bubble soccer bubble ball body zorb ball

This, says Lori Lowell, is the new yoga: Two DJs on stage, a rapper, perhaps a human beat boxer, and somewhere in the mix, an instructor leading students through an hour’s worth of poses.

bubble soccer suits

Lowell, who owns the newly opened Gold’s Gym Elite Training Center in Woodbridge, said she is hoping to take on the Soul Cycle studios, Bar Method facilities that have begun cropping up around town. She has also found a way, she said, to mix music and fitness — and she’s hoping it works.

“It’s a complete reconfiguration of what fitness should be,” said Lowell, who owns a number of local Gold’s Gym franchises with her husband, Jeremy. “We’re trying to create more social environments with really cool couches, a fireplace and a stage for performances.”

bumper ball

The 22,500-square-foot Elite Training Center opened earlier this month with a boxing ring, jungle gyms, aerial yoga and bubble soccer, where participants compete wearing translucent bubble suits. There will also be dance parties and regular open mic nights.

The idea, Lowell said, is to draw members by marketing the gym as a social hangout more than as a place to stop in for 30 minutes on the elliptical.

Membership, which is capped at 2,000, costs about $50 a month.

For details, see twitter

body zorbing bubble soccer suits

It is smooth sailing all the way. Oars splashing in the placid lake create silent ripples as a kayak glides from Murukkumpuzha to Kadinamkulam. A steady stream of instructions from Wing Commander (retired) Unni Krishnan Palat is the only conversation in the kayak. “Hold the oars parallel, then you won’t splash water into the kayak. Gently, gently…there are different movements to guide the kayak in the direction you want it to move. Once you learn how to steer, the kayak is the fastest and easiest way to travel on water.”bubble soccer suits

In the middle of the lake, surrounded by water on all sides, I wonder if I am in deep water as the shore seems far away and my hands often lose the coordination to keep the oars moving. The picture-postcard setting is another distraction. I find it is not easy to sightsee and keep moving all the time. But Palat is a pro and soon, to my delight, I find myself rowing a kayak in some fashion. Much to the amusement of two of the women on shore, Palat (doing the lion’s share) and I manage to reach the other bank and get back, all in one piece without the kayak capsizing or the oars getting lost.

This ability and confidence to guide even novices and landlubbers like me to enjoy the thrill of adventure sports is what motivated this veteran paratrooper (who was chief instructor of Paratroopers Training School in Agra and Limca Book record holder) to set up Kayak Adventure along with two other intrepid entrepreneurs. Kayak Adventure, affiliated to the National Adventure Foundation, offers adventure sports in absolutely pristine surroundings.bubble soccer

Palat, T. Parameswaran and Joseph Pereira began this place at Murukkumpuzha, a laidback town on the banks of the Kadinamkulam Lake, 25 km from Thiruvananthapuram.

“After taking the land on lease from Pereira, we did some landscaping on the nearly two-acre plot and set up the facilities to encourage people to discover the outdoors,” says Parameswaran.

A swimming pool, commando nets, Burma bridge (rope bridge), a tunnel, fibreglass kayaks, coracles and Zorbing balls invite guests to have a ball on the premises, all under the eye of trained safety officers, men and women.

Palat finds it strange that the profusion of water bodies in Kerala have not motivated many to learn swimming. “Moreover, water transport is the cheapest means of transport and in a waterscape like Kerala, it should have been tapped. However, we seem to have neglected or forgotten our water bodies and along with it our love for the outdoors,” says Palat.

Bubble Soccer kicks off inaugural season

Bubble Soccer bounced into the spotlight as Binghamton University’s newest intramural sport on Tuesday.


Emily Earl/ Contributing Photographer
Students participate in a game of bubble soccer in the West Gym on Thursday evening. The sport was introduced this year as the latest intramural sport following its popularity at Rec Fest.
In this game, each player enters a plastic bubble which covers everything but his/her legs. Both teams start on opposite sides of the gym and run towards each other on the ref’s whistle in an attempt to kick a soccer ball into their opponent’s goal.
bubble soccer suits


Upon arriving at the West Gym for a Thursday night encounter, teams named United FC and the Brewskis strapped themselves into the bubbles and prepared for battle.

“The name got me excited, I’ve played soccer since I was a kid so I was excited to try another type of soccer,” said Leshatho Moshakga, a graduate student studying geography and player for the United FC.

Students poured into the West Gym on Thursday to watch their friends play and see what Bubble Soccer was all about.

As the competitors fought to a 0-0 tie, John Shadwick, an undeclared sophomore on the Brewskis, said there were other things other than scoring on his mind.

“You forget you’re even playing soccer, everyone’s just running around with big bubbles on them,” he said.
bubble soccer

Bumping into teammates took place of the traditional celebratory high five.

“It’s like bumper cars,” said Evan Rubin, a junior majoring in biology. “Except with people in bubbles.”

But according to some, the falling was the best and only part of the game.

“It’s hard to do everything, all you can do is really hit your opponents,” Moshakga said. “It’s hard to kick, harder than regular soccer but it’s fun to see everyone knocked down.”

Dona Tungyuz, a graduate student studying computer science, said that the bubbles posed difficulties beyond mobility.

“It was so hot inside. I feel like I’ve already lost two pounds,” said Tungyuz, a player for United FC.

Intramural coordinator Ben Wagner got the idea to introduce Bubble Soccer as an intramural sport here at Binghamton after seeing videos of it online and speaking to a friend at another university. After bouncing the idea around for a while, Wagner decided to debut Bubble Soccer at Rec Fest.Bubble ball soccer

“It was a huge hit,” Wagner said. “After we opened registration for Bubble Soccer leagues all three leagues filled within 24 hours.”

The Bubble Soccer league attracted both students of all ages and genders, some of whom have been playing soccer for years and some who have never played at all. According to Wagner, there are already 24 teams registered for the league and 12 on the waiting list. Each team has anywhere from five to eight players.

“Bubble Soccer’s a lot of fun, it’s nothing like I was expecting but it was a good time,” said Emily Paye, a sophomore majoring in environmental studies and playing for the Brewskis. “It’s a competitive game for some, but the best part is running into your friends and making them topple over.”

“I think it’s a cool game to bring everyone together,” said Catherine Holden, a sophomore majoring in nursing. “It’s fun to watch my friends make a fool out of themselves and push each other around.”