Babcock Ranch Telegraph

Team Roig elevates its lifestyle with a highflying home at Babcock Ranch




Chrissy Roig and Isabella Barnea

Things are up in the air for Chrissy Roig at Babcock Ranch, and that’s just the way she likes it.

As an experienced instructor of acrobatics and aerial dance, and as an artificial intelligence computer trainer, Chrissy, her four children, and her husband, Keith McFarlane, are finding their balance between the demands of work, family, school and play.

While living in a smaller house in Cape Coral amid the COVID- 19 pandemic, three of her four children were in school remotely at home and vying for space to do homework. Mr. McFarlane, a chief technology officer for a California tech company, was holding Zoom meetings inside a closet. They also have two energetic dogs and, well, you get the picture. Some may even say it resembled a circus.

Their home at Babcock Ranch gives them enough living space, office space, and room to have a studio for Ms. Roig to use for teaching and for her and her daughters Haley, Amaryn, and Harper to practice their aerial skills using trapeze, silk and hoops.

Amaryn Mosley, above and right, practices her aerial and balancing skills.

Amaryn Mosley, above and right, practices her aerial and balancing skills.

If you add in pet border collie Finlay, who loves to jump through a suspended hoop, you have the beginnings of a Babcock Ranch Circus, which is the name of Ms. Roig’s Facebook page. She teaches students in her studio and would like to add to a troupe of resident performers who could show off their skills at Babcock Ranch events.

Today, Mr. McFarlane continues to work remotely in their two-story Meritage home on Sabal Path in the Lake Babcock neighborhood. He travels to the Menlo Park, California, headquarters when he needs to, but he usually manages his workload from home.

What does he think of having aerial acrobatic equipment in his home?

“Oh, I’ve had him on it, too,” Ms. Roig said.

What drew them to Babcock Ranch were the photos posted online by Chrissy’s friend.

“She was among the first 100 or so to have moved here and couldn’t stop talking about how much she loved it,” Ms. Roig explained. “She kept telling us we had to come here, so we did and fell in love with the friendly hometown.”

 

 

The family continued to live in Cape Coral while their Meritage home was being built. When schools reopened, each of the four children went to a different school and Ms. Roig found herself on the road driving between them.

With her son, Avery, starting kindergarten this year, all four children finally are attending the same school in Babcock Ranch, giving her peace of mind while saving on her driving time. Haley also landed her first job as a dog walker.

The couple homeschooled the children at one point and really like the project-based learning style taught at Babcock Neighborhood School.

With the kids settled, Ms. Roig, too, is back in school. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in bioinformatics from George Mason University in Virginia and is doing that remotely from her home.

“I love doing medical research when you don’t have to do dissection,” Ms. Roig said.

While Ms. Roig talked to the family, little Isabella Barnea and her mother, Gisela, arrived for the kidergartener to take her turn on the aerial dance equipment. The Barneas live in the Trail’s Edge neighborhood in Babcock Ranch.

Harper Mosley

Harper Mosley

Isabella is learning to use her arms to pull herself up and use her feet to make and release knots in the silks as she climbs, enabling her to go higher and balance ballet poses as she swings from the suspended poles. She is also learning to trust her equipment and the spotting help from her teacher.

With squeals of excitement, it’s obvious Isabell relishes her airtime on the apparatus.

“She just loves this,” said her mom. “It’s a great release for her after the pandemic when she was cooped up at home with no playdates. When I was growing up, we climbed trees and played in an abandoned house, which in looking back was not the wisest choice. I’m happy to have her come here to play, learn and test her strength.”

Isabella Barnea

Isabella Barnea

Chrissy Roig

Chrissy Roig

Isabella Barnea

Isabella Barnea

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.