Rec department restores 'Sweat' exercise classes

Popular Carson City fitness instructor Jerry Vance was notified last week that her Sweat Shop and Wet Sweat classes were back in business - at least through June.

Recreation Director Roger Moellendorf said his department received only three proposals - one from Vance - after canceling her contract in December to seek new class proposals. He had said the department wanted to open the door to more diverse classes that appealed to a wider segment of the population.

"We were a little disappointed; we thought we'd get more, but we hear there are two or three more proposals that will be coming," Moellendorf said.

"Since there were quite a few less than we anticipated and we didn't have any conflicts with space, we granted them all, and contracts will be drawn up in early March which will carry through June," he said.

Vance has taught her classes through the recreation department for 34 years and has cultivated a loyal following. More than 30 people showed up for the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting earlier this month to speak on her behalf.

Even though her contract was canceled in December, the department allowed her classes to continue through February.

"I'm relieved it's over," Vance said this week. "It was hard to go through, and I'm relieved for the people who take my classes to be able to keep up their exercise programs. It has been a hard two months."

Proposals will be looked at again for July 1, Moellendorf said.

"We wanted to get them onto a fiscal year basis," he said, adding that even though they went through a lot of extra work to seek new proposals, he was pleased with the process.

"It's still a good process so that we can evaluate programs against each other, and it gets the word out," he said.

Besides Vance's Sweat Shop class, which will continue to be taught in the Community Center's Comstock Room, Terri Snyder and Patti Briggs will offer a fitness class. Their class will include aerobics, yoga and strength training, and will be taught in the Tahoe Room.

A photography class will be taught by Chris Buchanan in the Bonanza Room.