When Justin and Heather Teliga and Tyson and Kelly Hill moved to Dripping Springs during the Coronavirus pandemic, they were searching for sunshine, community, and a better life for their young families. What they didn’t expect was to build a kids’ gym, literally from the ground up, with their best friends.
“We couldn’t find a summer camp that felt right for our boys,” says Justin, a former college football player and coach. “My wife just looked at me and said, ‘Let’s open our own.’ So we talked it over with the Hills and decided to go for it.”
After two decades in Illinois, the Teligas were introduced to Dripping Springs by the Hill family and settled into the Caliterra community in 2022. Both families fell in love with the Hill Country lifestyle. “You can take your kids and dogs anywhere here,” Justin says. “We’re always outside. The people are friendly. We’ll never move from Dripping Springs.”
In October 2024, the Teligas and Hills opened the doors to Hot Ground Gym Dripping Springs, the fifth location nationwide. The gym offers a high-energy, screen-free zone for kids to build strength, confidence, and character through obstacle courses, team missions, and leadership training.
The programs are equal parts fitness and life skills: Kids crawl, climb, lift, and leap their way through a constantly changing layout of challenges while learning how to encourage one another and work together. “They’re having a blast and don’t even realize they’re getting a great workout,” Justin says.
Each week at Hot Ground Gym is different. For instance, right now it’s Rescue Week: “The kids use grappling hooks, navigate obstacle courses, and end the day rescuing a dummy together as a team,” Justin explains. “It’s a ton of fun, but it’s also about communication, trust, and confidence.”
Open to children from kindergarten through eighth grade, Hot Ground Gym’s programs are rooted in five key pillars: discipline, fitness, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership. “Recently, we had Buddies Week,” Justin shares. “One partner wore a blindfold, and the other guided them through the course. They have to rely on each other, and they grow from it.”
Designed by military veterans and first responders, Hot Ground Gym has strong ties to the Dripping Springs military community. Tyson is a reservist with the U.S. Navy, and Kelly is a U.S. Air Force veteran. Heather’s father and brother, both U.S. Army veterans, are involved with the gym’s marketing and administration. During Hot Ground Gym’s Leadership Summer Camp and No School Camp Days, the families invite veterans and first responders to speak to campers about Hot Ground Gym’s key pillars, aiming to inspire the leaders of tomorrow.
Justin brings nearly 20 years of coaching and construction experience to the role. He even built much of the gym himself. When he’s not coaching at Hot Ground Gym, he’s coaching his 6-year-old son Declan’s flag football team or cheering for his 9-year-old son Liam from the sidelines of his jiu jitsu class.
“I’ve coached players who went on to the NFL,” Justin says. “But honestly, helping kids right here in our own community develop into confident, respectful people is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”
HotGroundGymDS.com | @hgg.dstx
SIDEBAR: A Heart for Dogs
The Teligas have two rescue dogs and a soft spot for saving more. On Christmas Eve, Heather received a call about a kennel with a litter of abandoned 6-week-old puppies off Highway 290. Without hesitation, she and a friend worked to find homes for all nine. The Teligas kept the wildest one, Bella.
“We also foster dogs,” Justin says. “The first night we had Fionna, Heather looked at me and said, ‘We’re keeping her.’”
Just like with Hot Ground Gym, the Teligas are always ready to go the extra mile for those in need, especially the furry ones.