INCENDIA KIDS
By Lisa
We love kids at Incendia. We love families that work out together at Incendia. We love that your kids get to watch you do something as positive as CrossFit three or more days per week. As parents of two small children ourselves, it was very important for us to create a welcoming – but safe – environment for your kids. We (literally) designed our box around the kids’ space and it was one of the first areas completed in the gym (never mind that we had to contain our kids so we could complete the gym).
With various schools on Spring Break this month, we have caught a glimpse into what summer is going to look like at Incendia with the kids out of school. To be perfectly honest, it has been eye-opening. We have seen kids run around unattended while their parents are working out/doing yoga/out on a run, we’ve seen kids jumping off tires in the back yard/rolling the 100 lb atlas stones/playing with axes, we’ve seen kids walk out the front door/back gate and we’ve seen WAY too many close calls with kids and barbells/jump ropes/other equipment. Guys, it’s been really scary watching this from the perspective of a business-owner and parent, especially with how busy the gym has become.
So that we can keep everyone safe, the Incendia House Rules regarding kids will be strictly enforced equally and immediately. Please keep your kids off the mats when classes start. This includes all classes from CrossFit to Yoga. Kids need to stay in the Kiddie Containment Area or be latched into a stroller if they are not old enough to sit at the table. We understand and expect that kids will cry their first few times behind the gates and we know that it can be embarrassing to hear our kids scream and carry on. We’ve been there. It’s OK. Really. We’d rather hear kids cry because they can’t get out than to hear them cry because they’ve been hit by a barbell. Once the WOD starts, the music is cranked and you won’t even hear the cries (and no one else will either). It’s not a big deal. Kids also will not be allowed to play freely in the backyard during classes. We will be utilizing the backyard space more and more as the gym becomes busier and busier and there are some items back there that can definitely hurt the kids. Please keep your kids off the equipment. We love to watch the kids swing from the rings, climb the ropes, and hang out on the rowers, but it’s just not safe. It sends me into heart failure every time I see a kid swinging like Tarzan from the rings or jumping from stacked tires. I’ve also seen way too many smashed fingers from the rower. Let’s teach our kids to avoid those areas. Finally, please take care of your own kids. If they need to be assisted during class, please don’t ask your coach to take care of them. Your coach is coaching and trying to keep YOU and the rest of the class safe. We can’t watch the class if we’re helping your kiddo go to the bathroom.
Usually, if there are two coaches in the building, one will always pick up a crying child. If conditions are safe in the classes, we will continue to do so. We want you to be able to workout in a stress-free environment, but we want it to be stress-free for everyone else as well. I hate worrying that if I drop my barbell I will hit your kid and I know others do, too. Let’s work together to follow the rules and keep everyone safe.
CrossFit Kids will be at Incendia by late May. In these classes, the kids can play on the equipment, learn how to rope climb and even do some gymnastics. Kid-play will be encouraged and they can try all the cool stuff that their parents do on a daily basis, in their own classes.
We thank you for your cooperation as we enforce these rules to keep everyone safe. Please talk to any of the coaches if you have any questions.