KeeP Fit helping people find their workout welcome

A group of Del Oro moms are offering fitness classes for people trying to find their niche. Based out of Mat Time wrestling and Jiu Jitsu studio in Penryn, Newcastle resident Kelli Parry spearheaded the KeeP Fit project to attract people in search of a good sweat and a feeling of belonging. "This is about people who haven't found a home (gym) yet," Parry said. "It's more of finding your tribe, your peeps… We have a really good group of trainers, and these are some of the best workouts we've gotten in a long time, probably since college." Parry is a former Defensive Player of the Year with the San Jose State women's soccer program and is married to Del Oro's defensive coordinator, Josh Parry, once a Super Bowl competitor with the Philadelphia Eagles. She is also the mother of past, present and future Del Oro athletes, including the school's recent record-setting girls basketball player, Madison Parry, who became the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder last season. Kelli Parry teamed up with three other locally based coaches and trainers with ties to Golden Eagle athletics. Jenny Blanco brings experience as a bootcamp trainer and owns a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. She has also helped coach the Del Oro girls wrestling team, which has been an annual contender for a Sac-Joaquin Section title. Becky Lunders is a former aerobics instructor and the president of the Del Oro Touchdown Club, whose son, Kal, was a three-sport athlete for the Golden Eagles. Jen Isaac joins the team as the longtime coach of the Del Oro girls tennis team, which has won back-to-back section championships with her daughter, Ali, as the league MVP. "It was trying to create a fitness-friendly workout place that can draw people from out of the woodwork to people who have been working out their entire lives," said Isaac. "From a student's standpoint, it's probably nice for them to see us not only telling them what to do but also sweating alongside them. It's hard stuff, but you can still have fun." The Monday-through-Friday classes are held twice a day at 5:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Space is limited due to social-distancing protocols that are in place. But there is always a different plan for each day, and the coaches like competing with each other. "The creation of all different classes during the week gives us an open book of what we like to do," said Isaac. "We're all friends and we're all competitive, so we make it our niche and try to impress each other. The workouts are always different. You never know what you're gonna get. If you wanna be pushed, you can be pushed. And you can also have a good time. It's special in that all the workouts are original." Aside from the group intervals and circuit training, one of Parry's goals for KeeP Fit is to make clients feel welcome, especially during challenging and often depressing COVID times. "I don't ever want anyone to feel alone," Parry said. "You don't know what's going on in someone's life. If I can help at least one person feel good about themselves, I feel good." For more info on KeeP Fit classes, visit www.mattime.com/kpfit.