile lit up his countenance. In that instant I knew that you couldn’t fake that kind of raw emotion no matter if you were an Academy Award nominee or the best spin instructor. He says he loves what he does all the time but I think it’s what he brings to all of us that he really loves. Oh yeah he loves to spin with us but it is the affect/effect he has on all of us to varying degrees that truly makes this CS something quite extraordinary. Some have reported relief from the heartbreak of the loss of a loved one by simply sitting in the CS with him. His infectious demeanor can cure most spiritual ills we face or at the very least bring them into a different perspective.  For others he inspires them to do triathlons like young Dana and Maureen. So it’s not just that he loves his job, he loves what doing his job means to us.  

Did you feel that earthquake yesterday at 151 pm EDT? It wasn’t an earthquake it was just after shocks from the 6, 830 and 945 Tripp spin classes from the day before. So I like hyperbole but he does shake me up every time I enter that room to a cry of Jackie! You probably feel as I do that I love this man and what he has meant to me not just with writing stories but how I have gotten a new lease on a life that has brought me back to knowing that my time has come again and my existence matters more than I could have ever imagined.  

EQ Printing House

Part II of my sojourn on Saturday included a 45-minute spin with Tripper in the exclusive Greenwich Village Equinox Printing House. The perception I had about it previously was that it was strictly  “High Hat” and for the Bon vivants that inhabited the Manhattan Island.  And the offer to sell its ownership to EQ a year or two ago must have been so irresistible they couldn’t refuse. The sale was not without its complications however because the club through some intricate permutations would not fall into the “all access” memberships Equinox offers. In order to join this club if you were a member in another EQ would require you to pay another monthly membership and with restrictions on the use of the pool the club had its cake and ate it too. 

But it’s merely a history lesson because had it not been for Tripp headlining the Saturday 1030 the club by itself is in all honesty   nothing special and coupled with the fact that there are no locker rooms it left me with a odiferous connotation. Having been at first rebuffed from a guest pass for Saturday the Red Headed League (Tripp) got me in without much fanfare as long as I agreed I wouldn’t use the pool, and since I didn't bring my trunks  I had no intention to swim. 

And we had a surprise guest in Mary McCann a welcome addition to any room and I will spare the reader about my glorious pontifications about her but needless to say it was pure joy watching her from across the CS with that broad smile that lights up her lovely countenance. Lest I not forget the statuesque beauty Janene attended the proceedings as well  and the comfort of home base was complete.  

The 45 minutes was over as quickly as it started and I finally understood that these out of the way voyages for Tripp in my opinion  are based in loyalty and sentiment rather  than whatever remuneration he receives. Thanks Tripp for a glimpse into your beginnings and for getting my car started.  Now back to Tripper Tuesday and the home of the real deal EQ Woodbury.  No disrespect mind you to the two other franchises but home is where the heart is. 

Dancing in Heaven

It’s in the direction of heaven. It’s north anyway. Scarsdale, the hamlet in Westchester is home to another version of Equinox. It was time again for another road Tripp which this time would include the exclusive Printing House in Manhattan.   As some that know me I have a marked propensity to be just a tad vociferous in the saddle when the notes on the scale hit my tuning fork. Saturday’s 8 am with Doherty featured a choreography no one else could play without garnering quizzical looks all around.  Imagine listening to Build Me Up Buttercup by the Foundations, would you ever believe that half the CS was lip-synching the lyrics to this 1968 bubble gum classic? Well there were two young women in the front across from me named Emily and Dina who weren’t even born in 1968 yet they mouthed the words as if they grew up with that chart topper from 43 years ago. In fact there were many in the studio that were either miming the words or vocalizing them audibly. Only the singular personality of Tripp Doherty would even attempt it.  

One of Tripp’s protégés a lithe EQ trainer named Lisa bedecked in an outfit only her physiology could fit into was smiling so broadly she could have stopped traffic on 42nd and 5th. Just the type to realize that all the schooling is for naught unless you can reach into people’s souls like our mop top crusader does. She has the built in acumen EQ equips their talent with but this young woman wanted to add the necessary spices so that when she cooks in her own class people sit up straighter and take notice. 

This is where it all started for our trance inducer and had it not been for Scarsdale the Tuesday 830 would never have attained it’s iconic status. The layout of this CS has four phalanxes of bikes facing each other with a five-foot aisle separating the two armies. And it provides the perfect dance floor for Tripp’s back pedaling fandango that makes us smile and hit the pedal stroke with a deeper resolve. His fans are just as deep here as they are in his home office in Woodbury and he’s not about to leave this place, not just yet anyway because the roots run deep.  

After class I had left the ignition on and it drained my battery. As I looked for Tripper to tell him that I wouldn’t be following him to Manhattan for  part II of my story he pulled out jumper cables and we were soon on our way.  

Next Up: The Printing House.  I have just completed this entry and along about Monday I will release the second part of what was a great Saturday.  

The Svengali Papers

What will never cease to amaze me as I sit here and tap out the letters the universe hands me is that when I need a title it lands in my lap faster than my cat Mon Ami. Today I found myself in the 45-minute version of Tripper and when you filter out the warm-up and cool down the time in the saddle is more like 38 minutes. That’s just a sin and on Fridays I will just have to yank my posterior out of that sweet recumbency for at least part of the 6 am class.  45 minutes? Uh yeah, NO.  

I however get a reprieve tomorrow and unless Peter Rothermel is unsuccessful in his bid to obtain permission I will do my remote from first Scarsdale and then the very exclusive Equinox Printing House. This place although annexed by EQ maintains some of its exclusivity in that an all access membership does not grant you ingress. I just want to do a report is all and give all of you a bird’s eye view of our Iron Man in a different place and different time. Let’s see if Peter can wield his power otherwise I will have to ask Svengali to use his mystical powers to get me seated in this CS albeit only one time. 

The book on Tripp is that he is well schooled in the world of finance but feigns discussion about it other than to say that all those talking heads on all those networks know No-thing. Nothing. And when he said today that anyone claiming to know what’s next is lying.  True words, they are lying because no one knows what’s ahead. We do and that’s the next pedal stroke. And what else do I need right now? No-thing. 

Hopefully I will be reporting for you a Saturday edition of the Svengali Papers. 

The Icon

The most pensive I have ever seen Tripp was today in the Wednesday 1215. As demonstrative and pumped as he was in the Tuesday 830 he was the antithesis today. Always fun whether he is blowing a 50-amp fuse or quietly passionate like today, he always inspires me in my writing and in my fitness. I thank him each time I set my words down right here. 

Mary McCann brought in her AIT’s* today and there was no mistake these young ladies were her offspring. I bet these two know firsthand how much respect their mom gets at Equinox. Kristen says she’s not all that but we all know how this woman lives an exemplary life. It’s hard to describe someone that lives so congruently when it would be so much easier to take the easier softer way. I wax on about her and her self-effacing style would even make Hercules maudlin.  

I intend to make a Saturday morning road Tripp to Equinox Scarsdale and the Printing House. I have been to Scarsdale but not to the Manhattan Equinox and I am anxious to get a different perspective on where it all began for the trance inducer.  I suspect that I will glean something I have never seen before and what better way to spend a Saturday doing a double spin with him. 

 He was particularly resplendent today in shorts that nearly qualified as knickers except for the fact that these shorts gathered below the knee instead of above which was the classic style dating back centuries in 16th century England and a modern loose fitting zipper necked top. But what makes the whole image complete is that iconic disheveled hairdo which reminded me of that first time I took his class in the old studio. A lot has transpired since then and sometimes I do feel so close to this man that reminds me so much of my own youth. 

*AIT: Angels in training. 

After 6 Hours of School

After 6 hours of school I’ve had enough of the day. I hit the radio dial and I turn it up all the way.  The opening lyrics to one of my favorite Beach Boys songs from 1964 and that is what Tripp reminded me of this morning in a powerful edition of his 8:30 spin class.  He was amped just a bit more being away from our environs. His tripp back to Lake Placid for purposeful reasons must have given him a renewed inspiration for his next adventure, the NYC triathlon slated for August 2012. When he mentioned it this morning I could see that commitment was etched in his countenance as deep as the wrinkles on my forehead. A year goes by in a blink. Speaking of blinks, that is what’s happening to me in spin. The hour is rocketing by faster than any speeding bullet Superman bested and but if not for a personal appointment I longed for another hour because in the words of Jacqueline Susann: Once was just not enough. 

Tripper was definitely thematic today as we searched for signs and angels which we have many of in our midst. (Like Mary McCann) And the feeling of family at least in my opinion runs deep in his classes because it’s so deeply personal with him and us.  He has people reaching beyond any restraints their mind had conceived. Heck he has me running again something I thought that I would never attempt again. I love being in this class as it sets the tone for the other 23 hours or in the case when I do a double Tripp, the next 22.  

TRIPPeriential

Mea Culpa I missed the iconic Tuesday 8:30 and I hear tell it was another magical edition of Svengali. To try and make up for it I found myself in that odd time slot of the Wednesday 12:15.  An eclectic choreography to be sure today but as usual we come to expect the unexpected from Tripp and he delivers the newspapers always on time even if he does break some windows when he pitches.  

Looking up I see Peter Charles or PC to the “in crowd” and it’s unusual I spy him unless I catch the last half of the 6 am class because this is a wanted man. He is his company’s MVP and this IT genius looks the part even when he is pouring rain from atop his Schwinn. He told me he was going to invite me to his enclave but heretofore I am just an intention. We will see but to be candid and truthful Peter Charles is a very busy exec.  

Rose seems to be recovering nicely and she is apparatus free on her injured left leg and is spinning with seemingly no problems. My two youngsters youngDana and Maureen are quickly becoming excellent runners and on Tuesday next I hope to join them and Tripp for some roadwork. I am filled with trepidation however   because it’s been a long time since I had any consistency running. The beta-blockers really do cramp my style but they also probably keep me alive too.  

Our friend Lisa whom I see both in KSC and Svengali unfortunately lost her husband on 9/11 will have a feature story done on her beloved first husband on Friday. I will try to get the details so we can all share a piece of her devotion. He gave the ultimate sacrifice and we open our hearts to Lisa.  

I am experimenting with either The TRIPPerience or TRIPPerential as a new icon for Svengali. I got the inspiration from the T-shirt he has been sporting of late.  

Track 2

Another 45-minute version of Svengali had me wondering where the time went. Kristen has said that our time is but a blink and 45 minutes is just a warm-up. But even a small dose of Tripp is vitamin E energy.  

The Twins were back today and as I looked back at them at rides end they unbeknownst to each other smiled in unison at me. The energy that travels through them is on the same track even though each is a separate train unique in purpose and personality. 

And as I looked at one of our resident angels: Mary, I could see she was putting on a brave face and I for one hate to see her in any kind of pain whether it’s physical or emotional because she is there quietly for everyone and she does it without ceremony and integrity. Integrity: Doing the right thing when no one knows about it.  

It’s time to take a break because I have so many blogs and only ten fingers.  

The Heart of Summer

Now that some of the excitement of the IMLP has died down just a bit it’s time to refocus on what the Master Blaster has in store for us as we hit the heart of summer. It’s gone by in a blink and it seems like minutes ago we were fighting the worst winter we’ve had in decades.  

I have not been able to sit and strike the keyboard as much as I would like my friends but I will make more time in the 25th hour of the day because God only knows how I love to write.  Today of course is Tripper Tuesday and Mr. Doherty continues to bring in the numbers like no one can in the 6, 830 and 945. Who can pull off that amazing feat in our club? Think about it.  To those that have not tried Svengali I can tell you you're  are missing out on  pizza and ice cream. Yes I know you should eat salmon but you  can only eat so much fish. 

I saw someone canoodling at breakfast today but I’ll never tell however it couldn’t happen to a nicer person.  Tut tut you will never pry this out of me, not in a million years.  I almost gave it away but in the words of the Go-Go’s: My Lips Are Sealed. 

Rose of the twins is recovering from her lower body injury as last week I saw her working out slowly on a stationary bike in the main room but I also noticed our resident angel Mary McCann in a very scary looking soft cast with a metal brace on her right forearm. I wasn’t going to be the 100th person to ask her what that was all about I just hope that the pain is endurable. Speedy recovery Mary. I will have to talk to one of the Archangel’s and ask; what gives?