The modern-day trampoline was introduced in 1936 by a professional - a circus acrobat, and the American Academy of Pediatrics warns against their use at home. In fact, more than a million people went to emergency rooms between 2002 and 2011 with injuries sustained while jumping. But that hasn't stopped indoor trampoline parks from springing up all over the state.
About ten years ago, Will Phillips got a call from his brother, who was working in Dallas. There, he had noticed long lines of kids outside a warehouse full of trampolines. They phoned a friend and agreed to buy a franchise from the nation’s first indoor trampoline park.
“Who doesn’t love trampolines?" he wonders aloud. "When I was growing up, my family had a trampoline in the backyard. We used to be in the videogame business. My brother and I, we had a parasail business with the same partner, Michael – so trampolines, why not? Y’know it’s a blast.”
Today, in a shopping mall near Richmond, he manages the Sky Zone – a place with enough trampolines to accommodate 171 jumpers at a time.
“We do have certain rules that you have to follow, like you can only do one flip per jump, you can’t flip over the pads in between each trampoline. We’ve got court monitors at every court, monitoring each one of the guests the entire time they’re here to make sure they’re staying within those rules.”
As one of 100 franchisees, his liability is manageable, and demand appears to be strong. Sky Zone has organized competitive dodge ball tournaments with big prize money, dunking contests for those who favor basketball, corporate events, birthday parties and fitness classes.
“It’s incredible core exercise, and it’s low impact, because it’s all springy, so it’s good for joints. They’ve done studies that show you can burn 1,000 calories in an hour doing one of our fitness classes.”
Most of the customers are kids who give Sky Zone rave reviews.
“I like the foam pit. You just jump in off a trampoline. Jumping really high is fun – like flying. Is it exhausting? It is. I’m super hot, but it gave me a good workout. I like it, because you have fun, and plus it give you an exercise. You know the whole family can come here together. We can all have good time, jumping around, and everyone has gun together, so that’s the coolest park for me.”
And most of the observers are parents who pay $15 an hour to assure their kids stay safe while having fun.
“They love to come --being able to jump off the walls and not get in trouble," says one.
"I’m here today, because it’s my son’s seventh birthday, and I’ll probably spend some time dunking myself, because I used to play ball," adds a rare dad in the crowd.
" I bring my daughter here, because she can get her yayas out," explains one cheerful mother. " She gets to run around with her friends, and I can sit here and use wifi."
She doesn't worry about children getting hurt," because the employee seems to stay on top of the kids and what they can and cannot do.”
SkyZone also appeals to teenagers, young adults, and the occasional septogenarian.
“I checked in a gentleman who I believe was 72 who had come to jump with his grandkids and had a ball,” Phillips recalls.
But 73-year-old Joyce Gould, a retired accountant, knows her numbers – 300,000 broken bones in less than a decade attributed to trampolines. She brought 6 grandchildren and one great-grandchild to the Sky Zone, then sat down to relax in the adult lounge.
“I'm not tempted to jump," she says. "I’m using a cane, and I still want my two legs to work.”
Will Phillips says getting hurt at the Sky Zone is extremely rare – less than one-tenth of one percent of jumpers suffering any kind of injury. Nationally, he claims more people get hurt playing tennis or golf, and he’s making plans to open his second Sky Zone in Virginia Beach early next year.
