Next Step Gym holds Grand Opening
By Terry Guerra
Next Step Gym held its Grand Opening Thursday, Sept. 10, from 4-6:30 p.m. Performers from The Great Pages Circus showed off their juggling skills as guests mingled about the new facility. Powerlifter and former world record holder Matt Wenning came in from Columbus to fill in for Dimitar Savatinof, a two-time America’s Strongest Man. Savatinof could not attend due to a recent injury. There was also a ribbon cutting ceremony with members of the Tipp City Chamber of Commerce.
The joint venture by Paul Henson and Bill Parsons offers general fitness/strength training, powerlifting, and bodybuilding plus Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) under one roof.
Henson served as a Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputy for 15 years and was a former sports director at the Kleptz YMCA in Englewood. He played football while in college at Eastern Michigan University and started powerlifting at age 40. He began buying his own gym equipment two years ago and stored it in a barn before moving it to its new home.
Parsons was with the Dayton Police Department for 27 years. He ran Sinclair Community College’s Criminal Justice program, which included police, security, and corrections officers. He was also Henson’s commander during his training. Parsons brings 54 years of MMA experience to the facility.
It seemed natural for both Henson and Parsons to combine traditional workouts and equipment with martial arts training and open a place where they could offer both.
Parsons University of Martial Arts (P.U.M.A.) teaches what Parsons calls a hybrid of MMA: no bare feet, no breaking boards, no bowing. “I teach you to survive a real street encounter,” he stated. He explained that a victim may have three reactions when accosted: fight, flight, or freeze. And “Most people freeze,” he said. “Bad guys don’t have boundaries. It happens everywhere and we need to be prepared. People don’t have situational awareness – (so) when it happens, they freeze.”
Matt Wenning was happy to be there. “It’s important to have specialized equipment available for safety reasons,” he stated. Wenning is still training hard and studying hard as well. He is also the founder and CEO of Wenning Strength, which offers several items online, including training, manuals, and equipment. He is finishing his PhD in Kinesiology, and his YouTube channel has over 120,000 subscribers. Wenning chatted with attendees and demonstrated some training tips with the equipment.
Tippecanoe High School wrestling coach Nick Petro and his team were invited to participate in the event. For a $1 donation to the wrestling program, guests were provided with a grilled burger or hot dog, chips and a pop. “We love to help out any new business in Tipp,” Petro said while busy flipping burgers.
To partner their skills and open the gym was “…perfect for us,” Henson concluded. Although neither one resides in Tipp City, they plan to stay in this location for 18-24 months and then move to a larger area, remaining in the city.
When asked earlier in the week if they were ready for their grand opening, Henson smiled and replied, “Another month would be nice.” Parsons felt the same but added, “Sometimes you just gotta jump in the pool!” If anyone can be ready, these two men can.
The gym offers day passes, month-to-month or yearly memberships. Choose a single program or put together a package program. The pricing and options for the gym are listed on the website www.nextstepgymllc.com.
Next Step Gym
19 S. Tippecanoe Dr.
Open 24hrs.
www.nextstepgymllc.com
Email: nextstepgym285@gmail.com
937-589-6264
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