40 APRIL 2023 By Cassie Hepler Playing a wide variety of sports and loving anything team-oriented, area resident Kaileigh van Horne is now “paying fitness forward to her Arizona fam” with the opening of The Athletic Club, a fitness studio on Indian Bend and Hayden Road. Kaileigh knew one thing in her teen years: she wanted to learn how to dance. She enrolled in as many classes as possible, including private lessons, to learn all the techniques. While at ASU, she decided to try out for pro dance teams. Her first audition was for the Phoenix Suns. “I didn’t make the team. I was devastated but also super motivated to try again. My husband encouraged me to look into the Cardinals Organization. A few months later, I was back in audition gear, giving it my all,” she said. “It, again, wasn’t my year. We often hear no more than yes, and that’s okay if we get back out there and try it again. I went from not making the team one year to captain a few years later.” Kaileigh was part of the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 Arizona Cardinals cheerleading squads. After the 2017 season ended, she hung up her pom poms in search of her next career. The lessons she learned from cheerleading helped her start her fitness studio, which opened in December 2022. “There is nothing quite like game day and the stamina required, so it is important to look the part and be in great physical condition. All the women you see on the sidelines of football games are professional athletes,” Kaileigh said. “I would have been very lonely without the fitness industry – coaching people and doing group fitness provides camaraderie. I’ve been doing it for ten years, and I know I would have been lost without it.” This leap of faith was motivated by different moments in Kaileigh’s life – not just being a cheerleader. She lost her brother to drug addiction when she was a freshman in high school. “From that moment, I gripped what I knew best: moving my body. I am so happy that the gift of fitness was there for me, and I was able to recognize its power in helping with depression and trauma,” she said. After the birth of her second child, Kaileigh decided to make some adjustments. She started one-on-one training, which offered flexibility to be with her children. “I opened a garage gym – literally opened my garage, and my clients would be there. I started with two clients, and that number grew to over 50,” she said. Kaileigh is also certified as a prenatal and postnatal exercise specialist, so she hosted “mama classes,” then small groups throughout the day… meaning a whole bunch of people in a two-car garage. “It was apparent to my husband and me that another adjustment was needed to accommodate these clients and my growing business. It brought me so much joy that I was providing people a place not only to get a great workout in and get stronger but for healing and happiness, just like I needed as a teenager,” she said. The new Athletic Club has a multitude of workout equipment and offers bodyweight exercises with 50-minute workouts designed to increase strength and energy levels and boost mood. “We pair weight training with endurance to gain strength and elevate heart rates. The classes will challenge you. However, there are numerous modifications the instructor will share to meet different fitness levels,” Kaileigh said. Class sizes are smaller to enable proper instruction and form correction. The Athletic Club offers classes Monday through Saturday. Kaileigh also hosts the mama club for prenatal and postnatal women on Friday mornings. “My favorite part of being a trainer is feeling people’s moods elevate and become lighter than when they walked in. It is incredible, and I always say, ‘you are one workout away from a better mood.’ It has always been a dream of mine to create a space where I can help others,” she said. The Athletic Club offers a first-class- free deal. Pricing is $30 per class, with memberships available from $140- $199 a month. theathleticclubaz.com Former Cardinals cheerleader opens boutique fitness studio Core exercises are just one part of the workout sessions offered at The Athletic Club. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ATHLETIC CLUB/RICHARD VAN HORNE If you are currently working with an agent, please disregard. NATHAN ANDERSON + PAUL NICOLETTI 480.888.5800 | NATEANDPAUL.COM SCAN HERE TO SCHEDULE YOUR PRIVATE TOUR. 5141 E EARLL DRIVE | ARCADIA | OFFERED AT $2,950,000 OPEN HOUSES NOT YOUR THING? We also have multiple luxury rentals in Arcadia. Call today for immediate offerings! CUSTOM HOME BUILDS SONORAN SCANDI SNEAK PEEK BUILD WITH US! SCAN HERE or Call 602.730.0668 Today ROC #314154