I've been thinking a lot about active classes. Sure, you can join a gym for about R450/month (note that the gyms don't advertise their rates on their websites - you have to provide your details and they'll call you). You get group classes like aerobics, katabox, yoga, pilates and spinning as well as weights, circuit, treadmill and other cardio machines, shower facilities and maybe a pool too for seven days a week, almost every day of the year (bar xmas day and new year's day) and for a wide hour range. That's pretty good value. So, let's say that I go five times a week, that's R22.50 per visit.
Yoga classes at a yoga studio... well you're looking at cheapest of R32 per session for five times a week at one class per day. But, a studio may only offer two or three of the classes you want each week. And if you choose to only go to these classes two or three times a week, you're paying R60 to R65/class. If the rates were less would we see more than five people in each class? For yoga, because I live a distance from the studio, I just get a 10 class card that lasts two months; I aim to do one self practise each week - doesn't always happen.
Pole dancing... classes are R50/class at two classes a week. R45/class if you're on a six-month contract instead of monthly. I've been teaching for two-and-a-half years now and except for the odd group private class (three or four of us) with a more experienced instructor (ex Miss Pole UK), I haven't been to classes for at least 18 months (as an instructor I don't pay fees at my studio).
Workshops are cool. I haven't been to many, but I'd like too. It's just the cost that really gets me. If I only did one discipline and no events like O events, road races, AR events it may feel different to constantly dishing out money?
Next month there is an advanced pole dance workshop with Suzie Q and Toby J. I've been a big fan of Suzie Q ever since I saw her in the video of her second place tango-themes dance at Miss Pole Australia in 2006 (the original video is no longr on youTube). It's a two-hour workshop with Suzie and Toby for R300.00. I'm really looking forward to learning some neat stuff from them.
Here's a fun video of Suzie Q and Toby J from a pole thing in Dec last year. Camera a bit too close to the stage most of the time; but shows some nice pole doubles stuff.
Then, there's an acroyoga workshop with Olivier David. He's an ashtangi and he does acroyoga stuff. I did two workshops (donation basis) in January and would really like to do more. The one workshop is R300 for two hours. It's on the same afternoon as the pole workshop. There are two other workshops with him at another studio; R450 for two hours. Quite a bit eh?
The one thing I've found is that some workshops have only a handful of people attending. The cost? I'm sure. A workshop with five people lacks the vibe of a workshop with 15 people.
My navigation workshops are R150, including a manual booklet, full-colour printed maps (O, Google Earth image, topographic) and they're fully booked (max. 20 people; I usually limit to 16).
And then I look at the educator training course we held in Polokwane this weekend to teach teachers how to teach orienteering; R200 for the day (09h00 - 16h00) including material (manual, activity material - printing and laminating cost R105) plus tea and light lunch (rolls with fillings). Sure, I'm not looking make a living from teaching nav courses and SAOF isn't looking to make money out of training teachers and SAOF covers costs for having us (instructors) there, but when I look at the amazing value from both of these, with change to spare, then it just makes me feel that these other workshops are a bit pricey for only two hours?
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