The year was 1994 (or something close to that). The place was Metairie, LA, near the corner of Veterans and Bonnabel. Nothing beat a fun Friday night at Trampoline World. It was a time of great innocence, great fun, and probably no liability insurance. I can still see the trampolines all lined up next to one another, with my friends and I in our bathing suits and cut off jean shorts, bouncing carelessly from one trampoline to the next. When they would turn the sprinklers on it was like a death trap. . . and it was pure awesomeness.
Photos courtesy of Bettye Mouritsen
Surprisingly (okay not really), Trampoline World closed in the mid-90’s. But after a long hiatus, public trampoline places have made a big come-back. I have probably been to no less than 50 kids’ birthday parties in the last few years at Elevation Station. When I decided to check out their work out class, my car could almost drive itself there. Launched just under two years ago, the Elevation Station work out class is an opportunity for adults to bounce back to childhood and burn off the calories that adulthood (and Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and King Cakes, and an overall lack of self-control) has thrust upon us. I was excited to finally make it there, having tried to make babysitting, weather, and traffic patterns all line up simultaneously for several weeks.
I won’t lie. I was giddy to try it out and excited at the prospect that there might be a way to stay fit without really feeling the burn. After all, I’ve watched my kids jump around this place for hours without even breaking a sweat. Well, I was wrong. After about ten bounces I started to feel winded. The class is a combination of cardio with jumping maneuvers such as jumping jacks and knee bends, and toning including lunges, push-ups, and stretches. I’m grateful that there are no mirrors there because I’m sure I looked much more coordinated in my head than in reality. The lady in front of me was a former cheerleader and could still do full toe touches, so I just pretended I looked like her (I choose blissful ignorance over utter humiliation any day). The class size apparently averages 4-5 participants, so the instructor Brandy can help each one with where they’re struggling. She will tell you where you’re supposed to be feeling the burn, as well as how to adjust positioning if you don’t quite have it right.
The other plus is that, depending on the ages of your kids, they can come too! One lady brought her three-year-old and eight-year-old who had a blast bouncing around while their mom attended the class. It’s $6.50 per child and, although there are no specific stipulations, I would only recommend bringing kids who you trust to play independently without getting injured or in trouble.
A few recommendations:
- TRY IT FOR FREE! – your first class is free and after that it’s $10 per class (you can also buy 11 classes for $100).
- Wear your kids’ socks: The socks are $3.32. So if your kids already have a pair, save yourself a few bucks.
- Don’t tell anyone you are going – my husband threatened to take a half day at work just to come watch me make an ass of myself.
- Know your body and your bladder – if you need to take breaks don’t push yourself too hard. This is a good work out but the atmosphere is very low key. And if you have issues with jumping and peeing on yourself, plan accordingly.
- Bring water – some people might rush out of the house and forget their water bottle and then those people end up having to run to the water fountain every time there’s a water break. And then they have trouble keeping up with the rest of the work out because they are winded from their run to the water fountain.
- Wear tight fitting clothing – if you wanted to cover it up with loose fitting clothing of course that’s fine. But you don’t want to be worrying about wardrobe malfunctions during your work out. Your shirt will fly up a bit during your jump and your pants may start to slip. So if you don’t want to show off your stretch marks or anything else for that matter, fitted is your friend.
Classes are Tuesday from 9AM – 10AM and Thursdays from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. For more information visit http://www.elevationstation.com/northshore/workout-class/.
Lynne
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I believe that may be 1970’s possibly early eighties.