I talk to a lot of moms…A. Lot. Of. Moms. (I say that endearingly, really!) Of course, in our line of work, we spend a lot of time working with kids (LOVE) and a lot of time talking with parents. During our conversations with parents, it’s not uncommon to hear a sentence like this: “My husband’s with my son at basketball tonight while I’m here with the girls at tumbling.” Or “My wife is with our other little one at dance and we’ll finally see each other tonight for about 15 minutes while we get ready for bed tonight.” UGH! Been there, done that! It’s part of the world of having a couple kids, different ages, different genders, and different interests. With two kids, two years apart, one boy, one girl, my husband and I thought we would spend their pre-teen and up years completely apart driving one to this, the other to that, and we’ll see each other…um…sometime when they’re grown.
Fusion Athletics changed all that.
Yep, when my daughter found her niche at Fusion Athletics, I thought that was the beginning of the era of driving separate places a few nights a week to get the kids to their activities. It’s not uncommon to pigeon hole cheer as a “girl thing” especially when you factor in the bows and bling. The first season, I was like so many other moms, watching my little girl practice her stunting, tumbling, jumping, and motions. And like the people watching observer I tend to be, I started to recognize that this might just be the place to make my son’s dream come true. He wanted to be a ninja.
Ok, stay with me.
No, Fusion Athletics would not ultimately teach him how to dress all in black and fall out of the ceiling with cat like gracefulness amidst unsuspecting bad guys and then pummel them all to submission while hardly breaking a sweat. Well, at least they haven’t taught him that yet. Let’s face it, even though his iPhone’s Siri called him “Chuck Norris” for a while (and “The Ninja” most recently), he’s not the lead in any action movies (ummm, yet.) Now, let me tell you about the top 5 things Fusion Athletics did teach them…
#5 – How to jump.
Plyometric activity (think Crossfit box jumps) is a way to increase speed and power. It’s an exercise technique used across most sports and fitness industries and the more you do it, the stronger you get! Before Fusion, I’m not sure many of the kids we coach ever considered the strength and power it takes to simply jump. Not only do we watch some amazing box jumps in our ninja classes, but our athletes build their fitness as they perform jump lunges, squat jumps and more with ease.
#4 – How to lift.
While our athletes make it look so simple, with each act of tumbling, our athletes prove their ability to lift and hold their own body weight. While stunting, they lift and hold other people, often above their heads. These kids build some serious muscle! And watch a ninja climb the rope in record speed or master the salmon ladder! Over the years, we’ve watched a lot of kids grow and change. Look at our athletes and you’ll see your fair share of 6-pack abs, ripped arms, and chiseled legs. They don’t lift weights, they lift people.
#3 – How to dance.
Ok, so far, I’ve probably had you agreeing that you can see similarities between cheer, tumbling, and ninja-ness (humor me!) But now your like, “Dance?! How’s that fit in to your program?” Well, ninjas are graceful, aren’t they? And recently, we’re using dance in our practices as a fun way to inject a new approach to cardio and the kids LOVE it!
#2 – How to problem solve.
There are just times in life things don’t go according to plan. That statement holds very true about all sports and activities. Learning how to break down a skill, recognize strengths and weaknesses, create solutions, and implement them is something I’ve personally witnessed athletes do at Fusion Athletics. The opportunities to Ninja train, tumble, strength train, stunt, jump, dance, be a Shine Angel, and Junior Coach prepare our athletes for life. At Fusion, we are constantly looking for new opportunities to enrich the whole athlete.
#1 – How to have fun!
Fusion Athletics has something for everyone. Peek through a window and observe our Ninja Classes! It’s a training discipline that builds strength, creative thinking and agility. Athletes attempt to get from one place to another the quickest and most efficient way possible! In ninja training athletes learn to jump over obstacles, climb walls and ropes, and cross beams…and THEY LOVE IT!!
The bottom line is Fusion Athletics has something for every athlete! Our goal is to provide an environment where boys and girls of all ages can have fun, get fit, gain focus, and become their absolute best! Oh, and did I mention we drive to one location for all that and more? (and sometimes we escape for a date during the couple hours the kids are at Fusion!!)
Come visit us and become the next member of the Fusion Family!