My Worst Cycle Class Ever

On Friday morning I got a desperate call from the group ex director at a gym where I'm on their instructor sub list. Could I please sub a cycle class at 10:30? I reluctantly said yes... 10:30 is Rebecca's morning nap time and I had never subbed at this particular location. The director gave me some helpful information, such as the entry code for the cycle room and how to plug my iPod into the boombox being used while the stereo is being fixed.

Right away I thought, iPod? Though I have one, I am a relic who prefers to use CDs. I know, I know, I need to step into the 21st century. But I gamely charged up my iPod and got myself and the kids ready to go.

I left myself plenty of time, so I thought, to get the kids into the childcare area and get myself set up for class. I brought the kids in and was confronted with a barrage of paperwork to fill out. I hadn't done this at the other club in the chain so I didn't realize it would be necessary. I apologized to the girl and told her the copy of my driver's license (!) would have to wait until after class.

Then I headed down the steps in search of the cycle room. I successfully used the keypad to open the little lockbox containing the key to the door. But then I had a hard time using the key in the lock, while about 10 members waited around looking at me. It didn't get better once I got inside the cycle room. There was no boombox in sight and I couldn't get the microphone to work. I ran back up the steps in search of someone, anyone, at the club who could help me. The girl at the front desk pointed me to the manager and he followed me down the stairs.

The boombox, as it turns out, was in a little locked closet nowhere near the cycle room. He got that working with my iPod, thankfully, and then started tinkering with the microphone. He couldn't get it to work either. (At least it wasn't user error!) By now we were more than 5 minutes past the start time if the class, and I'm pretty sure the members were convinced I'm an idiot.

I had to conduct class with 16 attendees by shouting at them over the music. Not the first time I've ever had to do that, mind you, but still. Then for some reason my iPod was not playing the songs in the playlist in order. The playlist was ordered correctly on the menu, but the songs came out randomly (I guess I had some kind of "shuffle" setting on?) and I had to keep flicking through the songs to do them in the right order. Not easy when I was out of breath and had sweaty fingers. The class just didn't flow.

From start to finish it was pretty much a catastrophe. I wish I could say I had some sort of "lesson" in all this, but I thought I was pretty well prepared to go into a new situation. I don't know if I'll be too anxious to go back there anytime soon though.