Downtown YMCA has new summer offerings for youths, adults and families
By John Bruning
Opportunities for individuals and families to improve their health and wellness are abundantly available at the Downtown YMCA, 316 N. Wilkinson St. at Monument Avenue.
There are new offerings as well as tried-and-true programs.
Among the Downtown YMCA's well-established, continuing programs are aquatics classes available for little swimmers as young as 6 months.
Parent/child lessons are Saturdays, from 9 to 9:30 a.m., to provide water enrichment and aquatic readiness for children, ages 6 months to 36 months. Parents accompany their child in the water and learn ways to help their child be more comfortable in and around water.
Among the new programs is Tae Kwon Do, presented by Chung's Academy of Martial Arts.
"Parents and children need to have discipline and goals and objectives in their lives and know what they're going after, and the martial arts help to achieve that," said Cliff Dech, the YMCA's new associate executive director.
"All ages and families can participate, and we encourage people to bring their children downtown and do it as a family activity," Dech said.
Classes are already being held. Registration information is available by calling the Y at (937) 228-9622 or at www.ymcaonline.org.
Another new activity is the first Downtown YMCA Dodgeball Tournament on Saturday, April 30.
The competition format will be a round robin with top teams advancing to a single elimination tournament. There will be six players per team and a minimum of two females per team. The registration deadline was April 25.
"The dodgeball tournament is intended to draw more people to the Y and let them see what we offer, and it's about just having a good time," Dech said.
Angie Schmidt, youth program director, is organizing summer programs for young people. These programs include youth basketball, cheerleading and Double Dutch, which is a jump-rope competition.
"Participants do fancy maneuvers and develop skills" Schmidt said of the Double Dutch. "We'll conduct classes here at the Y and at a secondary site, Grace United Methodist Church, at 1001 Harvard Boulevard at Salem Ave."
Plans are to begin the summer youth programs in mid-June. Registration is $30 for Y members and $60 for nonmembers. The various activities will be scheduled so that more than one can be participated in at no additional cost. Classes will be one to two hours long and will be three nights weekly for a two-week period.
"Nowadays, when so many kids are overweight and physically inactive, they need more physical activities to do, and these classes will give them a fun way to get exercise and do something besides playing GameBoy all day," Schmidt said.
Double Dutch is big in New York City, she added, and is shown on public TV there.
Other summer programs for youth at the Y will include American Red Cross babysitting classes and tutorial classes in the fundamental subjects of math, science and reading. Volunteers from Sinclair Community College will make the classes possible.
The YMCA's 8th annual Deane Ault Memorial 5K Run/Walk, on the scenic River Corridor, is described as "fun for all ages, competitive or recreational." The event will be at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 6. Registration through race day is $20 and includes a T-shirt, food, beverages, awards and door prizes.
For more information on the run/walk or the Y's programs, call Dech at (937) 228-9622.