Popular BG exercise class for children expands to Saturdays

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BATTLE GROUND – When you find a good thing, stick with it. That’s what Battle Ground area fitness instructor Kristin Krasko is doing.

For the past few years, Krasko has taught a group of 6 to 12 year olds how to shed fat, build muscle and increase self-confidence with her Wednesday morning R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids class. Last March, she added a R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens program and pulled in a few older students and their parents.

Known as R.I.P.P.E.D. the high-intensity fitness program Krasko teaches to Battle Ground area youth gets its acronym from its various components: Resistance, Intervals, Power, Plyometrics, Endurance and Diet. At its core, R.I.P.P.E.D. is a combination of resistance training and cardio that helps shed fat, build muscle and increase self-confidence.

“We incorporate some martial arts to teach self defense … and we use free weights and sports-based movements,” Krasko says. “The R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids program is like a Crossfit style class along with movement to a music routine with games at the end that strengthen teamwork.”

Although Krasko offered her  R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens class on Saturdays as well as Wednesdays, she only did the R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids program on Wednesday mornings, so most of her younger students attended CAM Academy or River Homelink schools and had flexible schedules, or they were homeschooled.

Now, Krasko is branching out, teaching R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids and R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens on Saturdays, to better reach the general public.



“I’m hoping this takes hold for the community,” Krasko says. “There is music and it’s just fun. The kids are motivated and engaged. I love seeing the satisfied looks on their faces, to know that they’re feeling this positive energy, that we’re working together, and pushing ourselves and that they’re reaping the benefits of exercise.”

Currently, Krasko teaches a R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens class on Wednesday mornings, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and a R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids class from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Wednesdays.

The new Saturday morning R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids and R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens classes begin Sat., Sept. 5, at the Battle Ground Community Education’s Lewisville Campus (in the gymnasium) at 406 NW 5th Ave., Battle Ground. The R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens class is from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and the R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids class is directly after the teen class, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

The four-week R.I.P.P.E.D. classes cost $33 for students (both the youth and the teen classes). Parents who want to take the class with their teen will get a 33-percent discount, but must sign up for the class either in-person or over the phone.

To register for either the R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids or R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens sessions, visit http://bgce.battlegroundps.org or call (360) 885-6584.