My Local Like

Stella from Tawa

Local Like
- Athletes Village (AV232)

I would like to nominate the Athletes Village (AV232) in Tawa for a local like. During lockdown Ace Tiatia and Jerome Thompson went over and above to ensure their members were looked after during a time the country was going through so much uncertainty. How we managed activity was probably even more important then ever to ensure we sustained physical and mental wellbeing. These two wonderful men ensured prior to lockdown that all our gym members were aware that they could utilise the gym equipment on a loan basis. We all rolled up with the uncertainty of what our needs were and the uncertainty of how we were going to cope with the mental and physical fatigue ahead of us. This didn’t deter Ace and Jerome though. They continued on a path ensuring that our gym members were able to borrow what they needed to get through that period.



On top of that Ace and Jerome were running regular Zoom classes at 9am and 5pm. Ace also provided Zoom classes for our Kaumatua and our youth through the Ace Tiatia Academy (AT Academy). This was not an easy task to carry out, as many who participated had varying pieces of equipment, so for these two to program workouts that were full-filling, variable and challenging is a technique not many can master. These Zoom sessions were not just about gym members coming together. This was about whanau who were in their own bubbles but with the ability to see each other on a regular basis and feel even more connected to each other. You see the Athletes Village (AV232) is not just a place in Tawa, it is a feeling of connectiveness, support, motivation and inspiration with leaders like Ace and Jerome who are uplifting.



For these simple but effective reasons I believe they and the Athletes Village (AV232) deserve a Local Like.