Exercise program offered for youths

Derek Ransom is providing a free kids exercise program for youth ages 7 and up at High Country Behavioral Health at 121 S. 4th Street. Ransom said, "What I'm doing is an athletic-based youth training program. We do a lot of basic functional movements, and then we really try to target those that need this type of diversity in their life and need the benefits of physical activity.

Ransom added, "There are a lot of youngsters out there that don't get the opportunity for, say, income, parents status, things like that, working parents. It's hard for them to get all the things lined up for their kids to go out and enjoy these types of activities. What we really do and target on is just basic functional physical movements like proper posture and proper squatting, shoulder strength, hip strength, and core strength. And we try to turn it into a fun program. We have obstacle courses. We run. The kids really like that part of the program. The challenge of beating the kid next to him in a race is always something that's kind of been instinctively shown itself throughout the ages of us all."

Ransom's program has already started its first full week. However, prior to living in Thermopolis, he and his family lived in Carbon County. There Ransom did a similar program for about three years where he built his own gym. At the beginning of that work, he started with adults and then brought in the youth. There were as many as 36 kids involved at the same time, including athletes from the football team, cheerleaders, and the basketball team. 

All this program is done by Ransom and his wife, who donate their time to mentor and coach the youth. They have a large amount of equipment they donate to the program for the youth to use. At this time, they are looking for a permanent location. Participants in the program need to sign a waiver. Also, the program is supported by a silent contributor.

Ransom also wants people to know their theme color is teal for PTSD Awareness.

Ransom encourages parents to participate and let their kids join the program. He said, "Don't be bashful. Bring your kids down. Drop them off. The most I've done is 36 kids at one time. So it's we're good at it and we enjoy it. The kids, the majority of them, love it. They keep coming back. They start showing up early. They start warming up early. So it's really cool to watch the kids develop."

Regarding the personal rewards Ransom experiences in coaching the youth, he said, "The big payoff is watching the kiddos just grow with who they are. And, another thing that I really try to do is I try to coach and mentor confidence and being comfortable with who you are individually. That's really a big one because I feel like the kiddos these days are like searching for what are they? You know what I mean? Like, where's my goal in life? Am I going to be a doctor or am I going to watch sports? There are all these kinds of pressures. So confidence. Being comfortable with who they are individually and just go for it."