Almaden Valley Athletic Club View Library Document: Historical Highlights

Since 1976, the Almaden Valley Athletic Club has provided a cutting-edge, resort-style fitness venue for San Jose residents.

2010	January Our Open House, held Saturday, January 16, was a great success. AVAC members and people from the San Jose community contributed to 41 appointments. The American Red Cross took donations for Haiti Relief, while distributing disaster preparation materials. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department fingerprinted children for identification purposes. The event was covered by the media, including Alamden Times. Click here for the full story!

2009	The year 2009 was devoted to a re-dedication to our Mission Statement which is centered on our commitment to provide health and fitness not only to our members, but the San Jose community as well. In this spirit, we held three Open House Events, Our members have donated blood to the Stanford Bloodmobile in January and June, and will do so again on our next Community Day Open House, slated for Saturday, January 16, 2010. As the community struggles to deal with the trials of the worldwide recession, AVAC has provided a welcome resource for our members and their guests, and has not found it necessary to reduce our staff. We offer a variety of programs to our members who are experiencing these hard times and hope that those who had to leave, will return in better days. Recently, we retrofit the drain system of our Outdoor Pool to bring it into compliance with new laws governing pool operators. We resurfaced the pool and performed upgrades while this was being done.
	October
	More that $196,000 in new equipment added to the Fitness Floor throughout 2008: 4 Woodway Treadmills®, 3 Freemotion Fitness Incline Trainers with WorkoutTV™, 4 Stairmasters®, 4 LifeFitness ellipticals, 3 Precor AMT® 100i Ellipticals, 1 StairMaster® StepMill®, and 6 StarTrac® elliptical total body trainers. It is AVAC’s tradition to purchase and supply the latest in fitness technology for its members. 2008 has been no exception.
	June
	Community Day draws 300 visitors to AVAC for Tennis Demos, Blood Pressure Screening, tours of the facility. Watch for another open house January 24, 2009.
	May Pool Deck re-surfaced.
2008	January New Men’s Locker Room opens with granite surfaces, additional sinks, tiles, sauna and steam.

2007	December Installation of $250,000 in new Technogym ‘Excite’ treadmills, recumbent and upright bikes, and a new Wave workout machine. State-of-the-art features include iPod compatibility, iPhone and music, plus video and TV. October Construction of Men’s Locker Room begins. September AVAC builds two new viewing decks with canvas awnings overlooking the 11 lighted tennis courts. Develops a relationship with Peet's Coffee and Tea June AVAC adds ZUMBA, a popular, sizzling dance routine, under the direction of Stacy Farmer, who is featured in a ZUMBA video.

2006	June AVAC celebrates 30 years. There are 75 original charter members featured in the year-long campaign, as well as a host of success stories. January AVAC launches a year-long Fit4LIFE campaign to foster friendly competition among members. The “Best Improved” at the end of the year – the person who has reached a goal using nutrition, exercise alone [no supplements!] wins a dues-free year for the succeeding year. This program is now [in 2008] in its third year.

2005	December AVAC rebuilds the Women’s Locker Room, including the addition of two steam showers and a total refurbishing of the Jacuzzi, new glass blocks and doors and granite countertops and sinks. November AVAC hosts its third “Celebration of Life” fundraising initiative for Hospice of the Valley, raising $11,000. AVAC receives “Distinguished Volunteer Fundraiser” award from the Association of Fundraising Progressionals [AFP]. September AVAC establishes nutrition program with licensed Nutritionist and nationally-certified personal trainer Vesna Mardesic. July AVAC hosts “Celebration Under the Stars” and raises $12,000 to benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation, honoring national hero and San Jose native, Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan. The evening featured the Joe Sharino Band. May AVAC celebrates the 10th year of hosting NTRP class Doubles Charity Tennis Tournament Event. March AVAC partners with San Francisco 49ers chiropractor Dr. Mark Eastland, D.C., A.T.C. of the MORE Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Center to offer members onsite treatment and care. February AVAC hosts health expert Dr. Walter M. Bortz as a guest lecturer. Dr. Bortz is renowned worldwide for this advice on aging. AVAC members and owners initiate a matching donation program to benefit Southeast Asia tsunami victims. $20,000 is raised.

2004	December AVAC expands and refurbishes the club. Upgrades include a 1,200-square-foot functional fitness and stretching studio, fresh colors and decorative accents throughout, including new furniture in the Poolside Cafe, murals on the walls, plus flat-panel televisions. Jim and Linda Theiring, co-founders of the Club, officially retire. More than 200 former and current members gather to celebrate their contribution to the community. A commemorative statue of three dolphins is place in their honor at the entrance to the AVAC Swim School. September AVAC raising $20,000 for the Hospice of the Valley via its “Celebration of Life” fundraising. April AVAC participates in the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association’s [IHRSA] nationwide Get Active America to combat the obesity epidemic.

2003	September AVAC raises $23,000 for for the Hospice of the Valley via its “Celebration of Life” fundraising. March AVAC hosts 17th, and final, AVAC “Super Sprint” Triathlon

2002	November Coos Bay Oregon’s Marshfield High School opens its doors to a new 3,500 square foot Fitness Center created with a donation by former students, Joe Shank and Jim Theiring. July AVAC builds 1,200-square-foot Pilates Studio. June AVAC establishes the first-ever STOTT PILATES™ certification program in Northern California.

2001	November AVAC initiates a fundraiser for the Twin Towers Orphan Fund to benefit children who lost a parent on September 11, 2001. June AVAC launches Senior Wellness Program as a venue for seniors to engage in healthy activities, while having fun! The program is an outgrowth of an earlier program “Just Enough” series of exercise classes, lectures, journaling, CPR training, dinners, birthday parties, as well as local and international vacations.

2000	June AVAC Swim School facility is completed and opens its doors, offering year-round instruction and training. More than 3,000 children each week are taught to swim in the state-of-the-art site.

1999	December Following many years of operating a successful learn-to-swim summer program, AVAC breaks ground for an indoor Swim School with retractible glass roof. September AVAC adds yoga classes and establishes one of Northern California’s first Spinning classes.

1992	AVAC completed a major remodel, adding more than 6,000 square feet of space to accommodate an indoor cafe, a complete line of equipment, cardio machines, free weights and weight benches. AVAC participates in a fundraiser for the American heart Association’s “Dance for Heart” initiative.

1990	AVAC replaces two of the original racquetball courts to create a new Group Fitness and Aerobic activities, and a fitness area for stationary cardio equipment. AVAC is the first to introduce Step Classes to Northern California

1988	AVAC raises nearly $50,000 over a four-year period for the Special Olympics.

1985	AVAC hosts the first US Tennis Association Boys and Girls National Junior Championships on its courts. The club went on to host this tournament for 25 years.

1976	June 24 AVAC opens its doors with 550 memberships

1974	The adventure begins. Jim and Linda Theiring make a deposit on the walnut grove at Camden and Kooser. Joe Shank moves his family to Los Gatos from New Jersey. Over the period of one-and-a-half years, Joe raises a total of $1.5 million, securing 35 limited partners and $550,000 from Mercury Savings and Loan. Using some creative financing, the adjoining property is purchased to build the tennis court facility. Ground is broken on the original club, which includes three platform tennis courts, two paddle tennis courts, six racquetball courts, an outdoor pool, two indoor Jacuzzis, two saunas, a steam room and a 2,600-square foot fitness facility. AVAC joins the first national association for clubs, the International Racquetball and Sports Association that was later renamed the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association [IHRSA]. Historical Notes In the 1970s, men and women did not work out together. AVAC was the first family oriented facility in San Jose.