Our Mission

This facility was built and designed from the ground up to be the most innovative and all encompassing fitness center ever built in southern Illinois. We wanted to build something that had no comparison, I did not want members from other fitness centers to tell me about any equipment we did not have. When you tour the facility you will quickly see what I mean. We are three to four times bigger than anyone else and have two to three times more equipment.

I have always believed that if you are going to do something, do it right and be the best. We have virtually every machine, and usually more of them, than any other competitor. However, we also have a full basketball court, children's areas, aerobics classes, an indoor running track, 24 hour access, lockers, and showers. Almost everyone who walks through this facility cannot believe it is in the small town of DuQuoin. I believe my friends, family, and the people of DuQuoin, deserve a facility like this and should not settle for anything less. I have lived in several parts of the country and visited numerous fitness centers. All of the facilities had some aspects which were good and some which were not.

I spent over two years planning the facility and working out all of the details. From talking with my patients about fitness and overall health, there seemed to be three excuses which kept popping up. For people who worked odd hours most facilities were not open at convenient times, so we installed a fully automated entry system with 24 hour surveillance. Many people with children have difficulty finding baby-sitters, so we put in two children's areas for children over 3. I also found that most people, even if they were currently members of fitness centers, did not understand how to work out properly, so we bought very easy to use equipment and set up programs for our members.

Our building is simply huge. This was vital to me in designing the facility. We needed enough space to do it right. Most of the fitness clubs in the area simply aren't big enough. People tend to feel almost claustrophobic in small rooms with machinery practically stacked on top of one another which can be extremely uncomfortable. Many things were taken into consideration when this facility was constructed. I did not buy all of our equipment initially, because I wanted to see which machines were used most frequently. In January we completed the second phase of the facility and added nine more machines in the cardio section, all with their own television and fan, and a new cable crossover and Smith Machine in the free weight room. When you walk through this facility all of the planning becomes very evident.

We have truly built a facility for all ages, we currently have over 50 members over 60 years old. This is a facility where a 75 year old grandmother, her 50 year old son, his 25 year old daughter, and her 5 year old can all have something fun and healthy to do. Before anyone joins a fitness center I ask you to do one thing. Count the number of fitness stations, meaning count how many different areas there are to do various fitness activities. For example, 5 treadmills and 3 bench press stations would be 8. Our facility has nearly one hundred. This means that even during peek hours only about one third of our machinery is in use.

Special Thanks

The construction of this facility was absolutely unbelievable. Randy Skoffic of Skoffic Construction, here in DuQuoin, was the general contractor. (542-5451) This entire building had been in my head for nearly two years. When I first approached Randy about it he got back to me quickly with the general pricing and time table. This was an application unlike anything else in the area and is truly one of a kind.

The general shell of the building was relatively simple, but the inside was a bit more complicated. I had the entire building planned down to the foot and Jay West of Red Oak Construction (927-5879) helped to make it exactly the way I wanted. Jay and his crew worked for only three weeks and erected all of the load bearing walls, the second floor decking, and the elevated walking track. Our good friends at Home Lumber (542-2490) supplied most of our building materials and ordered our floor joices which were pre-engineered specifically for our application. David McIntire of McIntire Electric (542-2432) worked after hours, before hours, and during hours to make sure we always had power where we needed it.

My family, friends, and I worked hundreds of hours, along with Carl Jones (Under Construction 357-1576) to do all of the finish work. Which included hanging all of the sheetrock, literally putting in thousands of screws, painting, hanging the suspended ceiling, laying down over 6,500 square feet of rubber flooring, and countless other jobs. Without their support my wife Lori and I never could have completed this overwhelming project.

Our family and friends who helped with the project in no particular order, thank you. My mom and dad Robert and Dona Eaton Jacque, Nyle, Trey, Jayci, and Bryce ford, Tammy and Kylee Williams, Sabrina, Gary, Chad and Chris Harris, Jeremy, Jamie and Abbey Pierce, Melanie Foster, Kelley Fiorini, David McIntire, Scott Restoff, Scott Kellerman, Scott McMurray, John Bishop, Buddy Mills, Peggi Tolliver, Sharon Toler, Kristie Kuhnert, Stephanie Korando, Moe O'keefe, Halene and Mervin Hampleman, Bill Vancil, Damien Tripp, Scott, Julie, and Nick Schutte, Kenny and Linda Harris, Greg and Cheryl Bigham, Byron Wink, David Brock, Zack Miller, Natalie Foster, Todd and Michelle Thomas, Robert Schuchert, and Jamie Keller.