Based on the popular NBC television show, “American Ninja Warrior,” Obstacle Warrior Kids opened in early August in Oak Ridge North, offering children a place to make exercise more fun.
Owner Stephen Plant said the franchise was started four years ago in Dallas by Samantha Reid. Reid wanted a place for youths and adults to experience the same obstacles as “American Ninja Warrior” in an open-play environment, Plant said.
“She didn’t want to create a structured gym-like environment; she wanted something like open play and where kids don’t even focus on [fitness]—they are just having fun,” he said.
Plant said Obstacle Warrior Kids’ location in Oak Ridge North is the gym’s first franchised location and has seen an overwhelming response from the local community. The new location features various obstacles that have been featured on “American Ninja Warrior.”
“I started as a customer over three years ago,” Plant said. “[My] partners and I got together and wanted to open our own franchise, [and] the first place within Houston I thought of was The Woodlands [area]. I believe it really fit our demographic, and the community really wanted a place like ours.”
Plant said more than 700 children came to the grand opening of Obstacle Warrior Kids, and many customers continued to come in during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
“I was taken aback by community response before schools started,” he said. “When [Hurricane Harvey] hit, we were closed for three days and then opened our doors on that Tuesday morning. One hundred kids joined us, and then 300 came the next day. People had been in the house with kids for days. So we definitely love being there for the community when we can.”
Plant said Obstacles Warrior Kids is for children age 1 and older, and it features open play, classes and serves as a venue for birthday parties.
“A surprising thing to me is how many people join us for birthday parties without ever coming to play first—it’s all been word-of-mouth,” Plant said. “Our parties are getting booked on the weekends and hundreds of kids come in on Saturday and Sunday for open play.”
Plant said the gym has three separate obstacle areas that are used during open play and classes. Its smallest area is for children younger than 5 with a foam pit and smaller obstacles. The main obstacle course is for children age 5 and older, and the extreme obstacle course is for guests age 12 and older.
“A signature obstacle is the warped walls—those are a fan favorite,” Plant said. “We also feature the spider jump, quintuple steps, cliff hanger and cannonball alley from the show. But we are not ageist. If a kid younger than age 12 can complete the main obstacle runs, they can try the extreme zone.”
For children who would like to try classes, Plant said the classes are an hour long, and ninja instructors will show children specific techniques on how to complete obstacles.
“It’s a great thing if kids want a more structured environment,” he said. “You just sign and register for one class at a time; it’s not a monthly schedule.”
Plant said while this location just opened, he is planning to open another location in the Greater Houston area in spring 2019.
“We have different areas we are looking at, like Katy and Sugar Land,” Plant said. “The facility is the most important part.”
27329 Spectrum Way, Oak Ridge North
281-323-4719
www.houstonobstacles.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
