It’s possible Plymouth could become the first energy-independent suburb—if some engineering genius could figure out a way to harness the energy ricocheting around the room in Plymouth’s newest hotspot: the Sky Zone indoor trampoline park.
This bouncing mecca opened in December in the Plymouth Industrial Park as the first Twin Cities location of a newish national franchise operation headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. (Since September, Sky Zone opened franchise and corporate-owned locations in seven other cities across the country.)
The company bills its Sky Zone indoor trampoline parks as the world’s first interlocking trampoline-walled playing fields, with a patented system designed by engineers, welders and carpenters. The facility has four courts; the main court has 60 trampolines, each separated by a foam mat, with one basketball hoop. There are 24 on each of the smaller courts, plus one court with a foam rubber-filled pit so kids can dive in. There's a total of more than 14,000 square feet of trampoline space, if you count the trampolines set at angles along the walls, allowing jumpers to safely and literally bounce off the padded walls.
“Some folks told me their kids have been here a dozen times already,” says Miles Marsh, the local Sky Zone manager. From a parent’s perspective, Sky Zone is a good place for what you might call “stealth fitness.” “One of the real benefits is that, with the more sedentary lifestyles today, kids can come here and have a blast and get a good vigorous workout at the same time without really realizing it,” Marsh says.
The first Sky Zone was created in Las Vegas in 2002, originally intended for a new pro sport in which acrobatic athletes jump through rotating hoops while carrying a ball. “Kids from the neighborhood kept showing up and asking to use the trampolines,” Marsh says. “So it evolved into a family entertainment center.”
Jumping is not only child’s play; it’s also good exercise for anyone, from out-of-shape parents to athletes seeking to cross-train. For fitness-seeking adults, Sky Zone offers Skyrobics classes eight times a week; it seems exercising on a bouncy trampoline provides a more thorough workout, from the body’s core to arms and legs. The facility also serves as a space to play 3-D dodgeball (with the vertical dimension added), and offers private training for teams and individuals.
Scott Watts lives 22 miles away in Andover, but he is a big fan of Sky Zone. His autistic, legally blind stepson, Robert, “absolutely loves the place,” Watts says. Watts takes 17-year old Robert there about once a week, early on weekdays before the facility is filled with other kids. “They take care of him incredibly well there. He has a whole section to himself, and he has the time of his life.”
Kerry Hagen of Deephaven and her 9-year old daughter, Lauren, visit Sky Zone “two or three times a month,” Kerry Hagen says. “It’s good exercise for mommy and daughter. It’s a good, total workout; it works every muscle in the body. It’s great for a play date with other moms and kids. For adults, it’s a great stress release, too.”
The local Sky Zone is also available to rent for corporate team-building sessions, birthday parties and other events. Sky Zone also stages monthly dodgeball tournaments for players 16 and older, with cash prizes for winners. This summer, the facility will offer a kids version of Skyrobics, “a little less intense and more oriented toward fun” than the adult version, Marsh says. Sky Zone also plans to offer a half-day kids’ summer program called Sky Camp, combining fun on the trampolines with arts and crafts; weeklong sessions run 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday August 15–19.
13310 Industrial Park Blvd. Ste. 160
763.331.3511
