The Concord Family YMCA has some good news for kids (and adults who have kids) and bad news for squash players – the squash court has been turned into a play area for kids, and the grand opening ceremony is this Saturday.
After a steady decline in the use of the squash court, the Y decided it was time to make better use of the space. Meanwhile, there are many Y members who have kids, and many of the kids have plenty of their own energy to let out but aren’t quite ready for bench presses yet. The solution? Kid Zone.
The Kid Zone is a state-of-the-art climbing and play structure, similar to an obstacle course, where kids can just run around, climb stuff, navigate a ropes maze, pretend to fly a helicopter and zip down slides, among other things. Those who grew up in the ‘90s might remember Discovery Zone, and this Kid Zone is essentially a scaled-down (but by no means worse) version of what DZ was. A more local comparison would be something like Krazy Kids, only this one is smaller (and, since it’s brand new, cleaner).
The structure was completed a week or two ago, but the Kid Zone has been available just for staff up to this point. On Saturday at 11 a.m., it opens to the world with a grand opening celebration. While the Kid Zone will be a benefit just for YMCA members, the grand opening party is open to anyone and doesn’t cost anything. The event includes lunch, so while it will be free, RSVPs will be required by Friday so the Y can prepare enough food (call 228-9622 to RSVP).
Once it is officially open and running, it will be available to all YMCA members any time the Y is open, providing there are no events scheduled in there. There will be certain times each day where the Kid Zone will be staffed by two YMCA staffers. When the area is not staffed, an adult supervisor will be required to be in the room while the kids play.
All this means that parents can drop the kids off at the Kid Zone while they work out if it’s staffed, or they can go in and watch their kids play if it isn’t. Everybody wins.
The Kid Zone will also be available for rentals for birthday parties. The details are still being worked out, but the idea is to have groups spend an hour or so in a function room eating cake and pizza, and another hour or so playing in the Kid Zone. This option will also be for members only as a benefit to having a membership.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of a YMCA installing a kids’ play center in a squash court, it likely won’t be your last. There is a general trend among many YMCAs away from squash as the game slowly loses popularity. The Concord Family YMCA only had about six people who actively used the squash court, said Marketing Director Gina Brochu, so it was safe to say the space was being underutilized.
Other YMCAs and fitness centers may end up doing the same thing in the near future. The company that built the Kid Zone at the Concord Family YMCA actually specializes in building these structures to fit into squash courts, so anyone with a regulation size court can get the same play structure the Y just got.
