Freestyle Academy: Final sprint in setting up the circus tent

It all started with a small model made out of cardboard: trampolines, airbags, skate ramps – everything was carefully assembled in miniature form on a scale of 1:100 and still hangs at the entrance to the tent today. The cardboard model turned into plans, and the plans became reality. Of course, it didn't happen quite that quickly; the Freestyle Academy team put in a good 10 weeks of work. On March 27, 2022, before the end of the winter season, the Freestyle Academy in the former tennis hall in Laax Murschetg closed its doors. For Ivan, dismantling the facility immediately afterwards was a major challenge, especially since the team had four tough months behind them. "At the beginning, no one was really aware of exactly what lay ahead of us. But being able to realize such a unique project motivates you to go full throttle until the reopening," says Ivan.

One team, many faces

The core team at the Freestyle Academy was joined by additional skilled helpers from the Weisse Arena Group and a number of external experts who were only involved in specific areas; for example, Oli Bürgin for the skate bowl and street skate course, and Andreas "Schützi" Schützenberger from IOU Ramps for the vert ramp. The local carpentry firm Candrian was brought in to work with the Cahenzli carpentry firm on the trampoline substructure. The core team handled everything else themselves. Between 10 and 15 people work on the construction every day. "The interpersonal chemistry is great. We've become a small community, eating breakfast and lunch together here, getting back to work and sitting down together again after work. We've even had barbecues here in front of the tent," says Ivan. The good atmosphere is also evident at work: "Everyone is allowed to contribute their input and we decide together what the best solution is. Of course, it's also important that we put people where their strengths lie."

Even more space for freestyle

And how do you fit all these different elements of the Freestyle Academy into a circus tent? "We were able to reinstall all the equipment as desired, because the circus tent, with a diameter of 44 meters and a height of 14 meters, offers around 300 square meters more space than the old hall with 1,200 square meters," says Ivan. In keeping with the Greenstyle philosophy, the goal was to reuse as much material from the old hall as possible, which required very precise planning even during the dismantling of the facilities. "All the individual elements were labeled and had to be reassembled correctly after dismantling – like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The entire team was extremely well organized from the outset. This made the reconstruction process much easier," says Ivan.

A total of 160 cubic meters of wood was used in the construction, 100 of which was reused from the old hall. The remaining 60 cubic meters of wood was mainly needed for the substructure of the trampolines and for the railings. The principle in the hall remains the same: there are different zones for rolling, jumping, and acrobatics. During construction, great care was taken to create a good flow in the tent. Visitors should be able to move easily and safely between the elements.

There are new things to discover

For the youngest guests under the age of 6, who are not yet allowed in the hall, the team came up with a new solution: "The Kids Area is now integrated into the hall and is no longer in a separate room. This means that the youngest kids can look into the hall while they play and romp around in a safe environment," says Ivan. This is not the only innovation: for example, there is now room for a second Fivesquare trampoline, and there are a few new features in the street skate area and the skate bowl. "The Freestyle Academy has certainly been upgraded compared to the old hall, especially in the skate area. There are more obstacles and more space," says Ivan enthusiastically, adding: "The circus tent is an upgrade for the entire Prau la Selva sports center. With the additional skate elements of the GALAAXY Park, which are set up in front of the tent, we offer one of the largest setups for skating in Graubünden. I'm already looking forward to Team Trouble. A skate contest in a circus tent – how cool is that?!" enthuses Ivan.

Freestyle meets circus

The first significant milestone for Ivan was the erection of the circus tent. It was set up within half a day by the experienced team from National Circus Knie. Once the tent was up, the dismantling of the facilities in Laax and subsequent construction in Flims could begin. Soon Ivan was standing in the empty hall in Laax Murschetg: "There was definitely a touch of melancholy after 12 years," he recalls. However, the anticipation of running the Freestyle Academy in the circus tent outweighs everything else. "The combination of freestyle and circus is actually quite obvious and simply a joy," says Ivan. The Knie family saw it that way too. Otherwise, the National Circus would hardly have agreed to make their old circus tent available.

Clear the ring for everyone

When asked why people should visit the Freestyle Academy temporary facility in Prau la Selva, Ivan says: "You just have to experience the feeling for yourself. I can still remember my first visit to the circus—the special atmosphere, the artists, the smells. Back then, it smelled a little more like animals," laughs Ivan, adding: "Now our visitors have the chance to step into the ring themselves."

On Saturday, June 25, 2022, the Freestyle Academy in Prau la Selva will celebrate its reopening. Visitors can expect an action-packed day with sports activities, concerts, and entertainment in and around the circus tent and at the Prau la Selva sports center. Ivan is certain: "It's going to be a huge party. We're looking forward to seeing amazed faces, because what has been created here is much more than 'just' a temporary solution."

More information about the opening can be found here: laax.com/fsa-opening