I did an interview tonight for CBC Radio about the Vancouver Park Board’s recent decision to start requiring Vancouver boot camp operators to have permits in order to run classes in Vancouver parks.
I love the new permit policy because it will create much more structure and organization for local boot camp businesses.
A few weeks ago I was at Coopers Park and to my utter astonishment, I saw a local personal trainer running a kickboxing boot camp directly on the narrow Yaletown seawall. People trying to walk along the seawall had to duck and weave around a crowd of people doing kickboxing. It was embarrassing for me as a fellow boot camp operator.
Back to the CBC Radio interview, I was absolutely floored tonight when I heard the aforementioned trainer (also being interviewed) whining about the new permit policy because (among other reasons) his kickboxing boot camp is out of people’s way and isn’t causing anyone any trouble. Wow. I only wish I would have filmed a bit of his seawall kickboxing workout, including the countless men, women, and children (and dogs) that had to shimmy their way around all the kicking and punching.
It’s a good thing the Vancouver Parks Board is now regulating boot camps because clearly most trainers in Vancouver do not possess the common sense and good judgement needed to determine an appropriate (i.e. unintrusive) location to run their outdoor boot camp programs.
