With the warm weather appearing at a fairly reasonable rate, more and more people are moving outdoors to get involved in speciality sports. I played my first round of golf the other day and it felt good to be out there. Unfortunately, I could tell I hadn't played in a while and felt like I should do some more arm exercises to improve my play. Unfortunately, it is more than just strengthening the arms so I have to get into my head and rethink some things also. Exercise is like that because it should involve not only the body but the mind and spirit too. This is our whole motto here at the YMCA: spirit, mind and body and we try to work on this every day.

For some, it isn't about the exercise but more about how they feel about themselves after they have completed their workout. Yeah, they did it and you often see them come back time and again to make themselves feel good again. I am not talking about just physically feeling good but also about good self esteem. How often I see groups of members in here who are helping others out, listening to stories and becoming part of a community. We have all ages and types of people that walk through our doors and many come out with a lot more friends and a lot better perspective. In today's difficult times it is hard to decide what is necessary and what is an extravagance. Giving yourself the gift of health in spirit, mind and body is definitely worth the expenditure.

The Soap Box Derby which will be on May 24. As I drive up East Genesee Street every night, I see a lot of hard work being done to make the road ready for our soap box derby racers. They have spent the winter preparing their derby cars and are now ready to try out their skills to see if they can walk away with a win. What a wonderful community event that involves families.

June brings our golf league to the forefront. It is not too late to register for this league, which is non competitive, open to men and women and is very casual and fun. We are looking for more members so please join us. Please call me if you have any further questions about this league.

In June, the Owasco flyer will be held on Sunday, the 22nd. This 36 mile scenic and challenging course takes you around Owasco Lake, up into Frozen Ocean, near the highest point in Cayuga County, back through the hamlet of Owasco and finishing on Swarthout Road.

There are five age categories for both males and females. All proceeds will benefit the YMCA campership fund. You can get further information from www.owascoflyer.com.

Through the course of the year, many members and the general public will give suggestions to Steve Komanecky or me on programs that they would like to see offered at the YMCA-WEIU.

We are always willing to listen to new ideas and possibly incorporate them into current programming. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to call us at our office and we would be happy to talk to you.

Hansinger is the assistant fitness instructor for the YMCA