A crew works to construct the Ninja Course at iJump in Tyler April 8, 2016. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

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When the space next to the iJump trampoline park on Capital Drive in Tyler became available, iJump owners Rachel and Jared Guthrie jumped at the chance to acquire it.

Now the couple is turning the 25,000- square-foot space into iNinja, an obstacle course that requires balance, coordination and strength. It is based on courses that originated in Japan and are becoming popular in the United States, thanks to the “American Ninja Warrior” television show.

“The space (next door) was under lease,” Guthrie said. “We knew if it became available, we wanted it.”

iNinja will more than double the existing space in the sports entertainment complex.

It will have a separate entrance from iJump and a mezzanine deck where people can watch participants maneuver through the obstacles. Guthrie said he expects to open iNinja in late April or early May.

The expanded business will be called the iJump Tyler Trampoline Park and Ninja Course.

CONSTRUCTION

It was early April and Guthrie watched as a crew installed what looked like an oversized jungle gym. Metal scaffolding formed the frame of iNinja being assembled.

“This is a unique custom-made course,” Guthrie said. “We had it designed specifically for this space.”

A team from EuroBungy, which specializes in extreme rope courses, zip lines courses and adventure parks, is doing the installation.

“The focus is to create a challenge and to make it hard enough where people will be motivated to keep trying to do better,” said Frank Fuentes, the project’s draftsman, as he paused from supervising workers attaching framework.

The crew is focusing on a stretch of the course that requires participants to clear a gap by either traversing angled monkey bars or, for those who demand a greater challenge, clinging to small ledges on one side or maneuvering pegs through holes on the other side.

The course will have three separate levels: beginner, moderate and expert. Children as young as age 8 will be able to do the easiest level, Guthrie said.

Participants will be able to go through the course multiple times to try to post the best time possible. Those who fail to complete an obstacle will fall into a foam pit.

Guthrie said the idea was to make iNinja challenging but not too intimidating.

BUSINESS PLAN

The Guthries opened iJump in 15,000-square-feet of warehouse space at 2029 Capital Drive 16 months ago. At the time, they said they believed there were not enough family-friendly activities in the area.

“Tyler responded very well,” Guthrie said. “We exceeded the (attendance) numbers we expected.”

Business was so good, they began to look at other opportunities. Guthrie loved the “American Ninja Warrior” show on television and saw the potential of creating a course in Tyler.

iNinja plans to give away T-shirts each week to those who post the fastest times. Guthrie envisions hosting tournaments in which people compete for prize money. He said they will be able to modify the obstacles every few months.

The Guthries used the time of the iNinja installation to also renovate and improve iJump.

Guthrie said they are considering other future family-friendly business endeavors either in Tyler or other cities.

“We always saw iJump as an entrance in the family entertainment market and it has been successful,” he said. “It’s almost an untapped market. It still has lots of potential.”