By Jack Armistead
Downtowner Editor

The late Mary Riddick Lille was a long time member of The Fit Company and is missed in a big way by Fit Company proprietor Roger Arrington, who was her personal trainer for over 11 years.

Mary passed away on May 20, 2011 and lived well into her 80s..

“I first met Mary nearly 12 years ago when the phone rang over the Christmas holidays. I could hear people in the background laughing and it sounded like she was at a Christmas party. She told me she wanted to join and she needed a personal trainer,” recalled Arrington.

Mary was featured last year in The Downtowner as being one of several grandmothers who stay fit by going to the popular gym in the West Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk. She had also been featured in the past by reporter Joe Flanagan of Channel 13 news.

“Training Mary was like throwing myself in a cage with a lion minus a chair and whip. I joked with her when she was late one time for her appointment because she had gone shopping. I said there are five reasons why people are late. I started going through the reasons but she stopped me and said, ‘I’ll give you reason No. 6. I don’t give a hoot,’” she said.

Arrington said Mary enjoyed telling her friends that she worked out with a two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner at The Fit Company.

“Her friends would laugh and say ‘sure you do, Mary.’” “But she was telling the truth. Many times while she was working out, LaShawn Merritt who won two track and field gold medals in the Summer Olympics three years ago in Beijing, China would be working out right beside her. They became friends,” said Arrington.

Mary was very active in the community. She was a member of the Norfolk City Union of The King’s Daughters since 1964 and was director of Volunteer Services at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters from 1978 until 2000. Her life was involved with her family, friends and volunteerism. Mary was the first director of Hospital Volunteer Services in the State of Virginia to earn certification as Administrator of Volunteer Services through the Association for Volunteer Administration in 1982. She served on the Advisory Board for the Virginia Department of Volunteerism under three governors and served as chairman of that board for four years. Family and friends filled her life with pleasure.

The Fit Company, located at 615 Claremont Avenue, is a perfect gym for senior citizens.

The seniors are given a plan so that they can successfully maintain their lifestyles. Clients at the gym range in age from 18 to 80’s.

The Fit Company’s roster of personal training clients is about 150 with the majority being mothers and grandmothers. “The ladies definitely come first at The Fit Company. This gym is very family friendly and features a comfortable environment. “Senior citizens not only benefit the most, but they need to be fit the most,” said Arrington.

The popular gym has some of the best personal trainers in Hampton Roads. Arrington, who has 29 years experience in the fitness business, has American College of Sports Medicine certification, and 13 years experience as an aerobics instructor. He was assistant head strength conditioning specialist at ODU and spent three seasons as a trainer with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In college he was a track and field athlete. He has a Master of Science Degree in Physical Education from ODU.

Other trainers include Robert “Bubba” Cochrane, who has 42 years of experience in weight training. Cochrane has been a Norfolk Blues Rugby coach and was one of the top rugby players on the East Coast; Dr. Kitty Meredith (Pediatrics), who has over 24 years of experience teaching fitness classes at the YMCA and extensive medical background and N.S.C.A. - C.P.T. certification; Aki Hiyama, a former Golden Glove state boxing champion. He holds a Masters Degree from ODU in sports management and Doctors in Physical Therapy; Laurie Green Fuller, a ACSM Certified Health Fitness Instructor with a Masters in Exercise Science and B.S. in Kinesiology from the College of William & Mary; Omari Adderly is a well known personal trainer from Bermuda and oversees soccer camps in the area; Erin Hall, who has a B.S. in Nutrition from the University of Tennesee; Gary Engelson, a certified trainer with over six years experience in strength and conditioning; and Debbie Addison, a veteran certified personal trainer with a large following in the area.

Other key contributors to The Fit Company include Dominic Debbela, who offers car wash services to gym patrons, and maintenance supervisor Kevin Stewart.

Randy Harrell, a gym patron and building consultant, helped build the 6,000 square feet gym from the ground up.

The Fit Company has reasonable rates. The friendly atmosphere adds to making the gym a pleasant weekly routine.

To join The Fit Company, call 627-8677 or just stop by for a visit.