Muscatine

Here's the scene: A Marine seargant comes down to Muscatine talk to his recruit. He wants to run the stats on his recruit (he wants to time his running, strength, etc.) The seargant pulls into the ymca to conduct the tests. The recruit informs the seargant that he does not have a Y membership. The seargant assures the recruit that it will be fine, as the larger city that he comes from, has a Ymca and more than welcomes Marines to do such tests.
The seargant is very surprised when the Muscatine Y does not allow him entrance to perform the tests on the Marine recruit. He is told that he needs a membership. The seargant then says he will pay cash and asks if they have an atm. He is promptly told no.
Good ole Muscatine. What a way to treat a man that has served our country and what a way to encourage a young man ready and willing to serve.
I am severely embarrassed by the Y employee's action.
By the way, this is a true story.

omg

unbelievable! I dont even believe this could happen!Who was in charge of this.How shallow minded can one be.
totaly unexceptabel!

The Y

If I had been that recruiter, or the recruit, I would have asked to see the director.

Don't get me started on The Y. Oh, too late, you already have. For a ''community'' Y, that IS United Way funded, it's shocking how ''country-club'' it really is. The locker-room situation is horrible. They ought to do away with the ''men or women only'' locker rooms, and provide better facilities for families. It IS after all, the ''family Y''???

If you are a mother, who wants to take your son swimming there, or a father wanting to take your daughter, and that child is over pre-school age, but not yet ready to go into a locker-room by themselves, you can:

a) Send them into the locker room of their gender by themselves (scary, eh?)

b) Use the ''changing room''...it's a closet, really, with a bench and a coat-hook. No access to a toilet or shower (which should be used before entering the pool)

Their mission---

''The Muscatine Community Y, a membership movement, strengthened by diversity, nourished by its roots in Christian values, is dedicated to the empowerment of women, girls, men, and boys, and the development of spirit, mind, and body to attain a common vision of dignity for all''.

Okay, first, forcing somebody to use a closet to change (again, no shower, no toilet or sink)...isn't doing anything for ''dignity''.

What the Y here needs is a family locker room, where a father can take his young daughter, where a mother can take her young son. Not just young kids, but anyone who needs assistance.
If you are a son who wants to take his elderly mother there? You don't have a locker room available where you can help her. Again, you get to use the ''changing room''.

This is the #1 reason we dropped our family Y membership. There's more, but it's not something that's going to change, because I already tried. They don't care enough about the ''community''

Wow DF...you really pushed my buttons on this one. Now I'm ticked. ha ha.

Good post,DF

Couple of comments df

Why would the Sgt. assume he could waltz in and use the Y if he had not checked first. What is custom in one place is not custom elsewhere. Poor prior planning makes poor results. Why would the Y have an ATM? I suspect that the employee had been told not to admit anyone without a membership. It is NOT the fault of the employee for doing his/her job. It IS the fault of the Sgt. for not asking first and then for not asking to see the management. IF the manager did in fact refuse the Sgt. we have a real problem that needs to be addressed with management.

Hats off the the young person that is willing to step up and serve his/her country. I hope this does not prevent them from entering.

Herman