Bootcamp offers challenging workouts at Darling Tennis Center and area parks

Not everyone working out at the Amanda & Stacy Darling Memorial Tennis Center is swinging a tennis racquet these days.

Some people wielded a sledgehammer. Others swung kettlebells. Yet another person performed abdominal-targeting moves with an 8-pound weighted ball, while another hefted a BOSU ball.

It's all part of a new program offered at the center, 7901 W. Washington Ave., by Las Vegas Bootcamp. Owner/operator Kerry Geyser kept everyone moving and burning calories that morning as she studied people to ensure that their technique was correct.

"It's almost like you're downhill skiing; stick your bum out," Geyser coached one woman. "There you go, you're on the ski slopes, Shannon."

The hourlong session was only five minutes along when beads of sweat were apparent. Some people were jogging, while others were making use of the various apparatus, such as pushup handles.

Participant Cathy Candela said Geyser "really motivates us ... I like that it's different every time you come. There are different exercises, so I always feel like I'm getting challenged. And, really, this is the best shape I've been in in a long time."

Aida Lashua lives in The Lakes area. What did she think of the class?

"It's really good," she said. "I love Kerry. She's very supportive, and if you're having trouble, she'll (stop) you and find something else for you to do."

Both said the camaraderie of others in the class helped them stay motivated. Geyser said people of all fitness levels can participate and that exercises can be tailored to their needs.

"There are some people who come here for really intense training and some who come here for leisure," Geyser said. "So, it offers them another opportunity to get additional conditioning, overall body conditioning, and we work on exercises that would really help on the tennis court ---- body movement, agility, the speed and the flexibility."

The facility offers the options of using the tennis courts and running the steps at center court. Bootcamp is different from going to a gym, Geyser said.

"Being out in the air wakes up the senses ... you have the opportunity to use a larger area," she said. "We bring equipment, but we also run and use ledges and steps. Sometimes you can be so much more versatile in one workout versus being in one enclosed space, like on a cardio machine, and then (you) go over to the weights. Where, here, it's very easy for us to incorporate cardio into your workout without it feeling like, you know, a lot of people have an aversion to going on a cardio machine and doing 30 minutes straight of cardio. It doesn't feel like that; it's not boring (this way)."

Sandy Foley, facility manager, reached out to the Las Vegas Bootcamp at the suggestion of tennis player Bill MacDonald. His teenage daughter, Julia, is in the tennis center's High Performance program and a Las Vegas Bootcamp devotee. She signed on to improve her agility and speed.

"We felt like it was a nice complement to the people that are playing tennis here," Foley said. "People are trying to work on their game, and we have a beautiful facility and a nice weight room out there, and we thought it would be (something) nice to offer our players."

She said the facility had been looking to partner with a group and this made it a "one-stop shop kind of thing."

Foley added that she saw the bootcamp tying into the center's junior program (for ages 11 or older) and offering a tennis- related workout.

Even though it was the first week of classes, Geyser was already seeing tennis players dropping in to try bootcamp. She suggested once the classes were running at full speed, as many as 30 to 40 percent of participants might be tennis players or parents who "drop off their child (for tennis) and stay for a class (to) keep their fitness level up."

The best part of being at the tennis center? Geyser said it was the synergy.

"It's nice to have a lot of activity going on," she said. "People here at the tennis center want to be fit. They want to be healthy, and they want to be fit. So it gives us exposure to (people) with the mind-set of staying healthy."

Hourlong morning and after-work sessions are offered at 9:15 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Early-morning bootcamp sessions are also offered at 6 a.m. at The Arbors Tennis & Play Park, 610 Sageberry Drive, and 7:30 a.m. at Willows Park, 2775 Desert Marigold Lane.

Classes run Monday through Friday. A six-week session costs $300.

For more information, visit lasvegasbootcamp.net.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.