Life will Humble You…and that’s a good thing!!

Just recently I was sitting in the office of my boss, Robin Ervin, talking about a wide variety of subjects. We started out talking about how well the Gateway YWCA is doing and about all of the great things taking place in the YWCA of Winston-Salem organization. We then talked a little about Basketball, about her son Trey and decisions they have to make in the very near future. For those of you that don’t already know, Trey Ervin is an EXTREMELY TALENTED basketball player at Mount Tabor High School. Next year he will be playing College Basketball for someone, and there lies the decision that needs to be made, “Where to go next year?” He is being recruited by several colleges and will be a great asset to any program.

After the B-ball talk was done, somehow we got on the subject of someone who had been at one time what appeared to be on “Top of the World”. But through several events had some of their circumstances changed. Then Robin made a statement that has stuck with me ever since. She said, “Life will humble you!” Man, she could not have been more correct. I’m sure we have all been humbled in some way, shape or form by a life event. There is no way you can make it through without experiencing some type of trial or tribulation. No matter how great things might be, there is always a mountain(or a molehill) waiting around the corner to “Humble” us, or to test our resolve. How we handle those mountains is what makes us who we are and to be quite honest, to be humbled a little bit now and then is usually a good thing. If we go through life never realizing how others struggle, or not knowing how to handle something from the norm, we sometimes allow ourselves to get lost in our “own little world” and miss out on so much opportunity to reach out and touch other’s lives. Humbleness helps develop an awareness for others and what they are going through.

Two years ago today, I was one of those lost in my “own little world”. I was doing my own thing and was not really in tune with others. Then life reached out and gave me a HUGE helping of Humble Pie. I was in a car wreck where someone ran a red-light and T-boned me. Luckily my injuries were not extremely major, but the accident did present that “mountain” that I spoke of earlier. I like to think I handled the situation well, but that wouldn’t be exactly correct. I handled the situation well with the help of my wife, my family and eventually my new family, the people at the Gateway YWCA. I say a prayer of thanks everyday for all the above mentioned, because with their help that “mountain” quickly became a Molehill.

February 16, 2009

Celebrate life, the good and the times when we are “humbled” a bit, because both eventually make us the people we want to be. I am very excited to be “Blogging” again and can’t wait to tell everyone about the upcoming year at the Gateway YWCA and the entire YWCA of Winston Organization!! 2011, welcome and WATCH OUT!! Thanks,Marcus

(Senior) Swimming All-Stars

Catching everyone up on all that has happened this summer is going to be a tough task! So many GREAT things have happened in such a short amount of time. I figured I would start the catch up process by bragging on three women that represented the Gateway YWCA in swimming at the NC Senior Games in Cary NC on October 2nd.

Becky McKenzie, Jane Stewart and Bev Amick all swam in their respective age groups and all came away with some “Hardware” hanging around their necks.

Becky finished 3rd in two events, the 50 breast stroke (59.35) and the 100 breast stroke (2:17.88). Jane finished 1st in the 100 Breast Stroke (2:04.62), 1st in the 200 Breast stroke (4:39.65), 2nd in the 200 back stroke (4:58.48), 2nd in the 100 Back Stroke (2:10.68) and 2nd in 500 Free Stroke (10:52.37). Bev finished in First place in 5 different events-100 Back Stroke (1:20.10), 200 Back Stroke (2:51.83), 100 Free Stroke (1:07.65), 200 Free Stroke (2:27.84) and the 500 Free Stroke (6:49.10). All 5 events were new NC State Records for Bev’s age division.

All 3 swimmers have qualified to compete at the National Senior games in Houston, Texas in June 2011. Next time you see one of these Athletes, tell them how proud you are of them and wish them good luck as they prepare for the Nationals!! The Gateway YWCA is SOOO PROUD!! Great job ladies, Marcus

Catch Up Time

Hello Everyone and Happy November 1st!! November 1st? Are you kidding? Where did the time go???? Anyway, we have been busy as usual at the Gateway YWCA and over the next week I am going to catch everyone up on all that has happened over the summer and fall at the Gateway. We have had festivals, open houses, basketball and volleyball tournaments. We have members and staff that have competed in several swim meets, with some placing in the top 3, some winning their division and some breaking State Records that have stood for years!! Our Silver Sneakers program is growing by leaps and bounds and with the direction of Trevira Murphy, will continue to do so.

Please check back daily to catch up on all that has happened and what we have in store for everyone in the upcoming months!!

Take care and see you soon,

Marcus

Just a thought…

I hope everyone has had a great spring!! I know I sound like a broken record, but doesn’t the time pass by so fast?? It’s easy to want to stop and “smell the roses”, but actually doing that is a different story. The Gateway YWCA is in full speed ahead mode and looking forward to a busy summer.  We hope to see you all here. I will be posting regular blogs starting this week to keep everyone updated on all we have going on. Until then, I leave you with this that I wrote last year. Don’t really know why I am leaving you with this, just in one of those moods.  Take care, Marcus

I walk this world in wonder. I may be uncertain exactly where I’m headed, but I am very clear regarding this: I am glad I’ve got a ticket to go on this magnificent journey. I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders. Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it. BE KIND. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. It is foolish to worry about anything so temporary as today.

If you can WALK, you can DANCE. If you can Talk, you can SING.

You’re an ORIGINAL,an INDIVIDUAL, a MASTERPIECE!! CELEBRATE THAT!!! Don’t let your uniqueness make you shy. Don’t be someone other than the wonder you are. Every star is important to the sky. YOU can do ANYTHING if you have ENTHUSIASM. CLEAR YOUR MIND of can’t. Every individual is a marvel of unknown and unrealized possibilities.

The SUNRISE hasn’t failed me yet!!

Rally for Prevention of Childhood Obesity

After a day and a half to recover from the mother of all blisters (still there but tolerable to an extent), I

have had a chance to reflect on everything and have come to realize it is time RALLY like the Gateway

YWCA always does and finish the Gateway Run of the Mill with a bang for the sake of our Childhood

Obesity Prevention and Awareness programs. This week we want the entire Gateway Family involved in the Run. I will be completing the week spending a majority of each day on the ‘Mill and want members and staff to join me.The treadmills and the event are set up in the Cyber Cafe. Between 8:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. sign up to spend an hour on the “Guest” Treadmill. The guest with the most distance covered in one hour will get a prize package. Iron Mike Huddleston has the top mileage right now at 7.5 miles.  Also remember the raffle we will be having for a bunch of great prizes. The drawing will be after Ticky Burden attempts to break a record for the Most Free Throws Made in One Hour. Prizes include free 2 year membership to the Gateway YWCA, a swim party at the pool, free personal training, free sessions with Ticky himself, gift certificates to area restaurants and other businesses.

Also during the week, each day is designated as one of our sponsor days. Monday is Advanced Body Solutions day. Drop in and talk to Sean and the team about Personal Training and how they will be able to help you reach your fitness goals while you are at the Gateway YWCA. On Tuesday, one of the area’s most popular restaurants, the Fox and Hound will be at the Gateway with samples of their great foods. Wednesday is ADVOCARE Day and Advocare Representative will be at the Gateway to tell all about all the great  supplement products Advocare offers to help you in your Fitness Quest. She will also be distributing information about a 24 day challenge Advocare and the Gateway will be hosting beginning April 26th. Thursday is WRIGHT CHIROPRACTIC DAY. Come out and learn all about Dr. Wright and his practice which is conveniently located right around the corner from the Gateway YWCA on Main Street. And please do not forget to visit CHICK-FIL-A on Hanes Mall BLVD. this week and from here on out for GREAT FOOD and SERVICE. Thank you Todd and Kate for all you do!! The week will be a great time and we look forward to seeing you all at the Gateway.

Right around the corner are exciting events like the return of the Susan G. Komen crew, basketball tournaments, Chris Paul Camp, kid’s Summer Camp a community Luau that is in the works, as is a Hoola Hoop 2 person per team Marathon Contest and much, much more!!!! The Gateway YWCA is TRULY Winston Salem’s”GATEWAY” to health, fitness and happiness for the entire community. I hope to see you all next week and beyond. And don’t forget, “Chase Life”!! (just watch out for blisters). Marcus

ps-Don’t forget our Facebook Contest. Become a friend of the Gateway YWCA on Facebook. Once we reach 1000 fans we will be drawing for a free LIFETIME membership to the Gateway!!

Run of the Mill/Day One-Bittersweet

The Run of the Mill to raise money and awareness for the Gateway Childhood Obesity Prevention programs kicked off yesterday. There was GREAT support from all the staff as many of them took their turn on the ‘mill. The members were also very supportive.

There were many ways the members and guests could show their support. There is a raffle for a two-year membership for the Grand Prize. Other prizes available were gift certificates to restaurants, car washes, florists etc. The drawing will be held on Friday, April 16th.

Other ways people could give was through donations and also by purchasing a “Run of the Mill” T-shirt. Stop by and give to the cause!!

Marcus and YWCA CEO Florence Corpening

 

The Run started at 6:00 a.m. and all was well. After a quick bathroom break, I settled into a good pace and was joined in the 7:00a.m. hour by our CEO,Florence Corpening. As always, Florence was there supporting her staff and the Gateway in all we do. It was an honor having her be the first “Guest Runner”!! Still on a great pace and with the AWESOME support of the Gateway family, I continued on. From 9:00a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Kim Gebbia and Nicole Ducouer joined me. Kim spent an hour and finished 7 miles. I was jealous watching her pace increase as mine stayed moderate and steady.

WXII 12′s Kim Gebbia

 

Kim got off the ‘Mill after her hour, having to head to a news story that was waiting for her in Davidson County. Again, thanks Kim for taking the time to stop by and participate.

Kim passed the “baton” to her WXII 12 colleague and YWCA board member,Nicole Ducouer. You can’t ask for a better board member than Nicole. Every time I have asked her to help with something she has, and she is so nice while doing it. Definitely a “cool” person. She got her run on and then also had a trip ahead of her to Virginia. Thanks for stopping by Nicole.

YWCA Board Member-Nicole Ducouer

 

This brought me to my first break and I had 23 miles under my belt,a pace that was actually ahead of schedule. When I stepped off the treadmill I felt GREAT!! Not just good, but really good, fresh with the body feeling like it has a lot more left in the tank.In my mind I start thinking all the hard work has paid off. I used the down time to hit Subway around the corner, so I could take my official “assistant” and Awesome son Cain, to get something to eat. I took that time to stretch, and when I got back, took a shower, changed and got ready for round two.

Round two started with me being joined by our Youth Wellness Coordinator, Hatti Taylor. Hatti is a trip!! She was the perfect person to help kick off round two. She keeps things light and relaxed.

Gateway Youth Wellness Coordinator-Hatti Taylor

 

Then the big gun came to the party. Iron Man Triathlete Mike Huddleston got on and clocked a quick 7.5 miles. He wasn’t planning on putting that many miles in since he had a swim meet he was participating in later that day, but when he saw how many miles Kim Gebbia covered, he took it as a “challenge” and proceeded to best the WXII news reporter. AWESOME!! And even though this sounds repetitive, Mike is always there supporting the things being done at the Gateway YWCA.

Iron Mike in action at the Gateway

 

 Now is where it started to get disappointing for me. I still had a decent pace going, but started to notice what felt like something was in my shoe,like a rock, or maybe my sock had slipped a little into the shoe and bunched up. I ran like that for about an hour and then at 3:00, got off and changed my shoes and socks. When I got back out to the treadmills, I was pleasantly surprised that I was being joined by our Member Services Director, Eurica Daniels, whom I affectionately refer to as “E-Money”. 

Eurica Daniels-Member Services Director

 

 She spent a little time on before having to get back to work. Once she left, all my attention focused back on my foot. It was throbbing, and I now knew it wasn’t a rock or my socks, but something going wrong with it. This was unchartered territory for me, since I hadn’t had any foot problems throughout my preparation for the run. I had a scheduled break coming up at 5:00, so I decided to walk for the last 20 minutes and then get off to see what my foot situation was. The problem was now that my left foot was hurting to the point I was putting more on my right foot, which started to do the same thing to it. 5:00 finally came,and I stopped for the break. I had 42 miles under my belt, still on pace for what I needed, and from the ankles up, I felt fairly good. I knew from the pain radiating out of my shoe, that my left foot was bad, but I didn’t want to admit how bad it was,so I tried to put on the brave face, telling myself I would be back after the break, knowing deep down that would be tough to do.

Some of The Gateway TEAM They are AWESOME!! Trevira, Eurica, Shelia, Renae and Charlie

 

 Being that my wife, Jennifer is a nurse, I knew if anything could be done about my foot she could do it. I met her at the house. I hadn’t taken my shoes off because I was afraid of what I was going to see.I took the right shoe and sock off and found a basic blister, but one that could be semi-tolerated if need be, as long as padding and precautions were taken. Now the left one. Taken the shoe off hurt, but not like a soreness, but more like a rawness. When i got the shoe off, my worst fears were realized, the left sock was blood-red on the entire bottom of the sock and when the sock came off, I had 2 blood filled blisters on the bottom of my foot, right behind the ball of the foot. The first words out of my wife, the nurses mouth was, “You aren’t running tomorrow.” Words I didn’t want to hear because I didn’t want to let myself or anyone else down, but words I had already told myself. The bright spot for me is the fact that other than my feet, the rest of me was fairly fresh considering I had just done 42 miles, and when I woke up today, the body was ready to roll, the feet just couldn’t answer the “bell” for round two.

The reason for this event was to raise awareness for our Childhood Obesity programs and that is why we will see this through ’til the end. Next week, all goes as planned minus the record. God willing, I will be back up on the treadmill Monday morning. Our Great sponsors will be there throughout the week, and we will persist, just like the YWCA always does. Thanks to Chick-Fil-A,Vitamin Water, Fox and Hound, Wright Chiropractic State Farm, Comfort Inn and Suites , Advocare and all our other sponsors for all they did and continue to do for the Gateway YWCA. See you Monday!!

About to start…

 

Eating on the Run

 

At the end-Talking about blisters with Michael from ABS

Quotes

 If you know me, you know I like quotes and like to use them when I get a chance. I thought today, with only a few days left before the GATEWAY YWCA starts the Run for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity, I would share some of my favorite quotes:

My favorite quote is “Two men looked through prison bars, one saw mud, the other stars” but I have dozens that really mean something to me.

1) “It doesn’t matter how HIGH the mountain is, once you’ve climbed it you realize how LOW it was.”

2) “Wherever you go, go with ALL your heart.”

3) “DO NOT go where the path may lead; GO instead where there is no path and LEAVE A TRAIL.”

4) “BOLDNESS has GENIUS, POWER, and MAGIC in IT.”

5) “GREAT things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

6) “If you’re already walking on thin ice, you might as well DANCE.”

and here are a couple from Lance Armstrong that are really appropriate

1) “If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to HOPE? We have two options; quit or FIGHT like #@&*!!”

2) “Pain is TEMPORARY. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but EVENTUALLY it WILL subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts FOREVER.” “

 and my new one,

“CHASE LIFE!!”

Take care, Marcus

Join the YWCA Race for the Cure Team TODAY

The Gateway and Glade Street YWCA’s are putting together a Team to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k that takes place on Saturday, May 1st.  For anyone that hasn’t experienced the KOMEN, it is one of the most inspirational events I have ever been associated with. I highly recommend taking part in the event, and what better way to do it than to join us, the YWCA Gateway/Glade Street. It really is very simple to do.

First, go to www.komennctriad.org. Not only will this site give a much better, detailed description of what the Komen actual entails, it is also the way to get your registration started. Once you are on the site, click  JOIN TEAM and then type in YWCA and complete information required. If you can’t join on-line, then you can pick up an entry form at either YWCA location. Deadline for entering by paper is April 1st. Online deadline is April 15th. I truly hope to see everyone out there on May first. I’ll be there with the shoes laced tight!! If you have any questions, please contact Team Captain Betty Meadows at (336) 722-5138 ext. 232 Have a great weekend, Marcus!!

March Madness-Golden Girls Hoops at the Gateway YWCA

If you live in North Carolina, especially in this neck of the woods, you know that March Madness is upon us. The area hosted the Women’s ACC Tournament last weekend and this weekend the area is playing host to the Men’s ACC Tournament and the MEAC. And it has only just begun. The Gateway YWCA had a little March Madness of its own start-up this week. The kickoff of our Golden Girls Hoops was Tuesday morning and it was AWESOME!!!  Just to give everyone a little background on the Golden Girls Hoops, it all started a month or so ago. We were in the process of trying to get a men’s league up and running. We had several sign up sheets for the men, but the attempt fell flat on its face. Around that same time, Hatti Taylor and the staff  decided to get a sign up sheet going for any woman, 45 and older, that might be interested in Hooping in Up. The list of names grew and grew to well over 30. And the excitement grew as well. A love for basketball doesn’t go away as we age up each year. That was definitely evident Tuesday morning. Tip Off for the first Golden Girls practice was 11:30 that morning and by noon it was the talk of the entire Gateway YWCA. People were flocking into the gym to see the girls in action.

Gateway's Own Robin Ervin takes a "J"

 

The group ran drills, went through an organized practice, complete with a coach, and then scrimmage for the last bit of the session. This is one of two sessions that will take place each week. The other is Sunday. Plans are to have a day at the end of the “season” where all 4 teams get together to play and see who is the “Queen of the Courts”!! Honestly it was the COOLEST thing I had seen in a long time. A group of women getting together and having fun, playing a game they obviously love. Not worrying about who won or lost, just playing!! Let’s all try to remember how fun it used to be just to play, and get out and play something  you used to love  but haven’t  done in a while. Also, do yourself a favor and come by and watch the Golden Girls in action. If you fall into that age category and you are interested in playing, please contact the Gateway YWCA for more information. Enjoy the Madness!! Marcus

Spring is here?

After what seems like months of Winter Weather, the forecast is actually for 60 degree weather for the next few days. Hopefully, SPRING is here to stay. This is a perfect time to get out and experience the Gateway. Our Try-Tri program will be in full swing. This program allows you to experience a Triathlon without all the competitiveness that sometimes surrounds events of that nature. These Trial Tris will not be timed, so people can finish at their own pace, learn what takes place in the transitional areas and then determine if they will be ready for a “real” triathlon in the future. Training with our triathlon program will help some(ladies only) get ready for the Ramblin’Rose triathlon in August, hosted by the Gateway YWCA. More information can be found at the Gateway.

Don’t forget, another special event takes place in our neighborhood on May 1st. The Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, a 5k to raise money for research in finding a cure for Breast Cancer is an INCREDIBLE event. The Gateway was the official registration site for the race last year, and we are REALLY looking forward to having the Komen back this year during the last 2 weeks of April.

Our award-winning summer camps are taking applications now, so don’t let the kids miss out on that, and don’t miss out on the Chris Paul camps as well.

The Gateway Bridge is open, so members can enjoy a walk on the Greenway before or after a swim in our aquatics Center, a workout in our fitness center, a game of hoops or after just stopping in for a visit.

And we are in the midst of planning several exciting things for the upcoming months. we hope you all have had a safe and enjoyable Winter and look forward to seeing you at the Gateway soon. Thanks, Marcus