On a Thursday morning in July, 10-year-old Jamarcus Coates bounced off a four-angled yellow platform onto a rectangular swing.
“The last part is tough,” he said of clinging to a suspended net cargo bag before falling into a foam-filled pit below.
At Airbound Sports & Entertainment, the Ninja Course, a colorful obstacle arena, is a big draw for kids, said Judy Gee, who opened Forest Hill Sports Facility in the spring. Tony Ashley, who works as a camp counselor at Airbound, says that’s the biggest draw.
“Some kids run off the deck and jump into the hole,” said Ashley, 58. “Older children want the challenge of successfully completing a course.”
But airbound isn’t just for young people.
“It doesn’t matter if the kid is 3 or you’re 30,” says Ashley, who is also a football coach at St. Vincent Parrotti High School in Laurel.
Ji said she designed an indoor facility that people of all ages can enjoy. There is also a soccer field in addition to the ninja course. A basketball court that doubles as a pickleball surface. Inflatable Bouncy House. There is also a bubble ball that children can tie themselves inside and roll around, bumping into each other.
A Georgetown University alumnus, Gee previously worked as director of the now-closed White Marsh Trampoline Facility, which inspired her to start her own business.
“I always wanted to be an entrepreneur,” said Gee, 61. “I was scared at first…I was about to go out alone” — but the Forest Hill community welcomed her and Airbound, she added.
Gee is based on his boot camp experience in the military, with parts of the ninja course, such as climbing ropes hanging in holes. He served four years in active duty and four years in the reserves starting in the late 1980s. Gee later worked as a lieutenant in Suffolk, Virginia, and attended police academy in Washington, DC and Prince George County.
Her godmother, Mr. Coates, also gave her feedback when designing Airbound.
“If he gets bored with something too quickly, I’m not going to continue with the idea,” she said. “I can think of something else.”
Airbound, which she officially launched in May, is open daily from 10am to 9pm in the summer and from 10am to 8pm every day except Tuesdays in the winter. 1 hour of play is $11.95.
Day camps cost $215.25 per week or $60 for a full day or $30 for a half day.
During the camp, Ashley said, children play soccer, basketball and dodgeball, test their strength and agility on the ninja course, and spend time on arts and crafts.
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“When they leave the house, they are tired and they don’t want to go home,” he says.
It’s a place where kids bounce, dribble, climb, and make friendships.
“All the kids come in as strangers at times, but they all start playing together while they’re there,” Gee said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
air travel sports and entertainment
8 Newport Drive, Forest Hill. 443-371-6194. airboundsports.com
