www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 3, 2007 - 21 A unique fitness experience at quad west "What's the point of easy?" Micheline Wedderburn exhorts, as she puts the packed house of indoor cyclists through their paces. It's the 8 am class on a recent Saturday and there's a butt in every saddle in Quad's hip flagship studio in downtown Toronto. The music is pumping, and so are the hearts of the early bird riders who come in all shapes, sizes and ages. This is indoor cycling to music and its popularity is booming for good reason. "The results are undeniable and you are guaranteed to leave in a better mood than when you arrived," Wedderburn explains later after climbing off her bike. She's a walking advertisement of the benefits of spinning. In her forties and raising 3 children, Wedderburn is slim, toned and has boundless energy. She fell in love with this exercise after living in Los Angeles, where it really "took off" around 1987 "and has been going strong ever since." The reason is simple. It is an invigorating and easy way to shed pounds and lower body fat. In one class, a person one can burn up to 900 calories while firming the tush and developing strong and shapely legs. And while Wedderburn and the other instructors encourage the cyclists to push themselves, it's the participant who ultimately controls the workout by adjusting the tension on the wheel. It is proving to be addictive. In just five years since opening quad in Toronto, Wedderburn and husband Martin Dzatko have watched their client base grow, adding more classes and more top-of-the-line Schwinn indoor bikes to meet the demand. They even introduced on-line pre-registration to help manage the flow and ensure people weren't turned away in disappointment. It was only natural that the couple would eventually want to set up shop in Oakville, the place they call home. Last year they opened quad west, a new, 3,000 square foot industrial studio at 447 Speers road, unit 10, up from the fantasy fruit market. Already the number of instructors has doubled to a dozen. "We really felt that an exceptional indoor cycling studio was needed in our home town," she says. While some gyms offer spin classes, quad and quad west are unique in that its fare is strictly cycling, with some stretching and Pilates thrown in to mix things up. The other thing that sets quad and quad west apart is the personal touch. "Our philosophy is that this exercise should be made available and welcoming to everyone. It is intense and loud at times but people have a sense of community with us, they are not judged but allowed to be themselves." Wedderburn explains quad's ethos. "We really push form and positioning. Our bikes adjust for everybody type, which gives us the ability to target specific areas without putting undue strain on other areas of the body. It is almost an emotional experience, when you get the music pumping, and other people that are having fun surround you and pushing their limits, you really feel the energy. There's nothing quite like it." Classes are generally one hour in length, with 45 minutes dedicated riding and 15 minutes for a cool down and stretch. Each one is different, with instructors varying the sessions from easy to intense. Beginners and experienced riders feel right at home. Most participants opt for traditional cycling garb, though lululemon and other yoga gear, shorts and t-shirts also do the job. One can wear their own running shoes or rent clip-in cycling shoes which arguably make for a better workout. Classes begin at 9:30 am and go to 6:45 pm throughout the week. Weekends start at 9:30 am on with an introduction/beginners class at 12:00 noon on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information about the sport or class information contact quad west at (905) 842-1812 or visit their website at www.quadspin.com and choose the quad west logo to the left. On Saturday, January 13, 2007 and Sunday, January 14, 2007, quad west will be celebrating their one year anniversary with an open house including free classes, prizes, give-aways and goodies. There will be free classes at 9:30 am, 10:45 am, at 12:00 noon the intro class for all beginners and another regular class at 1:00 pm on both days. Community Notices Classified Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm E-mail: classified@haltonsearch.com Obituary HUGHES, MARION "MIDGE" (LEAHY)After a courageous battle with cancer, passed away peacefully at OTMH on December 29, 2006, surrounded by her beloved husband Bill and her family. Affectionately known as `Mom' to everyone at Perdue High School where she worked in the cafeteria. Also former e m p l o y e e o f O a k v i l l e Tr a f a l g a r H i g h School and Wal-Mart. Midge is survived by her loving husband Bill Hughes. Loving mother of Richard Leahy (Barb), Sonya Neal (John), Angela Parker (Tim), Shari Inglehart (Stephen). Midge will be dearly missed by all her grandchildren, extended family and many friends. Visitation will be held at the Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Road West, (one block east of Kerr, 905-844-2600) Oakville on Thursday from 2-4 & 7-9 pm. A Service of Thanksgiving to Celebrate the life of Midge will be held 11:00 am Friday, January 5, 2007 at the Kopriva Taylor Chapel. Interment to take place immediately following the service at Trafalgar Lawn Cemetery with a reception at the Royal Canadian Legion, Oakville Branch 114. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of OTMH for their thoughtfulness and care and a special thank you to Dr. Collett for his care over the years. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions would be greatly appreciated by the family to the Oakville Humane Society or charity of your choice. Email condolences may be sent to kopriva@eol.ca; please place HUGHES on the subject line. Obituary Obituary WARZONEK, Richard Edward- Richard passed away peacefully after a short but courageous battle with cancer at the Guelph General Hospital on Saturday, December 30, 2006. Richard Warzonek at the age of 81 years. He is missed beyond words by his loving and devoted wife, Elizabeth, his children, Rick (Karen), Mary, Dennis (Juanita), and by his grandchildren, Adam, Emily, Jennifer, Alex and Colin. He was predeceased by his loving wife, Irene. Richard had a great sense of humour and the most expressive eyes. He loved his wife and family dearly and his circle of wonderful friends. He was the man who loved a challenge, and throughout his life, everyone knew Richard could fix absolutely anything. Because of this, he truly enjoyed all his working years at PPG in Clarkson. With the tireless help of his devoted wife Elizabeth, Richard made the most of his last few years recovering from a serious stroke. He was cheerful, hopeful and full of love, a very proud husband, father and grandpa. Friends may call at the GILCHRIST CHAPEL - McIntyre & Wilkie Funeral Home, One Delhi Street, Guelph (from 2 to 4 & 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday). Service will be held at the GILCHRIST C H A P E L o n T h u r s d a y, J a n u a r y 4 a t 11:00 a.m. Cremation Woodlawn Memorial Park. Memorial contributions to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario would be appreciated. We invite you to leave your memories and donations online at: www.gilchristchapel.com Obituary STONE, Derek Charles- At Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, December 27, 2006, Derek Stone, aged 82 years. Beloved husband of Pauline (Pam) and dearest father of Sharonne Stone, Jesica Stone and dear father-inlaw of John McNeill. Treasured grandfather of Adiia Stone. Derek was a valued psychiatric social worker at Greater Niagara General Hospital for over 20 years and he was a very faithful deacon at Thorold South Gospel Chapel. Cremation has taken place. A Memorial Service was held at the VINELAND CHAPEL of the TALLMAN FUNERAL HOMES, 3277 King St. on Sunday, December 31st at 1:30pm. If desired, in honor of Derek's faith and commitment, memorial donations to the Thorold South Gospel Chapel Building Fund or alternatively the Heart and Stoke Foundation would be appreciated. MCKENZIE, Jill (1938-2006)- At Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital on December 27, after a short illness. Predeceased by her son, Neil. She is survived by her mother, Flora, her brothers Michael and Geoffrey, her husband of 48 years, Alan, her children, Duncan (Amy), Fiona (Paul), Ian (Soonya), Catherine (Martin), and nine grandchildren. Jill will be remembered for her life of dedication and support to her family, and her constant kind devotion to them all. Clever, practical, cheerful, and extraordinarily multi-talented, she was an unforgettable person. A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, January 4th at 7.00 p.m. at the Central Baptist Church, 340 Rebecca St., Oakville. (SE corner of Rebecca and Mordern). In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of Jill's favourite charities, the Salvation Army (1 800 SAL ARMY) for "international relief efforts". In Memoriam Michael Bruce Atkinson (Ernie) 1954-2006 A year has passed since you left us so suddenly. We miss you dearly. We miss everything that made you the person you were. Loving you was easy, losing you broke our hearts. Forever with you, forever in me, ever the same. Love, Cheryl, Mark, Chad and families.