Category Archives: Kid’s Blog

Dear Greenwood Mom

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Julie Staley, Youth Program Coordinator

Dear Greenwood Mom,

Let’s be honest, sometimes we all need a minute to ourselves. We need a minute to take a shower, grab a coffee, send an email, do yoga or just sit in the lobby and sleep with our eyes open, a trait you get really good at as a mom. Many moms come to Greenwood just to have a minute to themselves and we want to invite you to do the same. Your first stop is at the Kids’ Club. Our Kids Club is designed with an outside entrance so when you enter those heavenly gates of the club, all your worries about your kids are gone. No crying, no asking for a snack, no one saying Mommy, Mom, Mama, no little human rolling their eyes, it’s just you.

So, you made it through the gates and into your kingdom. What do you do now? There are so many options! You look around there’s a comfy chair in the lobby. You could just stop and sit……..Danielle and George, the Club Ambassadors won’t judge you for taking a short nap. Or, you decide to power through and get a workout in. You go girl! Before you hop on a treadmill, you smell the coffee, oh the coffee. You need it! You stop at ink! and get your small coffee and see your friend Erin. You need to talk to her about the new Group Fitness classes you saw on the schedule. You and Erin get into an hour long conversation about how your kids won’t sleep because of daylight savings time. Then, you look at your watch and figure out you only have 30 minutes to shower, that dry shampoo can’t last another day. Into the locker room you go. It’s great you can take a shower in peace and BY YOURSELF! All the amenities are there, shampoo, conditioner, soap and they don’t have a Disney character on them. After your shower you even get to blow dry your hair. You exit the locker room, take a deep breathe in and realize you totally needed the club today. You then head back up to Kids’ Club to pick up the kids and hope the staff recognized who you are with your hair done. You realize you have been at the club for two and a half hours and didn’t even work out! That’s okay. We are a health club and sometimes you just need a minute for you, and that is also good for your HEALTH! Being a mom is hard, let Greenwood be your minute.

Cheers!

Julie Staley, Youth Program Coordinator
303.770.2582 x287 | JulieS@GreenwoodATC.com

Why Introduce Your Child to Golf?

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Lisa Thomas, Director of Member Services

Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club Has golf! Introduce your child to golf right here at Greenwood in a new, state of the art golf studio. Here’s why:

  1. Anyone can play! You don’t have to be fast, thin or in fantastic shape to start. Golfers come in all shapes, sizes and athletic abilities.
  2. Minimal Risk. Golf is somewhat easier on the body than other sports that kids do like football, soccer, track and even baseball. There is less risk that you will be hit by a ball or obtain a stress injury from repetitive pounding. If you can walk, you’ve got a great start in golf.
  3. Lifelong Sport. Golf is a sport that you can play your entire life. It may even keep you spry into your 90’s.
  4. Lifelong Friendships. Because one can spend lots of hours on the golf course, you will develop friendships that may last a lifetime.
  5. Outdoor Time. In this day and age, where our youth are on their phones or playing video games, golf is an opportunity to get outdoors.
  6. Scholarships. “The National College Athletic Assn. (NCAA) estimates that every year 200 college golf scholarships for young women go unclaimed. Too few girls compete in the sport to qualify for these scholarships, which means many young women are missing an opportunity that could make all the difference to their education, their income and their future.”
  7. Family Time. Remember the old saying…”a family that plays together stays together.” Why not play golf together? Go out to the driving range and hit balls together. Play nine holes. It’s a nice time to strike up a conversation with your child.
  8. Life Lessons. There are many lessons to be learned through golf. Navigating ups and downs, regrouping, handling pressure, rising to an occasion, battling outside elements, handling distractions…just to name a few.
  9. Golf is just plain fun!

Teaching Golf Professional, George Miller, is available six days a week for private or group lessons. Book your appointment with George by calling 303.330.5146 or emailing him at george.miller05@comcast.net.

Lisa Thomas, Director of Member Services
303.770.2582 x284 | LisaT@GreenwoodATC.com

Reach New Limits in the Water

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Crystal Garland, Director of Aquatics

When you challenge yourself to accomplish something you never thought you could, you find you can overcome anything. At Greenwood, our aquatics coaches and instructors are here to help you reach your goals. Whether you’re ready to take on a triathlon or your kids are thinking about becoming lifeguards, we’re here to push you and your family to new limits. And what better time to start than right now?

Join the GATC Triathlon Team 

Challenge yourself to become a better athlete by joining the triathlon team. The team trains Mondays at 6am, April to July, but it’s not too late to join! Train with brick and high-intensity workouts, as well as mini triathlons, both outdoors and at Greenwood. Coach Cyndie sends out personalized workouts, modified for your fitness level, every week. You choose your event, and Coach Cyndie will make sure you’re race ready. Many athletes decide on a sprint or Olympic distance race, but your goal is up to you.

Sign Up for the Kids Tri-Our-Village Triathlon

Have your young triathletes swim, bike and run at our 11th Annual Tri-Our-Village Kids Triathlon on September 16! “The race was challenging and a really fun time. My favorite part is running the laps around the lake and cheering on all of the other kids,” past participant Spencer Hola 
said.

Train with the American Red Cross

American Red Cross training provides young adults a rewarding opportunity to keep pools safe and to save lives. We provide classes right here at Greenwood with Jan Marie Smith. Greenwood employee Michael Zotto took a class and said, “My lifeguard certification class with Jan Smith was amazing. Jan is a fun and inclusive instructor with a wealth of information and she delivers all the necessary skills needed for the job.”

Take Private Swim Lessons 

Want to learn to swim or need more practice with a specific skill? Our coaches are here to accommodate varying needs with private swim lessons. Private lessons are a great way to develop skills in a structured and safe environment. “Private swim lessons at Greenwood fundamentally altered my daughter’s confidence in the water and her ability to successfully swim without fear. Our instructor taught my daughter the core concepts of safe swimming in a way that made it fun and highly learnable. After a year of private lessons, I take huge joy and satisfaction in knowing she is a capable and safe swimmer and has really learned to love the water!” Elizoebeth Lunsford said.

Interested in these or other aquatics opportunities at Greenwood? Contact Crystal Garland at CrystalG@GreenwoodATC.com to find the swim program for you.

Crystal Garland, Director of Aquatics
303.770.2582 x325 | CrystalG@GreenwoodATC.com

Benefits of Summer Recreation for Kids

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Danielle Cavanaugh, Youth Programs Coordinator

Imagine what your child could do if they have the opportunity to…

Be Healthy!

The majority of youth programs available today include some sort of physical activity. With so much focus on childhood obesity, there is no better time to focus on being healthy! Learning the importance of having an active lifestyle at an early age can help children stay healthy throughout their lives. Those who are taught the value of participating in recreation programs from an early age are more likely to partake in similar activities as adults. Give your child the best chance of living a long, healthy life!

Be Educated!

Where did you learn how to play hopscotch? Or foursquare? What about soccer? You probably didn’t learn the rules and strategies by reading them on the internet. More than likely, you learned them by participating in an organized program or activity, including recess. There are so many games, sports, and pastimes out there. In order for children to know where their interests lie, they need to be shown the options. Give them the opportunity to try it all!

Be Confident!

Recreation programs can help to teach children the importance of trust, healthy risk-taking and overcoming personal challenges. The feeling a child gets from accomplishing something they’ve set out to do helps to build motivation to continue to work hard and take on the next challenge. The confidence that comes with becoming an autonomous participant is priceless.

Be Relaxed!

Just like adults, when kids participate in activities they enjoy they can become less stressed. We often forget that there are many pressures that come with being a kid. Getting them into programs they enjoy can help to manage that pressure.

Be Involved!

Not bored! Regardless of the activity, structured and organized participation helps kids develop better focus. They will be practicing skills like listening to instruction, staying on task, and following multi-step directions. These skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

Make Friends!

It has been said that social bonds form stronger when those involved are doing something adventurous. The thrill and excitement of a new challenge or journey brings people together in ways other activities cannot. These friendships are vital to childhood. Even without these types of friendships, children need social interaction to develop. Whether its basketball practice or chess club, being involved in activities helps children feel like they belong.

Be Happier!

Take a look back at this list. If a child has a chance to experience all of this, there’s only one thing they can be — happy! There is so much to do at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club. Let’s get started! Imagine what your child could do if they have the opportunity to be healthy, be educated, be confident, be relaxed, be involved, make friends, and most importantly be HAPPY!

Danielle Cavanaugh, Youth Programs Coordinator
303-770-2582 x287 | DanielleC@GreenwoodATC.com

Tips for Raising Healthy Athletes

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Here are some great ideas from our registered dietician Kristin Burgess on what kinds of drinks and foods you can give your children to help them be at their healthiest when they are doing sports:

 

 

Sports Drinks:

  • Water is the only fluid needed by the body for under 60 minutes of exercise

-Exceptions are exercising in extreme heat and excessive sweating or more than 60 minutes of moderate activity. In this situation, a healthy sports drink would be in order. Look for one with less than 10 grams of sugar per eight ounces and is free of all alternative sweeteners, artificial sweeteners, dyes, colors and flavors.

Healthy any time snacks:

-Fruit or dried fruit

-Small chocolate milk

-Nuts or trail mix if no allergies

-Fruit snacks are ok as long as they are free of artificial sweeteners, colors, dyes and flavors.

 

Pre exercise meals and snacks:

  • Meal

-one hour to ninety minutes before exercise

-include a healthy carbohydrate, protein and fat such as a grain, fruit, milk, yogurt, eggs, meat, nut butter, veggies

  • Snacks

-thirty to sixty minutes before exercise

-include a healthy carbohydrate plus protein, such as fruit, yogurt, nuts, nut butter, milk, cheese

Post exercise meals and snacks:

  • Meal

-a protein, healthy carbohydrate and fat such as meat, nuts, cheese, fruit, grain, avocado

  • Snack

-healthy carbohydrate and protein such as fruit, nuts, cheese, milk, yogurt

  • WATER!

If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment to discuss your athletes specific needs, just give Kristin Burgess a call at 303-770-2582 x382.

Pregnancy Workouts: 4 Reasons to Work Out Before, During and After

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**Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program. This general information is not intended to replace your healthcare professional. Consult with your healthcare professional to design an appropriate exercise prescription.*

Exercise has many benefits for women before and after pregnancy. Although the gym might feel like the last thing on your mind, it is important to keep active during all three trimesters of your pregnancy. Greenwood Athletic Club trainer Kelly Buresh has a passion for helping people find their happiest and healthiest self through exercise. “I was always taught that if I put my heart into something, not only could I achieve my goal but I would get immense satisfaction from it.” She believes that taking care of yourself physically improves your life in every facet. She shared with us four important reasons to keep moving before, during, and after your pregnancy.

Leading up to Pregnancy: If you are looking to get pregnant, maintaining a healthy regiment as far as physical exercise, diet and nutrition is key in prepping your body to even attain pregnancy! It can be a challenge to become pregnant if you are overweight or if you are not regularly meeting your nutritional needs.  Furthermore, maintaining healthy levels of blood pressure, and maintaining a healthy diet makes it less likely to experience complications at any stage during pregnancy. While the gym is a great place to get your workout, the best place to start is with something you already enjoy doing, whether it be going on walks, running, taking a group fitness class, playing tennis, or any other form of physical activity. Getting out and moving is important.

Getting Started: During pregnancy, it is important to stay active because the exercise and nutrition decisions you make while pregnant can affect not only you and your baby during pregnancy, but it can affect your child long after their birth. Not only does regular exercise help to relieve unnecessary symptoms such as excessive weight gain, uncomfortable swelling, premature labor, low back pain, sciatica and other pregnancy discomforts. It also greatly reduces the likelihood of experiencing complications such as high blood pressure, hypertension or gestational diabetes during your pregnancy. Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise can help your child avoid things like diabetes and excessive weight in their early childhood as well. Even if you don’t already exercise on a regular basis (and unless your doctor tells you otherwise), it is recommended that you can begin an exercise regimen while pregnant. The types of exercise you might do varies from each person, but going on short 10-15 minute walks are a great way to get in some movement. Also, body weight exercises such as squats will be helpful in building leg strength, your abdominals, and even your upper body if you want to add in some weights. These exercises help to maximize your time and energy.IMG_2175IMG_2179

Benefits of Exercise: Maintaining muscle tone and building your endurance are both factors in helping women deliver babies. By building up your muscles and maintaining active, it can help alleviate the physically exhaustive process of delivering a baby. A helpful exercise for maintaining muscle tone is to do lunges with weight on one side. This requires your upper body where you have to brace your abdominals during labor to be strengthened. Another exercise, the farmers carry, even with just one weight forces you to use your abdominals to keep upright, again strengthening an area that’s key to labor.IMG_2170IMG_2173

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Back After Pregnancy: During pregnancy, you might feel a bit of derailment not just with weight, but it might be that your muscle structures have changed as well. Returning to your pre-pregnancy body doesn’t happen quickly and its different for everyone, since each woman has a different labor and birth experience. The important thing is to have a plan and be sure to consult with a personal trainer who can help you get ideas for how to recover. The best thing you can do after labor is to make time for yourself.
It is important to mentally have some time each day for yourself, not to mention the many mental benefits you get from adding in physical exercise. After consulting with your doctor and a personal trainer, you might consider starting 2 to 3 days a week and then assessing how much you can physically handle. Not to mention, our GATC Kids Club is available for you to drop off infants ages 6 weeks to 6 months for 1 ½ hours per visit. Our infant area is completely enclosed offering your baby a quiet and peaceful environment.

Please be sure to reach out to our Kelly Buresh and our Personal Trainers if you are interested in learning more about personal training sessions, and making time to have Greenwood Athletic Club be the best part of your day!

KellyBureshweb

Fit Family: the Serenyis

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cuteDSC_4696Steve and Christy Serenyis joined GATC ten years ago, just a few months after they were married. Christy: When we moved south of Denver I wanted a good club with some intense classes. I picked GATC primarily because of the class options. We didn’t have children when we first joined, but I had heard the GATC kids programs were really good. I did the Outdoor Fit classes and loved them. A group of five or six of us really bonded last year. We wanted to keep working out really hard so we joined Boxing Babes. Now our group has grown and we participate in PWRFIT with Brandon. I like a teacher that pushes me. PWRFIT has great music and Brandon works us really hard. For Barre, it is the same thing. Christine or Chrissy are both great teachers with some really good high energy flow music.

Steve comes three times a week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and focuses on the weight room and maybe some stair-master work. Christy: The staff in the Kids’ Club is special. They are so understanding and forgiving to the moms when we are tired and dropping off our kids quickly. Not that they know us, it is as simple as opening the door, the kids run in and you run away. I have witnessed crying kids and crying moms with the staff saying “We got this, just go” and I have assured other mothers “they will find you if there is a problem.”

Christy and Steve also speak highly of Little Lobbers instructor, Lisa Thomas. They feel that Lisa is good at engaging even challenging kids. She loves them even when they have bad days as kids do. If Christy wasn’t there at the end of Little Lobbers, Lisa knew she was in a class and took her child back to the Kids Club.

Nine-year old Anna just joined the Greenwood Tiger Shark swim team, but also plays tennis and soccer. Anna likes school (third grade) and is great at everything. MarcuteDSC_4737shall is seven and in second grade. He is an excellent reader, well above his age group. He participated in Little Lobbers with Lisa and has taken Stroke School. Harrison is five and has done a lot here at the club. He is in his third year of Little Lobbers with Lisa. He loves everything and Trish has helped him be really good at swimming.

MacKenzie is the youngest at two and a half. She loves Kids’ Club and taking swim lessons with Trish too. Christy: I often think of my mother’s regret. She wishes now that she had taken time for her own needs while raising children. I tell my friends, take just one hour; your kids will be fine. My husband sees that because I work out, I am a lot happier. I know Steve is happier because he works out and we want our children to find happiness and be healthy too. I like the community here. Since GATC is smaller, a lot of us recognize each other. I think the community creates more respect for each other – it is cleaner, neater and friendlier. I tell people to come here all the time!

Fit Family

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When Tony and Natalie Plant first joined Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club two years ago, “the best part of your day” seemed a rather large promise.
Not anymore.
“I think it is true! We are here almost every day and even had Dylan’s birthday party here.  It is a home away from home.  We hFavorite 2ave gotten to know members slowly over two years and now we know many people.  It is nice to see other parents by the pool or other members in class, to know them on a first name basis and wave “hello” as we walk in the door. It is all very welcoming.”
It is natural for Natalie and Tony to incorporate fitness as a family. In the 15 years they have been married, working out and a healthy lifestyle has been part of their lives.
“Fitness is important – when we don’t work out we feel yucky. We need it emotionally and physically.  We also want to be in good shape and live a long time.  We eat well too and cook together as a family.”
Prior to joining GATC two years ago, they were members at Lifetime Fitness and CORE power yoga.  Natalie was pregnant with her second child when they started their search for a new fitness home.
“I thought I really needed something great to get back in shape.  Greenwood has everything we were getting from two locations.  There is also more of a family and community vibe here.  We just like the atmosphere and energy here.
Dylan (5) wants to come to his tennis lessons with Coach Lisa and basketball lessons with Coach Brian. He asks to come to YAC; the staff members that supervise know Dylan and he knows them.  He feels wanted there and that is important. Both Dylan and Jameson (18 months) take swim lessons, Jameson with her father.”
When asked why Dylan likes basketball, Natalie said: “Coach Brian has a way of talking to them.  He doesn’t treat them like babies.  Coach Brian treats Dylan like he is really playing basketball.”
Tony’s work in commercial insurance  takes him out of town 1-4 days a week, but GATC is often the last stop on the  way to the airport and first stop on the  way home.
With Dylan and Jameson in good hands, Natalie can focus on taking care oFavoritef herself. Yoga classes are her favorite but Natalie also participates in Indoor Cycling, cardio, weights and tennis lessons. Tony mainly utilizes the weights, cardio and yoga. The pool is a family favorite all summer long!
They have so many good things to say about so many staff members. For Natalie, “Amy (Baker) really inspires me with how much she is (successfully) juggling as a mom herself. She is here all the time, teaching, working out.  I look up to that. Lana is also a great example and she feels like a friend to me now. She inspires me to get here more.”
“We want our kids to grow up here.  In addition to school and our Highlands Ranch neighborhood, we want to have GATC as one of the communities where they have friends.”

Blazin’

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Okay. Picture this.

You are a camp counselor and today just isn’t your day. Your car breaks down on the way to work; you forget your coffee; you prick yourself with your name tag; the kids seem as tired as you are and cannot agree on a game to play; you get hit in the face with dodge balls at least four times before you vow to stop counting; and by the time your shift is over, your feet hurt, your head aches, and frustration pulses through you.

I hate to say it, but these days do happen. They are greatly outnumbered by the good moments, don’t get me wrong, but when the stress of kid care sneaks up on you, it can be overwhelming to say the least.

However, if you are overcome with this wave of emotion on a Tuesday, you’re in luck! It is a Camp Greenwood tradition for coworkers to unite one day a week to exhale any stress that the day has entailed, reminisce on the high points, and catch up in a relaxed environment. So every Tuesday, we gather at Buffalo Wild Wings to bond over the sticky spice of hot wings.

Much like the intensity of our days at camp, the sauces have a wide range of flavors, spanning from “Sweet BBQ,” which leaves you smiling and licking your fingers, to the fiery insanity that is “Blazin’,” which results in tears on your face, sweat on your forehead, and, well, if you get it in your eye…just ask Lindsey. 🙂

I tend to stay within the greenish-yellow area on the scale of spiciness at Buffalo Wild Wings because it is safe and comfortable, much like those camp days where the pool feels warm, the kids get along, and there is no reason to fill out an accident report. These days pass by fluidly, but as much as I appreciate the cooperation…it is the little pinch of spice that keeps us on our toes.

Last Tuesday, I caved to the peer pressure of my coworkers and tried a wing that was coated…no, dripping, with “Blazin’” sauce. Upon initially experiencing the subtle tickle in my throat and on my lips, I thought I could handle the impending blaze. But with the passing of each second, as the tickle crept through my sinuses and intensified, I braced myself. Unfortunately for me, no amount of warning could have prepared me for the heat that hijacked my senses.

Basically, I felt like I had just swallowed the sun.

But after a few everlasting minutes, some encouraging words, and a handful of ice cubes later, I was proud to have survived the Blazin’ hot wing.

Just like at the end of a demanding day at camp, I was left with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that I would have never been exposed to had I never faced the challenge. The intense moments allow us to appreciate the steady ones that much more.

Will I ever eat a hot wing that spicy again? Absolutely not.

But at the very least, I know that despite camp’s daily trials and tribulations, we, as counselors, can handle them…and at the end of the day, they help us grow.

After all, it is the sugar and the spice that makes our job so rewarding.

“108”

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On Tuesday, the 11th, 108 campers attended Camp Greenwood.

It would be easy to say “Wow! That is a lot of kids,” and then go about your day. And you wouldn’t be wrong, that is a lot of kids. But this number, albeit large, fails to adequately embody the 108 souls that it represents.

This three digit number is meant to encompass 108 people; one with a scraped left knee from that one day on the playground when he fell off the slide. Another with blisters on her toes from practicing that flip in the pool until she did it perfectly.

108 different smiles—with wide gaps where wiggly teeth laid until eager fingers placed them beneath a pillow, each child awaiting the glint of a coin the next morning.

108 different outfits—some are flashy, fluorescent, and forward. Others simple, striped, and sweet.

108 different haircuts, mindsets, talents.

108 different worries, nightmares, and dreams.

108 different endings to the statement, “When I grow up, I want to be…”

108 different stories, all yet to be written.

108 different futures waiting to be fulfilled.

We, as counselors, look after dozens of campers each day. Sure, there are times when their faces seem to merge together. Moments when individual giggles blend to form one collective chorus of laughter.

But every now and then, a little red grouper looks up at you with beaming wide eyes and a crooked smile, or a blue grouper trips over his words as he excitedly tells you about that new science fact he learned, or the quiet girl from yellow group who, with watery eyes, so tightly squeezed her mother’s hands that morning, begging her not to leave, lets out a squeal and says “this is the best day ever.”

And it is in these moments that we pause, glance around, and notice the 108 unique, pure, irreplaceable human beings that surround us, no two children the same.

So yes…on Tuesday, 108 little pairs of feet scurried their way into Camp Greenwood. But, in reality, these four walls contained more energy, history, and life than one number could ever encompass.