Enjoy Some Healthy Competition at the YMCA

I used to be good at basketball. In the “glory days” of high school, my girls’ team, the Elk Mound Mounders, did well for a small Wisconsin school. We won conference, drew local media attention and crowds of our peers (mainly male classmates) in vintage cheerleading outfits. That was the peak of my sports career – seven years ago, and I’ve hardly picked up a basketball since.

Until randomly peeking in the Northern Door YMCA’s gym at the familiar sound of balls bouncing and shoes squeaking, and joining seven or eight men in a game of pickup basketball, I hadn’t realized how much I missed the game.

Though the ball is bigger, the players a bit taller and stronger and slightly more intimidating than my high school days – the rush of scoring a basket, blocking a shot, and losing yourself in the game is still the same. No need to live vicariously through your children and/or reminisce about the “glory days.” Keep playing!

If competitive, contact sports aren’t exactly your cup of tea and you still want to stay fit this winter, check out the Y’s facilities. The complex offers a pool, Lifestyle Center with cardio machines and resistance and strength training equipment, along with a series of fitness classes and special community events.

Pickup basketball takes place every Monday and Thursday at 6 pm. The Northern Door YMCA is located at 3866 Gibraltar Road, Fish Creek. For more information, call 920.868.3660 or visit http://www.doorcountyymca.org.