It’s Meet a Mom Monday! This week’s Meet a Mom feature is Laura Hosty, Lincoln Park mom of 3 boys and the owner of Redline Athletics Old Irving! Keep reading our interview below, where Laura shares all about her journey to open Redline Athletics, what you can expect from your Redline Athletics experience, and some fun tidbits about life raising her boys in the city!
If you are a local mom that would like to be featured in our “Meet a Mom” series, please send an email to [email protected]
Where are you from originally, and what brought you to Chicago?
I am originally from the far south suburbs but I have always been drawn to the city whether it be for my dance training at Hubbard Street while in high school or while pursuing my degree at University of Illinois Chicago. I met my husband here and it was an easy decision to raise our family in Chicago.
How many kids do you have and what ages are they?
I have three amazing and active boys – EJ (17) senior at Fenwick, Frankie (15) sophomore at Fenwick and Will going into his 8th grade year at St. Clement.
What is your favorite thing about being a mom? What do you love most about the current phase of motherhood that you are in?
My absolute favorite thing is watching the boys participate and grow in sports through the years. Our passion for seeing kids’ growth through participation in athletics is one of the main reasons my husband and I opened Redline Athletics Old Irving. Redline Athletics is a 12,000 square foot youth athletic training facility specializing in comprehensive athletic development and training specifically geared to athletes ages 8-18 years of age. This one-of-a-kind program offers speed, agility, and strength training with an emphasis on injury prevention. Redline Athletics trains young athletes of all abilities to be more athletic and more resilient so they can achieve more success on every field of play.
You’re a Lincoln Park Mom! What are your favorite things to do as a family around the city?
We love baseball games at Oz Park, NorthSide Football at Welles Park, and eating out at some of our fav local restaurants including Las Fuentes, George Street Pub, Smoke Daddy – Wrigleyville, Pat’s Pizza and Broken Barrel.
How about without the kids? What are your favorite places for “me-time”?
Exercising at Shred415, Title Boxing or whatever the newest exercise class is. I love a massage at Resonance or lunch with friends including a great glass of prosecco or rosé .
What do you love most about raising kids in the city?
The amazing restaurants, museums, parks and experiences that we are so lucky to have at our fingertips.
Tell us more about your career journey, and how it led you to open Redline Athletics Old Irving?
Given our backgrounds, Redline Athletics is a natural fit for our passions and expertise. We saw a need in Chicago for youth athletic training to focus on overall strength, agility and conditioning as opposed to limiting training to one specific sport.
My husband Ed has been active in athletics his entire life. He was a three sport athlete at Fenwick High School (Class of 1992) competing in baseball, basketball and football and earning All Chicago Catholic League Honors for both football and basketball. He went on to play four years of football and one year of basketball at Princeton University. Ed has been coaching boy/girls basketball and boys baseball for the past twenty-five years. In his many years working with youth athletes, Ed has seen the benefits of teaching proper training form and technique in order to prevent injuries and help kids compete at their best.
I have always had an interest in exercise, movement training and injury prevention. As a classically-trained dancer, I am a firm believer that a positive experience with exercise and proper form in your adolescence shapes healthy living as an adult.
The team at Redline Athletics Old Irving will help kids reach their potential – no matter what their sport or interest. We use a program called Fusionetics to set a baseline for the athletes. This program gives them areas to focus on – from strength to stretching to injury prevention. They are then tested quarterly to show improvement in their scores. We work with kids as young as six years-old all the way through college athletes. Everyone is welcome at Redline!
Give us all the details on Redline Athletics! What can moms expect from the experience for their kids?
Redline Athletics is a place where kids (boys and girls at different levels) will develop the proper athletic training for injury prevention while establishing solid fitness habits to take them through their life. Our coaches are amazing at encouraging the kids in a challenging environment to be the best athletes they can be. Along the way, they gain confidence and have fun!! Every athlete gets a FREE trial assessment. You can visit our website to book.
Rapid Fire Round:
Must have beauty product: Lash boost from Rodan & Fields – Eyelash curler/mascara
Go-to coffee order: Lately Green Tea Matcha Latte – Hot / no foam or Nescafe instant (my dad’s fav)
Favorite holiday: Thanksgiving – anytime our house is full of people enjoying the food my husband prepares!
Most productive time of day: Morning
Advice you’d give your younger self: Don’t sweat the small stuff / enjoy everyday
Favorite TV Show or Movie: Modern family – Pitch Perfect / Blind side
Best vacation destination: Close by – St Joe Michigan where my in-laws live year-round. Far – Spain where I lived for a year