Your YMCA Stories

Every day at the Y, members of our community, like you,

inspire us with the remarkable things you are doing to grow

stronger in spirit, mind and body.  Some are changing lives in their efforts and experiences today.  Some have a story of a past experience with the YMCA that made a memorable

impact in life.

We're pleased to share a few of these stories below.

If you have a YMCA story, please share it with us.

365 Days and 50 Pounds Later...
by Frank Warren, SLO Co. YMCA Member

On June 24, 2008 I decided to make a commitment to myself, and I wanted to document the results. On that day the County held a “health screening” for employees and I thought it would be worthwhile to go downtown and get a free cholesterol reading. I knew my weight was up, considering a month earlier I had to buy size 40 pants for a new outfit to wear at my best friend’s wedding, a size over the 38’s which had become standard since 2006; and I had recently visited the doctor for some back pain issues and saw that my weight had been up to 255 lbs.

In 2004/05, possibly in preparation for my high school reunion, I shaved about 30 pounds off my then-260-pound girth. But as soon as I went back to school for my grad degree, and had a second carpal-tunnel surgery, I gave up the gym and the weight was back. How could this be possible? I still thought of myself as “in—shape,” I mean, come on, I went to the gym every once in a while, and played softball WEEKLY! I did not eat “bad” foods. I just ate too much of everything – including the occasional cookie and all of its wholesome ingredients.

So why now? There were many planets aligning, and for some reason, I noticed...Read more

Frank now serves as the Supervisor for the Prevention Programs for the County's Behavioral Health Department. You can e-mail Frank at fwarren@co.slo.ca.us

 

Jonathan and the Berkley Y
by Jonathan Lowell

Many years ago, I recall my folks taking my brother and me to  the YMCA in Berkeley. I was six and my brother four. Dad took us to a room that smelled funny and we changed into our swim trunks. Then we went down a long, tiled hallway to the swimming pool. It smelled of chlorine, lots of chorine, but then we saw our Mom doing the backstroke and waded in to join her. The water was warm and we liked it. We went to family swim often on Friday nights for a few years after that. True, I never became a Michael Phelps... Read more

Jonathan now serves as the City Attorney

for the City of San Luis Obispo.

You can e-mail Jonathan at jlowell@slocity.org

 

Me and the YMCA
by Carl R. Hansen

My earliest memory of the “Y” was my first introduction to it in Watsonville, CA. It was a beautiful red brick building in the center of town on Main St. with a very long stone stairway up to the main lobby. It must have been about 1949; I was six years old. The lobby contained an office, but I was most impressed by the enormous pool table in the middle of the room. I was on my way to my first swimming lesson in the pool, which was located in the basement.

There were no girls involved, at least in the swimming class, and the pool had no windows. There was an observation area with a wire screen in front of it for a few parents to watch. As I remember it, none of the boys wore swimming suits. As soon as I walked into the pool area, someone pushed me into the deep end. That was my introduction to the lifeguard, Red Berry, ... Read more

Carl now serves as the Executive Director of the

San Luis Obispo County Foodbank Coalition.

You can e-mail Carl at chansen@slofoodbank.org

Betsey and the Burbank Y

by Betsey Nash

When my dad left I was 13, and a “daddy’s girl”: we were so much alike, why had he left me?  The year before, my English class had debated the “pros and cons” of divorce. Remember the good old days when things were right or wrong and there was no in between? Dad left me, so he must not love me anymore. And it was wrong that he “made” my mom cry for a year.

But I didn’t care about her. Not at 13. ... Read more

Betsey now serves as a Human Resources Consultant with

United Staffing Associates

You can e-mail Betsey at Betsey.Nash@unitedwestaff.com

 

2008 Junior Olympic National Gold Medallist - Mara Basich-Pease

 

Dear YMCA,

About late March, the YMCA hosted the Junior Olympic Skills Competition.  I was one of the fifteen or so participants that showed up at the local competition at Los Ranchos Elementary, and I had a chance to go to Ventura for the regional competition, where I competed in the track and field, soccer and tennis.  

I won the gold for track and field, and soccer (which took me 18 seconds)

... Read more

 

As an aside, Mara's parents had a family Y membership since they moved to SLO in 1997.  As Mara's mother said, "When I was pregnant with Mara, it was a step aerobics class that finally put me into labor a week and a half late! My mom, Ann Williams, is now a member also, and she came to Chicago with us for the Jr. Olympics.