Taking 'courtship' literally: Couple marries at gym
One of the great rewards to working out is the "endorphin high" that results from an exercise session at the gym.
No matter how tired you were when you obliged your conscience and dragged yourself in for a workout, you always left the gym with a hop in your step, freshly energized and radiating a healthy glow.
Now, imagine those feelings if you entered the gym single and left as a newlywed, fresh from the altar, arm-in-arm with the love of your life.
Such a scenario was a dream come true for Tina Thompson and her husband, Jonathan Smoot.
On Aug. 15, Tina donned her flowing wedding gown, Jonathan buttoned his tuxedo and they headed - separately, of course - to the Vaughan Athletic Center.
On this day, they weren't there to run the track or practice free throws or lift weights. This was a day for kissing, dancing and vow exchanging. Each performed one set of the same repetition: "I do."
Other than wondering how Jonathan popped the question, there's an equally pressing question - why get married in a gym when there are plenty of glorious chapels and churches available?
"It's always been my dream to get married on a basketball court," said Tina.
And so she did - on Court 4 at the Vaughan Center - with more than 200 friends and family members in attendance. Afterward, the happy couple, the wedding party and their guests threw a slam dunk of a reception a few courts over, leaving one court free at all times for basketball games.
"The ambience," said Tina, "was awesome."
For Tina, it was the perfect setting. She's in her element when on the basketball court surrounded by a festive crowd.
A former standout college hoopster at UIC, Tina has played in Portugal the last two years in the FIBA Europe league, part of the International Basketball Federation.
The idea to get married in a gym struck her shortly after Jonathan proposed. But she couldn't find the right setting - until she became a member at the Vaughan Center in April.
"The Vaughan Center was too good to be true," she said. "The basketball area was large and open, with a two-level track around it, and the court surface was my favorite color - blue."
Ironically, she was searching for a gym to work on her game when she met Jonathan while visiting her sister in Michigan last year.
"I was at the grocery store; he came over, struck up a conversation and offered to help me find a gym to practice while I was in town," related Tina. "We ended up on a date - going to open gym together - and played basketball every day that week. We really hit it off."
Within two weeks, just before Tina was to return to Illinois, Jonathan proposed. As they played catch in the yard, tossing a baseball back and forth, Jonathan purposely made a throw at Tina's feet. Ever the gentleman, Jonathan offered to pick it up - a perfect opportunity to get down on one knee.
Tina accepted, capping a whirlwind, two-week courtship, but Jonathan's proposal to Tina's dad wasn't quite as flowery.
"At first, my family said no," said Tina. "I was free as a butterfly, and nobody expected me to get married, especially that quickly."
But just like a jump shot that snaps the bottom of the net, Tina knew she and Jonathan were right on. For added blessing, she even scheduled the wedding on the 15th to match her jersey number.
"We have our ups and downs like any married couple," said Tina. "But both of us truly believe there's a higher power pushing our marriage. We're convinced that we are who God had in mind for each other."
Tina and Jonathan, who reside in Montgomery, are looking forward to celebrating many anniversaries, and perhaps even returning to the Vaughan Center for more than just workouts.
"It's the perfect place for a party," said Tina.
Even the grandest party of all.
• Jeff Long is the public relations manager for the Fox Valley Park District. Contact him at jlong@fvpd.net