One in 8700 - Tamara Chase

A Boulder, Co. native, Tamara Chase’s favorite mountain in Vermont is Sugarbush, though she does have a “nostalgic love” for Winter Park and Mary Jane, two Boulder peaks. Chase, a body pump and spinning instructor at Vermont Sun Fitness Center, leads an active life. While she enjoys spending time in the classroom on the spin bike, a 26-mile loop that weaves from Cornwall, Vt., where she resides, through Vergennes is a favorite ride for her and her husband, an ardent cyclist himself.
Chase attended Scripts College, but later transferred to the University of Vermont, where she majored in English and Philosophy. Graduating a semester early, Chase spent her spring months at sea, traveling from west to east. She visited 10 countries, including Japan, Israel, Turkey and Greece, before heading back to school again. Chase chose Northeastern University for law school, despite her dad’s position as dean of Vermont Law School.
Now a lawyer, Chase has a quaint office that overlooks Otter Creek in the town of Middlebury. Here she practices family law. She enjoys the location of her office, as she is an avid fan and frequenter of 51 Main and Storm Café. She feels for a small town, Middlebury is lucky to have such a wide variety of restaurants and shops.
Chase moved to Vermont in 1998 and said her classes keep her “sane.” She began leading lessons when she was in college.
In 1996, Vermont Sun held its first spinning class. At the time, it was the only sports club in the state to offer the activity. Chase said spinning is “one of the fitness fads that has not faded out.” While classes were initially packed, the activity continues to draw crowds, and Chase is especially pleased that men attend, as well.
“In Vermont, it seems that only women go to group fitness classes,” she said. Though her two sons, one a freshman at Ohio Wesleyan University and the other a junior at Middlebury Union High School, and her husband, the sports and marketing director for Rossignol, do enjoy the classes.
Chase credits her love of exercise and teaching to the people and the energy that each individual brings to the class.
“If I did not have the interaction from the participants that I do, I would not teach,” she said.
Though she has been spinning for several years now, Chase values the importance of engaging in an array of physical activities. She says that spinning is now muscle memory for her, and is probably not as hard as it should be. Chase’s spinning classes are on Wednesdays at 12:10 p.m., Saturdays at 8:15 a.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m.
Lady Gaga and techno beats comprise the core of Chase’ spinning playlist. She also adds a few old rock n’ roll tunes to cater to the older generation in the class.
“If it [a song] makes you want to move then I add the song to my list,” she said. “It has been an evolution.”
Les Miles started his body pump classes in New Zealand, and now the program has spread to over 60 countries, including the US. Recently, Vermont Sun invested in the course, too. Chase calls it an “endurance-based strength training class” or simply “weight lifting to music.” She believes it is particularly important for women, especially if they do not enjoy lifting; the class uses small, light weights, but nonetheless helps build endurance. Each song targets a different area of the body, from the thighs to the triceps.
“I love having the college kids in my classes,” she said. “This would be a great class for a team to take together.”
According to Chase, the most essential component of any exercise class is the instructor. She appreciates good teachers, those who are passionate and invested in the activity and get energized. Body pump classes, led by Chase, are on Thursdays at 3:45 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m.
“I continue to find inspiration from my classes because of the way I feel after,” she said. “It keeps me happy.”
For the past seven years, Chase, along with her fellow exercise gurus, has organized the Tour de Vermont Sun. The event, which raises money for cancer, asks all participants to pay a registration fee of $300, and in return each is invited to ride a spin bike for six hours. Many form teams and split the riding, but this year Chase, in addition to five others, rode for the entire six hours. The event has raised well over $100,000 since it started, and added another $14,000 from this past January’s spin marathon. Next year, Chase hopes to expand the organization statewide and encourage a Tour de Vermont at gyms across Vermont.
Chase encourages everyone, especially college students, to attend her classes, as she promises all will enjoy an “endorphin high.”