Renovated & Refreshed

August 30, 2023September 5, 2023 DarienY2

Darien YMCA Unveils Spectacular Pool Renovation for an Enhanced Aquatic Experience

Here for the Community Always Striving to Improve the Member Experience

DARIEN, August 30, 2023 — The Darien YMCA is thrilled to announce the completion of an extensive renovation project that has transformed its pool area and men’s locker room, promising a fresh and rejuvenating experience for all members and visitors.

The renovation, which began in August, signifies the commitment of the board of directors and leadership to providing first-class amenities for the community. In September of 2022, the Darien YMCA upgraded the Training and Wellness Centers adding state-of-the-art exercise equipment.

The new large pool area boasts features designed to elevate the overall swimming experience and promote a healthy lifestyle. This complete overhaul offers modern aesthetics and improved lighting designed for swimmers, creating a more welcoming and visually appealing environment.

“We are excited to introduce this transformational renovation to our community,” said Jennifer Gardner, Darien YMCA CEO. “The Darien YMCA pool has been a cornerstone of our organization for years, and these enhancements reflect our commitment to delivering exceptional services and experiences. Our renovated pool area will create a more enjoyable experience for swimmers and spectators of all ages and abilities.”

The Darien YMCA invites all members and residents to come and experience the newly renovated pool firsthand. Our staff are available to provide tours of the facility and discuss information regarding membership, programs, and opportunities to improve your well-being in spirit, mind, and body.

For more information about the Darien YMCA pool renovation, upcoming programs, and membership details, please visit darien-ymca.org or contact Lee Malloy Stendardi, Membership Director at 203-655-8228 x 1304 or visit Facebook page @TheDarienYMCA

Labor Day Holiday Hours

August 30, 2023August 30, 2023 DarienY2

Darien YMCA Labor Day Hours Are 7am - 12PM

The Darien Y will be open on Labor Day from 7:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Kick off your holiday with us from 7:00AM to 12:00PM on Monday, September 4. Whether you are an avid swimmer, basketball fan or a group exercise fanatic, we’ve got options for you!

ENJOY!

AREA SCHEDULES

Small Pool Schedule

7:00 AM – 9:00 AM, Adult Lap

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM, Open/Family Swim

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Adult Lap

Large Pool Schedule

7:00 AM – 11:45 AM, Adult Lap

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM, Open/Family Swim (3 Lanes)

Fitness Schedule

8:00 AM Yoga, Paula, Studio 2

9:00 AM HIIT, Gene, Studio 1

10:15 AM Barre Fusion, Elise, Studio 2

11:00 AM Light and Easy, Diana, Hybrid & Studio 1

Gym Schedule

7:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Open Basketball

REMINDER EXTENDED WEEKEND HOURS:

Starting Saturday, September 9, the Darien YMCA will be open an extra hour both Saturdays and Sundays!

NEW FACILITY HOURS (Effective September 9)

Monday – Friday: 5:00 AM – 9:30 PM
Saturday: 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Facility Renovations

August 12, 2023August 30, 2023 DarienY2

FACILITY RENOVATIONS SCHEDULE

We are thrilled to announce that the large pool area renovations were completed ahead of schedule! See revised POOL SCHEDULES for next week!

Thank you for your continued patience as we continue to improve our facility.

Here are some updates as of August 30:

Whirlpool is closed for unplanned repairs. The parts have been ordered and will be repaired as soon as they come in. We will send out notification as soon as we are able to reopen.
Men’s locker room will reopen Saturday, September 2 as we taking care of some of the finishing touches. Please use the all age boys locker room.
The Hallways are painted and floors are complete. Our marketing team is working with an outside vendor to design new branded artwork.
The Café at the Darien Y will reopen on Tuesday, September 5.

WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM

Open

LARGE POOL

Open

GYMNASIUM

Open- NEW PICKLEBALL LINES ARE IN!

Head on over the our SCHEDULES pages to see the new FALL line-up! Plus we are extending WEEKEND HOURS as of September 9! Saturdays, we are staying open until 6PM and Sundays until 5PM!

We encourage you all the come on in and see ALL OUR ENHANCEMENTS!

Thank you,

Darien YMCA

***

Interested in using another YMCA Pool, please call ahead prior to going as many Y's do maintenance during this time.

VISIT FIND YOUR Y

Memorial Day Holiday Hours

May 22, 2023May 23, 2023 DarienY2

The Darien Y will be open on Memorial Day from 7:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Below is the group fitness and pool schedule for the day.

FITNESS

8:30 Studio 1 Cycle with Sally
9:00 Studio 2 Yoga with Paula
9:30 Gym Bootcamp with Diana
10:30 Studio 2 Barre Fusion with Diana
10:30 Studio 1 Light & Easy with Karen

LARGE POOL

7:00 – 9:00 Adult Lap Swim 6 Lanes
9:00 – 10:00 Adult Lap Swim 3 Lanes
9:00 – 10:00 Family Swim 3 Lanes
10:00 -11:45 Adult Lap Swim 6 Lanes

SMALL POOL

7:00 – 9:00 Adult Lap Swim
9:00 – 11:00 All ages. Family Swim
11:00 -11:45 Adult Lap Swim

GYMNASIUM

7:00 – 9:15 Open Basketball
9:15 -10:30 Fitness Class
10:30 -12:00 Open Basketball

Fitness Renovation Schedule

July 12, 2022September 19, 2022 DarienY2

Find a Fresh Look. Fid Your Y.

At the Darien YMCA we believe we all have the power to change, develop new skills and gain confidence. When we invest in our facility, we are investing in our community, and in YOU.

Please note, all Group Exercise classes will remain available as scheduled. Now’s a perfect time to try something new to you! Try a Group Ex Class while your typical workout area may be closed.

Here are updates on our renovation & maintenance schedule:

WOMEN’S & MEN’S LOCKER AND STEAM ROOM ARE OPEN!

OPEN FOR BUSINESSS!

WOMEN’S LOCKER AND STEAM ROOM
MEN’S LOCKER AND STEAM ROOM
WELLNESS CENTER
TRAINING CENTER
GYMNASTICS CENTER
GYMNASIUM
SMALL POOL
LITTLE BITES

TOWEL SERVICE IS BACK!

OTHER UPDATES:

Babysitting will be open Monday through Friday from 9am-1pm beginning Tuesday, September 6. Advance registration preferred. Space limited.

We welcome you to come check out our FRESH NEW LOOK!

Want to learn how to use our New Matrix Performance Equipment?

Wellness Center staff are happy to give you one-on-one equipment orientations! Just stop by the Wellness center desk to ask for assistance.

Some features you can expect:

Bluetooth connection for your wireless headphones.
Wireless charging station for your mobile devices.
Cardio equipment easily connects to Apple and Samsung watches and various heart rate straps.
Individual fans on each machine to adjust for personal comfort.
Wi-Fi network connected with access to several Apps such as Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, and YouTube.
Automated email notification to the manufacturer as soon as there’s an issue, which will trigger a local technician to promptly visit and resolve the problem while notifying the YMCA Wellness Director.

Young Man photographing the Darien Y pool for a Video Project with Norwalk Community College

Best of Darien Videos

September 27, 2021September 27, 2021 DarienY2

DARIEN TV79 ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF STUDENT VIDEO PROJECT PARTNERING WITH NORWALK COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Women photographing the Darien Y pool for a Video Project with Norwalk Community College

African American Young Man photographing the Darien Gymnasium and Fitness Center for a Video Project with Norwalk Community College

Women photographing the Darien YMCA Gymnastics Center for a Video Project with Norwalk Community College

(Darien, CT): September 26, 2021 The television production talents of area students will be on display on Darien TV79 as the station has concluded a “Best of Darien” video challenge to students studying digital media at Norwalk Community College.

“We asked the NCC students to visit Darien and shoot a montage of local scenes featuring the ‘Best of Darien’, and the results were phenomenal,” says TV79 Program Director Jim Cameron. “These budding videographers saw our town through fresh eyes, yet captured the scenes that make Darien so special.”

The project was a class assignment by Assistant Professor Julie Casper-Roth who leads NCC’s digital media division.

“It was a win-win-win project,” says Ms. Casper-Roth. “The students got real life field experience, great feedback on their projects from the judges, and TV79 got 11 fresh station ID ‘bumpers’”

The 30 – 60 second spots highlight such icon Darien scenes as Tilley Pond, the Darien Library, the Darien YMCA, shoppers on the Post Road and our local beaches. The spots will run for many weeks to come on TV79 and can all be viewed here:

SEE VIDEO SUBMISSIONS

The entries were judged by Cameron and other members of the TV79 Advisory Board, who had a very hard time selecting a winner. As a result of a tie, the $100 prize for the best of “The Best of Darien” will be split by two NCC students, Jacqueline Ramirez and Olivia Naimoli.

Darien TV79 is the Town’s government television station, accessible on Optimum channel 79, Vimeo, Facebook and YouTube. The station is funded by the Town, grants from the Area Nine Cable Council and The Darien Foundation. For more information visit the station’s new website: DarienTV79.com

Norwalk Community College serves 6500 students in Southern Fairfield County and is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The college houses a wide array of programs in the sciences, humanities, and arts. The Film and Television Program (set to change its name to Digital Media) is designed to prepare students for jobs in the diverse and ever-changing field of media production.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

Photos attached of NCC students during video shoot in Darien

For more information: JIM CAMERON / Program Director 203-952-5758

Luis Rodriguez-Lemus, Completes an Ironman

April 28, 2021September 17, 2021 DarienY2

For the first time ever, the world famous Ironman Competition came to the Darien YMCA. On Sunday, April 18th local Ironman athlete, Luis Rodriguez-Lemus, set to swim 2.4 miles in the Darien YMCA pool.

Luis originally signed up to compete in the Ironman in Texas on April 18th, but due to COVID concerns it was cancelled. Luis, who has been training here at the Y, has decided to carry on and complete the Ironman distance triathlon on his own. So, on Sunday, April 18th, he swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles within the 17-hour time limit.

THIS IS HIS MESSAGE TO THE DARIEN YMCA AFTER HE COMPLETED THE IRONMAN!

“Sunday was a wild ride of emotions and physical challenges but we got it done!!!!!!

Here’s the race recap.

I finished within the 17 hour time limit with a time of 13 hours and 48 minutes. The swim went fantastic and I did it 10 minutes quicker than expected. The bike got off to a good start, but eventually the hills of northern westchester county took their toll on me. By mile 75 on the bike my legs were wrecked and the hills just kept on coming and coming. No doubt that was the lowest point of the day and I thought about throwing in the towel multiple times. I dug deep and just took it one pedal stroke at a time and somehow managed to finish the 112 miles on the bike in 8 hours. I ended up logging 5x more elevation gain than what IMTX was supposed to have.

My legs were absolutely wrecked coming off the bike. They felt like they were made out of jelly and weighed 1,000 pounds each. I started the marathon by running a few miles on the track at New Canaan HS and to my surprise, my legs came back to life. After a few loops around Waveny park I headed towards Stamford to finish the marathon. I was in good spirits until it got dark, started raining and I got cold – still had about 10 miles of the marathon left at that point. At mile 16 of the marathon, which was also mile 130 of the 140.6 is when emotion and willpower took over. I was so exhausted and broken yet my body somehow kept moving. All I thought about was everything I overcame to get to that point, mainly obesity and struggles with anxiety. I just kept reminding myself that I didn’t come this far to only come this far. I ran the Ironman in honor of my childhood best friend, my uncle and cousin, all 3 who are no longer with us – and their memories and thinking that they’d be proud of me got me to the finish line. I set out on this journey to prove to myself that I can do hard things – mission accomplished!

And to my surprise, my family and friends were waiting for me and cheering me on as I crossed the finish line. It was the perfect cap to my first Ironman journey! I was overcome with emotion at the end thinking how lucky I am to have such an amazing support system. No rest for the wicked though! The makeup date for Ironman Texas will be October 2nd, and I look forward to continuing my training at the Darien Y!

Thanks again for your continued support – I can’t tell you how much that meant to me. I am so glad we were able to raise $1,200 for the kids :)”

WATCH LUIS CROSS THE FINISH LINE!

To learn more about Luis and his support of our Camper Campaign visit, Donate Now | 2021 Luis Rodriguez-Lemus Ironman: Supporting the Darien YMCA Send A Kid To Camp Campaign by Darien YMCA

Art Show at the YMCA

March 25, 2021September 17, 2021 DarienY2

The Darien YMCA is pleased to be partnering with RAGETIME, a grassroots organization and collective of current students and alumni who have a passion for equality and justice. They have recently launched an Art Showcase entitled, Curated Culture: Metamorphosis – A culmination of artistic expression displaying a personal metamorphosis or change in perspective.

RAGETIME requested submissions of work that expresses an experience that has impacted the artists perspective and created their own personal metamorphosis. Art pieces are being showcased around the Darien community at the Darien YMCA, YWCA, The Depot and Darien Arts Center. We welcome our community and members to come view each piece and read each artist’s personal statements. We hope these works will spark conversation and encourage dialogue and action around equal opportunity and education for all.

Through their work, RAGETIME envisions education for every student in which Black history and the contributions of other minority communities are integrated into the standard curriculum for all subjects, and students are afforded an intellectual, safe learning space where they are taught that anyone can invoke change. Their newly launched website includes resources for the greater community that encourages dialogue and action around equal opportunity and education for all. Resources are centered around education and curriculum, diversity and inclusion, mental health, emotional wellness, and activism. We also encourage you to visit their newly created website where you will find diversity and inclusion booklists, mental health, curriculum and education resources, Rage Time advocacy work and more. www.RAGETimeCT.com

Helpful Vaccine Info

February 8, 2021September 17, 2021 DarienY2

Assistance for Seniors 75+ and Anyone Registering for COVID-19 Vaccine

If you are 75 years of age or older, you qualify for Phase 1b, and are currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. If you have already heard from your medical provider about receiving the vaccine, you do not need to do anything else – if you have not, several scheduling options are available to you.

The YMCA is sharing these directions to assist our members.

Below are the steps needed to register and get and appointment through the Department of Public Health’s Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS):

IT IS A TWO STEP PROCESS

1. Create a VAMS Account
2. Schedule an appointment to get your vaccine

Very Important

Each person needs their own EMAIL ACCOUNT to schedule an appointment

Tips when creating your VAMS Account:

When asked if you have registered in VAMs before please select no.
Enter your state and county and then CDC will email you a number verification that you will enter into the pop up box. Once that number is entered it will prompt you to create a password that meets all the requirements that are listed on the page (be sure to write your password down as you will need it for logging in to VAMs next time).
Next you will begin your registration process by entering your information.
For the question concerning race you will highlight your race in the box on the left and hit the arrow aiming to the right to move it into the empty box on the right
Continue to fill in your information-if the page does not advance after you hit next (located in the bottom right) look back at the questions and find the one with the red information letting you know what you missed. The VAMs system does not like special characters (dashes, commas, etc.) so please do not use them. Questions with a red asterisk * are required.
Once you have entered all of your information hit submit. You will then receive an email that says: “Next steps to schedule your vaccine appointment”
Click on the link in the email to select and place to get your vaccine and the time and day. (you may have to click on future dates to find a list of open appointment times)

Those without internet access can call Connecticut’s COVID Vaccine Appointment Assistance Line at 877-918-2224.

We hope this information is helpful to you. If you need further guidance, do not hesitate to reach out to the YMCA for assistance or call the Appointment Assistance line at 877-918-2224.

BASKETBALL OPEN GYM

January 21, 2021May 25, 2021 DarienY2

Uncategorized

Renovated & Refreshed

Darien YMCA Unveils Spectacular Pool Renovation for an Enhanced Aquatic Experience

Here for the Community Always Striving to Improve the Member Experience