Sharon Vanorny
Letting go: Launch yourself into the foam pit.
If you’re prone to anxiety or possess an irrational fear of injury, visiting a trampoline park probably isn’t on your to-do list. But sometimes you push through the fear for the thrill, right?
Which is how I found myself walking through the doors of Rockin’ Jump on a recent Saturday. When I emerged two hours later, with bones unbroken, limbs intact and a face quite literally sore from smiling, I had new fitness inspiration and a renewed respect for the boundless energy of my fellow jumpers.
I also realized something jarring: Nothing will make you feel your age more than going to a trampoline park on a Saturday night.
But for kids — in body or at heart — Rockin’ Jump has plenty to offer.
The 28,000-square-foot building off Rimrock Road just south of the Beltline houses seven activity zones, including a massive rock climbing wall, dodgeball courts, a section of basketball hoops, an open trampoline jump area and an “X-Beam” game where duelers attempt to knock their opponent into a foam pit by using padded jousting sticks.
More features like an American Ninja-style obstacle course and a laser maze may be added in time.
Both first-timers and return visitors I talked with thought that the number of activities at Rockin’ Jump made the $15 admission ticket for the two-hour, late-night “Rockin’ Saturdays” session well worth it. There are other special sessions, like Friday nights for 11- to 17-year-olds, and a time dedicated for kids 6 and under on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings.
Emily Butters, 19, likes the jousting and slackline features. “I’ve been to another trampoline park in Wisconsin Dells that had fewer activities,” Butters says.
The climbing wall is also a big draw. I met UW-Madison employee Crystal Nice in line as we playfully voiced our concern for the kids out way past their bedtime (ageism in its purest form). Nice was there to “get some rock climbing done.”
When I ran into her later, we noted how much of a workout simply jumping for even a few minutes on a trampoline is — let alone climbing repeatedly out of foam pits. Like most things at Rockin’ Jump, that’s harder than it looks. Playing back-to-back dodgeball games is also quite a workout.
Sharon Vanorny
When you're starting from a trampoline, a dunk is a very real possibility.
One of more than a dozen franchise locations in the country, Rockin’ Jump’s Madison location opened in June. Co-owner Jim Thorpe, a Middleton native, partnered with friend Steve Steidl to bring the trampoline park to Madison. They’d planned to open a park independently, but contacted Rockin’ Jump when they heard the company was looking to open in Madison.
There are plenty of fitness websites that tout the benefits of exercising on a trampoline, or “rebounding.” It’s said to have less impact on joints and knees than a typical workout while also helping to improve balance, coordination, core muscle strength and cardiovascular health. The science that backs that up, though, seems to come from one NASA study from 1980.
Risks range from broken legs to spinal cord injuries. Despite the growing popularity of such parks (the International Association of Trampoline Parks estimates there will be over 550 indoor trampoline parks worldwide by the end of 2015), there are no federal laws regulating the industry and only a handful of states, not including Wisconsin, currently have regulations in place.
Thorpe says safety is the “number one aspect” that affects all facets of the business, from the selection of materials and the layout and design of the park, to a continued focus on weekly and sometimes daily mandatory safety training for employees.
Detailed safety rules are posted at all of the activity zones, an instructional video loops continuously near the shoe storage area, and users must sign a safety waiver before entering the park.
Jumpers put on mandatory ribbed socks, meant to minimize slipping, as an additional precaution. Thorpe says employees monitor all areas to insure that even the most confident jumpers are using the proper technique.
As winter sets in, Rockin’ Jump offers a new option for kids and adults to stay active. While the kids jump, parents can either join in or sit in massage chairs or watch television screens in the lobby.
“You don’t have to spend the whole day here to get rid of the cabin fever blues,” Thorpe says. “Come in, jump around, get those endorphins going and really be active.”
McFarland resident Marcus Halsey brought his 13-year-old twins to the park for that very reason.
“Usually, summertime, we bike ride a lot, go to the park. Wintertime, we watch movies,” Halsey says as he watches his children on the dodgeball court. “I love movies, but my daughter, I promised her something active this weekend.”
Halsey’s not jumping this time, but he is tempted: “Next time, I may be wearing the socks.”
Rockin’ Jump 2700 Novation Parkway, 608-819-5368, msn.rockinjump.com
