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Springfield YMCA Warned of “Increase in Physical Altercations” in March of 2023
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We put some video on the site this week showing a huge melee on the basketball courts at the Springfield YMCA:
meantime in Delco pic.twitter.com/Zb1wAzhzVC
— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) January 3, 2024
In response to the donnybrook, President and CEO Michael Ranck sent a note to members explaining that “when we are asked, we will press charges against those involved and they will no longer be YMCA members.” He went on to note that the fight was an “isolated incident” and shared new guidelines restricting court use to Springfield YMCA members only. No guests, no nationwide YMCA members, and no members from the Lansdowne and Ridley branches.
A reasonable response, though a Crossing Broad reader sent us a letter dating back to March of 2023, which describes an “increase in physical altercations” –
This passage jumps out at me:
The Y has a lot of people coming to us, walking into our facilities, looking for ways to improve and enjoy their life. We have hundreds of teens coming to us to get off the streets and stay out of trouble. And yes, they are loud, sometimes unruly, and sometimes difficult – but adults, we need to remember, we were teens once too.
We live in diverse communities. I believe we are stronger when we embrace each other, are more tolerant, and accept each other’s differences.
That’s a well-intentioned message. You want to open the doors to everyone and provide opportunities and create an accepting environment.
A member explained to us that “hordes of teenagers” have been coming to the facility ever since it switched from the Healthplex to the YMCA, which was a few years ago. The basketball courts are frequently packed, and it looks as though Y leaders tried to make it work, but obviously after this huge fight they had no choice but to restrict usage and outline some new rules.
Editor’s note: an earlier version of this story said “hoards” instead of “hordes” because it’s been a long fucking week
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com