Cape Town - A craze that began in the US more than 10 years ago has finally caught on in Cape Town with two indoor trampoline parks opening at almost the same time.
Last week Diva and I went to Jump Around in Paarden Eiland and discovered it’s not only huge fun that makes you feel like a great big kid, but it can be a jolly good workout. It’s definitely better than going to the gym; if you’re going to get all out of breath and unattractively red in the face you should enjoy yourself while doing it.
Jump Around has several different bouncy areas for a variety of activities.
There is a section with trampolines alongside a big foam pit into which you can leap (not head first, as it tells you in the rules and regulations posted in the reception area), soccer, dodge ball, basketball, and free jumping.
Almost anyone can jump; pregnant women, and anyone with heart, back, or neck conditions are advised to sit this one out. Although it’s not mentioned, I can tell you if you have gammy legs it’s not going to work out well either.
Before you go there are some things you should know. Book your time slot. This is very important, especially over weekends.
You get an hour at a time – and believe me, even if you are a superfit athlete this is more than enough. I met Fienanda Jacobs whose brother Ferdinand was leaping about with great confidence.
“He plays sport,” she explained of his prowess, but even he was sweating and panting after a while.
Also, fill in the waiver – or as I like to call it, indemnity form – online. This will save you time when you get there. Wear comfortable clothes.
They will give you special jumping socks (or socks to wear while jumping, if you prefer unambiguous language), and a locker in which to stash all your stuff.
Having cellphones and keys in your pockets is not a good idea, especially in the foam pit. We were warned if we lost anything in there it would be gone forever.
Maybe, maybe not – but if you’re not sure exactly where you dropped it, it’s going to take a long time rummaging around there looking for it. Other than that, go for it.
Trampolining is suitable for ages three upwards, and the fearless little ones up to age five are allowed from 9am till 3pm on weekdays, and 8am till noon on weekends, when accompanied by a paying adult.
I was initially concerned that it might be a bit rough for children when adults are boinging up and down, but the layout of the park entails small individual trampolines which are all well padded on all sides.
So that mental picture of one person landing and the impact sending a kid up on the other side had to be deleted, as did the one of people crashing into each other.
It was a quietish weekday morning when we were there but apparently up to 150 jumpers can be accommodated at a time so perhaps it gets a bit more hectic.
We gave everything a try except the foam pit (dry cubes of foam, not the wet kind you used to get in nightclubs), and it was fantastic, with lots of whooping and joyful laughter. The feeling of defying gravity is awesome, and it’s the weirdest thing to stand on solid ground again afterwards.
Diva even did mid-air ballet although no famous random leg hoists.
Jump Around is great for team building exercise (see what I did there?), and parties of all kinds for all ages.
There are several rooms you can book for pizza and cold drinks (alcohol is not allowed for obvious reasons), and I saw a helium tank and balloons.
On the mezzanine level there is a cafe if you need to rest and refresh. At the moment the cost is R120 an hour (R100 after your first time, if you keep your socks) but hopefully a season ticket will be introduced soon for frequent jumpers.
l Jump Around is at Unit 3 Table Bay Industrial Estate, 9 Milner Street, Paarden Eiland. Call 079 583 4540 or go to www.jumparound.co.za. It’s open 9am-9pm Mondays to Thursdays, 9am-10pm Fridays, 8am-10pm Saturdays, and 8am-8pm Sundays.
Weekend Argus