Justin Leak had just moved into the area from Philadelphia and knew he needed a gym and a pool. Those had been the two activities that Justin had put into his weekly plan to stay healthy.
Being healthy was (and still is!) very important to him, so he knew finding a convenient place with a great gym and an indoor pool was a paramount to him being happy. With a little bit of research, he found a great gym with an indoor pool that was close to Olney — The Aspen Hill Club! What ended up happening was this gym and pool guy became a TENNIS NUT!!!
Draws of the club
Justin first joined Aspen Hill Club for the pool because it had his necessitates, the spectacular indoor pool and a great gym. Although he had experience taking college tennis classes for his undergraduate degree at Penn State, tennis didn’t grab his attention.
He did appreciate the little things that Aspen Hill provided such as a friendly welcome when he came into the club, and towel service. For several years while walking in and out of the club, tennis did not speak to him. What spoke to Justin was the fact that the staff at The Club “always remembered my name, and they got to know me. That makes a difference.”
Unfortunately, a job change brought the Aspen Hill Club outside of his commute between work and home. Justin immediately missed the friendly staff, the café, the pro shop, and especially the towel service! He joined a “big box gym” and his workouts just weren’t the same. Luckily for Justin, he finished his college program and found a job that brought him close to The Club! Justin rejoined Aspen Hill, and this time, he knew he wanted to add some more spice to his life!
Intro to tennis
Upon his return, Justin immediately signed up to become for our Presidential membership!
Justin had his new member evaluation with Ilan, and after a few private lessons—he was ready to join his first tennis group class! Justin now plays AT LEAST three times per week. He gets his tennis in by a combination of group play in Hit And Run, Next Level Instruction, and he thoroughly enjoys his time on court with his Friday Night Doubles Frenzy buddies and tennis socials!
Justin explains, “I like the clinics because I like the people. I’ve come a long way!” Justin is a big believer that each type of class adds a different element to his growth as a tennis player. He saw a big jump in his game when he added the Next Level Clinic to his schedule, as he believes he benefited from the strategy and technical help that the class provided. “This helped me be better at playing points in Hit & Run and Doubles Frenzy. The combo of Hit and Run and Next Level really came together when I started playing social tennis in Doubles Frenzy” Justin explains.
Social Engagement
What Justin didn’t expect was tennis was going to help him become more social. “I started talking to people at The Club and smiling! I didn’t just come into the gym and leave, now I come into The Club and talk to so many people every day.” In fact, one of those people Justin talked to turned out to be a high school classmate. “Terrance (Tennis Director at Aspen Hill) and I figured out that we were classmates at Roxborough High School in Philly!”
Club facilities
You’ll find Justin using all of the facilities at Aspen Hill Club, not just the tennis courts! Justin is a pool regular, and definitely schedules his time for the gym. On his gym days, Justin spends 30-minutes for cardio exercise, 30-minutes lifting weights, and 30-minutes swimming.
Justin enjoys the variety that he has been able to add into his schedule at The Club. In fact, one his favorite parts of the week is when Heather “kills me” in the gym. Justin has physical training sessions weekly, and Justin is very impressed with how she has been able to find areas that he needs to strengthen up. Heather has been great at building up Justin’s confidence in trying new exercises and making sure he is correctly using equipment, “I use to be scared of certain things, Heather is awesome.”
The bottom line
Justin clearly is someone that enjoys challenging himself, as demonstrated by his dedication to his own education.
After graduating Penn State, Justin earned a M.S. and finally a doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) from Argosy University. Justin has found Aspen Hill Club as great place to challenge him physically while meeting new people and continuing great relationships while exercising.
Justin, “Thank YOU” for being such a valuable member of our community. You help everyone around you be more positive and help our Club to be a special place. We are so happy that you are able to find so many activities to keep you busy and healthy at The Club.
