Trampoline parks: a staple of any Gen Zer’s childhood. Their brightly colored blocks, variety of activities, and sugary treats make them the hot spot for any middle schooler’s Friday nights. Kaki, Katherine, and Bailey set out to discover which trampoline park, Velocity or Sky Zone, takes the cake.

Velocity

Trampoline quality (jumpability/size):

1. There was a wide variety of shapes and sizes, perfect for executing any sort of flip or trick

2. The “free jump” zone was very large and had a nice open concept– I learned that term from HGTV

3. Had a separate (but equal) area for the young tots to bounce around in (Thanks Velocity for preventing childhood obesity by enticing kids to exercise and burn unwanted fat at a young age!)

Activities:

1. “American Ninja Warrior” obstacle course: At first glance, we all thought that this activity would be our favorite, but it ended up being somewhat disappointing. The obstacles were extremely challenging and we could not even attempt most (though this may just be due to the fact that we are all very weak). 

2. Basketball: There were two separate basketball hoops available, however, they were both the same height. Being that we are not very athletic, the tall hoops were problematic. On the other hand, the accompanying trampolines sloped upwards at the end towards the hoops which enhanced our ability to get the ball in and compensated for the fact that there was not a shorter hoop.

3. Aerial silks: Initially, I (Bailey) thought that I would be a natural at the silks, but it was much more strenuous than the Cirque Du Soleil make it seem. Chase was very helpful in showing me how to appropriately wrap the silks around my feet, but I still struggled. 

4. Slack lines: If you didn’t have a granola friend with one of these in their backyard growing up, then you missed out. Walking on one of these bad boys makes you feel like that guy who walked on a rope between the twin towers. Additionally, for those who lack the proper grace and balance that is required to walk on a slackline, they have the option of holding onto a rope.

5. Trapeze: We had a lot of difficulty with this activity. None of us could hold onto the bar long enough to actually complete a full swing, but the idea of a trapeze is very amusing. 

6. Foam pit: Had a couple of isolated trampolines that face a pit of foam blocks so that people can safely attempt whatever intricate flip they so please. As always, the foam pit was extremely hard to get out of, though this is most likely due to the fact that we are out of shape.

7. Dodgeball: Our competitive nature prevented us from being able to objectively rate this

8. Bouncy Houses: There were a couple of bouncy houses available, but we were unable to participate

Atmosphere:

Dark walls with blue and green accents. This trampoline park screamed “sophistication.” We liked the space themed accents. 

Price:

1. At Velocity, we really got a bang for our buck. Considering Heather, the manager, got all of us 3 free passes, it was definitely worth our time. Plus, they even gave us free socks, which usually cost $3! 

2. Velocity has 1 hour ($16) and 2 hour ($26) passes for sale, which may seem a bit pricey, but definitely worth the time. My only complaint is the lack of a shorter time slot. 

3. There were vending machines that were a bit expensive and quite faulty. Do. Not. Use. 

Staff:

The staff MADE Velocity. They were very welcoming, gave us free passes, and were quite conversational. One staff member in particular, Chase, followed us around. Maybe it was his job. Anyways, he was great to talk to and was very helpful when need be. We were quite taken with Lisa and her dazzling personality and outstanding customer service. At the end of our visit, she gave us an envelope with 20 buy one get one free coupons to give to our class. This was the cherry on top of our experience.   

Sky Zone 

Trampoline quality (jumpability/size):

1. The free jump section was superb. It was very jumpable and overall a better experience.

2. There were blocks to jump over which spiced it up.

3. The trampoline squares themselves were a bit smaller than Velocity’s, but this allowed them to be more bouncy.

4. The trampolines that faced the foam pit were bouncier, allowing higher jumps and flips to be executed with ease.

Variety of activities:

1.Rockwall: There were many different courses to try, ranging from easy to advanced. The rock crevices were very small and hurt our feet, but this may just be because we have large feet. It was fun to fall from the top into the foam pit, although the pit was (and is always) quite difficult to get out of. 

2. Knockout: This activity was definitely a favorite of ours. The way it works is that each participant stands in a designated trampoline section and tries to dodge the poles that circulate around. The last one standing wins. It is not as easy as it sounds. None of us had ever seen anything like this at any trampoline/amusement park so we found it extremely entertaining. 

3. Basketball: Just like Velocity, Sky Zone had two basketball hoops at varying heights to accomodate for those who are vertically challenged. The trampolines that accompany the hoops were a bit smaller than the ones at Velocity but they did the trick.

4. Foam pit: It had 3 trampolines into the pit, but one was occupied by the ladder (which was very hard to execute and was very high up). There was a divider at the end of these trampolines that you have to jump over before entering the pit. This made it much more difficult to execute flips, but since none of us can really do flips it did not really affect our experience.

5. Dodgeball: There were two separate courts designated for playing dodgeball; however, we were not able to play because there were not enough people to play with. Though, the staff did inform us that the dodgeball games were very fun and intense.

Atmosphere:

1. It was a bit brighter in Sky Zone, which made the experience more fun. 

2. The neon accents added a fun touch to the orange and black theme 

Price:

1. Sky Zone has many options for jump times, including 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. To jump for half an hour, it is $11, the 1 hour is $16, for 90 minutes it is $21, and the longest time is $26. Overall, not too shabby; the cheapest price worked well for us.

2. Our luxurious socks would have cost us another $3, but we all brought other ones that worked according to their waiver. 

3. For after jump snacks, Sky Zone has a lot of food that is available at differing prices. Katherine and Bailey’s Icees were only $4, with tax. While it would not be smart to go and buy a bunch, the one snack fit well into our broke senior budget. 

Staff: 

The staff was pretty nice overall, but they didn’t really seem like they wanted to be there. You work on a trampoline for goodness sake! But in their defense, the kids they had to deal with were pretty annoying.

Extra Factors to Consider:

~ Sky Zone offers an after school camp for children 

~ Velocity has better socks

~ Velocity also has an arcade

~ Sky Zone’s block pits are easier to get out of

~ Sky Zone provided stickers (which can ruin your clothes if you forget to take it off)

~ Velocity provided wristbands (which can sometimes be put on too tight and cut off your circulation)

Comparing:

Trampoline quality~ Sky Zone

Variety of activities~ Sky Zone 

Atmosphere~ Sky Zone

Price~ Velocity

Staff~ Velocity

Personal Opinions:

Katherine~ Sky Zone

Kaki~ Sky Zone

Bailey~ Velocity

The Winner:

SKY ZONE!