Tripp Doherty Heart Instructor

There are those individuals in your life that make an impact and you remember throughout your life. Most though as time goes by we don’t get the chance to revisit them for one reason or another mostly because of time and space. But then there’s Tripp Doherty. He’s one of those people that will always reign in my “Spin Room” because there is no fiction about him. And fortunately for me I can still make the time and the space to catch up on just what he’s up to here as we close out the year in 2017. 

 Many in my life have inspired me even some that don’t practice what they preach. They talk a great game and in some cases that will suffice because I don’t have to be their friend outside of class or associate with them or depend on them for anything in my life and that’s fine because if I did I would no doubt be sorely disappointed. I have someone in particular in mind here and there are quite a few I could mention but what’s the point?

As I started to say this past week while back up on the Island and in his new office Life Time Athletic I got yet another chance to saddle up on a Sunday ride with Tripper. Of course he had to plate “Video Killed the Radio Star” for me as he always aims to please. And as he always notes the first song played on MTV when it launched in 1981.  Tripp is part entertainer, part spin instructor and part DJ and also part heart instructor and by that I mean he gives you his heart every time you see him up there on the platform gesticulating and doing his iconic Tripp Doherty hop.  

Did I come for spin class? Sure but it was only secondary at this point it was mainly to see Tripp. He is and always will be a shy man and for all his ebullience and all his exhortations he is one of the most grateful men on this or any other planet. He has a wonderful mate a life partner whom I am blessed to know and who gives Tripp the inspiration everyday to go out and do what he loves best give us 45 minutes of all of him. 

Life Time Athletic is like a cement cruise ship and coming from 12 years at Equinox it’s a big step up not only in size but also in overall grandeur. The staff this Sunday outfitted in sleepwear was spectacularly pleasant and I look forward to my next trip North and another date in the Spin Room with my friend Tripp Doherty.    

Singular In Nature

He's a one-man entertainment center. He's my friend Tripp Doherty or Frank Doherty, as some in his intimate circle might know him. Our relationship began quite a number of years ago back in a place I referred to as the 'Lavender Palace' when I first took his spin class in Equinox Woodbury. He was nervous about my arrival knowing I might chronicle the goings on but he needn't have worried. I didn't quite know what to expect quite frankly. I had heard many wild narratives all heralding a type of ride that was "singular in nature." From that first blog post (if you care to look back) I can say unequivocally it was decidedly so!  More about this man and his experiential ride later. To call him legendary might seem hyperbole to some but watching him this past Sunday in the place where he truly belongs, Life Time his following has grown exponentially from his humble beginnings in Equinox Westchester.

I've ridden in several thousand spin classes with many different instructors and written over 800 stories about a few of them. Some that didn't belong leading a class, some who were merely adequate, a few that were well schooled and a list that was less than five fingers that were truly brilliant in terms of inspiration, technical adroitness and charisma. Tripp Doherty filled two of those traits inspirational and charismatic. Technically adroit not so much but what trumped any other instructor in my experience and this makes Tripp idiosyncratic: his heart. Yes there is a short list and if you've read my blogs you know who they are but none of them thrill me to the marrow like Mr. Doherty does.

When I signed in as guest courtesy of my friend Pam Polestino and the aforementioned Tripper I got there early because it was the front row I needed to occupy. With his usual understatement upon my arrival I knew that his heart was leaping out of his chest because what we mean to each other is unbreakable. For my part my thoracic cavity was on fire hoping my lungs could keep up with the volcanic passion escaping with each passing breath. He did not disappoint. He was the Tripper I remembered only more so. The signature body gesticulations were all there. It all came flooding back  to me as he started his animated hopping, his hoarse exhortations, and the scary on and off the bike, the genuflecting and his outstretched arms signifying unity. But now he's added something new! He's a disc jockey complete with light show. He had done that in a past life and now he's incorporating it into this new experience. He is truly a one-man entertainment center.

I will not forget this ride Tripp and as I watched your eyes fill up knowing how grateful you are to be in the life you are living and surrounded by so much love you are indeed in the right place and right time. The icing on your cake is your glorious life partner Janene an earth angel if there ever was one. Good luck my friend until we meet again.

Your friend,
Jack

The Club Down the Street

I went down the street this morning to experience Tripper’s spin class at his new domicile, Lifetime. But before I talk about our hero let me tell you about my impressions of the club. As I approached from the parking lot there was a sense of grandeur that enveloped me almost like luxury liner planted in cement.  When it opened several years ago I had taken the tour and realized then it just wasn’t for me. Great for families, people who love to swim and play basketball but as a 3rd space I felt like I would just be a number. Equinox has been for me a place that I felt a sense of community amongst so many people I know socially as well as intellectually. It’s not impossible to garner those relationships at Lifetime but to start all over again? The club has resplendent opulence whether it’s their marble seating in the locker room, the spacious health bar or even the spin room, which accommodates an astounding 70 bikes on a wood maple floor. 

Tripper made me feel like I never missed a beat I may have just as well been in the Lavender Palace in the place I call home.  He welcomed me with open arms and quite a few tunes that he knew I would favor but even that wasn’t necessary I knew that my friend was in the right place. This club supports his outside endeavors as well as the ones inside and that just wasn’t possible for him in Woodbury.  Many will miss his exuberance at EQ but he has a new set of devotees and I recognized quite a few of members that had defected. I won’t mention their names because well it’s quite superfluous. I am glad that they are where they want to be. He has a fresh set of members to inspire and at 10,000 there will be plenty for him to get to know. Tripp has always been a sentient being and beyond the sensitivity of this man in his heart resides a genuine need and desire to please and be loved. He has the God given talent and here he gets to showcase it in full bloom.  

Lifetime doesn’t have the online set up for reserving bikes it’s first come first serve and as I stood on the landing between the first and second floor I could feel the excitement as if I was waiting on line for a Broadway play to open its doors and the SRO crowd twisted around the corridor out the door leading up the stairwell. I am so happy for Tripp he is where all his talents can be utilized, enjoyed and experienced. And for those members in the club down the street they get to experience what some of us took for granted and now miss.  Good luck Tripper you’ve come home.  

It's Closing Time

One door closes and another opens. A phrase I’ve heard many times growing up. It seemed an apt title to this the last entry in Mr. Mayhem’s blog.  There are many memories that I have experienced with the man I grew to be a friend to and love over the course of the last 4 years. Whether it was taking road trips to Scarsdale or the many classes at EQ in Woodbury. Every class was exciting, fun and a great workout.  Of course I am talking about Tripp Doherty. Now that he is moving on in the next step in his evolution I bid him fond farewell but not goodbye.  

It’s yesterday’s papers but most of you know he’s headed to Lifetime a competing health and fitness establishment but I don’t want to focus on any comparison between our club and the place down the street because this is about the relationship he has built with all of us over the past 7 years.  

I remember the first class I took with Tripper back in March of 2010 and when he saw me he sometime later told me he was scared. Scared of me? Really? If I don’t have something nice to say I won’t say it or write it. Obviously with some 265 posts I guess I had a few good things to say.  I remember that first ride so vividly it will never be erased from my hard drive. It was in my words Singular in Nature. No one is like him no one. 

There are so many outstanding classes that reverberate within all of us. Three that come to mind in my memory were the class when the electricity went out and a member used her car battery to provide the melodies we have become so dependent on to accompany our sessions. It was truly magical. In another  I think it was the 830 where the chorus to Sweet Caroline was the loudest I have ever heard. The energy levels broke any record I have felt in the Lavender Palace.  Then there was the 4-hour Thanksgiving extravaganza that was filled to capacity. That may have been the defining moment in my mind for Tripp’s classes. He was always giving back and that particular Turkey Day was just so memorable for all that attended.  I won’t forget Cindy Goldman standing outside the studio showing us her hoola hoop skills.  

I can wax on here but if you’re really interested in what my friend Tripp is all about read some of the stories I have chronicled here. 

Good Luck Tripper and I for one will be making a guest appearance one day soon.  

Touch Me

This song by The Doors carried such special meaning to me as a teenager and now eons later as I hear it the pressure in my solar plexus is palpable. When this recording was released in 1968 it was a favorite of mine to try and recreate with my limited range of voice especially in the shower. Well one day the closest human being alive in my life my sister Carol was in earshot of my caterwauling as I vainly attempted to cover Jim Morrison’s hit.  Well needless to say when I exited the bath my sister teased me like she never had before imitating my horrific rendition of the tune. I was embarrassed at the time but now it is one of my fondest memories. Thanks Tripper for playing it now and again.  

Lately maybe as I get deeper into my sexagenarian years I am finding that those that “touch me” in my life have given me pause for thought about just how short life really is.   Heretofore I was usually nonplussed by life’s comings and goings but not now. My felt sense is that we do only pass by but once and every moment is precious even those that might leave us reeling back on our heels. My thought is that every step back is responsible for the next two steps forward. 

Spin class has as I have said before spawned many fond friendships and acquaintances and these liaisons have given me more sensory acuity to those closest to my heart. Love has never felt better in this old mans life as it does now. Thank you my friends you’ve changed my life outside the Lavender Palace too. 

Lest I forget this is a Tripp Doherty blog, I watched our hero today with a discerning eye. I still see a man hugely devoted to his riders and his students outside the rooms as he inspires with his authentic raw energy and enthusiasm. And as he speaks to us in his inimitable way he touches me to keep coming back. 

The Restoration

I thought if a Tripp was worth a trip last week it might be worth another this week. And so back I came into the 830 the place where the best times I have ever had in spin took place. I got away from Tripper because of my own eccentricities and I have to tell you either I am seeing Mr. Doherty in a new light or maybe he’s different. It doesn’t matter really because I think I am back in the fold once again. For one  I get to see members I don’t see in other classes and that’s a good thing to reacquaint myself with friends I haven’t seen in awhile. I happen to love the variety of spin instructors EQ has to offer but the originals for me will always be Kristen James and Francis Doherty. It’s where I grew up and cut my teeth. 

Some old movies need a restoration to bring them back to their original shape and color and so that’s what I have done restored Tripp back into my spin repertoire. 

Inspiration

My friend Tripp Doherty thanked me that I got him a job? If he’s happy I am as well.  I can only guess that he was referring to my blog about him.  It’s been a while since my schedule had me in his class but I found that opportunity today in the 7:15.

 Tripp’s thing is more about what goes on “Outside” the Lavender Palace than what takes place within its four walls. Two of his inspired women have done just that. Constance Korol and Heather (Featherr) Blank who both completed their 1st Half Iron Man. From my bike these two women are sporting a physiology only athletes wear.  

I used to identify the difference between Kristen’s class and my buddy Tripp’s as Class vs. Recess or Order vs. Chaos. I am here to say that comparison no longer is. It’s all about inspiration and feeling good and giving it our best effort every day. I just had to say that Tripper. Thanks for a great ride.