Being a part of something amazing

At the beginning of the year, I came within inches of canceling my gym membership at our local YMCA.  The pool was closed for renovations (for THREE MONTHS), my favorite yoga class had been dropped and child care hours were scaled back in a way that really jacked with my running schedule.

But when I talked with my kids about leaving the Y, I got a chorus of "No, Mom, we love it there!"  So we stuck it out, and adjusted to the changes.  The pool still isn't open, but it will be soon.  I have my gym mojo back and I'm actually balancing my schedule better than I have in the past.  The changes in child watch still drive me nuts, but we work around them.

I'm glad we've stuck it out.  Because while all of these little changes have been annoying and inconvenient, our Y did something INCREDIBLE this year.  They made youth sports free for anyone holding a family membership.  I always thought it was INSANE to pay $100 for 6 weeks of sports, especially when the coaches are volunteers.  It's difficult for us, a two income household, to throw out $200 on sports registrations and even more for equipment.  And we're far better off than many.  By making youth sports included, they have given access to an amazing thing to literally hundreds of children.

Last year, the youth sports leagues at our Y had enrollment in the 20-30 range.  This year HUNDREDS of children are enrolled.  Literally.  The youth soccer league that just started this week has 150 children enrolled.  And half of those are girls, which I think is awesome.

I coached my first soccer game on Tuesday.  I never thought I'd coach ANYTHING.  When I started running, I considered coaching Girls on the Run, and even did the training.  But I've never felt qualified, because I didn't feel athletic. I came away from that practice blown away.  Because there is the potential to help shape lives in a better direction. 

I started on this journey because I didn't want my daughter to look in the mirror and see fault in herself, the way that I have always seen fault when I look in the mirror.  SO MUCH of that behavior is learned--we learn it from our parents, we learn it from the media, we learn it from our friends. 

Youth sports give children an opportunity to expand their horizons.  Coordination, confidence, team building . . . it goes on and on.   I'm endlessly proud to be a part of an organization that's going the extra mile to make sure every child has an opportunity to play sports.  I love knowing that the Y is more than a gym.  It's a philosophy.  I'm so excited to go out there again with those kids tomorrow and have fun on the field.  In a world that's getting unhealthier by the minute, our Y is doing something amazing.