Sturgeon Underwater Hockey Play at Nationals

The Door County Sturgeons played at underwater hockey's nationals tournament in Los Angeles, California June 26th- 28th.  They played a total of 15 games over the three day tournament against teams from Seattle, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and more.  The team finished 5th in the B division, putting them four places ahead of where they finished last year when they were at the top of the C division.  Their final game against Chicago was won with a goal by Kendall Banks in sudden death overtime.  The photo below was taken of the team after that win.  The Sturgeons practice at the Sturgeon Bay Program Center YMCA.  Summer practice is from 5:15-6:45 on Fridays, and the team welcomes new players of all ages.

The Sturgeons pictured below (left to right, back to front):    Albert Weber, David Foulds, Robert Vernon, Yori Huynh, Kendall Banks, Trisha Filar, Kaitlyn Schauske, Molly Banks, Amy Ensign, and Gale Chier.  Not pictured is Paul Filar.  

Free Summer Swim Lesson Program

Through a partnership with YUSA, the YMCA’s Sturgeon Bay Program Center has received an outreach grant to offer free swim lessons to 100 children ages 5-12 during our 2015 summer swim program. Registration is required and can be made by stopping in or calling our Welcome Center at 920-743-4949 (the program registration opens for members beginning June 15 and community members beginning June 17 and will be on a “first come/first served basis”).  

Participants may sign up for one of two “Super Swim Sessions” from June 29 – July 3 or July 6 – 10 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm. 5 – 7 different stations will be set up with certified swim instructors at each station.

Door County YMCA CEO, Tom Beerntsen, stated that “in a county surrounded by water, it is vital that we do everything possible to provide for the safety of our kids and the Y is pleased to be able to join with Y’s throughout the country and “hop the gap” to fill this significant need in our community during the summer months”.    

Please contact Mike McHugh, Door County YMCA Sturgeon Bay Program Center Aquatics Director, at 920-743-4949 for any questions about our free swim lesson program. To learn more about the Door County YMCA, please visit: http://www.doorcountyymca or call us at 920-743-4949 in Sturgeon Bay or 920-868-3660 in Fish Creek.

Door County YMCA Reaches 2015 Annual Campaign Goal

The Door County YMCA would like to offer its thanks and deep appreciation to the many supporters, donors and community volunteers whose generosity and hard work raised $525,167 to support our Annual Campaign (formerly known as Strong Kids). The Y’s Annual Campaign ensures that everyone in Door County has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive and participate in great Y programs without regard to their financial means.  The Annual Campaign provides financial assistance for those in need and enables the Y to provide programs and services that support youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Through the Annual Campaign, the Y is able to serve the community with many impactful free programs like Summer Foods which provides summer meals for more than 300 kids each day during the summer months, free swimming lessons for more than 150 children, English Language Learners Classes which provide language instructions for non-English speakers and LiveSTRONG at the YMCA which helps those recovering from the debilitating effects of cancer.

 Door County YMCA President and CEO, Tom Beerntsen noted that: “To reach our Annual Campaign goal of $525,000 is truly an extraordinary accomplishment. We are humbled by the generosity of our donors and the diligence of our volunteer campaigners. At the Y, we value every dollar entrusted to us by our donors. A successful campaign insures that we will continue to honor our promise to serve everyone who comes our way regardless of financial ability. The need for a mission driven and values based organization has never been more important. We are fortunate to live in an extremely compassionate community where residents consistently step forward to make certain that everyone has access to our YMCA. Nearly 25% of our membership enjoys some degree of financial assistance and due to the community’s generosity, our YMCA is able to welcome all who want to participate.”

 To learn more about the Door County YMCA, please visit: http://www.doorcountyymca or call us at  at 920-743-4949 in Sturgeon Bay or 920-868-3660 in Fish Creek. 

Door County YMCA Doorfins Nationals Update

It was a very memorable year. From the 8-under girls winning the YMCA State Championship, 6 state records, 14 Individual and Relay State Champions, to 19 YMCA National Championship cut times, and 4 National relay cut times. We had great hope for a superb national meet, and it certainly was exciting.

Our first race at Nationals was the 200 Breaststroke. Max placed 6th in the Prelims, and moved up to 4th in the Finals at night with a personal best time of 2:02.0. He was just out touched for 3rd by 1/10th of a second. Our 200 Free relay also swam, placing 17th, 1 spot out of Finals. It was our best time of the year.

Our 400 free relay placed 23rd, and our 200 Medley swam beautifully, but disqualified on a false start. The time would have placed us 11th going into finals.

Macoy Neinas had a tremendous meet, swimming all 3 relays with best times in every race. Macoy and Max teamed up for a great start in the 200 medley, Macoy swimming his best time in the back and Max swimming the fastest split in the meet (24.77) in the breast. 

Ryan Ehlinger had a great meet with best times in the 200 butterfly, placing 51st with a 1:56.4, and 111 in the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.06.

Our best swim was on Thursday night in the 100 Breaststroke. Max McHugh was seated 2nd going into finals against the 200 Breast National Champion. This was also the Wisconsin High School State Champion in the 100 Breaststroke.  I know, it is odd that Wisconsin has the 2 fastest breaststroke swimmers in the nation.  The race was very quick, with 6 swimmers posting faster times than Prelims.  Max led from the start of the race, swimming the fastest front 50 and fastest 2nd 50 for a 54.89. He dropped over 1 second from prelims. His time is the 5th fastest time in history, with Conner McHugh having the top 2 times and National Record. Max is also 15, the youngest Men’s National Champion in history. The next 15 year old swimmer placed 39th. No brothers have ever repeated as National Champions back-to back in history. Interesting story. 

We also finished  in the 100 butterfly with Jared Klika ( 42nd-51.42)and Ryan Scripp (65th-51.89). Ryan Scripp also placed 64th in the 200 free. We placed 18th as a team for the meet.

A Note From Our CEO

Greetings, 

This weekend the Christian world will celebrate the Easter holiday. Over the many years that I have been involved with the YMCA as both a volunteer and staff member, I have thought often about how Christian values, which guide our programming and work, might not only survive but thrive in an ever changing and complex world. I continue to believe that the need for the YMCA and our mission based and values driven programming has never been more important!

The Easter season is a time of new beginnings and hope for a better tomorrow. Years ago, it was suggested that the YMCA is "an island of hope in a sea of opportunities in many communities". I believe that this is especially true in Door County. The Christian values which are at the very foundation of our organization require that we accept and welcome all individuals and families regardless of the color of their skin, the religion they choose or their financial ability to pay. I have maintained my faith in this good organization because the Y should be and is, the one place where the playing field is leveled and all are welcomed.

In this season of hope, our board and staff want to be a regular part of your life. Your YMCA is so much more than a "rec center". We care for the very young in our two child care facilities and work with the most senior of our citizens to provide programs like memory and balance classes. Our LiveSTRONG at the Y program for cancer survivors offers those challenged by the ravages of cancer a new outlook on life. In mid-May, we will welcome more than 300 dads and their daughters to our annual "Father - Daughter Ball" providing memories for a lifetime to young girls who seem to grow up too fast. The list of programs could go on and on....

We join you in looking forward to the coming Easter weekend and the advent of warmer spring temperatures. We also welcome back our many seasonal visitors and we hope that you will continue to use and enjoy the YMCA in the months ahead.

Best wishes to you and your family for a safe and blessed Easter weekend. We look forward to serving you and seeing you often this spring!

No Classes: April 4 & 5

YMCA is Closed : Easter Sunday, April 5

DCY Doorfins 2015 State Swimming Results

In a year that marked one of the most successful years in team history, the DCY Doorfin swim team save their best efforts for the last meet – the YMCA State Championships held at the Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer, WI. The team place 5^th out of the 24 teams in the combined score, girls placing 7^th and the boys placing 3^rd in the meet. The team recorded 79% best times for the meet in 172 total events. (151 individual and 21 relays). The 8-under girls’ team stole the show, placing 1^st in Wisconsin in total points.

Highlights included a spectacular performance in both the 100 medley relay (Cassie Rankin, Sylvia Townsend, Julia Michalski, and Katie Norton) placing 2^nd and State Champions in the 100 free relay.  Cassie Rankin had a spectacular meet, crowned the State Champion in the 25 free, 50 free, and 100 individual medley. Cassie was out- touched in the 100 free by less then a 1/10^th of a second, just missing the full sweep of 4 individual State Champion titles. Our team ended up with 6 State Records, 14 State Championship titles, 11 – 2^nd places, and 6 -3^rd places in the meet.

State Champion Relays: 8 – under girls 100 free relay, 13-14 boys 200 medley relay (Brock Aune, Trent Ehlers, Spencer Klika, Max McHugh). 

15-18 boys 200 medley relay and 15-18 boys 200 free relay (Macoy Neinas, Jared Klika, Ryan Scripp, Max McHugh) both of these relays were set new state records. The same boys were also State Champions in the 15-18 boys 400 free relay.  

Individual State Champions:

Cassie Rankin (above)

Jared Klika, 15-18 boys 50 freestyle

Ryan Scripp, 100 freestyle- State Record

Max McHugh won all of his individual events, setting 3 state records in 4 event; 13-14 boys 100 Breast-State Record, 200 Breast-State Record, 50 Freestyle-State Record and 200 Individual Medley-State Champion. It was a tough weekend for Max, swimming 5 relays and 4 individual events-ending with 8 State Championship titles, 1-2^nd place.

We will be taking 5 swimmers, Macoy Neinas, Ryan Ehlinger, Ryan Scripp, Jared Klika, and Max McHugh, to the YMCA National Championships in Greensboro North Carolina next week.

In one of the most exciting events of the meet, Katie Kaminski also qualified for Nationals in the 200 breaststroke, dropping 3 seconds in the race to make the time cut. We qualified 19 events for Nationals this past weekend.

2^nd Place Finishers:

Cassie Rankin, 8-under 100 free and  8-under girls 100 medley relay

Abigial Schauske, 11-12 girls 100 butterfly

Katie Kaminski, 15-18 girls 200 breaststroke

Drew Rass, 9-10 100 breaststroke

Brokc Anue, 13-14 100 breaststroke and boys 13-14 200 medley relay

Jared Klika, 15-18 boys 100 butterfly

Jesper Johnson, 11-12 500 freestyle

Ryan Scripp, 15-18 boys 200 freestyle and 200 butterfly

3^rd Place Finishers:

Brock Anue, 13-14 boys 200 breaststroke

Drew Rass, 9-10 boys 50 breast and 100 individual medley

Christiana Brau, 9-10 girls  200 freestyle

Jared Klika, 15-18 boys 100 free

Ryan Scripp, 15-19 200 individual medley

Our 9-10 boys also placed 4^th in the 200 free and medley relays.

All time for the meet can be viewed on the WSACstate meet website.

Chuck and Pat Stage were recognized as the newest members of the YUSA's Book of Honors as top donors at the Door County YMCA's annual Community Leaders Breakfast last Thursday, March 5. 

Pictured (left to right): Tom Beerntsen, Door County YMCA CEO, Pat and Chuck Stage