YMCA Pickaway County Branch

Oh Circleville YMCA, I never realized just how spoiled I was by you until I left the Circleville area. For around $ 45/​month you provided me with a running track, huge gymnasium, sauna, hot tub, racquetball courts, weight room, and plenty of weight machines. Once I moved on to the big city I found it near impossible to find all of those things for a price even close to the same.
The dealbreaker always seems to be the overly-​chlorinated pool that I love to swim in. Almost no gyms near my new home have a pool at all. Having said that, it sure is nice to have options, because in Circleville there sure aren’t many.
So, why the 3 star rating? For starters, it seems like there is always a leak somewhere in the roof above the workout equipment and running track area. I would almost always see a bucket somewhere to collect the drips, and water stains on the track were very common.
My next gripe isn’t necessarily the fault of the YMCA itself, it’s the result of the YMCA being built up as such a family environment. In the weight room, they’ve taken the stereo out as a result of too much «non-​family friendly» music. I don’t know about you, but I like to listen to music while I’m lifting, and I like my music LOUD! It pumps you up and gets you going, but now the only thing you hear in there (unless you have headphones) is the sound of weights clanking around. They did post warnings that they’d have to remove the stereo if the complaints about the music didn’t stop, but still… there shouldn’t be kids in the weight room anyway. If someone is offended by the music, just wear headphones.
Next, the swimming pool. I get that the pool needs to be sanitized as much as possible, but good lord does it have a lot of chlorine! I used to have a different set of trunks for the Y’s pool than I would use anywhere else, just because I could count on the ones I wore there losing about half of their original color in about six months. And just pray you don’t get that chlorine in your eyes! They’ll burn so bad it’s as if someone sprayed lemon juice straight into them! Playing into the wussification of America, they’ve long since gotten rid of the high dive that was there when they took my grade school class there years and years ago, because it «wasn’t safe». There are also some times when the pool isn’t available to use because another group has it reserved or they’re holding a competition there. If you’re unsure if it’s available, best to call ahead.
A nice touch though are the racquetball courts. You can use the courts for free with your regular membership, and if you want to, you can call ahead and reserve a court. They have both a glass-​walled court and an enclosed court for more privacy. Racquets and racquetballs are available free of charge at the front desk.
Overall, the Circleville Y is the best option in Circleville, but I think if they had some good competition that it could push them to be a lot better. There are definite ways that they can improve, but there’s a lot that they do right.