Staff and Volunteer Interviewers: Karina Barreto, Kate Beeby, Caitlin Bochicchio, Rachel Breinin, Lori Fontanes, Valerie Guglielmo, Lynn Henderson, Sabrina Murphy, Susan Olson, Andrea Robinson, Shelly Schettino, Lisa Tidball & Denise Woodin
I work for MMJ, a public accounting firm in White Plains. When I first started, almost a year ago, the Rye Y was the first client they gave me. This was my first real job, which was pretty scary. But everyone here has been so nice to me, so inviting that it made going into the workforce a lot easier for me than it is for most people. And I’ve learned so much here, not even about accounting but about being personable with people just by watching what the Y staff does. I think that’s really great.
Like I said, it was scary coming in, being fresh out of college. I had had no real work experience. It felt like being thrown into the deep end. Then when I met everyone, I realized that’s not what it was at all. Everyone here takes care of each other, which is amazing.
The Y staff has been so supportive of me and MMJ in general. They invite me to everything. Randal has taken me to a Mets game with him. I never thought that would happen that’s awesome! The staff includes me in lunch parties and brings me in on any celebrations like people’s birthdays, even though I’m new here. All those little things make me feel like I’m not really coming to work. I come in to do my job, but I’m also with people I can call my friends. I like that a lot.
I have other clients—another YMCA, a not-for-profit in the Bronx, and a forprofit in Stamford. I like working in the non-profit sector because everything the staff does is focused on making things more accessible and better for the community, which I think is just great. I was part of a YMCA in Yonkers when I was a kid so working here is like coming full circle.
I just rejoined the Y. I originally joined about 20 years ago when we first moved to the neighborhood so I could take classes with my little ones. We were members for years. We worked out in the gym, the kids took swim classes, we did everything you’re supposed to do over there.
But then, parking was a challenge and for other reasons, our family ended up going somewhere else. Now that COVID has passed—I had it, twice—I was looking at getting back into exercising.
Two years ago, I was diagnosed with MS. So strength and core and balance is all very important. Every time I was driving by the Studios, I would see the signs that this was coming. I was hesitant to join because of COVID, but once I got COVID, I decided to come. And honestly, it felt like coming home. I was so thrilled to be back. I joined as a single member and now my husband is probably going to join and use the pool in the winter.
My goal is to stay healthy and to focus on my balance. I did PT about a year ago and that was working on core exercises. So it was a choice I made this time around; I could do physical therapy or I could come here. And this was a much better choice.
It’s been so great, coming in and seeing all the same instructors who were here when we originally joined. This is only my third week back but I’ve taken the HIIT class and a couple classes with J.T.
It’s so welcoming here and it’s great to be back.
I started working at the Y the summer of 2017. I had just finished the college semester and I got here right when camp was about to start. I started as part-time in member services; I was also working at an elementary school so I would go to the Y till closing time and on weekends.
I graduated college and am currently working on my masters degree in history from Hunter College. I was promoted to a full-time position in membership in April and I now go to school after work hours. I’m not sure what I want to do with my history degree, maybe work in a museum environment or for a historical society.
What’s kept me at the Y these last five years is my co-workers. I get along really well with people at the front desk. Every since I started working here, they’ve been very flexible with my schedule and accommodating with my classes. And I like the work that I do. And my commute from Port Chester is really short!
The Rye Y is a very nice place. Working in membership, you really get to know people. You recognize the same people every day and you get to a first-name basis with them
I even got my sister to join. She’s been doing swim classes and coming to classes at the Studios. And she really likes it. It’s a very nice environment to be in.
My mom moved to Rye before my sister Caroline and I were born. She was a member of the Y and then when I was born, we had a family membership. So from the time I was six months old, I was going to child care and parent-child swimming classes. I progressed through the swim classes until I was about ten or 12 years old. I also did sports and was in After School Adventures. So I’ve been a lifer.
In my later years, I’ve gone through the lifeguarding class and I’ve become a lifeguard and a swim instructor here.
The Y is a great community of giving back. I was once in the situation of getting the services and now I’m on the other side where I can pay it forward. With the swim instruction, it’s nice knowing that I was once in these kids’ shoes. It’s a full circle moment and puts a smile on my face, being a teacher now and working alongside the staff who watched over me or taught me when I was younger.
It’s also nice to know that I’m having an impact. Seeing those kids progress, like the ones that couldn’t put their eyes in, and were scared to get in the water, seeing them putting their eyes in and being able to swim with no help is kind of amazing. It’s like a little pat on your back ‘I did this’.
With the lifeguarding, you get to connect with members. It’s cool when you get to recognize them and can have a conversation with them and know that when someone needs help, you’re there to help.
I think that as I go off to college and in my future I will continue to give back, and pay it forward and continue to help those who are in need.
I have spinal stenosis and swimming is one of the best forms of treatment. I had been exercising at other gyms, but none of the workouts seemed to be helping me. I decided to join the Rye Y and try their water exercise programs, and I am so glad I did. I only wish I had joined here sooner! The water exercise class is like medicine to me and has helped my spinal stenosis more than I ever thought possible.
I recently went over to the Y’s new location, The Studios at The Rye Y, to try a gentle yoga class. While it was a new surrounding for me, I was welcomed with open arms and happy smiling faces. Barbara, the instructor, worked with me to find positions that would work best for my spine. I can’t wait to go back and try more classes at The Studios.
I love the Rye Y. I have met the nicest people and have made many new friends. All the staff here are welcoming, happy, and always have a smile on their faces. I love stepping into Barbara’s office to connect with new people I wouldn’t normally connect with. I am always promoting the Y and getting people to join. I also love to volunteer at the Y’s many community events.
I became a Rye Y member when I moved here from Maine in 2013. I had always worked out. I had some major surgery done on my foot many years ago in Maine and I started going to a trainer at the health club there. And I just continued it. I focused on my total body- weights, stretching, everything.
When I moved to Rye, I never considered joining anything but the Y! It was automatic. I take the Tai Chi class, and I used to do a lot of walking, from Milton Harbor House down to Playland. I’ve had a bit of an issue with my other foot, which is getting better, but I haven’t been walking the way I used to.
I work out at home too. I have a recumbent bike so I use that, and I do some exercises. I have a video that Laura Laura did a long time ago so before I take my bath at night I do her video and that’s good for stretching.
I have two trainers here at the Y. I have Yvonne, who I work with at the Y and Laura, who I work with at the Studios. They’re great. They’ve taken good care of me. They make me really work and I keep in good shape.
I particularly like the Y because they have more machines that I can warm up on, especially the bikes and the television I can watch as I warm up. Laura really makes the most of that HIIT room with me. And there’s so many different things I can do with Yvonne at the Y. It’s really terrific.
My goal is to just keep going. I feel very fortunate that I’m in decent shape and can keep doing this. I feel very lucky that I have the Y and the Studios and all the things I do here. Joy (Tai Chi instructor), Yvonne and Laura—everyone is just so nice. It’s a pleasant place to come into. I can’t imagine living here and not having it.
We moved to Harrison this year from Brazil - my husband, me and two boys. He’s working in the city every day and needed somewhere to exercise very early in the morning and I needed somewhere to go after I dropped the kids off at school. I didn’t know anyone here. So I looked on Google maps and I found this Y! I knew my cousin in Atlanta used to go the Y there so I said, “OK, let’s look at this one.”
We love it here! It is also perfect for the kids as we were looking for swim lessons and other classes for them. Coming here is the best moment in our day. We come here every morning. My husband comes at 5:45am and I come at 9. The teachers are very good and very inclusive. Tatum takes classes with me and is also a coach for my kids. It is a friendly environment and I have felt very comfortable since the beginning. Yvette and Diana both contribute to the warm and friendly atmosphere. I love it here. I was away during the summer and I missed it. The Y is making all the difference for our physical health and emotional health.
It is perfect for our family. In the afternoon I go with my kids to their classes. This afternoon my son has tennis. He loves it. Tatum is the best. My other son has swimming twice a week. So I’m here every afternoon and every morning! I see everyone from their schools, so we have made friends here.
The Y is the perfect place on earth. I feel so lucky to have found it. To think I didn’t know anyone and no one told me to come, but I found the perfect place. When I see someone new I say, join me! It’s super fun. Everyone is super friendly. Coming here makes my day.
I’ve been coming here for a while but was only swimming on weekends because I work in New York. With COVID, I am working more remotely from home so I come to the Y almost every day to swim. It has been very good. I’m very impressed with the Y; the facilities are wonderful and the recovery from the flood was amazing. The pool is better than ever. I even got my grandson to join. He wanted to learn how to do a racing turn and he came here and learned how to do it.
I would like to praise the people of the Y. Like Fred at the front desk. Since I swim I see mostly lifeguards. And they are really nice – Sharyon, who laughs at my Dad jokes, Jessica, Olivia, Jinsap, Amelia, Manny, all of them. They talk to me. I’m a psychiatrist so people tend to tell me their stories. It’s nice to connect to young people, the next generation. They are exemplary staff.
I’m an amateur artist and belong to the Society of Illustrators in New York. Because I started carrying their bag with my towels, I’ve gotten to know a couple other artists. One is a member, Michael Thornton Smith. He is a professional and delightful. The other artist who surprised me is a staff member, Stan Coleman. I would say hello to him when he checked us in during COVID. One day I came in and he saw my bag and we started talking about art. I had no idea he is so talented. For him, it is more than an avocation. His art is fabulous – paintings and photographs of people who ride the subway and live underground.
There are so many interesting characters here. There is a trio of bodybuilding guys – all giant guys in their 70s, who really tear up the pool. When I see people who look healthy at an older age, I always ask what their secrets are. What do they eat? They said “Don’t eat anything white.” Another one was “if it tastes good, don’t eat it.” These guys are funny. There are a few more swimmers I want to mention - Charlie, Chris, Jeannie, Rob, who plays the accordion, Noah and Dorinne. Those are just some of the people I’ve met.
I started coming to the Y when I was 4 years old, I still have a photo from then – a little girl with her head tilted and a big smile. I’m trans and was a girl at the time. I just don’t have the heart to get rid of it. She is so cute.
Through Y Cares we were able to go to summer camp and learn to swim. My mother was able to get a second job here and received discounts because of that. I feel like half of my childhood was spent here. It was amazing because we had so many opportunities that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
It is hard to pick one favorite memory. There was a little space next to the old racquetball court filled with mats and my friends and I would make forts and hide in there and listen to music. At teen night we used to play man hunt and hide and seek all over until they didn’t allow us outside anymore. And Stan the Man was there - he still visits me when I go swimming. He knows I’m in the pool Friday nights and comes to visit – sometimes he sits in the lifeguard chair.
I swim because I’m really not able to do anything else right now. I used to do Zumba with my Mom when I was more mobile. But now I swim and lift weights so I’m getting stronger. I love all the opportunities here! The Y is very generous and if I didn’t receive a family member discount, I have a feeling they would find a sliding scale for me.
I love going into family swim because I see so many happy families. There is one kid that always waves to me and her parents say “Hey, how are you doing?” I love to see people motivated to live a healthy, active life. The Y is all about being healthy and happy.
My biggest challenge is that I grew up as a girl and now I identify as trans masculine. When you had the big flood here, the universal locker rooms weren’t available. I wasn’t really comfortable going to the men’s room or the women’s locker rooms so I ended up using the boys’ locker room. The Y was fine with me choosing where I felt most comfortable. That meant a lot to me.
I knew I needed to get into a fitness routine and my friend Rose felt the same way. We just had to figure out where to go. Our first guess was that we would go to the place closest to our homes, the YWCA in White Plains. But I found out that they no longer do a variety of water programs, only lap swim.
I remember people telling me years ago that the Rye Y was open to people with disabilities. People who had MS were going once a week to a class through the Rye Handicapped Association, so that became a priority for me to learn about.
I just joined last week. My experience here has been very good. People are welcoming. I’ve come from working in public health as a dietitian/nutritionist and am used to working with the public so I appreciate that.
Last week I went to a water exercise class and it was a little difficult for me because I couldn’t hear well. Barbara Hughes, who is wonderful, invited me to participate in the program for people with disabilities, so I think that will be wonderful for aquatics. Everything else I can figure out.
I’m hoping to try the equipment in the Fitness Center today. My friend told me that the staff is very warm and personable and will be OK with explaining the equipment so I know what equipment will fit my abilities.
I have been doing eleven years of gymnastics starting here at the Rye Y, including Tumble Tots, Gymnastics Summer Camp and then I went on to Team Level 3. I made so many friends on team!
What I love most about gymnastics is perfecting skills and showing off to friends lol!
I went to the YWCA in White Plains for two years and completed level 4 and Xcel Gold before the Covid lockdown. To keep myself busy and in shape, I did online workouts. I decided to come back to the Rye Y to complete level 4 and this year I am on level 5 doing Back Walkovers on Beam, Flyways on Bars and Roundoff Back Handspring Back Tuck on Floor!
My whole family comes to the Rye YMCA. We’ve been coming since we were babies. My older sister Jane was on the Rye Y Gymnastics Team and coaches Rye Y gymnastics. My father and older brother Joe work out all the time in the Fitness Center and my mom loves to do laps in the pool and working out on the elliptical in the Fitness Center.
Since I can remember, I love seeing all the changes that the Rye YMCA has gone through!
I was very sick for over a year and I thought, they thought, I might die. When I finally started healing and was looking for a job, the Y reached out to me from Indeed.com. At first I wasn’t sure, I’d never been in reception. I’d worked at Starbucks and worked at a movie theatre. I wasn’t sure about the Y environment, especially because I’d learned that I had a couple of physical disabilities.
I’ve always lived in Westchester, in Harrison and Mamaroneck, but had never visited the Rye Y. When I came here for the first time for my interview, everyone was so welcoming and warm. I continue to see and feel that. I was worried about working in a gym because I had issues with my weight from being ill. Here it has never been an issue. I see members from all walks of life and that is beautiful.
Being here has really been a source of empowerment after being sick for so long. I’ve made bonds with my coworkers and with members. I’ve connected with members from all walks of life who have also experienced illness and recovery. Having that support is so beautiful. It is the most wonderful job I’ve ever had.
When I take classes at the Y Studios, everyone is different; everyone has their own momentum. I took a Zumba class with my mom because she is obsessed with Zumba. It gives you that confidence that I would never have at another gym. It really feels like a second home. You can be comfortable with yourself. It is so great.
People don’t realize how high the Y really holds those values. You really feel it. You know each other’s names. You start off as strangers and soon know each other’s stories. Even just their day-to-day lives – you know when they haven’t been here for a few days and you ask them how they’ve been. I think that’s really wonderful.
I lost my wife right before the pandemic. The next year was a particularly isolated period for me and I didn’t really have much contact with other human beings. A little later, I saw a YouTube video of people playing Pickleball. I thought ‘you know, I think I can play that game!’.
So I looked into it, and I knew somebody who played Pickleball. He took me out for one instruction session to show me the ropes and I still thought I’d enjoy playing. I called Rye Rec in April 2021 and they told me that they did have Pickleball classes starting and that they were run by the Y.
I signed up for a class and it was really a terrific experience because it was played by a bunch of people (none of whom I knew), it was outside (no Covid worries), and it had a terrific instructor—Tatum, who was great at making everybody feel like they belonged in the class, whether you’re just a first beginner or intermediate. In the winter, I signed up for the classes that were held in the Y gym and those were enjoyable too.
This past summer, I joined the league on the Y team. It was a very humbling experience. We played all these country club experienced tennis players who had taken up Pickleball. I think we won one match the whole season! But it was still fun.
The best thing about the whole thing was that I met a lot of people that I wouldn’t have met and I’ve actually become really close friends with some of them. And it’s the Y program that made that possible. I’m very happy that I was able to find that.
I started coming to the Rye Y 20 years ago when my oldest daughter was little. We came to the gym and swim program. Then swim lessons. That’s what started us. It was mostly about my five kids. We’ve done gymnastics, swim team, gym and swim, basketball, birthday parties. We’ve done it all!
Now my youngest kids are teenagers and they go to the Fitness Center after school most days with their friends. I think it is an unofficial teen weightlifting club!
I’ve been coming to the Y off and on to exercise. Over the years, I’ve mixed it up. I went through a phase where all I did was spinning classes. Because of injuries, I used to swim laps in the pool. I go to the Fitness Center for cardio.
I love Sheri’s yoga class – I’m so glad she’s teaching during the week. I’ve been to a bunch of classes at the Y Studios. I love the new space. It is so inviting and so comfortable. There is always something to do at the Y. I love it.
I had a bad construction accident. Two stories and a ladder collapsed. I cracked my head open, had neck, back and nerve damage down both legs. It was horrible. I lost everything. It ruined my life. My livelihood was totally gone in a few seconds. You don’t realize it could be you.
At first, I refused to get rods in my back, refused to get neck surgery. I held out for 3, 4 years. I was getting steroid injections every six weeks, then off 3 months, alternating neck and back. I had a false sense of feeling better but the side effects were bad. I gained 40, 50 pounds. It affected my personality.
One day my doctor suggested I look into swimming. I was always a good swimmer as a kid. He said “There’s a YMCA in Rye, why don’t you check it out?” After months and months of him telling me to do that, I finally pulled into the Y. I walked in and behind the counter in a little office was Barbara Hughes. I told her I was considering joining for physical reasons. I’m thinking we are going to have a 2-minute conversation. She asked everything about me and I told her. She said “Jack, this is where you need to be. I don’t care if it’s 5 minutes a day. Just get here.” I said “What?” I was taken aback. I didn’t even know her. I was just inquiring about what the Y has to offer, how much it charges.
This was 8 years ago and I was in a very dark place. I had lost everything. So I joined. I came one day. I was very, very uncomfortable. I didn’t look good. I was always into sports so I was never insecure but now, after the hell I’d gone through in the last couple years, I felt embarrassed. I would last 5 minutes in the water, feel uncomfortable and get out, get dressed and go to the car. Sometimes I would drive to the parking lot, put my car in park and next thing you know, put it in reverse and just leave.
After 3 weeks, I decided I wasn’t coming back. I tried it, it wasn’t for me. A lot of people join gyms, you go in and scan and nobody knows you’re there. All of a sudden my phone rings. And it’s Barbara. She says, “Jack, How are you doing? I notice you haven’t been here.” How does this woman who has hundreds of members know that I didn’t make it in? Meanwhile, her office is back there behind the check-in desk; she couldn’t see everybody. She must be going through the computer. She says “Jack you’ve got to come.” I had every excuse in the book and threw every excuse at her. “You’ve just got to get here, I don’t care if it’s just 5 minutes.” She just kept repeating, “this is where you need to be, this is where you belong, this is a family.”
So next thing you know I started coming more and more. There were still those days that I’d last 5 minutes in the pool and get out, and days where I’d pull into the parking lot and pull out before I got out of the car. Then I’d stop for 2 or 3 weeks and sure enough, my phone would ring and there is Barbara saying “Jack, where have you been, you’ve got to get in here my dear. This is where you belong.” And I’m wondering how does this woman even care?
I was just trying to hide and didn’t want to be in sight anywhere. I was very uncomfortable in my own skin. I was like a church mouse, couldn’t talk – now people wish I could shut up! The Y literally saved my life. I started coming 15 minutes, 30 minutes. After 4 or 5 months, I met Anna, the lifeguard. I started telling her what Barbara said. She said “She’s right. You’ve just got to get here.” And I said “You too? What is it, everyone who works here is giving the same speech!” So now Anna would notice when I wasn’t around, ask if I was OK.
Next thing you know, between both of them, they wouldn’t let me stop, even if I wanted to. Barbara must have called me 100 times that first year. I gave in. I just started showing up. I started feeling better and losing the weight. I started eating better. I started coming more and more. And it worked. Anna and I had a great friendship. Then a year later, I get my back surgery so I’m laid up. Like clockwork, Barbara calls. I said I’m rehabbing. I’ll be in in 3 or 4 weeks. Sure enough, I don’t even make it to 4 weeks and that phone rings. She got me back here. Then I had the neck surgery and had to start over again. I had an ear surgery and found out I couldn’t go swimming for 14 months. I didn’t know what to do.
Barbara tells me they have a Fitness Center upstairs. I’ve been coming almost 3 years now and I didn’t know anything about upstairs. I started going up there and doing the bicycle thing and a little weight training. That was a rough year but I was able to work through it. Then I got back into the pool and I realized I kind of liked it upstairs because when you’re in the pool for 3 years, you’re not talking to anyone, just looking at that black line every 3 seconds. I started going upstairs and became friendly with staff and members. Things were going great.
Then I came down with thyroid cancer. And that knocked me off my feet. I thought I was done with the YMCA. Until my phone rings and there is Barbara asking “Where are you, I know you’ve been sick, but this is where you belong.” So I came back.
I met Diana in the Fitness Center and Laura, then some of the trainers. They really listen and go out of their way to help. It really is family. I started volunteering. I met Kathy in Child Care and I volunteered at Halloween and Christmas for the kid parties. I started giving back and feeling the family thing. And the trainers upstairs – Coach George and Jason – they’re training people but they see you doing something wrong, they’ll say - listen keep your back straight – they are not even training you, but they go out of their way to help. The doors are always open here. It really is a community. It took me years and years to realize that. I wouldn’t be here right now without the Y. This place saved my life
We started getting involved with the Y last year when I enrolled my son in the ELC program. It has been a great experience! My daughter goes to Osborn school and is in the ASA program in the afternoon. As a working mom, it has been incredibly helpful to have the care and just one pickup location. She is able to attend activities like gymnastics and swim team that otherwise would have been a struggle to figure out how to get her to and from. They both absolutely love it here!
We also love to take advantage of other programs like Parents Night Out. I’m really grateful to the vacation camps. Next week they’ll be in the Fun Club when they’re off from school so I can work and not worry. Working and childcare can be hard to manage so I really appreciate the daycare options. The Rye Y and the ELC are very working parent focused, in a way that is much needed and absent in other places.
I recently fell in love with the Y Studios. I’m finding time for myself to work on my fitness. It is a beautiful facility. I’m super into BodyPump. I go Sunday mornings and try to go Tuesdays. I love the option for Child Watch and Tot Drop. The Y is a great organization and a great asset in Rye!
My advice to people who move here is to join the Y first. It’s a great community. They make you feel welcome and part of the community.
We joined the Y four years ago when we moved from Houston to Rye. We love the Y. It’s a place the whole family can use. My 9-year-old son has taken swimming lessons, and my 4-year-old daughter is in the Busy Bees morning program. It’s a great program and such a nice transition to the afternoon program at the Rye Presbyterian Nursery School.
I went to West Point and played Rugby there. I then served in Iraq. I’m a basic guy, and the Y’s fitness center fulfills all my needs. It’s friendly and low pressure. Everybody’s great at the Y.
I came back to the Y after two years of working out with different videos and doing whatever I could at home because of Covid. Prior to this, I was very active at Equinox in Mamaroneck. But I chose not to go back; things were changing and I felt that given my age, it was much more appropriate to see what the Y offers.
I came to visit and the first person I met was Laura Laura. And she was so enthusiastic and so engaging that after five or ten minutes and a tour of the facilities, I knew that I wanted to join. I called my husband, who was basically in the same boat with me—quite active prior to COVID—and I said ‘rush, come. We are going to join together.’ And he came and we signed up right away. And that was my beginning of truly enjoying what the Y offers.
As I said, I feel that it’s much more appropriate. At Equinox, the majority of women taking the classes I took were much younger than me. But being somewhat obsessive, I would ignore my age and as a result I suffered a couple of knee injuries.
So, I learned from my mistakes and I am really comfortable in this new studio with a variety of exercises for different ages. I don’t feel like I have to compete with the younger women anymore.
I think I’ve found what I was really looking for. I have found a home for my age. I am taking different classes. I take barre classes, although I have to adjust some exercises, I take Gentle Yoga. I take Pilates. I train with Laura. And that’s what started to get me in very good shape. And I still continue working on my own at the original Y.
So in short, that’s my story!
I used to come to the Y occasionally when my wife forced me to do some exercise. During my 8am walks with my dog, I found an exercise partner who lives around the corner from me. Randy is an impetus for me. I pick her up every morning except for Friday and weekends and we come to the Y. We come almost religiously because now it is an obligation.
My back has improved 100% between exercising here and PT. I might mention that acupuncture does work. Nobody knows why but it is a 3000-year old discipline.
I enjoy the Y. I like that it is not crowded in the morning and that people are pleasant.
After coming to the Y, I feel like when the house is clean. It is reinvigorating and my brain gets ordered. It starts the day off on the right foot.
I joined the Y in October 2020 during the pandemic but previously swam at the Hommocks pool in Mamaroneck. I work in Greenwich so this was in between. I came to visit the Rye Y a couple of times to look around and liked the system during the pandemic. I was happy to be swimming and it has worked out great.
I really enjoy coming here. I like to swim early around 8 o’clock, or later at 3 or 4 o’clock. I’m not a big gym person but I went upstairs a couple of times – I pulled a muscle as I always do. It has always been enjoyable.
The people who work here are very friendly and very cooperative, always helping out. The lifeguards are very nice, as well as the other swimmers. I’m a friendly sort of person and like to say hello. I’ve met a lot of people here and know enough about them to chitchat. So the experience has been very, very good. I could have joined another Y but I chose Rye because I’m a New York kind of guy.
Kate: This is our second year at the Rye Y. What brought us here was Alice, my daughter, swims on the WaveRyeders team.
Alice: I like doing jumps at the end. I do the Butterfly (stroke).
Kate: She’s been swimming since she was six months old. She did some lessons here when she was really little. She’s six now, but she’s been on the team for two years.
William: I used to play basketball upstairs, but not really anymore.
Kate: We come here mostly for Alice’s swimming. We’re here a lot for that. The coaches are great. They’re very accommodating and very patient. Alice was shy and they were really encouraging and made her feel comfortable from the beginning. And it’s a beautiful facility. It’s very comfortable. I can do homework with William while Alice is swimming. It’s a joy to be here.
I feel grateful, really grateful to be teaching Zumba at the Y. How I missed in-person classes during COVID! I’ve been teaching virtual classes 5 times a week for the past 2 years.
I learned about the Rye Y from my fellow Zumba instructors. One day I talked with Laura, who teaches here and asked her if there was a way I could sub a class at the Rye Y. She said, yes, of course. So I got in touch with Diana and that’s what I did. I auditioned and passed with Diana and all the class members there.
I began covering Martha’s classes now and then. And then she moved so I was asked to teach one of her classes on Friday. So here I am! The members are nice and such quick learners. They know Zumba but enjoy my style and I’ve gotten positive feedback. So I can’t complain. I’m really, really grateful!
I moved to Rye from Spain in 2009 with my family and two kids and my third on the way. I joined the Y because I wanted my kids to be part of the community. They took swim lessons and I did aquatics for pregnant women. After I had my baby, I wanted to get back in shape but the group exercise classes were difficult for me because my English was not good. I started to work with a personal trainer and just fell in love with fitness. I fell in love with the Pilates class - every day I did a new one. When I started coming here, I wasn’t working so my days were scattered between the kids. The Y gave me that purpose that I belonged somewhere. It felt so good.
My daughter joined the gymnastics team and felt right at home with gymnastics. She was an LIT (Leader in Training), then a counselor and now that she is in college, she has worked as counselor in the gymnastics summer camp My son was a counselor as well while in high school. My husband takes classes in strength training. He was with JT and now with Hanaan. The whole family is part of the Y!
At some point I wanted to do something else to give back so I became a Zumba instructor and started to teach Zumba classes here at the Y. And then I became a personal trainer. I’ve taught classes in other places but this is where I belong. And now I’m so excited with this new facility with so many new members! I meet new people in every class that I teach. It feels like home.
Every time I have space in my schedule, I always want to try one of my fellow instructor’s classes. I feel like the Y is my place. It gave me a sense of belonging.
When we first moved from NYC to Rye in 1993, we thought about what organizations we wanted to be part of. Fitness was a big part of that. We didn’t have children yet so it was just my husband Ward and me. We saw the Y and immediately wanted to join. That was one of our best decisions because we met so many nice people and were able to keep our fitness goals in place. We’ve been long term members - for 28 years! We started in the old building so we saw the whole transformation.
We have 3 boys. From day one we put them in classes - swimming, preschool classes, soccer, gym games, birthday parties. It was such a gathering place for us. They’ve grown up with it - even in middle school, high school and college. My son Chris is still a member here and works out. I feel that the Y has been such an important part of our kids keeping a healthy lifestyle. And they are going to take that with them for the rest of their lives.
The Y has just been great that way. There is a family feeling when you walk in and see the same faces. I’m often in the Fitness Center and recognize members that I didn’t know before. We realize we’re there at the same time and start talking and sharing our stories. When you come to the Y, you become part of a community.
My husband and I were both in the US Air Force in Maryland. A job opportunity for him led us here in 2018. We belonged to a YMCA in Maryland so I guess you could say we were transfers. The Rye Y blew us away - the amount of classes offered, the child care, just this community in general, very family friendly and inclusive. We’ve made friends here that I didn’t expect. At other gyms, it’s usually just a place to work out and you’re done. I have four friends that we semi-regularly see because of this place!
We take advantage of the swimming lessons for my little ones who are ages 5 and 3. We used to go to the soft play every Saturday during the cold weather and that was amazing. We also did the family night one weekend and the Halloween party and Healthy Kids Day.
Both my daughters have been in Kinder Camp and my older one in Gymnastics Camp. She was blessed, the 5-year-old, with being invited to try out for the gymnastics pre-team. So she’ll be starting that. That also brings us together as a family because we know all the staff too. I know Melissa and Shelley because I’ve worked out with them – it’s a family thing.
I find a group exercise class every day to take – whether it’s from Teresa or Hanan or Diana or more recently JT – he’s pretty intense! And Kathy, I love Kathy. As I was getting more into fitness I thought, it would be so cool to get certified someday. I was a fitness instructor in the Air Force but it was pretty raw and rugged. There was no music; it was just, let’s do pushups. Very bare bones. I was thinking it would be so cool to get back into that.
One day after class Hanan mentioned that the Y was looking for substitute instructors and asked if I had experience and was interested. It was as if she read my mind! The fact that she recognized something in me meant the world to me. It was really a blessing. I’ve followed in her footsteps, learning the ropes of the choreographed Les Mills’ BodyPump class. I submitted my video a month ago to Les Mills and found out that I passed. I’m going to start teaching later this month!
October update:
I have been teaching for the past two weeks and have taught three BodyPump classes so far. What an eye-opening experience, to be in the front and responsible for everyone else’s workout!
Martha: We’ve been Y members since 2012.
David: When I was six months old.
Martha: We started coming with the baby classes—Mommy and Me swimming, so he brought us to the Y.
David: We used to do the basketball and other sports in the gymnasium, but now I only like the swimming here. I just like water. And it gets me tired. My favorite sport though is baseball.
Gianna: I’m on the swim team. I’ve had the teachers since I was little and I’m used to them. What I like is that they don’t play around when you get stuff wrong. They make us do it over and over till we get it right. I also do gymnastics. I love the teacher because she used to teach me since I was three. And I love to chat with Barbara.
Martha: We have a family membership. I work out in the fitness center. I do the kickboxing and Zumba classes over at the Studios. I like everything about the Y the staff…
David: …the pool…
Martha: I feel like this is my second home. Everybody knows my kids. Basically, they’ve been raised here. They know everyone. We’re always here. We go to all of the family activities. It’s just a nice place to be. And after Covid, it’s great to be back.
David: the Y is just a great place!
I’ve been a nurse for 40 years. After I retired, I was staying at home and then my daughter died unexpectedly. I’m now raising my granddaughter. She’s seven years old and she lives with us. I always have her in gymnastics here because she loves it. When she was little, she always went to all the programs here the cooking, the arts and crafts.
So I’ve always been here. But when I started staying home, I felt this empty feeling while my granddaughter is in school. So I said ‘I don’t want to go back to nursing. It’s too stressful. Maybe I can do something, something to keep me occupied.’ My stepdaughter Sabrina works here in membership and she said to me “they’re looking for someone in the daycare to babysit. Would you be interested?’ So I met Heather; she was so sweet. And I started working in Child Watch about six months ago.
I feel like this job was a Godsend. I only do three days a week but it fills my day. When I’m playing with the kids, I feel so much better. When some of them cry, I pick them up and start rocking them. And then all of a sudden, they’re quiet. They do such cute things. They make you laugh and they’re so innocent.
I like it here. It’s very comfortable. The girls I work with are very nice. We all get along well. It’s really been a good experience for me to be here. It’s part of my healing process.
I was a young athlete and I wrestled all through middle school and high school. One of my aspirations in life was to stay physically fit, but after graduation in 1980, I was unsure what direction to go in. Weightlifting and bodybuilding became that direction. I befriended a Rye resident, Gabe, who was an active bodybuilder and he took me under his wing. For the next three years, every day, sometimes twice a day, we would weight lift and body build and prepare for events. Gabe lived just a couple blocks away and I would meet up with him at the Y.
We would go together throughout the county and surrounding areas and perform in either a bodybuilding or power-lifting contest. It was a great period in my life! After leaving high school, I had felt the dead absence of wrestling. For those six years, the Y kept me going. I owe my life to it.
My wife and I were members of another gym for about 10 years. Then COVID hit and there was a blank period of our lives. We didn’t transition back to that gym after the COVID relaxation. We would drive by the new renovated building on Route 1 and that was an inspiration for us. “Something is really going on!” I said, “We should go take a look at the Y.” We visited and fell in love immediately.
We fell in love - not only the location – it is so close to town - but we were excited about the new Y Studios. We had joined the other gym for our yoga practice. Yoga has taken us through really great journeys. We travelled across the country and had advanced so much with our yoga practice. But COVID put a halt to it. We wanted to get back into it and now the Y offers this great yoga experience. It is so, so great! My wife goes during the week and we go together on Sunday mornings. We’re enjoying both locations – it is really cool that they are just 1 block away from one another.
We knew we wanted to get back into a little weightlifting and body exercise and back into yoga as well. And the Y is offering everything to us now at a very reasonable price. I think we were paying, between the two of us, about $700 a month at the other gym. We are paying virtually nothing here but getting to enjoy so much more, whether it be the pool, the gym or yoga. I even feel like I have a conference room at the Y studios with their great sitting area. We both think it is genius the way the bathrooms and lockers are set up. Whoever planned it, thought it out really, really well.
I’m so happy to back at the Y and to be a Rye resident. The people here are so pleasant. Everyone here is just so helpful and beautiful. Whether it is Christina upstairs, or our yoga teacher, or Rich, everyone is just great. My heart is with the Rye Y!
Mila: I am so happy that my sister Zadie is with me on Pre-Team this year!
I was a little scared to go to Pre-Team last year but once I saw Coach Bianka, I felt more comfortable because I did private lessons with her. My first gymnastics skill I learned was a backbend!
I really like gymnastics summer camp at the Rye Y because I like bridge races and the handstand contest!
My favorite gymnastics event is Beam and Floor.
The Rye Y is a great place to have fun and do lots of activities!
Zadie: I love learning all gymnastics skills! I like bars because I’m working on back hip circles and I also won that hanging contest! I also like tumble track!
I like summer camp at the Rye Y because I like handstand contests and learning how to do back handsprings.
I am very happy to be on pre-team and being with my big sister Mila makes me feel confident! I can’t wait to do competitions like my sister Mila did last year on Pre-Team. I have a friend named Lily who is also on Pre-team and I have known her for three years!
I also really like swimming ay the Rye Y!
I now live in Rye but grew up in White Plains and New Rochelle. My father was very fit and active. He spent 45 years in Parks, Recreation and Conservation. My 7 sisters and I were raised with a real appreciation of movement of the body and exercising your muscles. He had us running in the neighborhood before running was popular. Neighbors used to say, “What’s the matter with the Curtis girls, why are they always running?” We were encouraged to take part in sports and athletics, which I’m very grateful for at this point in my life.
And then life got busy, I graduated from college and stopped working out for a while. Got back to it in my 30s and 40s and took a little hiatus in my 50s. After the strict protocols from the pandemic were lifted, I decided, “I’m 60 years old now, I need to work at it. It’s either move or lose it!” I’d been sitting at home eating and enjoying my wine at night and was feeling that I really needed to do something. I live so close to the Rye Y, so I had no excuse!
I joined on May 1, 2021, and since then I’ve lost about 15 pounds and feel like I have gotten myself back into a healthy routine. I’m still working full-time. The beauty of the schedule here is that I can come in at 8 am, do a 45-minute workout and really feel my body working. I’m done and at my desk at 9 am.
It’s been a wonderful experience for me, and I plan on continuing for as long as I possibly can. I love the new Y Studios! It’s beautiful. I am very blessed to have a facility like this within walking distance of my front door. I encourage everybody to come in - don’t be intimidated! Sometimes when we’re out of the loop for a while we feel like, “Oh my gosh, I don’t even know if I have exercise clothes anymore.” Who cares! Come in – and as they say - exercise like no one’s watching! Here, it’s all about you.
I grew up in Wisconsin and was always at the YMCA. It was a great institution for me and my siblings. We loved swimming and were members of the swim team and participated in synchronized swimming. Once old enough to work we became swim instructors and lifeguards. I have the YMCA in my blood!
After I graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreational Therapy I moved to California to be an aquatics director at the Greater Los Angeles YMCA.
I moved to New York for personal changes and used my past Y experiences to take on a part time job at the Rye Y. I started as a receptionist, and quickly moved into a fitness and aquatic instructor. I was one of the few baby class instructors at that time in the late 1980s!
I left the Y and became a teacher for 25 years. Two years ago, I retired and I said ‘the day I retire I am going back to the Rye Y’. I’ve been teaching the baby swim classes for the past two years and I love it. I often wonder if the new parents in my current classes were toddlers in my classes back in the day!
I personally love the fitness classes and staff at the Rye Y. I am living out my best days at the Y and I hope to do so for many years to come! I enjoy participating in the fitness classes and teaching!
When my husband, our two kids, and I moved from Florida to Rye 30 years ago this fall, we knew we wanted to join some kind of fitness center. The Y was the obvious choice because half of the people we met belonged! It was like the church we joined; we met people we really liked, and it was a warm and inviting place from day one.
While we didn’t take advantage of all the Y has to offer, we got lucky because when my husband Peter started to get sick in 2001, I started looking at the trainers and thinking to myself ‘Which one would push my husband to keep exercising?’ I knew that just getting him up and out would be a big part of his recovery. He was weak; he was short on oxygen, and he just kept sinking. He needed a reason.
So, I pestered Mike Carrington. I called him at home. I ran into him on purpose when he has leaving the Y. Finally, he said kindly, ‘I can’t take it anymore. I don’t have any time, but if you can get your husband here at 7:30 in the morning, I’ll work with him.’ Mike was in the Army. He had played football. He was a wonderful athlete and he had this ‘you can do it!’ attitude.
Mike and the Y got Peter through a really, really challenging time. When Mike finally retired, Laura Laura was definitely our first choice, and we were lucky to get her on a regular basis. Laura is like Mike in a lot of ways. She’s not afraid. She has a sense of humor. And she senses what people need. She keeps calling when Peter hasn’t been in. Sometimes people just need a nudge.
Those two people really made a difference, as did the whole environment at the Y. My husband was working out one day and he had a heart attack. A member went over to him and said, ‘Are you okay? Why don’t you go sit down.’ And immediately there were two Y staff members there who quickly called 9-1-1.
I don’t want to paint a portrait of the Y as an emergency center, because it’s not, but it’s definitely a place where you feel good. And it’s not too loud, which I think is important when you’re exercising. The people here listen. It’s not like a big gym where there’s way too much activity all the time. And with the new design of space, it’s more than doubled what the Y can do. And it’s doing it.
The Y is also a place where people make connections. I know a lot of friendships have been made and revived here. It’s so nice when you walk in some place and actually know somebody. And while I don’t take advantage of your childcare, I know people who do, and you’ve certainly come to the rescue on a lot of different fronts.
And the Y has checked in on us when they haven’t seen us for a while. Once the Y reopened after the Covid shutdown, they were calling and checking and asking, ‘Is everything okay?’ It makes the relationship personal and enduring.
Over the years, I’ve developed very good relationships with Gregg, Denise, Lisa, Susan, and others. It’s just wonderful to have people at the front desk call you by your first name, especially in an age when everything’s a robot or an answering machine. I think that adds enormously to the opportunities and offerings here. A lot of people have invited me to take a class somewhere else, and I have done classes elsewhere, but I’m always happy to come back here.
My husband and I live in White Plains. We were active, enthusiastic members of the White Plains Y because it was in our neighborhood and we could walk. Over the years, we embraced the community and were so happy in that home. Then it closed. It broke our hearts because it was a real connection to our neighbors and our neighborhood. We researched other fitness facilities and ended up following a large group of White Plains Y members to this facility. We practiced the drive at different hours of the day to make sure it could fit into our busy lifestyles with the commute. And early morning exercise classes were only 11 minutes away!
We happily found a new home here. In the Friday and Saturday morning yoga classes, I felt embraced by women with whom I immediately felt at home. I called my friends and myself White Plains refugees.
We stuck with the Y through the pandemic because I had such a great support network with Naomi and Shari in the Friday and Saturday morning Zoom classes. There were just a handful of us that stayed loyal on Zoom and we became a loving community. During the quarantine, we would all greet each other before class in the Zoom room and then we would quietly go to our yoga. For a long time, I came for the morning outdoor parking lot exercise classes with Diana and George. They were so diligent to keep us up at 6:45 in the morning until it got too cold.
We now rejoice to be back in person and make new acquaintances. We feel we’re back at home. Especially at the beautiful Y Studios. It’s glorious! However, school buses and landscape trucks have turned our 11-minute commute into 24 minutes. But we’ll stick it through. My husband is at the main facility every morning and I’m enjoying the fitness classes here at the Y Studios.
We love the staff and appreciate all the accommodations they made to keep this a vibrant exercise facility that was open and flexible through all the changes of quarantine. They really worked hard.
I became a Y member about a year ago. What brought me here at first were the mommy and me classes for my daughter. And then after I had my second child, I realized that I could take the classes myself and use the child care. The HIIT class with Diana is my favorite because you’re constantly changing the exercise.
After I had my second child, I found it really hard to get back into a fitness routine and I wasn’t feeling so great. What’s been great is being able to work out while having child care for my kids. I really trust everybody here and my daughter loves it. It’s great because we both get to have our fun. She gets to play and I get to do my exercise so it’s a win-win.
I have a 22-month old and a four-month old. Post-partum, it’s even helped my mental health being able to get back to fitness. It’s been really important for me and I think that’s important to share.
The Y has been incredibly supportive through all my battles with knee surgery, hip surgery, my broken ankle – and especially when I had quadruple heart surgery. They never left me and always made me feel that I was missed. When I came back I was totally welcomed. Including the valets – after my heart surgery, one of them said to me “Where have you been?” I told him what happened. He lifted me up and was crying and welcomed me back. I mean it doesn’t get any better than that. I can say that the Y has been my major support.
Recently, I had vertigo and neuropathy and was out for a month so I wasn’t teaching Canasta and Mahjong. I was constantly getting emails from the participants asking where I was and when I was coming back. When I finally came back this week – well you would think Jacqueline Kennedy got reincarnated. I was waiting for a ticker tape parade! It was unbelievable. It was embarrassing!
I applied for a job at the Rye Y in 2018. On my first day, I fell in love with the Rye Y, especially the aquatics department. Everybody was so warm and welcoming. I just got a vibe - I have to be here!
I’m a Y kid. I grew up in Mt. Vernon and everybody went to the YMCA. That’s where I learned how to swim, play basketball, gymnastics, all that stuff. So it is in my blood! A teacher who used to work here, Offut Porter, taught me how to swim. He was my swim coach for the Mt. Vernon YMCA swim team. I’ve known him for twenty something years. So when I applied and I saw him here, I was shocked.
I’ve done lifeguarding, swim instruction and occasionally deck supervisor.
My favorite role will always be teaching swimming lessons. I believe that every person, not just kids, but also adults, should learn how to swim. It’s a life skill, it’s a safety skill and I feel that everyone should have that opportunity. I like being able to make that impact on that person’s life.
Working here has been amazing. I’ve made so many new friends and even found mentorship amongst my co-workers and supervisors. I’ve been building solid relationships. I hope to one day get the opportunity to become a supervisor at the Rye Y. I have about 15 years experience in aquatics and I’ve been here about 4 years. So maybe by year 5 or 6 an opportunity will pop up. Fingers crossed!
We just moved to Rye two weeks ago. We came to Rye for the great family community and the wonderful schools. My daughter is Pre-K and we needed an option that gave us flexibility for the whole day because my husband and I both work. We were looking at houses in the area and popped into the Rye Y. Kathy Lynam had just walked in and she proceeded to give us a tour of not only the facility, but also of the Early Learning Center. She couldn’t have been nicer and more patient with us. From there, any question we’ve had, the staff has been super responsive and helpful
The Y gives us tremendous flexibility from 7:30am to 6:00pm every day, or as we need it. So far my daughter loves it! She especially loves that she gets to do swimming and gymnastics as part of her school day. When we told her she was coming to a new school, one of the things that helped us get her excited was that she was going to have a swimming pool at her school. It was a big selling point! She is getting very close to swimming, so I think with the lessons here, in a few months she’ll be good to go.
We’ve been really impressed with how welcoming the Rye Y has been. We were recommended to the Y from a director at one of the other preschools. It speaks volumes that within the community the ELC program is recognized as high quality, especially for parents who need an all-day option.
I need to get into a bit of a routine so I can start taking advantage of the classes at the Y Studios. When Kathy told me about Child Watch on our tour you could have knocked me over with a feather. I was like ‘what!?’ Child care while you exercise is unheard of in most places.
We are looking forward to getting to know the community more. We’re really happy to be here!
I brought my children to swim when they were little but I didn’t join, I didn’t think it was for me. Recently, my neighbor said “you should join the new Y Studios.” I walked down because I live two blocks away and joined. It was the best thing I’ve every done! I’ve been coming every day to a different class. I’ve enjoyed all of them and I’m going to continue. My mental ability, everything is much better.
I try to vary my classes. I do HIIT, Pilates and kickboxing and I’m going to try cycling tomorrow. It’s really important as you get older that you have enough strength. The instructors are awesome. I’ve met so many nice people and all the ladies say hello and good morning. It’s been a very positive experience. I joined with my sister. I’m a retired teacher, but she is still teaching so she comes when she can.
I think everybody should try it. You can do it at your own pace. They give you options if you don’t want to do it one way. I thought in the beginning it might be a little intimidating but it is certainly not like that at all. It is very positive. I feel stronger!
I started working at the Y three years ago, in Child Watch as a babysitter and then in the gym. After that, I went to membership, and now I’m back in child care. I moved around to where I was needed during the pandemic.
Over the past three years, I have met many members. I really love this place and the people. The Y has provided me a great opportunity. The staff here is happy, their positive attitudes help create a positive atmosphere for the members. I like the atmosphere here--everyone is respectful. The Y helped me to get a scholarship to get my CDA so I can become a head teacher someday. I get to speak Spanish, and can help members who don’t speak English. And now, as an assistant teacher, I am happy to help the children learn a little Spanish, too.
I’ve been a member for 12 years. I first started coming when my youngest was little and I’d drop him at Child Watch and go upstairs and work out for a while. Then we moved away for about two years. While we were away, I missed the Y. I missed the friendly faces at the front desk and being on the machines on the second floor and looking out over the water, at the little creek that we won’t speak of because it hasn’t served us well in the past year! (Laughs). It’s a warm, friendly place where I always felt welcomed.
When we moved back, we joined again pretty quickly and the kids started back with the various activities they had done before. My older two had done gymnastics, my youngest did basketball. For me, personal training has been one of the only ways to get me in here consistently. My goal is just to get here and hopefully not collapse while I’m working out!
Fairly quickly after we moved back, I joined the Y’s Togetherhood Committee. It’s been nice to see a whole other part of the Y, to get involved in the amazing community service projects that we do. I feel like I’m giving back.
A big draw of the Y for me is the people. From checking in at the front desk, the friendly faces that have been here the whole time I’ve been coming that consistency is nice. The trainers are amazing. All of the youth activities have been fantastic for my kids. And it’s nice to come together with people through Togetherhood.