Players protest as Y shutters racquetball

CANANDAIGUA — Al Rebmann has dropped his YMCA membership — and based on his contact with fellow racquetball players at the Canandaigua Y, he is one of at least 20 who are doing the same. The reason is the Y’s decision to close its two courts on Friday.

YMCA leaders say interest in racquetball has dwindled drastically in recent years and the organization had no choice but to replace the courts for another, more popular use.

Robert Locke, president of the Canandaigua Y Board of Directors, said the board anticipated it would lose some members due to the decision. He said the decision was not done lightly.

"We took everything into consideration,” he said.

Locke said the decision was based on research, an email survey of the membership, overcrowding in the fitness center and financial reasons. Locke and Laurie O’Shaughnessy, the Y’s director and CEO, said the courts were being used just 15 to 20 percent of the time.

“It is a dwindling sport,” said Locke. The email survey indicated people would like to participate in activities under the label "functional fitness."

“It was a unanimous decision,” he said of the board vote. “We have a fiscal responsibility to keep the Y as viable as possible."

Of the roughly 2,000 emailed surveys to primary Y members, the return exceeded 25 percent with 528 responding. “We put functional fitness out there as a sport,” she said. The survey did not say the racquetball courts would close to make way for a functional-fitness training center, but respondents indicated they would like the Y to offer functional fitness, she said.

A letter to members on the YMCA website defines functional fitness as “cutting edge exercises that will help you with daily tasks. This program will be targeted to individual needs whether supporting a job that requires heavy lifting, improving balance & agility for everyday tasks, refining your golf game, or training for a competition.”

Of the 16 board members, 13 were in attendance for the vote and all 13 voted to replace the courts with training centers for functional fitness, O’Shaughnessy said.

The move will be part of a several renovations at the Y. Those will include converting the 1,600 square-foot racquetball courts for about $80,000; upgrading equipment in the fitness center for about $45,000; and resurfacing lobby and hallway floors for about $27,000.

Meanwhile, Rebmann and the other racquetball players say the loss of the courts not only will do away with a sport that is highly rated for its fitness benefits and leave the Y with fewer members, but also points to what he and others see as a lack of communication.

“Nobody ever talked to the players about a space for functional fitness and closing of these courts,” said Rebmann, a director at Constellation Brands, Inc., a corporation that supports the Y and is a big supporter of health and wellness.

In a letter accompanied by a list of about 50 concerned players to O’Shaughnessy and the executive Y board, player Vince Goldbeck said players were not advised or consulted ahead of the decision, and noted a lack of other racquetball courts within nearly 24 miles of the Y. The letter noted that other YMCAs where the sport is promoted have successful racquetball programs — citing the Auburn YMCA — and recommended such options as redeveloping a partnership with Finger Lakes Community College to promote the sport; partnering with the US Racquetball Foundation, a source of grant funding for youth racquetball; and using racquetball players interested in volunteering to instruct and mentor new players.

"We understand that each Y is different based on the respective community interest," Goldbeck wrote. "But for some reason it appears that racquetball has not been a priority for the Y leadership team for many years at our Y, as manifested by the deteriorating court conditions. However, we continued to be members and played on. We would have welcomed our Y Team to try fresh ideas in rebidding the program as other Y's have done and continue to do so."

O’Shaughnessy said research into the decision included consulting with other YMCA leaders. Racquetball courts are limited in their use, as well, she said, and can not be used for much else than occasional summer camp activities. Functional fitness is expected to draw a lot of participation and will use the skills of both existing and new Y staff as trainers, she said. There will be a fee for participants but it will be more affordable than one-on-one personal training and the Y offers scholarships to eligible members, she said.

Susan Bennett was YMCA program director from 1977 to 1984. An instructor in the Physical Education and Integrated Healthcare department at FLCC, Bennett recalled when the courts opened in the early 1980s, noting there was a lot of enthusiasm as well as backing from community and business leaders such as Constellation Brands' Marvin Sands.

"We had leagues, we set up weekend tournaments and had lessons on weekends," Bennett said. "To get a court you had to sign your life away."

Bennett said it's a shame they Y has not promoted the sport in recent years and kept up momentum. Having racquetball courts and not promoting their use is like having a pool and not promoting swimming, she said: "It's too bad."

Shawn Comella said he played at the Canandaigua Y four times a week for six years and is terminating his membership. He said he doesn't like to see the courts replaced by a program that will charge members a fee.

It feels “like burning down a couple more old cottages on the lake … to make way for yet another private park in the Chosen Spot," he said.