The Square Life

Fall fell, and as winter winds it’s way down the Wasatch, a collective groan can be heard in the wind. Outside activity is seriously limited, and cabin fever runs rampant across local campuses. Warm -blooded creatures that we are, fun does not last long in this arctic freeze. Yes, we boast the best snow on earth, but trips to the ski resort end with frost bite and empty wallets, the snowmen never turn out the right shape, and with the sun down by 5, it seems easier to hibernate than find an alternative activity. So what to do when Old Man Winter blows into town? We at Square Magazine have the answer –Power Tumbling.

When I inquired what Power Tumbling actually was (as I’m sure our readers are now wondering) I was told, “It is where you make your childhood dreams come true.” And now having done it, truer words were never spoken. Owned and operated by Dick and Beverly Lowe, Power Tumbling has been around for the past five years, tucked away in a corner of Springville. A place for gymnastic competition and training by day, they open their doors to the wannabe public by night.

The nondescript building seems blah from outside, but I walked into the warehouse and was dumbstruck and giddy. Every inch of ground is covered by springy, bouncy, smooshy fun. At first glance you see what looks like moving walkways at the airport, but turn out to be long trampolines, affording long high strides akin to moon walking (a la Armstrong, not Jackson). An inflated track and small climbing wall is great for American Gladiator-esque relays, and the blue bouncy floor mat is a great place to live out fantasies of Olympic floor exercise gold medal routines (Nadia, eat your heart out!). And the large trampolines they have are so bouncy I actually scared myself by jumping so incredibly high. Dick and Beverly were both available for instruction and guidance on how to use the equipment and get the most bounce for your buck. But don’t fret- if you feel timid, and your gymnastic ability is not up to par, half the fun was watching everyone else.

The undisputed favorite of the group was The Pit. 20x20 feet wide, 7 feet deep, with a trampoline at the bottom, the pit is filled with over 13,000 large pieces of foam. Here, invincibility is yours. With several trampolines, a rope swing, and a rope ladder around the perimeter, there are multiple ways to fly into the pit. Jump, flip, dive, fall–any way you go about it, the landing is so soft and easy. Head first, belly flop, whatever–it is almost impossible to get hurt in this thing. (Almost! Use common sense and play safe, kids!) The only problem with the foam pit is getting out. One P.T. enthusiast exclaimed, “I’m like a dinosaur in the Tar Pits!” To me, this was no exaggeration, and maybe even an understatement, as I watched people struggling to come up above the foam. The climb out is where I believe the word “Power” was added to “Tumbling.” I was extremely sore the next day. And yet, after all the effort it requires, you hear the foam calling you,and feel yourself compelled to bounce in at least one more time.

Power Tumbling is the perfect way to forget about the dreary cold this winter. And with plans for expansion in the near future, the facilities will also soon provide courts for dodge-ball, aero-ball, more trampolines, and opportunity for competitions. What more could one want in a limb-thawing, cold-thwarting activity? Perhaps just a ladder to climb out of the foam pit.