Battle Mountain alumni open new gym in Eagle
Caroline Paletta/Phil Daily
A new gym founded by two alumni of Battle Mountain High School in Eagle opened December 26, featuring three workout spaces, a variety of equipment and soon to offer 24-hour services and personal trainers.
Legacy Athletic Club was founded by Daniel Ortiz and Abkar Suleiman, both of whom graduated from Battle Mountain in 2014. The two moved back to the Valley after graduating college and reconnected at local recreation centers, where they became regular workout partners.
Ortiz said he felt there was a need in the community for a gym that would cater to people on work schedules and provide equipment he couldn’t find at existing facilities. Exercise has been a major part of Ortiz’s life for the past six years, but he said the limited schedules of recreation centers have made it difficult for him and Soloman to qualify for exercises related to their jobs.
“We work full time, so the problem with the Gypsum Rec Center or the Avon Rec Center is that they close at nine, so it doesn’t really work for the working class,” Ortiz said.
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Ortiz approached Soloman with the idea of a gym that would offer greater scheduling flexibility, a less crowded workout experience and diverse equipment options—which he described as “giving our community the gym we’ve always wanted to train in.” The two became business partners, financing the project with private loans and personal investments, and the Legacy Athletic Club went from idea to opening in just six months.
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The current opening is a soft kick off as the gym is open from 4am to midnight. It will become a 24-hour establishment from February and will start offering personal trainers in the spring, but Ortiz said excitement around the gym prompted them to open months earlier than planned.
“Our original plan was to get all the equipment here by March and open in March or April, but everyone wanted something different, something new, so we decided to open early,” Ortiz said.
The gym is located on the same strip as The Back Bowl and Casa Mexico, occupying space that Ortiz said had been left vacant for years by a former karate studio. They transformed the interior by painting the walls black, lining the floors and adding televisions above the mirrored walls. Large windows facing the mountains on the west side of the gymnasium brighten the space during the day.
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Some of the more unusual equipment they’ve invested in includes a triceps press, a rotating lateral pull, a hip thrust machine and a T-row machine. Solomon said they’ve been listening to customers about what types of equipment they want to see in the space, and have already added a deadlift station based on their needs. Requests.
“People had seen all the equipment around the valley, so we decided to get something different,” Suleiman said.
In addition to the basic equipment room, the Legacy Athletic Club has a separate weight room and bench press area with two sets of dumbbells for each weight, up to 150 pounds. Since the focus of the gym is on accessibility, Solomon said they offer two of the most used items — like treadmills, cable machines, bench presses and dumbbells — to help prevent interference in use.
“It was a big deal,” Ortiz said. “If you go to use the 25s, no one else can use them, so it will take longer at other gyms. We’re doubling down to keep things available.”
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The third room has yoga mats, medicine balls, a bungee for stretching, sit-ups, and other small space exercises.
The gym opened on Dec. 26, and Ortiz and Soloman said it was so well received that they are already looking to expand into a larger space if the opportunity presents itself.
“Our goal now is to eventually move into a warehouse,” Ortiz said. “Memberships keep coming in every day and at some point we just won’t be able to keep up.”
Monthly memberships are available for $80 per month, with long-term “club memberships” available in the form of $225 for three months, $420 for six months, and $720 annually. Because Ortiz and Soulemane formed their bond as workout buddies, they’re also offering workout owners discounts that reduce the rate when you sign up with one or more friends, as well as 15% off “Local Champions” memberships for veterans, teachers, and first responders.
For more information about Legacy Athletic Gym, visit LegacyAthletic. club or contact info@legacyathletic.club.