New Orleans group fitness party filling up fast

When registration for what could be the biggest group fitness event in U.S. history opened in late October, the world around hundreds of Les Mills junkies came to a screeching halt.

Just after 3 p.m. Eastern time on Oct. 25, group fitness fanatics from around the globe whipped out their credit cards, smartphones and laptops as registration kicked off for Les Mills and Fitmarc’s NOLA 2014 Mega-Quarterly event, scheduled for June 20-21, 2014, at New Orleans’ Ernest L. Morial Convention Center.

Good thing all these instructors weren’t all in the same room upon signing up, or some serious Internet problems would’ve ensued.

On Oct. 30, less than a week after registration opened, Get Les Mills reported over 500 people had registered. As of Friday, more than 600 people had secured their spots. More than 3,500 people are expected to sweat together.

Comparatively, the Orlando workshop in August had around 500 attendees. At this pace, the New Orleans workshop could very well sell out by the end of the year. VIP sections for BodyPump and RPM are long-gone, and most GRIT sessions are booked solid as well.

Thank God a traffic jam en route to a hockey game on the first day of registration allowed me to whip out the smartphone and secure my VIP spot for BodyPump!

The workshop, powered by our new sponsor, Reebok One, is being billed as the “largest and most empowering group fitness event in U.S. history,” the event page states.

The lineup is chock full of program directors, among them Lisa Osborne, Jackie Mills, Rachael Newsham, Gandalf Archer, Glen Ostergaard, Mark Nu’u, Dan Cohen, Diana Mills, Les Mills Jr., Susan Traino and Susan Renata. Two very special guests, Les Mills, Sr., and Phillip Mills, will be in attendance as well.

In case you don’t know, Les Mills, Sr. is the guy whose son, Phillip, founded these very workouts that empower our club members. Les Sr. represented his homeland of New Zealand in the Olympic Games in 1964, 1968 and 1972.

That lineup alone represents plenty of star power and is one of the reasons why ticksets to this event are going fast, and will likely continue to sell rapidly. If you want in on this fitness party, you’d better act fast. For those curious about advanced modules, those will likely be announced at a later date.

If you don’t like “Get Les Mills” or Fitmarc on Facebook, check out their pages. Information is available on Les Mills East Coast and West Coast’s pages as well. Also, here’s a link to the sign-up page that may be helpful: https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1324281. Hotel information is available there as well. Our host hotel is the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, only a half-mile from the Morial Convention Center.

Ticket prices will only go up after New Year’s Day. Until then, they are $199, but after that, it goes up to $225.

Don’t forget, your ticket gives you access to the world’s best fitness classes and a fun after-party at the convention center the evening of June 21.

Can’t wait to see you all there! Seven more months….not that any of us are counting down!

Ryan McLaughlin

About Ryan McLaughlin

BDN sports reporter Ryan McLaughlin grew up in Brewer and is a lifelong fan of the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins. In "The Boston Blitz" he'll be sharing his perspective with BDN readers about what's happening on the Boston professional sports scene.