The purpose of this petition is to expose InShape's clear disregard of member feedback, lack of customer service and deceptive tactics to protect their bottom line in the decision to eliminate the racquetball courts in Antioch and other IS locations.

You don't have to play racquetball to sign this petition. You only have to value good customer service and honesty from the Corporation you are paying each month. It is only a matter of time and money before some aspect of the club thatyoucare about is eliminated or changed in a way that's best for Corporate, but framed to look like it is best for members and 'based on member feedback'. It's the racquetball courts today, but could be your class, your workout area or favorite amenity tomorrow.

It was announced on 8/5 that racquetball courts will be eliminated in two weeks which affects a significant number of members, many of whom joined specifically for this service. The area will be reopened the first week of September with new equipment.

• An email with news had no apology on short notice, no recognition of inconvenience or that this was a valued service to many members. No sign posted in the area so many members only heard by word of mouth. Luckily, our racquetball family is connected so many members were texting, emailing and messaging each other with the disappointing announcement.
• No one at the Club or Corporate level was available to discuss this news or share answers live. The email stated 'Questions? Please contact the General Manager'. Yet, the GM was on vacation the entire week.
• There was no outreach to racquetball players before this decision was made, only a general survey in the last month to all members. If you don't target the members you are affecting or ask specifically about the area you are trying to change, you won't adequately learn about the value of that service or its impact to members. The surveys were clearly superficial.
• No answers from Corporate on these questions:
  • What efforts were made to gauge the impact of eliminating the courts
  • Was feedback from racquetball players included?
  • What factors were considered in selecting the racquetball area to be eliminated?
  • Why didn't InShape share plans sooner or even give warnings/updates as a courtesy to its members? At one point in the last six months, we were told there would be no changes as the beans supporting the court support the structure. All the while, InShape continued to collect monthly dues knowing a huge service would be discontinued.

It's too bad InShape did not take the time to understand that eliminating the racquetball courts does not just mean more room for free weights or loss of a few memberships. InShape is eliminating a strong community of players built over 10 years.

• We have a yearly sold out tournament that draws people from all of the Bay Area and numerous internal events to promote the sport.
• We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, births, weddings, going aways, etc. - together, all of us in the racquetball area on a regular basis as part of our workout time. We have many pictures of the past decade that we have shared across social media to show the love and support we have for our community of players.
• We have a Mon/Wed crew, a Tue/Thu squad, an old timer's morning club, a Friday night out group, Sat and Sun weekend warriors and countless others that comprise this unique community.
• We help new players and provide a free initial lesson. For an entire year, we offered classes to kids once a week, free of charge.
• We realize and promote that racquetball is one of the best calorie burning workouts around that can be played by all ages.
• We have a family of racquetball players that greet each other with high fives, fist pumps and hugs even though the competition on the courts gets to be pretty intense.
• We have many people just come to watch games. Even those that just finished playing or are injured, just sit and talk, adding to our sense of community.
• We welcomed the IS Pittsburg players when that club closed. We also share with the community of handball players and other members who occasionally use the courts for martial arts, volleyball, soccer and yoga.

It's disappointing that InShape did not care enough about its members to learn about the racquetball courts before they decided to eliminate them in Antioch. The racquetball courts and its members clearly exemplified the company mission to 'be healthy, fit and happy by creating a place of belonging and human connection, enabling a clear path to reach their health and fitness goals'.

We challenge InShape to find another group in the club as strong, dedicated and close as our racquetball community. We know that what the club replaces the courts with won't have the same effect on its members and the overall club.

Since the decision has been made, there is no chance to provide any feedback, to offer suggestions, etc. This petition is the only way to make our voices heard.