About Us | Downtown | East | North
In the late 70's and early 80's, the City began a beautification program of the downtown streets to improve the appearance of the Central Business District and to alleviate some of the problems associated with downtown development. Led by the late Alex Guerry, a group of prominent Chattanooga business people had the vision and forethought to lead the renovation of an old bus barn and build an upscale private health club. Established in 1979, the Sports Barn has been Chattanooga 's leader in fitness for over twenty-five years. Capitalizing on the opportunity for growth, in 1984, the Sports Barn expanded to the East Brainerd area with the construction of the East branch.
In 1996, the Sports Barn and Erlanger Medical Center entered an agreement to establish a comprehensive health and fitness center offering a variety of integrated medical, educational and physical fitness services and programs which promote and facilitate wellness and the benefits of a healthier lifestyle to be known as the Chattanooga Lifestyle Center. The Sports Barn was responsible for the development and construction of the Center. The Sports Barn contributed a tract of real estate to the project and Erlanger agreed to lease the Center and real estate for a term equal to 20 years or the term of the financing.
Most recently, the Sports Barn expanded to the Hixson community. A 44,000 square foot state of the art health and fitness facility and a center for senior and youth health, fitness and athletic programs has been constructed which opened in November 2004. The new Sports Barn fitness facility features a cardio mezzanine, 5000 sq. ft. weight room, yoga studio, group fitness gym, cycling room, racquetball courts, whirlpool, junior Olympic swimming pool and the amenities of full service locker rooms. To complement the Sports Barn, a separate facility is available to members and non-Sports Barn participants from ages 1 to 100. This part of the facility is “The Alex Guerry Center”, so named in memory of our founder. It features programs for seniors, programs for preschool children or Sports Barn Kids as we call them, programs for the home schooled youth and youth wanting a structured fitness alternative to P.E. which is our Y.E.S. program (Youth Exercise Safely), programs for athletes who need sports specific training and a cheerleading training facility second to none, appropriately referred to as the Spirit Barn Cheerleading.
October 2004 the Sports Barn celebrated its 25 th Silver Anniversary. For most of those years, the Chattanooga Times Free Press readers have recognized the Sports Barn as the number one health and fitness club in Chattanooga. In an industry where clubs are “in and out” of business like the change of the seasons, we have stood tall for twenty-five years. We are successful because we try to provide “home away from home” creating a bond and a trust with our members, much like you would a family member. We strive to provide an exceptional value for our members and if they are willing to make the commitment, we are able to meet or exceed their expectations.
Another reason for our success is our community involvement. Over the past 25 years we have been involved in many community charitable events. Currently, we have two staff members serving as Tennessee State Representatives for Team N Training which is a fund raiser for the Leukemia Society. Our Sports Barn fitness staff manages the following charity races: Arthritis Foundation Half Marathon, Arthritis Foundation 5K Walk, Wild Race 10K benefiting the Chattanooga Nature Center, Kiwanis 5K benefiting the Collegedale Kiwanis, Chattanooga 's Dam Triathlon benefiting the Chattanooga Track Club, Sports Barn Sprint Triathlon benefiting the Arthritis Foundation and the Komen Race for the Cure. The Sports Barn is the host site for the following charity events, the Karen Lawrence New Year's Eve Race to benefit St. Jude's Research, the Bridge Run to benefit the MAKUS Foundation, the Turkey Trot to benefit the Kidney Foundation, the Tennessee Organ Donors Racquetball Tournament benefiting Tennessee Organ Donors Association and the Warren Mackey Scholarship Fund. Our fitness staff annually provides In-Service training for the City of Chattanooga/Hamilton County elementary and middle school PE teachers. For the past two years, the Sports Barn has been the host site for the National Masters Handball tournament contributing to economic benefit of downtown Chattanooga. These are just some of the ways the Sports Barn serves our community.
Today, the Sports Barn provides a relaxed, fun-filled, state-of-the-art health and fitness facility to more than 9000 Chattanooga area members. With the health consciousness of corporate America and a focus on wellness through health and prevention, the Sports Barn is concentrating on new and innovative health and fitness programs for the corporate market. We are also providing a more hands-on program with our Wellfit program and working closely with business and government agencies with their wellness programs. The Sports Barn is a nationally acclaimed fitness and health club and has been the recipient of several national awards. The current management team is totally focused on the health impact of fitness and meeting the needs of all our members, our community and our employees.
Sports Barn Downtown
The historical downtown Sports Barn was used to house streetcars in the early 1900's. In the early 20th century downtown Chattanooga was one story lower and flooded frequently. The street level was raised and buildings second floor became the first floor. Be sure to check for the flood mark from 1917 in the downstairs Sports Barn. In 1979 the Trolley Barn became the Sports Barn and still retains 400 of it's original members.
The downtown location has easy access to the Riverwalk and the longest pedestrian bridge in the US. It also is connected to a spa, a smoothie store and the Chattanooga Lifestyle Center. A change in lifestyle by the individuals that benefit from the many programs and services offered by the center as well as the fitness center. As a result of a partnership between Erlanger Medical Center and The Sports Barn Fitness Center, The Chattanooga Lifestyle Center is prepared to teach lifestyle changes that can help clients to avoid becoming a victim of a heart attack. At the same time, it is fully prepared to provide rehabilitative services to those who have sustained such an incident and are in the recovery process. Also, to point those individuals in a direction that will help them to avoid a second attack by initiating positive lifestyle changes through education, rehabilitation and a comprehensive variety of related services which may involve anything from healthy cooking classes to alternative medical approaches.
The downtown location has group fitness classes, cycling classes, aquatic classes and specialty classes for seniors. This location has two indoor pools so classes are offered throughout the year. There are racquetball, handball and squash courts. The downtown Sports Barn also has a full length basketball court. We are listed as the number 12 thing to do in Chattanooga by Yahoo travel so don't miss out!
Sports Barn East
Sports Barn East is located on Lee Hwy, across from SAM's Club in Chattanooga Tennessee. Sports Barn East was built 1982 to service the community living in the Brainerd area as the Downtown club has since 1979. The Sports Barn strives to exceed the expectations of our members by providing classes that are appropriate for the participants, a facility that is clean, and highly qualified and knowledgeable staff that serves.
The fitness facility revolves around the Brainerd, East Brainerd and the Ooltewah and Collegedale communities. There are programs for people in every stage of their lives at the Sports Barn.
Our Grand Master program helps our senior citizens improve bone density, balance, flexibility, and strength. Improve you road cycling skills in our group classes, or introduce your fitness regime to group cycling for the first time with our excellent instructors. Swim in our lap pool, or bring your family on the weekend for some sunny fun. The group exercise classes are again led by energetic instructors pushing you towards your wellness goals. High quality equipment including strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility equipment will certainly meet your expectations. Youth can exercise in an age appropriate class learning about exercise and wellness.
For the hardcore weightlifter, there is a huge variety of Olympic weight training equipment; plate loaded equipment, light to very heavy dumbbells, a variety of bench press and multipurpose benches, power racks and a smith machine. Many of our members prefer our less traditional circuit training area which is separate from the free weights. Designed to incorporate functional and balance training as well as traditional strength training; this area includes a lighter set up of traditional dumbbells and weight benches, plus the very latest in personal training aids and balance equipment.
Clean, comfortable, spacious locker room areas with dry and wet saunas are provided and maintained to the highest standard to start or finish your day after your workout.
Our members are the reason we are in business and we understand the importance of meeting and exceeding the needs of those members. Come check out the friendly atmosphere, the spacious workout areas and the variety of equipment available for your use at the East Location. We know you will love it.
Sports Barn North and Alex Guerry Center
Sports Barn North is located on Hamill Road in Hixson Tennessee. Sports Barn North was built in 2004 to service the community living north of the river after serving the needs of people living in the Brainerd and Downtown areas since 1979. The Sports Barn strives to strives to exceed the expectations of our members by providing classes that are appropriate for the participants, a facility that is clean, and highly qualified and knowledgeable staff that serve.
The vision of this fitness facility revolves around the Hixson communities. There are programs for people in every stage of their lives at the Sports Barn. Build better Bones in our masters class for those people that are concerned with bone density, balance, flexibility, and strength. Improve you road cycling skills in our group classes, or introduce your fitness regime to group cycling for the first time with our excellent instructors. Swim in our lap pool, or bring your family on the weekend for some sunny fun. The group exercise classes are again led by energetic instructors pushing you towards your wellness goals. High quality equipment including strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility equipment will certainly meet your expectations. Youth can exercise in an age appropriate class learning about exercise and wellness. Clean, comfortable, spacious locker room areas to start your busy day, barely fit-it-in, or finish your day in.
The Alex Guerry Center was named after the founder, Alex Guerry, who was a community leader and great athlete. The Guerry Center at Sports Barn North is a training facility for cheerleaders, dancers, stunters, young tumblers, and even people in their later years with special needs. This area was specifically designed with these populations in mind. A spring floor, a foam-bonded carpet area for comfortable footing for the wide variety of classes that are offered daily. Trampolines aid and teach the participants about how their bodies move in the air.
Our members are the reason we are in business and we understand the importance of meeting and exceeding the needs of those members. Come check out this club, we know that you will love it.
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