New business defies gravity, takes fun to new heights

When it comes to having a good time, Defy Orlando takes fun to new heights — quite literally.

The extreme air-sports trampoline park opened its doors on Friday, Aug. 10, at 8010 W. Colonial Drive. Defy features a wide variety of obstacle courses, slacklines, tons of trampolines, a “wipeout machine” and many more aerial attractions.

“Flight tickets” to Defy are sold based on time and can be purchased online or on-site. Flyers must sign a waiver before they could enjoy the park. Flyers under 18 must have the waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian, and those under 13 must be accompanied by an adult.

“We try to have obstacles for all age ranges,” General Manager Brenden Bogenschutz said. “We opened here in this location, because we felt like we wanted to offer something that was wholesome recreation for kids.”

Bogenschutz added Defy Orlando is fun for the whole family and is open to would-be flyers of all ages. Defy even hosts events that geared toward older individuals.

“Every Friday and Saturday night, the lights turn off, and it turns into a club,” Bogenschutz said. “Anybody can come in and find something they’re going to like.”

In addition to club nights on the weekends, Defy also will host various other activities.

“We’ll do different events,” Bogenschutz said. “We do some great summer camps. We’ll do home-school activities. We’ll actually start to do special-needs days and a bunch of different things that (are) kind of customized to the local community. … We’re teaming up with local schools to do fundraisers.”

Defy also can be rented out for private events and parties. The air-sports park features four party rooms and a large mezzanine that can be converted into a party area, Bogenschutz said.

“We do group rates, we do private parties (and) we do lock-ins or overnight slumber parties where they have the whole park to themselves,” he said. “Birthday parties will be a huge thing for us, as well.”

Despite having only been open for less than a month, Bogenschutz said Defy has been well-received in the community and already has repeat customers.

“It’s exciting to see somebody walk in and just be like, ‘Wow,’” Bogenschutz said. “That’s what one of the most rewarding things is: when somebody comes in for the first time, and you feel like you’ve already exceeded what they thought it would be like.”