Keeping the beat in changing times

Jennifer Moonsong

Central Division

General Manager

Jobe Publishing, Inc.

 

Many people across south central Kentucky know the broad smile, boundless energy, and athletic accomplishments of Edmonton’s Jessica Tucker.

 

Since childhood she has devoted her life to dance, running, cycling, and swimming and her wall of ribbons is a testament to it. However, to keep the journey alive, Tucker is always looking to “mix it up.” So, early last spring she had the idea of introducing cardio drumming to the area.

 

“Cardio drumming isn’t new, it was really popular trend about 10 years ago, but it never filtered into this area,” said Tucker.

 

Trendsetter that she is, she wanted to bring it to her hometown.

 

“It started becoming popular again, and people around here started talking about it. It’s always good to not have to travel to be part of something. I wanted to make it possible here and make it local for our people,” she said.

 

She approached the wellness center about the possibility of getting the necessary equipment for the class, and they did just that. However, because of the initial strain of Covid and the social limitations, the class did not begin until July. As fate would have it was a perfect pandemic fit.

 

“In nice weather the classes are outside, so it is something that people could do to be together, but be outside and socially distance,” said Tucker.

 

Now that it is winter, the classes are frequently held in the blue gym, but when spring returns it will become an outdoor activity once again.

 

At a time when people are looking for togetherness, I’m looking for ways to stay active, it has been the perfect fit for the community.

 

“The response has been overwhelming,” said Tucker.

 

“We offer at least 20 spots and they are almost always filled.”

 

Although Tucker is known for incorporating dance into almost every class she has offered, she wants to stress that this is not dance.

 

“This is a cardio class, but it is not dance. I want people to know that, because if dance is not their thing, I’m offering something that might be,” she said.

 

Participants are provided with a large yoga ball, two drumsticks, and a base which is an 18 inch plastic bucket.

 

Those who participate quickly learn Jessica is easy to follow self-devised lingo, and drum along with the practically endless variety of music.

 

“The music is all over the place. It’s anything from 80s pop like Michael Jackson and Madonna, to 80s rock like Def Leppard, we do country music, we do Motown and James Brown. We do it all,” she said.

Most recently she’s added theme nights, so that those who attend know what they are getting into, musically speaking.

 

During each class, drummers can burn up to 500 calories while working the core and toning their muscles.

 

“The flow of the class is a lot easier than dance, but still effective,” she said.

 

To keep the heart rate going up and down in true cardio fashion she follows the HIIT method, or high intensity interval training.

 

Because of the popularity, in order to keep participation requirements, interested persons need to contact Kristin Crouch at the Wellness Center to sign up. They post new classes each week via their Facebook page.

 

For Tucker the two key points for success is to keep moving, and I keep it local.

 

“It’s nice to bring things here.”