As Physie clubs around the country move back into their halls, it’s time to pause for a little reflection. The last 3 months have been hard – for students, parents and teachers alike. But you all made it through the online phase, you were pushed out of your comfort zones and you learned to adapt. Together, you kept the Physie flame burning. THANK YOU!

Some clubs haven’t been able to return to their halls yet, as schools and councils err on the side of caution, deciding to wait until Term 3 for external hirers. It’s super frustrating for the clubs involved but we have to respect everyone’s right to make the decisions that they feel are in the best interest of the general public. In the meantime those clubs are finding temporary homes, doing Physie in the park and keeping up with zoom lessons – basically doing whatever is necessary to keep on practising. We applaud your inventiveness and salute your determination to keep Physie alive. This is no small thing!

With everyone under so much stress this year, Physie is a great release. It provides a break for your brain, a social connection and a safe space for emotional wellbeing. It’s a happy place where everyone feels supported by the Physie family.  We like to think of Physie as an essential service to the community and I’m sure our members would agree.

As classes move back into halls, you should know that our teachers have a Covid-19 Safety Plan to keep you all safe by implementing exclusion, hygiene and social distancing practices. If anyone at a Physie club tests positive, classes will be immediately closed and you will be advised.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

• Be patient while your club adapts to the new practices
• Do whatever you can to help your club stick to their policies
• Download the COVID Safe app on your phone
• Let your club know if you are sick or may have been exposed
• Use hand sanitiser whenever you are asked to
• Ensure students bring their own water bottle
• Ensure students arrive dressed ready for class
• Head off after class, don’t hang around at changeover times
• Keep the 1.5m social distance, especially at class changeover times
• Encourage any members you know to come back to Physie
• Help returning and new members to integrate into your class
• Support your teachers by practising at home
• Stay positive on social media and contribute to positive club spirit

EVERY CLUB IS IN THE SAME BOAT

You might think your club is the only one that’s struggling, the only club that’s lost some members, the only club that feels the students aren’t up to the standard they normally are in June. I guarantee you that EVERY club feels the same way. Everyone is in the same boat. It’s been a year of disappointments in life, not just in Physie so take a deep breath and accept that, just for this year, things might look a bit different to how you would want them to be. It is what it is – it’s Covid-year. We all need to let go of perfection this year and focus on having some fun in our lives, Physie-style.

So keep listening to your teacher, whether you are indoors, outdoors on online because they know what you need to fix!  Practice with the BJP videos and learn your routines until you can do them with your eyes shut. Do all the exercises and drills that your teachers have sent you to practice at home with: keep stretching and strengthening your bodies.

This year we created a new training package for members, which we’ve subsidised because we wanted every member to be able to afford to buy it. There’s an hour of skill building routines on it and it’s amazing value for money. If you haven’t seen it yet there’s a little video ad for it on our fb page. It’s guaranteed to help you become a better Physie performer.

We know you’ve missed your interclubs. We know how much you’ve missed out on in life this year! So we’ll do what we can to make it up to you. When our teachers confirm their entries on 1^stAugust we will hopefully by then be in a position to create a timetable for the whole country. As we’ve said before we will do everything we possibly can to hold every competition that we usually do for you to participate in.  Wherever we can have it, whenever we can have it and however we can have it – we will have it, if it’s humanly possible. As soon as the government gives the green light and we can start planning, we will let you know!

Until then, keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing… keep calm and Physie on. And smile!