Anyone Had To Sign A Release Form For Their Gym?

[DucatiGirl]

I'm curious if anyone else does BJJ here as I'm looking to start as a means to relieve anxiety and be more social, and anecdotal evidence is showing how much it helps folks with PTSD. My instructor and my LCW are eager for me to start. The gym owner wants me to sign a release but I've never heard of that before. Has anyone else had to do this?

Thanks!

 

[Friday]

An injury, maiming, and death release? That doesn't hold the gym or it's staff responsible in the event of said injury, maiming, or death? Those are a universal standard across all sports, and most activities. (From mommy & me toddler classes to adult classes of all stripes.) We even sign one before we're allowed to pick pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. (When pumpkins attack! :hilarious: )

Or do you mean something different?

 

[desiderata310]

Jiu Jitsu??? Actually, I have to sign a release form just to use my gym. When I went to PT an did water exercises, I had to sign a release saying that I wouldn't swim alone or use drugs in the pool or ... Yadda yadda yadda...
They just don't want to get sued if you get hurt. Pretty standard actually.

 

[Sideways]

Yup, totally par for the course here. In fact a gym is unlikely to get public liability insurance (here in Oz) unless they have this as standard.

I don't know how the law works in the US, but here in Aust the Release will only protect the gym so far, because you can't contract out of your responsibility to exercise due care. So (at least here), despite how bulletproof the Release might sound, if the gym or one of its employees is negligent and you're injured as a consequence, the Release isn't worth the paper it's written on.

 

[DucatiGirl]

Thanks for all the quick replies -- appreciate it!

I didn't explain myself very well. I already signed the standard indemnification language for the regular gym contract. This is the gym asking for an additional release from the therapist because I have PTSD. I wanted to make sure my instructor knew before I started lessons, which is why I told him.

 

[EveHarrington]

Lol no I'd say that's illegal!

Call a lawyer.

Honestly I'd say that's the craziest thing I've EVER heard!

Needing a therapist to sign off on gym activity?

No-----the gym can't discriminate.

 

[DucatiGirl]

Wow really!? I just thought they were having an over-abundence of caution!

 

[EveHarrington]

On what grounds though?

 

[Sideways]

Yeah, that would be standard here to. If a gym finds out you have a medical condition, it's standard for them to want some kind of clearance that you're safe to use the gym with your condition.

 

[DucatiGirl]

You mean their caution? Protecting the gym, protecting the instructor, and (as the instructor said) in a way protecting me.

 

[EveHarrington]

But it's a psychiatric condition.

If it was a medical condition a medical doctor would need to sign off on it, not a psychiatrist.

 

[Sideways]

It sounds discriminatory, but if you think of all the myriad different symptoms people get with mental illness. They're not ptsd experts. Some people have seizures or black out with their mental illness, and dthat could be really dangerous for them in a gym. The gym isn't saying you can't use the gym, they're just making sure that someone who understands your condition believes that your condition isn't going to make using the gym unsafe.