Cindy Kropid and Angie Sowle:

Springfield YMCA

In many ways, the Springfield YMCA is simply doing what it has always done: offering a safe, fun place to develop your body, mind and spirit. But part of the reason it has stayed relevant is that the organization knows how to keep up with the times. Angie Sowle, CEO of Springfield YMCA, and Cindy Kropid, fitness director, are two of the people working to keep the local “Y” a vibrant, community-focused place.

Sowle, who has worked for the Springfield YMCA since 1987 and took over as CEO about a year ago, says the biggest change she has seen in fitness is that the word “fitness” has become part of the vocabulary because physical activity used to be a given for most people. Office jobs, video games and numerous conveniences have eliminated most peoples’ need to get up and move on a regular basis.

“It isn’t part of our everyday life like it used to be,” Sowle said. “For kids, if you’re not an athlete or on a sports team, there aren’t many venues for you because you’re not riding your bike to your friend’s house or going out and throwing a ball around in the yard. As a society, we’ve had to make fitness a more conscious decision because it’s not part of our lifestyle like it once was.”

That means the Y has to be intentional about the 200-plus classes it offers each week, including short but high-intensity classes for busy people, low-impact exercises for older people or beginners, Bollywood-based dance classes, and different forms of yoga for relaxation or fitness. One of the more unique classes is a water aerobics course for people with disabilities, held at the Kerasotes facility. Kropid says the Y is continually surveying members about their fitness goals.

“I really try to gear everything we do to meet everybody’s needs,” Kropid said.

Sowle says Springfield is unique for its size in having two YMCA facilities. Most mid-sized cities have only one, she says, and members of one YMCA don’t typically have access to other YMCAs in the same city. In Springfield, however, joining the Y means having access to both facilities. Sowle says both facilities get plenty of use, especially among people who exercise over lunch at the downtown facility, then take their kids to the Kerasotes facility in the evening.

Sowle and Kropid say they have seen an increase in teens, “tweens” and older adults exercising at the Y, and they’re working to attract inexperienced people who might be uncomfortable in a gym.

“That’s the hardest group to get: the people who are reluctant to exercise and need it the most,” Sowle said. “We try to tailor our programs into support groups like families so that people who don’t know how to get started can feel at home here.”