The Leader • Saturday, June 15, 2019 • Page 1B
Local club making splash
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Refurbished pool becoming popular spot
Time to Relax and Enjoy
By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com The pool and surrounding area are fenced in and kept clean, and there is adequate seating as well as shade trees. It’s perfect for picnicking, too, since visitors can bring their own food and drinks. The best part about the swimming pool at the White Oak Conference Center, at least to those who have discovered it, is that hardly anyone is ever there. “I just like it because it’s never busy,” said Oak Forest resident Kasey Duncan, who swam there Sunday with her husband and two young children. That could soon change, because in its eighth summer of operation, word is catching on about the private pool that sells memberships to the public. It is operated by the Near Northwest Management District, which promotes infrastructure improvements and development in the area. The organization also makes its office in the building next to the pool, which was the clubhouse for the former Inwood Forest Golf and Country Club at 7603 Antoine Dr. Jan Whittington, facilities director for the Near Northwest Management District, said pool membership is up about 50 per-
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Photo by Adam Zuvanich Oak Forest resident Kasey Duncan, left, swims with her 20-month-old son, Liam, on Sunday at the pool at White Oak Conference Center, 7603 Antoine Dr.
cent this summer with an influx of swimmers from Oak Forest and Garden Oaks. She said the membership includes about 30 or 40 families in total. “Our membership is growing,” said
Wayne Norden, president of the Near Northwest Management District. “It’s not where we’d like it to be, but it is growing.” See Splash P. 3B
Thirty-six percent of American children ages 7-17, along with 15 percent of adults, swim at least six times annually
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New youth center offers electrifying experience
Local business is our business. Send your story of interest news@theleadernews.com
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com When Carrie Gordon was growing up in a military family, she said there were always youth and teen centers catering to children on military posts. “These teen centers always had fun board games to play, movies to watch, video games to challenge our friends to, some light workout equipment to stay in shape and finally some rooms to study or read,” Gordon said. The centers of Gordon’s youth also had monthly Saturday “outings” for parents, holiday dances to celebrate the seasons and summer excursions to various places where they learned about history or interesting facts about places. There also were tutors to help with homework, and they were places that catered to teens and allowed them to build friendships and camaraderie with their peers. Now Gordon and her husband, James, have a place like that to call their own and share with their community. They own the new Voltage Youth Recreation Center at 10606
Photo by Betsy Denson Voltage Youth Recreation Center owners James and Carrie Gordon with their children, 13-month-old Caroline and 13-year-old Scott.
Hempstead Rd. “We wanted a place where our youth could have fun being a teen,” Carrie Gordon said. After serving in the U.S. Army as a captain and in the Military Police Corps, Gordon settled in Houston and is now a first-grade teacher at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School. She and James have two children, 13-year-old Scott and 13-month-old Caroline, and now a new business. The Gordons wanted to find a location that was close to many major roads for the ease of drop-offs and pick-ups as well
as a location that was safe and large enough to house all their equipment. They also wanted to be close to local restaurants for parents to maximize their night out without going too far. The center will offer afterschool and summer programs for youngsters who are entering sixth grade through high school. There will be an open gym for basketball and some light exercise equipment as well as life-sized games such as chess, checkers, Connect Four and See Voltage P. 3B
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Day camps offer summer options
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By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
h o m e
Page 2B • Saturday, June 15, 2019 • The Leader
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Whether it’s for a mental health break or a child care backup, sometimes you just need a last-minute place to drop off your kids for a day. The following are some options at your fingertips:
931 Nashua, $800s Alex Berry, 713.480.2213
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HIT Indoor Training Center, LLC 1544 Campbell Rd. 713-816-6048
Tim Heckler with HIT said boy and girl campers ages 6-12 can be dropped off for a single day, assuming the camp is not already full, which he said is not usually the case before the week of July 4. The cost is $60 per day or $50 per if you pay for Monday-Thursday in advance. “Our coaches work with them on batting drills and also practice on a machine,” Heckler said. “After lunch - bring a sack lunch - the coaches lead them though fielding drills and then they play comprehensive drills games like kickball and dodge ball.” Students can walk in if camp is not full, but they prefer you sign up in advance at www.hitindoor.com. Ready Flip Go 11546 Northwest Fwy. 346-319-4982
Katy Fenton said Ready Flip Go offers two options for ages 3-11, and the children must be potty trained. The first option is a Drop ‘n’ Shop on Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-noon for June and July. The price is $25 per day with sibling discounts available. The other option is a Day Camp from July 29-Aug. 23 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Campers can sign up for a day or two or the whole week. The charge is $45 per day with sibling discounts available. Parents should send a lunch and snacks. “We play games, do a gymnastics lesson, work on skillsrelated obstacle courses and have some free play,” Fenton said. “It helps if parents reg-
Photo from Facebook Texas Rock Gym, 1526 Campbell Rd., offers climbing lessons for children ages 5-17 for both full and half-day sessions this summer.
ister at least the night before, but walk-ins are available. Camp is filling up already, so we suggest that people sign up as soon as possible.” Texas Rock Gym 1526 Campbell Rd. 713-973-7625
If climbing is something that appeals to your kids, the staff will teach them how in a safe environment. Campers must be at least 5 years old and no older than 17. Singleday registration is $75 and capped at no more than 20 single-day participants per day. Full-day hours are 9 a.m.4 p.m. Drop-off starts at 8 a.m. with pick-up by 5 p.m. Late pick-up is available for an additional $10. Kids should bring a healthy lunch, a drink and at least two snacks. A water bottle is also a great idea so they can refill from the water fountain throughout the day.
Lost Forest Tennis Club 5775 Lost Forest Dr. 832-582-6878
Kids ages 5-18 are invited to camp. A full day is 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and a half day is 9 a.m.noon or 1-4 p.m. Drop-ins are available. Call for rates.
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Kids can enjoy 22,000 square feet of gymnastics training, sports activities, trampolines and more. Reservations for camp must be made no later than 6 p.m. the night before. Camp drop-off time is 8 a.m. Early drop-off time is 7:30 a.m. for $5 per day per child, and late pickup is from 5-6 p.m. for $10 per pay per child. The day rate for members is $105 for a full day or $85 for a half day. For nonmembers it is $125 for a full day and $100 for a half day.
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The Leader • Saturday, June 15, 2019 • Page 3B
Splash from P. 1B Many of the existing members don’t want too much company. Oak Forest residents Luis and Natalie Diaz, who joined this summer and sat in the baby pool Sunday with their 1-year-old son, Jack, said the pool at T.C. Jester Park is too crowded for their taste. The White Oak Conference Center, where the pool is open from 1-8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, is nearly as close. And the Diaz family considers the cost to be a good value. Memberships are $195 for a family of four or $95 for individuals, which affords unlimited visits from Memorial Day through Labor Day. There always are two lifeguards on duty. “This is perfect for us. It’s reasonable, very reasonable,” Luis Diaz said. “The hours work for us, it’s not really su-
per crowded, and it’s right up the road from where we live.” Norden, whose organization leases the White Oak Conference Center from the City of Houston, said its goal is to make enough money to cover pool maintenance costs. Whittington said the five-lane, 25-yard pool with an 11-foot deep end, which was built in the 1960s and re-plastered two years ago, costs about $2,000 per month to maintain. She said it’s worth it, though, because the once-dormant facility is again teeming with life. The old golf course behind the pool also is back in action, having been converted to a disc golf course with the cart path often being used as a cycling and jogging trail. The pool is the main attraction. Whittington called it a “hidden treasure,” but it might
Voltage from P. 1B Jenga. Other features include a pool table, ping pong table and bean-bag toss, an open TV room for movie watching, a video gaming room, quiet rooms for studying and “hangout” areas, with light snacks and drinks. Carrie Gordon will offer tutoring services there based on the demand during the school year and will perhaps add additional tutors if needed. Families can join through hourly, daily, monthly or yearly memberships, starting at $10 per day. Normal operating hours during the school months, August through May, will be 3-6 p.m., with an extended package to 7 p.m. Summer operating hours are from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Voltage also offers hourly dropins, half-day options beginning at 8 a.m.-noon and from 1-5 p.m., with an extended package
to 6 p.m. Although Voltage’s regular hours are for older teens, the center can be rented out by anyone for any age for work parties, family gatherings, birthday parties and graduation parties. There will also be “Bring Your Younger Family Member Night” – for those 6 years old and up – for a Parents Night Out. Right now the Gordons are getting the word out through social media, church websites and their own page, www.voltageteam.com. The Gordons’ enthusiasm for the center also is helping to spread the word. “There is no other place in Houston that offers a more inclusive, diverse, safe and fun environment at an affordable price,” Carrie Gordon said. “We’ve looked many times for places just like this.”
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not be for much longer. “It’s very gratifying to see all the families come out here and let the kids have some old-fashioned summer time,” Whittington said. “We always tell them, ‘Come up, ride your bikes, make memories.’ And they do.”
Hazel McAnally Thompson Oct. 28, 1922 - June 4, 2019
H
azel McAnally Thompson, 96, of Conroe, Texas, passed away June 4, 2019. She was born in Okolona, Mississippi on October 28, 1922 to Charlie B. and Zelda Anna McAnally, and graduated from Wren High School. Hazel received her associate’s degree from Houston Community College on May 10, 2003 at the age of 80. Hazel was married to Harold Brooke Thompson, Jr. on May 13, 1955 in Victoria, Texas. She had a fulfilling career at Hand and Associates for many years, and was a member of St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church. Hazel also had a passion for painting, reading, and animals. Hazel is survived by her sons, Spencer and Hal Thompson; granddaughter, Kelli Kisner; great grandchildren, Kennedi and Kade Kisner; brother, Don McAnally; sisters, Kati Nordstrom, Daisy Jones, and Shirley Morgan; and numerous nieces and nephews. A graveside service for Hazel will be held at 10:00 am, Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Brookside Memorial Park, 13401 Eastex Frwy, Houston, Texas.
Pat H. Foley & Company 1200 West 34th Street Houston, TX 77018 (713)869-6261
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Page 4B • Saturday, June 15, 2019 • The Leader
Heritage Muay Thai more than a fight gym By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
When Michael Corley broke away from owning a Muay Thai gym in downtown Houston four years ago, he did so with the intent of bringing the concept to the kids and the community in a way he couldn’t in that spot. Corley is the owner and head coach at Heritage Muay Thai gym, located at 1604 W. 34th St., and a former athlete who fought on the highest platforms of Muaythai with over 30 professional fights spanning eight countries. Muay Thai is a standing martial art recognized as a provisional Olympic sport that is known as “art of the eight limbs” due to its focus on the knees/elbows and punches/kicks. Though he grew up in Spring, Corley said he had previously lived off of 18th Street in the Heights while working at other gyms in the Houston area. So, when he so happened to need a spot to set down roots in the area, he already had a vision in mind. “I saw it as being a rising, growing neighborhood. It’s diverse, and I thought it would be a good fit for this type of gym, because Muay Thai is for everyone, young and old,” he said. “To me, it seems like this area doesn’t really have that martial arts/boxing fit here yet.” Heritage Muay Thai, which opened its doors in the area in
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Up to Contributed photo Young fighters put up their fists at Heritage Muy Thai, which offers classes and training for all ages.
July 2018, offers courses for fighters of all ages and experience levels and age groups. From novices to world class fighters and from children on up, there is something for everyone. Heritage Muay Thai offers classes for children as young as five years old, and has had a participant as old as their late 60s. Classes are Monday-Thursday and Saturday, running $100 per month for children and $150/month for adults, and participants can come as often as they please. There’s also a fitness/kickboxing class running simultaneously with the kids’ classes where parents can hit bags and work with the gym’s six trainers. “Our classes are controlled environments – they’ll learn the proper techniques, perform them on each other with the proper equipment,” Corley said. “For a lot of people, it’s been good for their fitness, and it also gives them empowerment.” Of particular interest to Cor-
ley, is ultimately reaching the community with the sport, and teaching them from a young age the traditions and essence of Muay Thai for the benefit of their fighting and their life. “We don’t want them to just participate, we want them to learn and get something out of it,” he said. “I do it because I want kids in martial arts, I want them to do it because it’s good for them and good for the community. That’s what it’s all about.” A large part of Muay Thai, Corley said, is respect – and he said nobody tries to pull the intimidation factor at Heritage. Corley and his trainers have all trained, fought – or both – in the art’s birthplace of Thailand, which he feels sets the gym apart from its predecessors and counterparts. “That’s not the culture of MuayThai – even the people who look intimidating have been great in helping everyone out and grow in their craft,” he said. Heritage Muay Thai is open Monday-Thursday from
11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday from 4-6:30 p.m. (Open Gym), Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Open Gym). For more information on Heritage Muay Thai, visit the gym at 1604 W. 34th St., call 832-326-6453 or email the gym at info@heritagemuaythai.com. “We have some of the most high-level athletes in our sport, but we’re also down to earth,” Corley said. “People need to see what Muay Thai is about – it’s a respectful, traditionbased martial art, and we try to be welcoming of people, not some scary fighter gym.”
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