Isolating sound units hang from the ceiling as a child stands on a pseudo snow board using his movements to change the direction of the character on the screen in front of0 him. The exercise stations at NexGym in Plano use the newest wave of interactive technology, marrying exercise and video-games into wedded fun. For John and Dawn Daley, who are opening the first franchise of NexGym at 5964 West Parker Road, Suite 108, in Plano, the facility provides fun heath and nutrition for children, ages three-14. An open house will take place Friday through Saturday and the gym will debut on New Year's Eve at 5 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. New Year's Day. "As parents, we realize it's one of the hardest nights to get a babysitter. What a better chance (to introduce the business) where parents can take the kids for the night," John said. The couple also owns Mytime and Playtime, a women's fitness center coupled with a play and learning center for children six months to six years, right next door. Previously, the space NexGym occupies was an open area used for kids from Playtime to run around. "When we decided to do this next door, it was the perfect fit," he said. "It's a significant investment, but we hope that the large investment will pay off because of the uniqueness. This is really filling a void for that next group of kids." The gym will offer 25 exercise stations, as well as 19 classes. Children can don gloves for virtual reality boxing, climb on a tread wall, interactively bike with a video-game, groove on the Dance-Dance-Revolution pads, play dodgeball and much more. The first NexGym opened in Southlake during June 2005 by Kevin Bolden, who is now expanding the franchise. While an executive at a Dallas IT consulting firm, Bolden saw the interactive videogames during a 2005 consumer electronics show. "All the equipment was geared toward adults, and we said, ‘Wait a sec. We've got the burgeoning child obesity issue that no one's addressing,'" Bolden said. With 125 members signed up during the seventh month of business in Southlake, Bolden said he's ready to expand the business nationally. "We did a lot of changes in this facility, a lot of lessons learned," Bolden said. And with busy parents, who may not want to sit and watch their children in a gym-like setting, Bolden said NexGym makes exercise fun in a supervised environment. "We're making a fun place kids can come and play, and parents don't feel guilty. We're setting influencers for healthy habits for a lifetime. If you don't have healthy habits at this age, you're not going to have them at 35," Bolden said. With the slogan "The Next Generation of Fitness for Kids," the concept of offering a wide variety of exercise opportunities for all children hit home for the Daley's, whose seven-year-old son was diagnosed with Aspergers n a high-functioning form of Autism. "There's really been a niche of kids that fall out from the norm, in terms of being apart of sports teams," Dawn said. "Sports have played an important role in (Jacob's) growth n he's excelled by leaps and bounds." With two young children, as well as 12 nieces and nephews, the Daley's said they want to offer services, targeting the sport's guru to the kid who needs incentive to get off the couch. "When we were kids, we always ran and played sports outside. Now kids are so competitive, and they're in these elite teams," John said. "Then, what's frightening is � schools are cutting PE or making PE programs optional." "It's amazing to me they don't know they're getting exercise, and they are," Dawn said. The Daley's plan to open a couple more stores in the area in the next couple years, once the Plano location is established. The youth gym has been such a success in Southlake. Bolden said he and his family even attended some of the gym member's recitals over the break. "It's amazing, we're a part of the family in Southlake," he said. "When the kids come in here, you can't imagine the kids faces," Bolden said. "A lot of these kids aren't effective in sports, such as football. But there are a ton of kids, now, in sync with (video-gaming) type of activity." The facility will also offer birthday party rentals on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, contact NexGym at 972-781-2244 or www.nexgym.com. Contact Staff Writer Cristen Perkowski at 972-398-4263 or
[email protected]. Fun, sweat and cheers Forget sit-ups. For today's kids, exercise means blending aerobics with video games and other advanced equipment for a workout that's enjoyable and good for them.
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