I had been going to TG for over a year. It was extremely stuffy/smelly, overcrowded, and untidied…read more I attended to socialize with other individuals, get in shape, and gain self-defense. I remained to myself for the most part of me attending the gym, nearly everyday.
I was met with gossip of other attendees and staff. I witness several coaches make fun of a fighter after his fight. They called him crazy and weird. They intentionally lock equipment on one of the black attendees, claiming he does not know how to use the machine, instead of showing him how to use it properly. Further, I had a first-hand glimpse of women being sexually targeted and betted on. I've witness prejudice against black people attending the gym. It made my experience extremely uncomfortable. I witnessed rodents and roaches over the past year. The bathroom is never clean. Mondays is the only day I noticed the gym thoroughly cleaned.
I had two different coaches throughout my attendance at the gym. I paid my first coach six months in advance. He informed me that the owner did bad business, resided within the business with his girlfriend, and cheated on his girlfriend. The coach informed me that the girlfriend, who is a fitness instructor/coach, complained to him about her relationship with the owner and had a her body surgically augmented. This made me not want to interact with her or the owner inside or outside of the gym (at events). I continued to go to gain the training and because it was in my area. After discovering that my coach was an alcoholic and would groom women and bet on them with a fellow coach, I decided to request for the remainder 3 months I paid for in advance, to switch coaches. I was told that he will not refund me, causing me not to pay my next coach in advance.
I saw my next coach every day and engaged in the workout with his fighters. I switched to him. My previous coach informed me that he did not train black people, and I should be careful. For several months, I was ostracized and met with hostility from a fellow female fighter. She seem possessed with our coach. He would allow her to take over the work out and instruct us. She was very vile in the way she addressed me. The coach was too busy flirting with her and could care less how she conducted herself with fellow fighter in his group. One day, I pull her to the side while the coach was present, and he walked away. He later informed me that he liked how I dealt with the situation, yet felt it was not his place to correct her behavior. She continue to put out heavy weights and ostracizing me from the group. One day, I was told by her current coach that she claimed that our coach was trying have s*x with her and since she rejected him he refused to train her properly. When she went to other coaches to train her momentarily, he would get upset with her. Her current coach told me that he witnessed her being possessive, aggressive, and disrespectful, yet he was will to take her money and would not allow that type of behavior in his group.
Now my second coach told me that she disrespect him and his daughter so he kicked her out of our group. When he was in the process of returning her money, she got on her knees and begged him not to kick her out. Her current coach advised him not to return her money. My first and second coach informed me that they were "working on getting her up out of here." They would smile in her face and talk about her behind her back.
After she left the group is when my coach began to include me in the group and taking my training seriously. He would continue to ask me out on a date. When we went out one of the times, I inquired as to what happened between him and the woman. He stated that she's fat and disrespect him and daughter then begged on her knees to stay in the group. Later, he informed me that people at the gym did not like me. This was a surprise to me since I did not speak to anyone at the gym, and had begun opening up a little bit more. The owner's girlfriend insinuated that I would purchase drinks from the gym and not pay for them without reviewing the account to see if the payment were sent. I also observed the girlfriend target black coaches and attendees. She would call out the black coaches and their trainees about paying the gym membership or putting the equipment back. While I've observed non-black coaches left their equipment out throughout the gym. I was also informed that she was prejudice against black people.
My coach was liar, womanizer, and manipulative, I decided to keep it on a professional level. Yet, he began to stop diminish in his training with me. My coach put me, 5'2 152 lbs, in the ring with a man, 5'8 230 lbs. He was not holding back his blows. My coach was not providing me with the necessary instructions. In fact, he was cheering against me and told the man, in Spanish, that I could handle it. I knew that he didn't want me in his group anymore and would put my life in jeopardy. So I left.