The date had coincided with my tattoo booking, and its timing had originally conflicted. Upon learning of my winner status, I urgently requested an earlier slot from Kettle, who honoured the shift to 10 AM, and reached out to my local food enthusiast, who enthusiastically agreed to join me.
My surroundings transformed from the bustle of office workers and retail stores to cycle boutiques, specialized gear outfitters, and exercise studios. It was an unmistakably nicer area than Hastings - but then again, what isn't? - and also seemingly the fittest district in Metro Vancouver.
The entrance to the gym wasn't exactly obvious. TurF had marketed themselves as a "hub" for fitness lovers, expanding their floor area to offer more than simply recreational group classes. The business boasted an outdoor patio, indoor dining space, commercial kitchen and food preparation counter, in-house apparel shop, lockers and changerooms with showers, and, of course, a sophisticated studio for classes.
Near the apparel shop, a member of staff had laid out various sizes of Uniqlo DRY-EX t-shirts in anticipation of the brand-sponsored class. She would, in a prominent English accent, also conduct an attendance check and distribute the t-shirts on a first-come, first-serve basis. While all winners were supposed to specify their desired shirt size in the provided Google Form, one would still be able to choose between from the colours available on site. A Ladies' Small was handed to me in a pastel yellow-green hue that made me shrivel with disgust.
"Would I be able to take a black instead?" I inquired, pointing to the three other stacks on the railing.
"You could, but those are men's sizes." She cautioned me of the difference in sizing.
I picked up the one closest to me, a Men's Small in onyx grey. It was larger than my usual exercise fit, but likely more manageable than a fitted, light-coloured top. "I'll take this one." I announced with hesitation.