Community Corner

Treat Kids During Days Off, Or Keep In Shape, at Sky High Sports

A few bounces on the trampoline, and you'll burn off the holiday feast. Also, if your kids have days off school, they'll clamor to go jumping.


What's one of the most fun ways to spend free time during the Thanksgiving/Hanukkah holiday or the Christmas/Kwanzaa break?

Jumping and bouncing, of course. And it's not just for kids, either. Teens, adults and seniors all trampoline away here.

Manager Jim Kaminski of Sky High Sports, 6424 W. Howard Street (behind Fibre Craft; keep going back), Niles, tells us about all the fun people can have at the facility, which has enormous trampoline courts.

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In fact, the first thing you notice about the facility--besides the fact it's brightly lit, clean and colorful--is the enormity. It's 45,000 square feet, and has multiple, huge trampoline courts.

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Patch: So are you going to be busy for the holidays? 

Kaminski: Thanksgiving break and Christmas/winter break are our biggest times.

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On those days, we have an online registration system, so people can pre-purchase jump time on the website. 

Patch: Can you reserve from 1:30 to 2:30, for example?

Kaminski: We do jump times at the top and bottom of the our, so you can start at 12, 1:30, 1, 1:30, etc.   So they would get the full 60 minutes.

Patch: Is there a maximum number of people you can have jumping?  

Kaminski: We do have a facility capacity. We can say, we are full this hour, you'll have to wait for the next hour.

Patch: Are there age restrictions, for little kids or seniors? 

Kaminski: We don’t have any age limits. I’ve had 80 year-olds in here. We do have a six and under court. 

We don’t have a minimum age, but we suggest around 2 and up, because they can walk.  They have to be able to walk on their own.

Patch: Who does the fancy flips? 

Kaminski: It’s mostly older kids that come in on weekdays; you can go on our youtube channel and see some sophisticated flips. They progress to the sophisticated tricks.

Patch: What do most people do when they come here:  

Kaminski: The average person comes out to jump around or play dodgeball, but then there are some that practice and work on their flips.

Patch: Are there any teachers? 

Kaminski: No, we have court monitors to ensure people are jumping within their ability and people are safe. But for those who want to learn tricks, they can practice in the foam pit.

Patch: When are you open?  

Kaminski: We are open 7 days a week; we are closed for certain holidays; Thanksgiving, Christmas, things like that.

Patch: What if an adult wanted to do this, but said, "I’m not sure if I’m flexible enough."

Kaminski:  We say, you can just jump, start a little slowly, bouncing, get a little feel for what you want to try. Everybody can jump at their own pace.

We have an aerobics class, which is a lot of older adults that are exercising. It’s tailored for them. You're able to go at your own pace, but your cardio goes through the roof.  

Patch: When is that class?

Kaminski: On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 and 7 pm and Saturdays at 9 am.

It's for men and women; it’s all ages, but it’s an exercise class. 

Patch: Does jumping burn a lot of calories?

Kaminski: People are losing a lot of weight. It’s an amazing aerobic exercise.

Patch: And you do parties, too? 

Kaminski: Yes. It transcends so many different ages and what you can do here.

On weekends, we’re a No. 1 party venue for kids. During the week, teens come in to play dodgeball. Then we transform into a gym where adults come in and do the exercising. We’re a little bit of everything for everyone.

Patch: When did you open? 

Kaminski:  We officially opened in September 2011

Patch: Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

Kaminski: My background is in retail. I started out of college with a business degree and started in retail and operations.

Patch: How many staff work here? 

Kaminski: I have about 55. It’s a franchise.  There are 16 stores nationwide, corporate or franchise; this one is a franchise. The franchisee lives in Washington state. 

Patch: Are you the only Sky High in the Chicago area?

Kaminski: We have a Naperville location as well.

Patch: And how's your safety record? 

Kaminski: It's an amazing safety record. We like to have return customers. 

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