Life would be very different without the YMCA from my perspective. I have been to many YMCA camps in my life, I workout there, and I work there so I feel my views are very accurate in terms of how the YMCA affects community. It brings several communities together especially in less affluent neighborhoods because it helps keep students active. The YMCA offers a economically-friendly athletic environment for everyone, and without it people would have to spend a lot more money to be a part of something like this. In some communities the YMCA is what brings them together. The Y provides affordable activities in fitness, after school programs, and camps. Without the YMCa, it would be difficult for people to find a place that provides all of the same benefits for that price.
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I want to tell a story of one of my awkward experiences at my internship with the YMCA. This was very recent as it was my first week(last week). One of the first jobs that I was asked to do was tie together a lacrosse net for the lacrosse camp. It is a tedious task, but it is not necessarily difficult. All four of the sports staff members participated in this task, and three of us did it correctly. I was the odd man out as I could not figure out how to string the lacrosse net. I repeatedly strung it incorrectly, in fact, Josh told me I strung it like a lacrosse stick which is odd because I did not know I could do that. As everyone finished with their respective goals, mine was still undone, and it was mildly embarassing. I never completed the task, but Josh eventually did it, and I continued on as if it never happened. I thought this was a funny experience because it was one of the first
Last week I began my first week of work at the YMCA. It is very different to Athletic Republic as AR is a for profit industry while the Y is a non-profit industry. It seemed to me that the vibe at the YMCA was more like a family. The staff was very close with each other, and I felt very accepted into their workplace. My work so far has included assisting with sports' camps, and doing a lot in the gym. The schedule is usually consistent so I am trying to adjust to that as well. I am excited about my future work at the Y. In the last week or so I have began to switch my internship from Athletic Republic to the West Suburban YMCA. My future presentation will compare the two industries, and what differentiates the two athletic components. I will also be discussing which company is more appealing to consumers. I have yet to begin my internship at the YMCA so in this phase, I have been preparing my website so that this correlational study will be more fluent. Finding a time to have an interview has been difficult, and in result I will need to fulfill more hours per week to obtain the minimum which is unfortunate. I believe that I will be up to par with the other interns very soon, but until then I will have to continue to work on my website.
The staff at Athletic Republic understand the fine line that divides work and play. Many of the trainers joke around, or play basketball with the athletes during work, but they know that there is a limit to the fooling around. They are very lenient when it comes to playing around because play is necessary when you are working with hundreds of teenage athletes every week. It is a productive type of play because it makes the athletes comfortable with the environment. They understand that although they are being trained, things are not 100% serious all of the time.
Lunch at Athletic Republic This week I did the same tasks as every other week, it is now becoming extremely consistent which is in my favor. Too much change or differentiation is hard to follow because of the number of different athletes that attend this gym. The time that I have noticed most employees go to eat lunch is anywhere between 4-5. There is no designated lunch schedule for anyone, but there are times throughout the day where there are no classes, and those times become the best for grabbing a bite to eat. I usually do not eat lunch with the other interns or employees here, not because I do not want to, but because I usually do not have a lunch to eat. I also feel as though the connections between the other interns are stronger than mine because I am the youngest intern here. It is never awkward to talk to any interns, but for some reason, I tend to exclude myself from the group. I do talk to a few interns regularly, and have developed some good connections. When everyone is socializing during the lunch break, I tend to go lift weights or play basketball to occupy my time. Every now and then, I do go in the room where they eat, and socialize a little bit. I would not consider any of it awkward, I just do not have much in common with a lot of people here.
The employees at Athletic Republic tend to truly care about the athletes that come in. They have some clients that come in on a regular basis so the trainers tend to get to know them on a more personal level. It makes it more comfortable for the athletes because they do not feel pressured to be the best or wear themselves out during a workout. They are motivated to get better, and their progression comes from their own desire to work hard. There are several unpaid interns at Athletic Republic, and we do fairly simple jobs. Some of us help in the front desk with paperwork, answering phone calls, and scheduling appointments. Others, like myself, work on warming up the athletes prior to their workout, and taking a group of kids through their predetermined workout. We all like working their because it is an interesting setting, we see athletes come in all day ranging from kids playing their first high school sport to semi-pro athletes. It interests us, and when the classes start we usually become more focused so we can understand what the trainers go through. From the outside looking in, it looks like an amazing job to be able to make workout routines, and programs for teenagers. The trainers at Athletic Republic seem to know exactly what they're doing, and have been doing it for years. It is awesome to see the way they work, and how they have mastered several techniques in their training process. Things like knowing
Before I started this internship at Athletic Republic, I thought of it as an advanced training sports industry. It appeals to athletes around the nation who would like to perform at an elite level at their sport. My friend AJ Johnson gave me some insight on it prior to starting so I considered it to be similar to a mix of Crossfit for Athletes, and the YMCA. It appeals to kids too who want to run around during the sports camps in the morning as well so it is not necessarily a complete athlete training facility. The people that come in tend to range in sports, but the most common are hockey and football players.
On Monday and Tuesday, I worked with various athletes on their workout routines that were made by Jason. I also helped a class of athletes including football, lacrosse, and hockey players. We worked on the Super Treadmill testing athletes at speeds varying from 12-19mph with an incline of up to 33%. In between sets on the treadmill, another intern and myself helped the athletes maintain their intensity by applying some medicine ball workouts that increased core strength. On Thursday, we worked individually with football players from Norwood, Walpole, and the Dedham area. My job included helping our trainers with the resistance training to maximize the use of all the equipment. With the resistance training bands I held the athletes back with my own bodyweight as they tried to run full speed twenty yards. This type of training is often used at AR because it translates well to the field. Athletes tend to see an increase in straight-line speed because they become so used to the resistance that is applied. Other duties that I am starting to gain at AR is doing the warmups for each of the classes to make sure that everyone is stretched out before they begin to lift. These include various dynamic stretches to loosen up the muscles prior to any heavy intensity workouts. Along with these new duties, typically from 12-2 the other interns and myself are responsible for the maintenance of the gym. We clean the equipment, and vacuum the turf to make it as presentable as possible. We have learned to also tighten some of the equipment because when it is overused the bolts sometimes get loose. I am picking up on many strategies used to train athletes, and from an athlete's perspective, the training is very helpful and rewarding when done correctly. This is Jermel Wright's blog.
Hello all, today marks the end of the first week of my internship at Athletic Republic in Norwood. It is a training facility for all types of athletes and I have had a great experience so far. I have been introduced to new technology that is revolutionizing the way athletes are training. There are super powered hockey and regular treadmills made to maximize the intensity of the workouts. Along with amazing equipment, the facility has forty yards of turf, and a very updated weight room. So far, I have gained perspective as an athlete and a trainer at this location. Using the equipment and technology gives me some insight on what it is like to be trained by some of the coaches there. Then, being a staff member gives me authoritative power so many of the athletes come to me for proper lifting techniques and strategies. It has been a great week at this facility, and things will only get better. I cannot wait to continue to be a part of this team. |