gym

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rosslyn Shooter Sentenced — “A man who worked as an investigator for conspiracy theorist Jack Burkman will serve nine years in prison for shooting and wounding his ex-boss” in a Rosslyn hotel parking garage. [Washington Post]

Marijuana Arrest Disparity — “African Americans were more than eight times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana crimes in Arlington from 2010-2016.” [Bacon’s Rebellion]

More on Long Bridge Plan — “New plans call to double the number of railroad tracks over the Potomac River between DC and Arlington, and to build a new pedestrian/bicycle bridge between Southwest Washington and Crystal City.” [Greater Greater Washington]

New Gym Coming to Arlington — “Blink Fitness is gearing up to expand into Northern Virginia with five new locations in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax. Northern Virginia-based Cove Fitness LLC inked the 10-year agreement with the New York fitness chain to bring gyms to the region that will create about 70 jobs and occupy 90,000 square feet.” [Washington Business Journal]

Crystal City Still in Spotlight — “I spent a day in Crystal City, Virginia — and it’s easy to see why Amazon picked it for its new HQ2 headquarters.” [Business Insider]

Most Elaborate Cubicle Xmas Decoration Ever? — At WJLA in Rosslyn, a TV director named Mason Herndon has converted his office cubicle into a log cabin complete with fake snow, a fake fireplace and Christmas lights. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler

Podcast: Scott Parker and Alex Trakas of BASH Boxing

By ARLnow.com

Local nightlife king Scott Parker is branching into fitness, launching BASH Boxing with fitness instructor and manager Alex Trakas.

We asked Parker and Trakas about their new venture, which officially opens on Friday, Nov. 16 in Rosslyn and is also coming to Ballston Quarter mall. We also talked with Scott about the state of the local bar scene and about that time the Washington Capitals brought the Stanley Cup to Don Tito in Clarendon.

Listen below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or TuneIn.

Courtesy photo

Fitness Club in Ballston Quarter Completes $2 Million Makeover, Gets a New Name

By Catherine Douglas Moran
1/5

(Updated at 8:45 a.m.) The gym formerly known as Sport & Health in Ballston Quarter now has a new name, to go alongside a bit of a refresh.

US Fitness, the company that owns the fitness club, wrapped up a $2 million renovation of the newly christened “Onelife Fitness” on Tuesday (Nov. 6). A grand opening for the refurbished gym is now set for next Tuesday (Nov. 13) at 5 p.m. to celebrate the completed makeover, according to a press release.

US Fitness operates primarily under the Onelife Fitness brand, but also operates all of the Sport & Health clubs around the D.C. area. “Our brand’s success is driven by our passion and commitment to provide solutions and results for our members. We are always looking for how we can improve by developing or adopting cutting-edge programs and solutions,” Kirk and John Galiani, co-chairmen and founders of US Fitness, said in a statement.

New gear from the makeover includes:

  • cardio equipment
  • treadmills
  • ellipticals
  • stair climbers
  • bikes
  • rowers
  • strength equipment including free weights, circuit and functional training equipment
  • indoor and outdoor turf training spaces

In addition to locker rooms and amenities, the fitness club will also offer an expanded club with a maze for children; a cycle studio with Coach by Color bikes; a new studio with yoga, barre and Pilates; high-intensity training; and a group fitness studio.

The gym remained open during the renovation, which is now complete, Kirk Galiani told ARLnow. The gym is on the third floor of Ballston Quarter (4238 Wilson Blvd), which Forest City is currently revamping. The mall blew past its opening date twice — once in September and again in October.

Virginia is home to more than half of the 30 total Onelife Fitness clubs, which span four states.

Just a few months ago, the American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index crowned Arlington as “America’s fittest city” for “achieving a balance of both healthy behaviors and community infrastructure.”

Potomac CrossFit in Courthouse Shuts Its Doors

By Alex Koma
1/3

Potomac CrossFit in Courthouse has shut down, just a few weeks after celebrating its 10th anniversary in Arlington.

The gym’s last day offering classes was last Friday (Oct. 26), according to employees at a chiropractor operating adjacent to the gym. Potomac was located in the base of an office building at 1320 N. Courthouse Road.

Two of Potomac CrossFit’s co-owners and coaches did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what prompted the closure. The space, along with several other suites in the office building, is currently listed for lease.

The gym moved into the Courthouse space in 2013, relocating from Clarendon after its old home was redeveloped. Potomac then merged with Patriot CrossFit, located just near the intersection of N. Glebe Road and Lee Highway, and that gym appears to still be operating.

Potomac celebrated its 10th year in business on Sept. 22, according to its social media posts.

Colin Farrell, the gym’s director of operations and training, penned a farewell to Potomac on the gym’s blog, describing its closure as “one of the harder things I’ve had to grapple with in my adult life.”

“There is nothing I could ever do to thank and repay you all for letting me be a part of your life over these past few years,” Farrell wrote to the gym’s members. “I cannot express how much I have enjoyed the process and how much I will miss each of you… This not just a gym closing, we all know that.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Vida Fitness Coming to Rosslyn Development — “Vida Fitness has signed a lease for 27,000 square feet at The Highlands in Rosslyn… The Highlands is a 1.2-million-square-foot mixed-use development from D.C.-based developer Penzance. The project’s groundbreaking [was Wednesday] and the first phase is slated for completion in the second quarter of 2021.” [Commercial Observer, Twitter]

Naked Man at Va. Square Metro Station — A naked man walked into the Virginia Square Metro station during yesterday evening’s rush hour. Police quickly responded, took the man into custody and requested medics to the scene to evaluate him for a possible drug overdose. [Twitter]

Survey: Road Improvements Wanted — “The public has an improving view of the Arlington government’s commitment to care of local roads, but there continues to be significant room for improvement, according to an updated customer-satisfaction survey. Only 55 percent of residents surveyed believe county roads are in satisfactory condition, while 23 percent are unsatisfied with the local government’s efforts and 23 percent are on the fence.” [InsideNova]

Stabbing on Patrick Henry Drive — A person was stabbed along the 3000 block of Patrick Henry Drive near the Arlington border last night. The victim’s injuries were reported to be life threatening, according to Fairfax County Police, which used its helicopter in an attempt to find the suspect. [WJLA, Twitter]

No Lottery Jackpot, But… — A $10,000 Mega Millions lottery ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven store in South Arlington. A single ticket in South Carolina matched all the numbers for the $1.6 billion jackpot in Tuesday’s drawing. [InsideNova]

Nearby: McLean Islamic Center Vs. Zoning Restrictions — The McLean Islamic Center is challenging county-imposed restrictions on worship and parking, which limit attendance “to mitigate the MIC’s impact on the surrounding neighborhood.” [Tysons Reporter] 

Flickr pool photo by Michael Coffman

New F45 Training Fitness Studio Looks to Be Coming to Ballston

By Alex Koma
1/2

A new fitness studio looks to be headed to Ballston.

F45 Training has applied for building permits in a 2,230-square-foot space at 3865 Wilson Blvd, according to county records. The office building is also home to a Next Day Blinds show room, though the permit application doesn’t make it clear where in the building the gym would be located.

F45 didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment seeking clarity on when the gym might open, but its website lists the location as “coming soon.” The gym would be F45’s second in Arlington, as the company already operates a location in Pentagon Row.

F45 also offers studios across the rest of the D.C. region, and the country. According to its website, each studio offers “a 45-minute high-intensity, circuit training workout class” for members, with 27 different classes offered in total.

The company applied for the building permits in September, records show.

Gold’s Gym in Courthouse Now Listed for Lease

By Alex Koma
1/3

The Gold’s Gym in Courthouse could soon be on the move, though its staff is hopeful it will stay put.

The gym’s space, located in an office building at 1310 N. Courthouse Road, is now be listed for lease by the real estate firm Colliers International.

A listing describes a 19,000-square-foot space on the building’s lower level as an “ideal gym, training center, conference center, or classroom space,” and says it will be available for lease by March 1, 2019. The realtor marketing the property did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

However, Mustafa Saifee, a district manager for Gold’s, told ARLnow that the gym is “currently in lease negotiations with [the] landlord” ahead of its current lease expiring in March.

“We are optimistic that we will be able to work out a deal that will allow us to stay and we absolutely plan on staying there for the foreseeable future,” Saifee said.

The entire lobby of the office building itself is currently under renovation, and some construction fencing currently blocks off entrances to the Gold’s.

The fitness chain also operates nearby locations in Rosslyn, Ballston, Clarendon and near Bailey’s Crossroads.

Clarendon Gym Owner Charged with Buying $50,000 in Cocaine from Undercover Agents

By Alex Koma

The owner of the Clarendon Fitness gym is now facing federal drug charges, after he allegedly tried to buy $50,000 worth of cocaine from undercover police officers.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents have charged Pascal Shaun Laporte with possession with intent to distribute, claiming that he was willing to buy two kilograms of cocaine from officers posing as Mexican gang members late last month. In an affidavit filed in federal court, the agents allege that Laporte unwittingly spoke with a police informant for close to a year as he looked to find a supplier to sell him hundreds of kilograms of cocaine each month.

Laporte opened Clarendon Fitness, a gym located at 2907 Wilson Blvd, back in 2010 and bills himself as a fitness enthusiast and investor on the business’s website. Neither Laporte nor his attorney responded to requests for comment on the drug charges.

The DEA claims that an informant first told agents about Laporte’s interest in finding a “cocaine supplier” in September 2017. Officials allege that Laporte paid the informant $1,600 to buy an ounce of cocaine two months later, striking a deal in the parking lot of the Arlington Traditional School (855 N. Edison Street).

By August, the informant arranged a meeting between Laporte and two Fairfax County police officers posing as members of “a Mexican drug trafficking organization” at the Tysons Corner mall. Laporte told them he was already “involved with another group of men who were getting him cocaine,” but that he was interested in buying much more, according to the affidavit.

Later that month, Laporte told the informant that he was coordinating with associates in both South Carolina and Florida, and hoped to buy as much as 10 kilograms of cocaine moving forward, if an initial deal with the undercover detectives went well.

On Aug. 30, the agents claim that the informant was able to arrange the sale at a Tysons Corner hotel, at which point Laporte delivered them $45,000, pledging to give them another $5,000 the next day. At that point, officers arrested Laporte.

Court records show Laporte was released from jail on a $30,000 bond on Sept. 6.

These drug charges are not Laporte’s first run-in with law enforcement. Arlington court records show he pleaded guilty to felony assault and battery in 2007, though the charge was eventually reduced to a misdemeanor.

Police also charged him with attempted malicious wounding and the assault and battery of a family member in 2014, but declined to move forward with those charges — he subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct for preventing someone from dialing 911.

File photo

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Vida Fitness Eyeing Second Arlington Gym — Vida Fitness has signed a letter of intent to open a gym and a “Sweatbox” boutique fitness studio in western Rosslyn, likely by the end of 2020. The company is expected to open its first Arlington location in Ballston in late 2019. [Washington Business Journal]

Beyer: If Impeachment Comes, It Must Be Bipartisan — “U.S. Rep. Don Beyer is no fan of Donald Trump. But he’s against moving forward with impeachment of the president unless it becomes a true bipartisan effort. ‘I don’t believe impeachment should ever be partisan – it should be done together,’ Beyer (D-8th) said at a campaign forum.” [InsideNova]

Warning About Swollen Streams — After an almost disastrous incident yesterday, the Arlington County Fire Department tweeted: “Remember, even a few inches of rushing water can be deceivingly powerful.” [Twitter]

Cemetery to Hold Expansion Dedication — “Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 6 will formally dedicate a 27-acre expansion that will provide more than 27,000 additional burial spaces… The expansion will provide for 10,882 in-ground burial spaces and 16,400 above-ground niche spaces for cremated remains.” [InsideNova]

Mongolian School Fights Fee Increase Proposal — “The Arlington school system’s proposal to vastly increase rental fees charged to the non-profit Mongolian School of the National Capital Area has outraged supporters of the school and led to predictions it might have to close if the increase isn’t reduced or rescinded… The proposal to jump the facility-use charge to $28,000 a year would be ‘devastating to our children and hard-working families,’ said Jane Batsukh, president of the Mongolian School Parents Association.” [InsideNova]

New Metrorail Cars Coming — Metro has kicked off the procurement process for its next-generation 8000 series rail cars. The transit agency plans to purchase hundreds of such cars and to put them into service as soon as 2024. [WMATA]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Bash Boxing Opening Second Gym in Ballston Quarter

By Alex Koma

Bash Boxing is gearing up to open its second location in the Ballston Quarter development next year.

The boxing-focused workout studio will join the newly renovated Ballston mall “sometime in early 2019,” according to co-owner Scott Parker, who also manages a variety of Arlington restaurants.

Co-owner Alex Trakas adds that the space will be 5,000 square feet in size, and will be located closest to the N. Randolph Street side of the development.

Bash announced plans earlier this year to open its first gym in Rosslyn, in the space formerly occupied by Cafe Asia. Parker and Trakas were initially hoping to start offering classes there this spring, but Trakas says they’re now hoping to get things going sometime this fall.

The studio plans to split its workouts between boxing on a water-filled training bag and “high intensity interval training.” Classes will generally last 45 minutes each.

Ballston Quarter will also eventually be home to a slew of restaurants and retailers, in addition to some “experiential” tenants. Its developer is hoping to open some stores in the development starting this fall, though some parts of the project have run into a few snags recently.

Photo via @bash

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Construction Kicks Off at The Berkeley — Work is underway on The Berkeley, and “obsolete” apartment building at 2900-2910 S. Glebe Road that is doing a significant redevelopment. The $100 million project will turn the 137 units currently on the site into 256 apartments. [Multi-Housing News]

Remains May Be Linked to Missing Person Case — Remains found in Stafford County are reportedly those of a woman who went missing in Arlington in 1989. The missing woman’s husband — Jose Rodriguez-Cruz, who’s currently in jail for another woman’s murder — told police at the time that his wife left and was living in the Miami area. Later D.C. police learned that it was his second wife’s sister, who had assumed the identity of Rodriguez-Cruz’s first wife. [Fox 5]

Vida Fitness Eyeing Rosslyn Location — “[Vida Fitness] has a letter of intent for space in western Rosslyn, owner David von Storch told the Business Journal… The location — which will include SweatBox, a boutique studio within a gym that offers high-intensity interval training in a fast-paced, heart-monitored workout — would open in the fourth quarter of 2020. Von Storch already has a deal to open a Vida in Ballston.” [Washington Business Journal]

ACPD Motor Squad Escorts the Caps — Members of the Arlington County Police Department’s motorcycle squad helped escort the Washington Capitals and the Stanley Cup in yesterday’s victory parade in D.C. Other regional police agencies, including Montgomery County Police, also participated. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

View More Stories