Geneva, Ohio – Geneva’s own Denise Carkhuff, a highly driven lawyer and business owner, recently brought her successful indoor adventure center, Adrenaline Monkey, to SPIRE’s campus and to the residents of Geneva and Geneva-on-the-Lake. With her business’ latest location, she is giving back to the community that shaped her by contributing to the overall local economy and providing an exciting experience for SPIRE students, local families and visitors to all enjoy. 

In 2018, Carkhuff, was inspired by her twin daughters, who are both athletes, to open Adrenaline Monkey. With her background both as a successful lawyer and now also as a successful business owner, Denise Carkhuff has placed herself firmly on a path of serving her local community and also motivating others through her hard work. In a recent interview, she explained how growing up in Geneva and working on her grandparents’ vineyard has influenced her. She told us, “My work ethic [comes] from my upbringing in a small town…All of that just turned me into a person who felt like she could do whatever and wasn’t afraid of hard work.”

With her steadfast determination, Carkhuff decided to open the newest Adrenaline Monkey location on SPIRE’s campus. She was so impressed with the school and its facilities that she ultimately decided to enroll her daughters there this coming fall (one of whom is a basketball player and the other is a pole vaulter and both of whom also cross-train and compete in ninja warrior competitions (indoor obstacle course racing)). Both girls cross train and compete in ninja warrior competitions in and around the greater Cleveland area. She recognizes how Adrenaline Monkey directly aligns with the school’s mission of empowering student athletes. With a renowned commitment to sports training and academics, SPIRE plays a vital role in shaping and nurturing the talents and aspirations of its students. The partnership between the adventure center and the school allows students to have access to Adrenaline Monkey’s thrilling challenges that promote confidence and resilience. 

Denise Carkhuff also expressed her excitement about the collaboration with SPIRE, explaining how the school’s facilities can be used as part of a summer camp, saying, “With the alliance with SPIRE, we [can have] a real nice well-rounded camp. It’s not just ninja all day long… It’s also playing basketball or volleyball or soccer or pickleball. There’s so many things there at SPIRE…SPIRE and Adrenaline Monkey [together can] create super athletes through cross training programs. So that’s where we intersect.”

With the opening of Adrenaline Monkey’s newest location, Carkhuff’s homegrown success story combined with SPIRE Academy’s continued dedication to developing the potential of young athletes, promises a bright future for the school, its students and for the Geneva community.