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Kingdom Impact Offers Fitness Opportunities by Alline Kent
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Kingdom Impact, a non profit community and recreation facility opened in 2006 withone class. The
center, which features instructions in tumbling, cheering, martial arts and
aerobics, now has25 classes.
Love Burnsed, program director at Kingdom Impact,
said that Kingdom Impact was started with a vision and philosophy to provide
fitness opportunities to young peopleof all ages, regardless of race and
economic backgrounds. Scholarships are available for the programs, and the
center strives to offer the lowest prices around.
“They have so much to offer for kids in the
community that is Christian based,” said parent Connie Freeman. “They have all
different types of tumbling classes along with a workout area for parents.
”Kingdom Impact also has competitive cheering and
currently has six competitive cheer teams for ages4-18. Many of the students are
also school cheerleaders, so the program has major competitions in the
school“off season.”
“We try to accommodate the school programs,
because we want them to be leaders at school as well,” Burnsed explained.
Tumbling and stunts done by Kingdom Impact are
not governed by the same rules as school cheering, so Kingdom Impact students
learn more difficult and complex routines.
“It really allows you to develop your abilities,”
explained Kayla Kratz, an instructor at Kingdom Impact and former cheerleader at
Perry High.
Working around the school cheer schedule also
allows Kingdom Impact to include cheerleaders from all the schools and increase
their diversity. Tryouts for the next Kingdom Impact season start May1st.
“We want our cheering to be a true community
thing, “ Burnsed said.
Kingdom Impact competes atevents across the
region but the largest is Cheer Sport, which has about 900 cheer teams
competing.“It is where you can see the best teams in the nation,” said Taylor
Theus, another instructor and a former WRHS competition cheerleader.
A knee injury sidelined Taylor’s college cheer hopes but coaching at Kingdom
Impact allows her to stay active in the sport.
It also allows her to impact the lives of young
girls.
“This is like a home,” she explained. “We have
all stars, competitive cheering but also a warm family feeling.
”Burnsed, a former PE teacher and cheer coach at
Perry High School, where her teams won the2003 state championship and the2004
state championship runner up had more on her mind than cheering when she started
Kingdom Impact.
“We want to build their skills but build their
fitness goals as well.”Kingdom Impact also is a Christian organization; coaches
pray before and after practice, and devotions are regularly held.
Currently located on Elberta Road, plans are in the works for a
larger facility on property owned by New Hope International. In the new center,
Burnsed said there will be a larger variety of programs as they expand to
partner with other organizations in an effort to combat childhood obesity.
“It is all about education. We want to do some
thing about this generation of “screenagers” and that starts with education. We
want it to seem normal to pick an apple instead of candy; to move and burn
calories than to sit in front of a TV.”For more information about the programs
at Kingdom Impact, visit their website at kingdomimpact.com.
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