CASE KRASKO, 14 (in the back, wearing a red tank top), helps his mother, fitness instructor Kristin Krasko (not pictured) during a recent R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids fitness class, held Wed., Feb. 18. The high-energy fitness classes, which included students ages 8 to 12 on this particular day, offer a fun way for children to get in shape, manage their weight, strengthen their muscles and build self-confidence.
FITNESS INSTRUCTOR KRISTIN Krasko (center), stands with her Wednesday morning R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids students and shows off the muscles the kids are strengthening in their weekly fitness classes. Krasko will teach a new, four-week series of classes, R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, for ages 13 to 18, starting Wed., March 4.
R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 KIDS fitness instructor Kristin Krasko (far right) leads her students, ages 8 to 12, through a modified game of dodgeball, known as “butterball,” which uses a no-sting type of dodgeball and encourages team building through exercise and games. Krasko teaches the R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids class, for ages 6 to 12, each Wednesday morning. Starting the first week of March, Krasko is adding a R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens class on Wednesdays and Saturdays, for ages 13 to 18.
Fitness instructor Kristin Krasko is passionate about the program she teaches to Battle Ground area youth.
“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 … I just love it,” Krasko says.
The kids seem to love it, too. During one of Krasko’s recent fitness classes for ages 6 to 12, a group of youngsters laughed and smiled their way through an invigorating game of “butterball,” a softer version of the classic dodgeball that uses “no sting” balls.
“Kristin is so good about making sure that the kids get to know each other and at giving them positive reinforcements,” says Wendy Ulland, a mother of two students in Krasko’s Wednesday morning fitness class. “My girls love it. The want to do it every day.”
For Ulland, who homeschools her two daughters, 11-year-old Paige and 10-year-old Baylee, Krasko’s Wednesday fitness class fits in perfectly with the family’s online school schedule. Plus, says Ulland, it fills helps fill a void for her youngest child, who missed her former school’s physical education classes.
“Anything extracurricular like this that we can do is good,” Ulland says. “And the girls really enjoy it.”
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. “There is music and it’s just fun. The kids are motivated and engaged. 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.”
Krasko discovered R.I.P.P.E.D. a few years ago, when she was looking to change her lifestyle and make healthier choices.
“I was just a mom who was about 20 pounds overweight and tired,” Krasko says. “I was inspired by a friend, a fitness instructor, to try R.I.P.P.E.D. and I started to see results within just a few weeks.”
Krasko fell in love with the R.I.P.P.E.D. classes, shed her excess weight, regained her energy and felt so good she decided to go through the intense certification process to become a certified R.I.P.P.E.D. instructor.
For the past few years, Krasko has offered a “R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Kids” class on Wednesday mornings, for ages 6 to 12. Most of her students attend the CAM Academy or River Homelink schools in Battle Ground, or are homeschooled like Ulland’s two daughters.
Now, Krasko is expanding her reach with a R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens class on Saturdays. This class will target youth ages 13 to 18, and offers discounts for parents who want to take the class with their teenager.
Krasko, the mother of two boys, 14-year-old Case and 7-year-old Vance, says she loves exercising with her own sons.
“It opens the door for communication and it’s great to be able to focus on strengthening our health, together,” Krasko says.
One of the mothers in Krasko’s R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens class, who did not want to be identified in this article, says she joined with her 14-year-old son for several reasons: “I think it’s a neat way to spend time with my kid. It’s affordable and I knew it was a great way to get a workout. The benefits I’ve seen from class include improved strength and cardio endurance.”
A new, four-week R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens class starts Sat., March 7, from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m. at the Battle Ground Community Education’s Lewisville Campus (in the gymnasium) at 406 NW 5th Ave., Battle Ground.
Krasko will also teach a R.I.P.P.E.D. 4 Teens class on Wednesday mornings, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., starting Wed., March 4.
The four-week R.I.P.P.E.D. classes cost $33 for students (both the youth and the teen classes). Teens who want to take both the Wednesday and Saturday classes can pay $47 for both sessions. Parents who wish to take the class with their teen will get a 33 percent discount, but must sign up 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.
