After their ninja warrior gym was a success, small business owners open The School Yahd in West Boylston with – MassLive.com

A banner hanging on a yellow school bus in a parking lot on Route 12 in West Boylston acts as bait to reel in children of the 90s.

It welcomes passersby to the The School Yahd a monstrous indoor facility on the other side of the parking lot thats home to pickleball courts, a Wiffle Ball field, giant chess pieces and a near 6-foot Connect 4.

The School Yahd logo is written in a 90s graffiti font that sparks memories of the logo for the old school sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

The School Yahd in West Boylston, former Recess 2, features a Wiffle Ball field, pickle ball courts and oversized board games.

The nostalgia inside the building continues with oversized game boards of Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. Co-owner Carline Giguere envisions incorporating Miss Frizzle and the Magic School Bus somewhere in the building, possibly as a mural.

Stocked with beers taps and a kitchen specializing in grilled cheese sandwiches, The School Yah will also have snacks ranging from Dunkaroos to Devil Dogs.

Snacks that you had when you were young. Our drink menu that were putting together includes dirty Shirley Temples, because everyone loves a Shirley Temple, Giguere said. Its to bring back that nostalgia era.

The School Yahd in West Boylston, former Recess 2, features a Wiffle Ball field, pickle ball courts and oversized board games.

Its a playbook run by the previous owners of the space when it was called Recess 2, with many of the same games and billed as an adult playground. Recess 2 closed amid the pandemic.

While geared to adults, Giguere and her business partner Eric Matta want the space to educate younger generations on all the pop culture icons of the 90s rather than entirely exclude them.

The two operate Ultimate Obstacles, which is located in the other half of the building on 121 Shrine Ave. in West Boylston. The facility offers ninja-warrior-themed workouts to adults but theyve seen how the courses bring ear-to-ear smiles to children.

They envision similar reactions when children step into The School Yahd.

Families are huge, Giguere said. Its been really positive. They just look around and you cant even see everything we have because it is so big. Theres a wow factor when they walk in is really cool to see.

The owners Ultimate Obstacles in West Boylston are opening a new business next door called The School Yahd. It will feature a Whiffle Ball field, oversized board games and corn hole leagues.

Ultimate Obstacles used the voluminous space of the facility formerly known as Recess 2 as an overflow space during the pandemic to create socially distanced area. The two spaces share a wall that has a large garage door that connects the two rooms.

Giguere and Matta knew interest existed in the oversized game boards and athletic activities from each time they opened the garage door. Members would walk through the environment, almost instantly enchanted at its possibilities.

There were lots of comments and thats when it started, Matta said. It was very casual like Oh it would be kind of cool to run this. And then it became, Oh my gosh, it could actually be a possibility.

Giguere and Mattas landlord approached them in February to gauge their interest in continuing what Recess 2 started when it opened in 2019.

[The landlord] knew what we did to keep it going over at Ultimate Obstacles, Giguere said. He knew whatever happened we were going to make it work. We were going to get him his rent. We were going to get people in. We were going to do what needed to be done. He felt comfortable with us taking over the space because he knows our work ethic.

The owners Ultimate Obstacles in West Boylston are opening a new business next door called The School Yahd. It will feature a Whiffle Ball field, oversized board games and corn hole leagues.

Matta jumped at the opportunity, but Giguere said she needed a bit more convincing before ultimately leaping to open a second business.

The pandemic negatively impacted Ultimate Obstacle as it did nearly every business across the country. The gym closed for about a month and reopened last summer. Matta said membership still hasnt returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, part of the reason Ultimate Obstacles remains open is through the support of its members. About two dozen people continued to pay membership fees even while the gym was closed.

Some of those same faces have not only returned to Ultimate Obstacles but are laying the foundation of support at The School Yahd.

Weve already had so much support from our members, Matta said.

The School Yahd officially opens July 31, although theyve been welcoming guests for about two weeks. Guests have already booked private events at The School Yahd as well.

After opening next week, Giguere and Matta plan to release information on leagues that will include corn hole on Wednesday, Wiffle Ball on Thursdays and possibly pickle ball in the future.

They also have ideas that play off of speed dating and random game night.

For singles, instead of sitting at a table for a minute or two with a stranger before rotating to the next during speed dating, The School Yahd would have singles rotate through games.

Another idea involves guests arriving for a roulette game night where The School Yahd would pair competitions together randomly for couples and groups.

It will be a surprise and get you to try some new games, Giguere said. It evens the playing field for teams that may be really, really good at corn hole, but they suck at ping pong. It makes it a little more exciting.

The School Yahd in West Boylston, former Recess 2, features a Wiffle Ball field, pickle ball courts and oversized board games.

The ideas and confidence for The School Yahd come from decades of experience.

Gigueres grandparents opened Giguere Gymnastics in Cherry Valley in 1973. In 2016, her father and Matta pursued the idea for Ultimate Obstacles.

After graduating college, Giguere joined forces with the duo to help launch the new gym but didnt envision remaining a part of the team long.

Five years later, Giguere remains a central part of the team. After the success of Ultimate Obstacles, she and Matta begin focusing on their latest solo venture.

Its in my blood, Giguere said. Its in my family.

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After their ninja warrior gym was a success, small business owners open The School Yahd in West Boylston with - MassLive.com