The First Lady of Pilates Part2

CBI: What do you define as your company's mission?

MS: STOTT is both an educational organization and an equipment manufacturer. We started the company 12 years ago before pilates had become a household word, and our goal has always been to provide high-quality exercise training equipment and support for people who want to get involved. People frequently don't know where to start, and we believe it's important to educate them not only about Pilates, in general, but also about how it's evolved – today, there are a variety of different approaches. That's why we refer to our program as STOTT PILATES, because, while it's based on pilates, we've done a great deal of research to refine our system of exercise.

CBI: What groups are currently certifying Pilates instructors? And are instructors still hard to find?

MS: There are a large number of people, groups, and associations that certify pilates instructors, but the educational level and quality varies dramatically. Some certification programs involve as little as 15 hours of training and don't require a practical examination; they make use of a written test to gauge the competency of instructors. We're finding that many of these people come to us later when they realize they need to know more. We have a training and certification center in Toronto, licensed training facilities in the U.S., and also offer instruction in other parts of North America and Europe. To give you a sense of what we do: our mat class instructor training is a 30-hour program; our reformer curriculum is a 60-hour (or six-weekend) program; and our advanced course, in which people learn about the use of other equipment, such as the Cadillac, chair, and barrels, is a 72-hour program. Only after a person successfully completes all of them can they become a fully certified Stott instructor. We also offer a 24-hour program for instructors who will be working with injured or special population clients. There's currently a huge demand for pilates instructors, but, unfortunately, there still aren't a large number of good, highly qualified instructors.

CBI: Do you still do any teaching yourself? Do you number many of pilates' celebrity practitioners among your clients?

MS: I've held onto a few clients, but, as our company's program director, do very little teaching today. I'm much more involved in teaching instructors and instructor-trainers; I do presentations at industry events and for fitness industry organizations; and I've also been very much involved in the production of the 21 videos that we've completed – 14 of which were for instructors. In terms of celebrities: The Cleveland Indians baseball franchise are big buyers of our equipment, and the Princess of Brunei recently purchased some of our units for her palace. Other clients include Lucy Lawless, better known as 'Zena, The Warrior Princess,' British actor/ comedian John Cleese, rock star Rod Stewart, Cirque du Soleil and a number of professional dancers.

– BAM