Last week, I had the privilege of attending the official media hoopla and ribbon cutting for the grand opening of Cowboys Fit, the new health and fitness center at The Star in Frisco. I’ll save you the suspense right now… It’s as irresistibly over-the-top as you would expect from something commissioned by the Jerry Jones family.
What’s so glam about a new gym? First of all, it’s not a gym. It’s a high-performance world-class training and recovery facility. And if you join, you’ll sweat glitter like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. (Probably.)
If you’ve visited AT&T Stadium or The Star in Frisco, you know the Dallas Cowboys will spare no expense to engage with their fans.
We’ve created a state-of-the-art fitness center to engage Cowboys fans in ways we have never done before,” said Jerry Jones Jr., executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer for the Dallas Cowboys. “Not only will these facilities be used by our players, they will be used by our club members.
The very sports nutritionists and sports therapists that help our players are the ones our club members will have access to. This is an incredibly unique way for our fans to engage in the Dallas Cowboys in an experience never seen before. At Cowboys Fit, you don’t have to be a world-class athlete to train in a world-class performance training center.”
Charlotte Jones Anderson, Cowboys’ executive vice president/chief brand officer, put it this way…
You get a chance to train beside our players and our cheerleaders. You’ll get a chance to work out with them, spin with them, do yoga with them, or be taught by them.”
In other words, members of Cowboys Fit can rub elbows with the team.
At the press conference and ribbon cutting for the official grand opening, I found myself seated 10 feet away from Jerry Jones, Sr. At this point, I’m feeling pretty cool; pen-in-hand; ready to feverishly take notes as Mr. Jones steps to the podium. He first thanked our new Mayor Jeff Cheney, and the City of Frisco for their support. Then, he shared background about the development and vision for the project.
These are buildings and improvements that we’re so proud of, but at the end of the day, they’re just a tool. The real action is when they’re filled up with people and filled up with the blood that makes it really run.”
Over the course of the press conference, the words “state-of-the-art” and “world-class” were used a lot. I don’t know about you, but for me those words have about as much meaning as the word “natural” does on our groceries.
So let’s get down to bedazzled brass tacks. What does Cowboys Fit have to offer, and what makes it state-of-the-art?
The Facility
Walking past the welcome desk on the first floor you’ll find the Fuel Zone Cafe, where members can purchase drinks, smoothies, and sandwiches. On the wall of the Cafe are health and fitness stats, both general and that of Dallas Cowboys’ players. Childcare is available in the Rowdy Room, aptly named after the team’s mascot.
Inside the 60,000 square foot facility, there are three fitness studios which host boutique-style classes, yoga, barre, and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) among them. The Ride Room (spinning) was my favorite and I don’t even ride. A live DJ spins high-energy music from a platform while glass doors open up to overlook The Ford Center plaza.
My preview of the Recovery Lounge will go down in personal history as the day I made my husband wish he was a writer. It was here where I encountered Dez Bryant, Dak Prescott, and Ezekiel Elliot just a few feet away. Chillaxin’ in the latest recovery innovations: cryotherapy machines, NormaTec, and Hydromassage. All treatments developed by the industry’s leading experts. Obviously, my Facebook page now boasts this star-studded moment.
But, the second floor is where the magic REALLY happens. First, there’s a 40-yard sports turf with Cowboys-branded end zones modeled after the 40-yard dash in the NFL Combine complete with weight sleds, plyo boxes, and battle ropes. Plus, over 40 selectorized machines and 90 pieces of interactive cardio. Over one-hundred Cowboys-branded weights total more than 20,000 pounds. I thought for sure the weight plates would be made of solid gold, but I guess that would have been one step too far, even for the Dallas Cowboys.
Larger-than-life photos of players adorn the walls, with mantras such as “Seize the Day” and “Earn It”, and players’ personal weight-lifting records.
The Rig is a contraption of two 9 foot-high, 20-feet long bridges with monkey bars, ninja grips, TRX straps, and heavy bags. It’s the first of its kind of its size and fully customizable.
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have their own training studio, and about 30 personal trainers are available to help you reach peak performance.
The Locker Rooms, modeled after the locker rooms at AT&T Stadium, share the same blue glass and elegant marble. There are individual saunas and other luxury amenities. Do the towels have diamond-encrusted stars on them? No, but Charlotte Jones Anderson and her team literally spent hours debating the color of the towels, the wall coverings, the furniture… No detail was considered too small. It was their goal to make the Cowboys brand come to life for members.
The heated rooftop pool is more than meets the eye. It overlooks the Dallas Cowboys’ practice field. Players and members can visit the 25-meter lap pool for a rehab swim or to lounge in cabanas.
No offense to other local fitness franchises out there, but it was kind of awesome. Maybe fancy does matter. It certainly does when you’re doing things the Cowboys Way.
We canvassed the world to make this a very special and unique offering.” said Mark Mastrov, chairman of New Evolution Ventures, founder of 24 Hour Fitness, and Cowboys Fit development partner. The Dallas Cowboys brand is unmatched and we wanted Cowboys Fit to reflect that.”
Membership information and a video tour of the facility is available here.