Fitness anytime with round-the-clock gym access

by Philip S. Ruckle Jr.

At 4 o’clock in the morning, the Outer Banks Family YMCA parking lot in Nags Head is empty. A few minutes later Ryan Chase Hundley arrives. After walking from the parking lot to the front door he stops to type in an access security code.

When the door unlocks, Hundley passes by a security camera and heads for the fitness studio. He is the only one in the building. After a brief warm-up session he begins an exercise workout.

Why begin an exercise regime at a time when most other people are still asleep? Hundley says it’s the best time of day for it.

“I work for the Town of Nags Head as code enforcement officer 8:30 to 5,” explains Hundley. “So the best time for a workout is early in the morning. By the time I get off in the afternoon I like to have my family time. I don’t want to burn into my family time in the evenings.”

Adding that his daughter is sometimes up a 4, most of time the rest of his family is still snoozing away, making early mornings a good time to get in a workout.

Working out six – and sometimes seven – days a week, Hundley spends a little time on a treadmill, lifts weights, uses the cardiovascular equipment or takes a spin on a stationary bicycle. Each day has a different routine.

“I do it for my overall health,” he con- tinues. “I have a heart condition and in 2012 had two open heart surgeries. I used to work out before my surgeries, but now I take it serious.”

Following a training schedule he developed, Hundley says he’s been doing early workouts for about two years.

That’s just about when the Outer Banks Y was opened for 24-hour access.

During an earlier visit to the Y, Jamie Koch, executive director of the Outer Banks Family YMCA, explained that the 24-hour access program began in March of 2021. “It’s perfect for people with odd work hours like law enforcement and EMS,” said Koch. “But then unusual schedules on the Outer Banks are almost routine. Nags Head was the first Y in the South Hampton Roads group to allow members in at any hour.”

Koch went on to explain that all members must be 18 or older, sign a 24-hour access agreement with guidelines, and each member has to sign in one person at a time even if coming as a group. That way staff will know who was here. Only the front lobby, fitness room and bathrooms are open during off hours. The sauna, hot tub and indoor pool are not part of the access program.

According to Koch, staff are on hand during regular hours, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays with shorter weekend times, but after it closes no staff members are present. But that does not mean nobody is watching.

“We put in a lot of extra cameras and some gates to close off parts of the building,” Koch continues. “We have an emergency phone at the front desk if needed and offer a life alert necklace for added safety. And, we review security cameras every day. Anyone not following the agreement they signed gets a warning.”

To date, no warnings have been needed for any of the almost 700 members – out of a total membership of about 5,000 – that signed up and pay a small additional monthly fee for the extra access.

“It’s important for people to know it’s safe here,” advised Koch. “We tried to take precautions to consider any emergency.”

Making the trip down from Virginia the same morning Hundley was working out, Kristen Howard, vice president of brand experience for YMCA of South Hampton Roads, advised that the camera system and call button were a very large investment but a needed one to make sure people are safe.

“We have 19 of the 21 South Hampton Roads YMCAs that now offer 24 hour access,” says Howard. “The other two cannot due to the physical layout of the building.”

“I really enjoy the Y because it is a safe place to be,” offered Hundley. “You can come any time of day and sometimes there’s a police officer here in the parking lot. Sometimes they are just checking on things to make sure all is well.”

About that time, Jimmy Metzinger, a Manteo High School teacher and coach, comes in. He advises the extra hours of access are helpful for his schedule, too. A few minutes later, Audie Ragland come in and is recognized as an early morning regular by Hundley.

As the clock hands move around the dial, by 5 o’clock there are more than half a dozen people in their own world working on fitness techniques exercising, lifting weights, riding bicycles or walking a treadmill.

All before most Outer Banks residents and visitors are ready to start their day.

5:00AM