THE RED ROVER STORY

THE
RED
ROVER
STORY

our mission

We are investing in the future’s biggest asset.

Our children.

With childhood obesity on the rise, the rise of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer are also increasing and being seen at a younger age. Red Rover Fitness is determined to fight childhood obesity by helping kids develop healthy habits and to see fitness as fun. We are leading the charge to help parents raise healthy, happy kids and protect their futures.

how it started

2008

Redline Running Company began in Colorado

2009

First Half Marathon: Jackson Hole

2010

Redline Goes Full-Time, Headquartered in Home Basement​

2011

First Kids’ After School Program in Colorado: Redline Kids

2013

Launched Apparel Line: Redline Gear

2018

Redline Becomes Red Rover Fitness

  • First Obstacle Course Fundraiser
  • After School Programs Started in Las Vegas

2020

Red Rover Fitness App Developed in Response To COVID-19 Pandemic

2022

P.E. Curriculum launched

Since its beginnings as Redline Running Company in 2008, Josh Melver always liked the idea of creating a fitness based company. Little did he think that it would grow into the organization it is today; fighting childhood obesity by helping kids see fitness as fun.

"I watched as we incorporated fitness into my own family and saw the impact it had on my family, and I wanted that for other families. Creating this company is nothing like I expected it to be and has turned out better than I ever hoped it'd be."
Josh Melver
CEO and Co-Founder

our team

Josh Melver

Chief Executive Officer + Co-Founder

Kristin Melver

Chief Operations Officer + Co-Founder

Ashley Colson

SEL Specialist

Bo Njoroge

Chief Technology Officer

Bodhe Melver

Digital Creation Specialist

Emily Donovan

Podcast Manager

join our family

See which opportunities await you at Red Rover Fitness!

faqs

fundraiser

First confirm if you received an email receipt for your donation. If you did not, the donation most likely did not go through. Check that your billing information matches the information on your credit card and try the donation again. If you did receive a receipt, you may have accidentally donated on another person’s page. Email [email protected] with the donor name, student’s name and email confirmation and we will correct your donation.

Email [email protected] with the donor name, student’s name and email confirmation and we will correct your donation.

after school program

Please email [email protected] with your requested changes. We will let you know if there are openings in another session and confirm the requested transfer. If you need a refund for any reason, email us at the same email address with your name, child’s name and reason for the refund and we will get that to you right away.

Yes, as well as teacher and first responder discounts.

contact us

9am – 5pm PST

720.270.6569
josh@
redroverfitness.com

Josh Melver

CEO + Co-Founder

Josh is the President and co-founder of Red Rover Fitness and as such is the embodiment of everything that Red Rover represents. In fact, the CDC study that the Red Rover App is based on is all about how to produce more natural energy in children. Josh is that energy the study hopes to be able to produce in every kid, big or little. Well, maybe not that much energy!  He is the passion, vision and energy that continues to seek and find opportunities for the company to pursue in its efforts to bring hope in the losing battle the US is suffering against the childhood obesity epidemic. He has been involved in each of his 4 children’s fitness journeys and has always had an ability to connect with kids by exuding excitement and energy and encouragement with them as they participate in one of his programs.

Josh was raised in a very active household with both of his parents teaching PE/health and coaching various sports for 43 years each in the public school system. Everyday after school Josh would find himself on some court or field or gym doing homework or playing, refereeing or coaching an array of different sports. Josh graduated with a degree in Psychology and Business from BYU and had the opportunity to pursue a management career in corporate America for the first 10 years of his professional career where he specialized in and fell in love with taking over broken teams and turning them into industry leaders. After 8 years, he knew the demanding schedule and hours that this lifestyle demanded were not in line with his true passion of being involved with helping people in their fitness journeys. His wife Kristin and him started a very simple running company as a sidegig in 2008 and 2 years later decided to take the leap into full-time entrepreneurship.

Josh can still be found pursuing his passion of being very active, even outside of the physically demanding Red Rover lifestyle. He loves to run, bike, swim, lead bootcamp fitness classes, snorkel, hike and has even followed his 2 son’s new passion of birdwatching! This lifestyle naturally demands drinking lots of water, feeding his body with good food especially his favorite fruit of bananas and apples and vegetable of avocados. He must be getting old because he can be found going to sleep first in the house so he can get up early and start it all over again tomorrow.

Kristin Melver

Chief Operations Officer + Co-Founder

Kristin’s responsibilities at Red Rover Fitness involve commanding the operational duties to keep the business on track. The best way to introduce Kristin so you can understand how she operates, is to understand where her training comes from. Kristin graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Nutritional Science. In her final year of completing her undergrad, her part-time job on campus was as a lab technician assisting her professor, Dr. Merrill J. Christensen, in prostate cancer research where she earned a distinguished award for discovering that the nutritional supplement, selenium, helped in the fight against prostate cancer! During that year, Josh swept her off of her feet and convinced her to marry him. She took a job as a product stability coordinator at a nutritional supplement company while Josh finished his schooling. 

After having 4 kids, Kristin was excited to start a business with Josh that would help children across the world. With her background as a nutritionist and 20 years of parenting under her belt, she has the ability to make sure all of the little details behind the scenes work seamlessly to keep the company going in the right direction. Whether that is coordinating human resources, shooting and editing video content, organizing after-school programs and fundraisers, or writing Tasty Tuesdays, she is the quiet backbone of Red Rover Fitness. In fact, she is even a woodworker in her spare time so she helps design and build many of the wood obstacles for the obstacle courses! 

When she is not doing Red Rover Fitness, she enjoys running, mountain biking, hiking, playing the piano, watching movies, woodworking, watching her kids in all of their activities and taking a good nap. Her favorite fruit or vegetable are cherries, her least favorite are onions and you can always find her with her water bottle in hand. Her favorite sports team is the Portland Trailblazers…Rip City!




Ashley Colson

SEL Specialist

Ashley Colson is the SEL Specialist for Red Rover Fitness. In this role, she expresses her enthusiasm for mind and body wellness, working with children and their families to enact systems change, and promoting healthy coping strategies. “I feel that Red Rover Fitness mirrors my personal values, and I am so excited to be part of a program that focuses on the whole child. Incorporating physical movement is so important for mental health and I can’t wait to see where the program goes!”

Ashley a PhD candidate and is expected to graduate with her doctorate in School Psychology in May of 2023. She is now able to use her expertise of developmentally appropriate social-emotional learning curricula to address a critical factor of Red Rover’s mission of helping families be healthy. Before joining the team, she worked as a therapist in a variety of settings, including schools, private practice, residential treatment, and community mental health. She holds an undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Science, Community Health Science, and Psychology, which has allowed her to develop a well-rounded understanding of physical and mental health.

When she is not focusing on her doctorate or SEL curricula, I likes to enjoy as much time as she can outdoors through hiking with her pup, mountain biking with her husband, or paddleboarding on the lake. You can always find her with her Hydroflask covered in stickers from recent adventures! Her favorite snack is carrots with hummus, and she enjoy berries with her breakfast every morning to start the day. “Making sure I get enough sleep is a priority for me and helps me stay energized!”

Bo Njoroge

Chief Technical Officer

Bo leads the development of Red Rover’s digital technologies, and is deeply passionate about providing families with fun and engaging tools while respecting and protecting their privacy. He and his wife are field testing these principles with their four boys on a daily basis. “I’m a tech nerd through and through, but I want my kids to grow up seeing devices as tools to engage the world with… not for devices to become their world.”

Before joining the Red Rover team, Bo earned a premedical Bachelors of Science degree from UNLV, but his love of computers led him to web development, and eventually working at Apple in the Genius Bar. There, he assisted customers with device repairs, educated them on how to use their devices, and developed his views about using devices to work for the user without the user being consumed or controlled by them. He also served as a trainer, and got to impart his passion for giving customers excellent and honest service.

When he is not coding, you can usually find Bo with a guitar in hand, writing or recording music. He stays sweating and smiling by running, lifting, or HIIT exercises, or playing various tag games with his kids. His all-time favorite fruit is banana, and vegetable is grilled asparagus. His trusty Contigo water bottle helps him remember to stay hydrated, and he uses occasionally uses fireplace sounds to help him sleep.

Bodhe Melver

Digital Creation Specialist

This is Bodhe! He currently works as the Digital Creation Specialist which includes running the social media, creating designs for the website, and managing the VIP program for the app. He is the oldest son of Josh and Kristin and has watched and helped the company grow from its beginnings to where it is now. He has participated as a Red Rover kid, coached after-school programs, and worked on the fundraiser obstacle course crews. He loves working with kids to help them redefine fitness as fun and is super grateful to work with people he loves!

Bodhe recently returned from a mission for his church where he had the opportunity to serve as the social media specialist over the areas covering from Houston, Texas to Lake Charles, Louisiana. This helped him develop an understanding about the power of technology and social media in helping make a difference in the world. Currently, he is a freshman at Brigham Young University and is studying Exercise and Wellness and Business.

If Bodhe isn’t working or in school, he is probably working out, playing volleyball, writing music, or hanging out with friends. He loves to cook and eat healthy foods like grilled chicken and smoothies! You can always spot him with his trusty water bottle wherever he goes so he can stay healthy and happy.

Emily Donovan

Podcast Manager

Emily Donovan is the Podcast Manager for Red Rover Fitness, and infuses the shows with her passion for sports and elementary education. “I love Red Rover’s mission to get kids to be more active in the most fun ways possible.” She grew up playing sports throughout her childhood, and is excited to be part of an organization that inspires children of all backgrounds to be active.

Emily is graduating from the University of Virginia this spring, and has worked in many roles prior to joining Red Rover Fitness, including a tutor and a camp counselor. She hopes to always work in roles that involve inspiring young children.

When she is not producing podcasts, she loves to ski and has volunteered as a ski instructor for people with special needs for the past 4 years. She is planning to move out west after college to continue this passion and to hike more. She also enjoys kiteboarding and horseback riding. She’s particularly fond of animals and exploring the outdoors, especially national parks. When doing all of these active things, she is still sure to prioritize drinking water, getting 8 hours of sleep every night, and balanced eating.

show your interest

There are no current openings available, but as we grow we will need talented, creative, and quick thinking individuals across many fields to do their part in our mission to help families form healthy habits.

Feel free to submit a resume, portfolio, or other relevant information to show your interest in working with us, or simply sign up to receive updates when positions become available.

coming soon

This section isn’t here yet, but we are just as excited as you are for it to be here! 

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contact us

9am – 5pm PST

720.270.6569
josh@
redroverfitness.com