Logan Crews remembers the first time she laid eyes on the huge black monstrosity.

&uot;I was like, ‘Are we going to ride in that’&uot; recalls the young gymnast of the Triple T Sports Center’s Tumble Bus. &uot;I thought we’d do gymnastics in it while driving down the road!&uot;

Well, not quite. But the bus, which co-owners Tyrone Burks and Cheryl Woods picked up in North Carolina in February, has transported loads of gymnastics equipment across the area for the school’s exhibitions. Over the weekend, Burks drove it to and through Chesapeake Square Mall (after the mall closed, of course!) for an exhibition at the mall’s Family Fun Fest program.

&uot;People were saying, ‘How in the world did you get that in here?’&uot; Woods said. &uot;There’s a door down by Target that we brought in through.&uot;

Seats were taken from the vehicle, formerly a limousine bus, and mats were put down to carry equipment. Since becoming street-legal in May, It’s gone to exhibitions at Apple Tree, Harbor View and other locations around Suffolk.

Saturday, several students from the school and other youngsters worked out at a small gymnastics mat, played in a moonwalk, and went for par on a small miniature golf course that the center brought.

&uot;It helps us practice,&uot; said Haley Bunch, 7. &uot;We practice two nights a week, and we get an extra day. We’ve been practicing all day, but moonwalk’s the funnest!&uot;

The event was also something of a farewell; Sept. 2, the center’s summer vacation class will end (the center itself will be moving this fall to a building on Pruden Boulevard, part of the Tidewater Occupational Building). Since late June, roughly 30 kids from across the area worked out and had fun with gymnastics, karate, arts, crafts and other offerings.

&uot;I spotted them while they were doing flips and stuff,&uot; said counselor Teren Miller. &uot;They stretched in the morning, and then we had open gym. It was fun helping the kids.&uot;

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com