Sandy has been an exercise enthusiast her entire life. She played soccer through her high school years and was a swim instructor and lifeguard in the summers. In college she discovered running and has been running ever since. After finishing her 2nd marathon in San Francisco (where friends from Rabun joined to cheer her on) she decided to start a race at Lake Rabun. The Rabun Ramble is now in its 13th year and is a 5K/10K fundraiser for college scholarships for Rabun County students. An average of 750 runners participate in this fun event annually. Last year they donated $22,000 from their proceeds to the Lake Rabun Foundation.
Sandy taught aerobics in her twenties and became a certified indoor cycling instructor in New York City where she lived for 10 years. Upon relocating to Rabun County (near Clayton GA) almost 5 years ago, Sandy first taught at the Fitness Center at the Old Edwards Inn in Highlands NC for 1 year. In May 2014 she opened her own studio where she's been teaching 4-5 classes a week. Sandy brings a fresh approach to spin classes with training from the top instructors in New York. Her classes are choreographed to upbeat, fun music that compel you to push yourself to your potential while having a blast.
If you’re looking to burn major calories but save those joints, indoor cycling is the perfect class for you. Every class is geared to all levels. Sandy prides herself in turning timid first time spinners into full time spin addicts!
CONNIE THOMSPON
Connie has always loved music and dance. In her early years, she was part of the dance line in high school and college. She and her husband, Tommy were also part of an exhibition clogging team for 10 years (Tommy is the better clogger!). They square dance, contra dance and have taken a number of ballroom dancing classes.
Exercise at a gym or outdoors was never really part of the routine and over the years, Connie did less and less, so she put on a lot of pounds, especially living here at the lake!
In 2014, she reached a break point - something had to change. 5 feet tall, 200 pounds, size 22....NO MORE! The first year - lost 30 pounds. In 2015, she started spinning at the encouragement of her family and Sandy. Lost another 25 pounds for a total of 55 pounds in 2 years!
Then the big thing happened - Sandy needed some help as her Spinning Classes were growing in popularity and she asked Connie to consider taking the instructor's course. Connie thought - "I can do this!". She thought she'd be the oldest and heaviest in that class, but was neither of those!
Connie has been a certified Spinning instructor since December 2017 and has loved every moment. Her classes are filled with great music, fun camaraderie and a push to rock it and leave "some sweat for her to mop up!". We can ALL do this!
JOSHUA CAMPBELL
Joshua grew up in a military household with four other siblings. After living in three different countries (US, Holland, & Germany) and five states (AL, AZ, NC, MA, & GA) he eventually found his way to Atlanta, Georgia for 24 years until finally finding the perfect home on Lake Burton in 2021.
The Campbell’s lives always revolved around sports, whether it was for him, a sibling, or sometimes both... Sometimes the athlete, sometimes the cheering section. Soccer and Ice Hockey were favorite sports until he was introduced to tennis. As he got older Joshua eventually found his way to the gym were he really found an interest in group fitness: Spin, Circuit Training, Yoga, and Weight Lifting… Pretty much anything where there was an instructor with some direction and friendly people around with similar fitness goals.
After the death of his brother in 2007, Police officer Jason Campbell, Joshua was convinced to join other law enforcement survivors and officers on an annual 250 mile ride from Norfolk, Va to Washington D.C. Within a couple of years, Joshua was on a ride with a FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training Center) long ride team (family) who rode 1200 miles in 12 days for Law Enforcement United. The spin bike is normally where training began but there were lots of miles on the road too. Joshua never had a desire to road bike, but grief, and the opportunity to keep his brother’s memory alive was all the challenge needed to inspire training and motivation for each mile logged.
In addition to cycling, he has completed over 10 half marathons, the Bourbon Relay, a couple Ragnars, and about 10 mud runs (Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, Warrior Dash).
Now a business professional in financial services, Joshua works remotely from Rabun County. He found Lakemont Cycle Studio from a referral and quickly found fitness home with a great community of like-minded athletes. The intention was never to sit on the bike in front of the class cueing riders or being that encouraging voice to others on their fitness journey. There was a need for instructors… “why not me?” He said. Now certified, and a part of Lakemont Cycle Studio Team.
