"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans," according to John Lennon. I am in the midst of switching to Plan B, or Plan C, and trying to remember that there are 23 more letters after that. In fact, I know several other people working their way through the alphabet this way. If a straight-ahead, linear path worked for everyone, we would have a lot fewer really interesting people in the world, and I tend to like the People of the Convoluted Path.
Three years ago I worked really hard to achieve certification as a Group Fitness Instructor, as part of becoming a licensed Kangoo Jumps® instructor. Two years ago, I got my official KJ license and started teaching classes using KJ rebound boots. Last year I renewed my GFI certification, which required money and continuing education credits. This year I am not renewing my KJ instructor license, although I will still be teaching music-based fitness classes using Kangoo Jumps rebound boots. I am not interested in attending the initial licensing class all over again (and having to fly somewhere to do it), nor submitting a no-edits, single-shot 11-13 minute video in a style I choose not to teach. This sounds like a simple decision, but it was not.
At the core of my decision is the belief that rebound boot classes should not be limited to those who are already fit and flexible. For the most part, those are not the people I want to reach with the delights of rebound fitness. I want the people who need that "up to 80% less impact" that these boots offer, who want high-impact fun with low impact on their joints. I want to make people comfortable with their own learning curve when they use these boots. More experienced jumpers who attend my classes are welcome to embellish the choreography I use, and they do. At the same time, other people choose to just "do singles or doubles" until they feel ready to follow the choreography, and I make sure they know that's OK too. "Keep moving and keep smiling, and we're all good!" If I were teaching 8-10 classes a week indoors, I would customize them for easier and more complex choreography, maybe even for musical themes, and would try to serve a variety of jumpers but not all in the same class.
Because of how I want to teach rebound fitness, I have never considered (at least not seriously) even applying at an established gym. I have taught in private settings (employees only) and in parking lots. For two years now I have been feeling "location lust" whenever I drive by a vacant storefront of a reasonable size, with good parking, and good food nearby (and a few other criteria). My current "plan" is to put more time into making this indoor rebound location happen. Hopefully before it gets too cold to jump outdoors! To make this profitable (can't pay a lease if it's not, right?), I am also interested in hearing from other instructors who would consider offering fitness classes there, offering health-related classes weekly or monthly, or even using the space for tutoring when classes are not scheduled. I am open to many possibilities to help pay for a place I can jump indoors in the winter. Find me on Facebook at Loraine Says JUMP and leave a message if you are interested in making this happen, as an instructor, location scout, decorator, investor, supporting member, or whatever else we need to make it work. Let's be indoors before it snows!
