Getting back in the swing of things

Not me, but it could be.

Seems my primary sports/athletics interest is shifting from bicycling back to racquetball. The everlovely Mrs. and I are planning to take advantage of the YMCA’s “pay the day” promotion (initiation fee is equal to the day of the month) and join back up. I haven’t played much the past three years, since taking the job at Mars Hill and dropping my gym membership at Vision (which shut down a few months later, so it wouldn’t have made much difference if I had not dropped the membership), thinking I would use the facilities at the college. That hasn’t really happened, though, in part (at least this is my rationalization) because the racquetball courts and fitness center equipment are in such bad shape. I don’t think the courts have been touched since I was a student at MHC, except by the water which apparently leaked in sometime over the past 20 years and warped the floorboards. I’ve played a few times there, but between the poor upkeep and the oversized dimensions of the courts, I haven’t really put a lot of effort into it.

Now, though, I’m ready to get back into racquetball. I bought a new pair of shoes and some new gloves and balls; I found a great deal on a brand new Head bag at Goodwill for only $5; now with the membership at the Y I’ll be good to go. One of the reasons I left the Y and joined Vision way back when was that there were rumors the Y was going to take one of its only two courts and turn it into an aerobics room. Hopefully, that never happened, because with Vision closed, all the racquetball players had to go somewhere, and the downtown Y is about the only choice in town with more than one court. I think some went to UNCA, but they don’t offer fitness center memberships to the general public, so it’s probably only the older set that could take advantage of that facility (I think they can get a fitness center membership if they enroll in a “College for Seniors” course or two).

So, here we go again. Time to see if some racquetball and other Y workouts, combined with the once or twice a week lunchtime basketball games at work, can put a dent in all the weight I’ve put on over the past few (OK, “many”) years.