8 GROUNDCOVER NEWS SPOTLIGHT Its' fun to play at the YMCA! ANTHONY SMITH Groundcover contributor On the tail end of Christmas is New Year's. This holiday has no mystic powers or claims to divinity. In America New Year's Eve is the official end of the year and subsequent beginning of a new one. This experience and change in symbols is supposed to have meaning. For some it truly does. These are the individuals who at the magic hour of midnight decide to proclaim unto the world wishes for improvement of some kind. “Resolutions” they call them. Every new year a plethora of resolutions are made, many about physical change, sometimes about a mental change. I urge you to make new year’s resolutions that involve the habituation of noble virtues. I think that with the proper amount of effort and intention one might achieve a great deal of personal growth. I certainly have. My resolution for 2024 was to get fit. And truth be told I took the easiest route. At the YMCA, I stayed by myself mostly and just did a few things. I’d hit the weights some times, I’d bake in the sauna. I keep it real casual. I learn as I go. I struggled for a time to use it. The YMCA stands for “Young Men's Christian Association.” There was also a similar version for women that incorporated a W instead of the M. People all over the world know the YMCA because of the disco song by the Village People. Who can doubt that wild bunch of guys could have fun staying anywhere? These days, you can’t stay at the Y, BUT YOU CAN DO A HECK OF A LOT ELSE!!! There are dance classes! The Y has tons of cool stuff, from foreign language classes to fencing! That’s right, they teach sword fighting! But you have to sign up fast — classes start on Jan. 6. As soon as you read this, get on it! They have an amount of classes that is just incredible. On the website you can look for dates and info to create a solid resolution. And if you happen to fall well below the poverty line, then you can get incredible deals on your membership. All you need to do is be homeless and get the right form on the second floor of the Delonis Center. That will allow you to get a membership at $30 for six months. My advice is get signed up for “SWORD FIGHTING”/ fencing ASAP. I bet this is one that fills up quickly. Imagine a town of swashbuckling badasses after the collapse. Forget about it. My name is Inigo Montoya… DECEMBER 27, 2024 Ann Arbor YMCA staff Nia (Y), Joey (M), Scott (C) and Dontrael (A) pictured left to right. And you killed my father! Just imagine … Society has collapsed. Every day the cruel sun pits man vs. nature vs. himself vs. man’s indifference to man vs. ghouls from the wasteland. The living envy the dead and the dead are soon cooked and eaten. I can see you now with your sword, cutting a deck of bad guys, dealing death like a riverboat gambler with an Ace of Spades up your sleeve. Maybe I’ll return to this later and take the class? There is also rowing at Bandemer. Rowing might sound weird, but if you had any taste you would already be doing it. Vikings rowed; get good at rowing, swords, hit the weights — PLUNDER LIKE IT’S 1999! This could be a real fun sport. And there are nice parties and much fun to be had on the river! Fun on the river can begin with a membership at the Y and $35 bucks for the rowing class! This stretch of the river is so lovely. For fun's sake! I was taken back to my younger days see YMCA next page
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