MONETT YMCA

Field trips are a fun part of the YMCA Summer Day Camp program that offers children the opportunity to explore interesting places in our area.

Register now for summer programs. More information can be found by calling the YMCA at 417-235-8213 or going to their website: orymca.org/ monett-area-ymca.

YMCA

Summer Youth Activities

Summer is filled with sunshine, watermelon, and lounging by the pool. New York Times best-selling author Jenny Han said it well. “Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and

August.”

For kids in the area, the Monett

YMCA is providing many opportunities for everything good, everything magical to happen with their summer programs. Again this year, the YMCA will offer the Summer Day Camp Program running from June 27 through

August 19. Along with summer basketball and aquatics, there will be a lot of options to keep kids busy this summer.

Bob Crouthamel, Sports and Youth Director at the Monett YMCA, oversees all youth and adult sports, roller skating program, summer day camp, and school day-out program. Although he’s only been with the Monett YMCA for about a year, Crouthamel has worked for the YMCA for nearly seven years. He shared the YMCA mission: The YMCA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.

New this summer is the youth basketball camp. It begins this June at the Monett YMCA.

There has been much study done on the benefits of youth sports and activities. The University of Missouri Health Care identified five benefits to youth sports. First, because of the need for athletes to focus on the games and learn rules and plays, participation in sports has been proven to improve academic achievement. Second, sports teach teamwork and problem-solving skills that can carry over to other social situations. Third, there are an abundance of health benefits to children who are running, jumping, swimming, and more on a regular basis. Fourth, by overcoming the goals children set for themselves in their sport they will grow in confidence and self-esteem. And fifth, sports can help children reduce stress and pressure by exercising and by making friends the child can speak with about his or her problems.

Crouthamel adds that the benefits for the children are that they can come to the YMCA programs and simply be a kid. “When it comes to sports, we focus on the child and the fundamentals of the sport,” Crouthamel said. “The pressures that are put on kids in their performances should not be. We want the kids to strive for perfection not to be perfect. In our Summer Day Camp, campers get the opportunity to go on field trips that they normally would not be able to. We have several organized games and crafts throughout the summer for the campers to enjoy as well.”

In his many years working for the YMCA Crouthamel has had the opportunity to see first hand how these programs benefit children. “I personally have seen either campers or players grow up and be a big part of their communities. Either they are now a counselor for camp or now a referee or co-coach during sport programming,” he said. “It’s a great joy watching this generation give back to what has been given to them.”

The programs at the YMCA require help beyond what Crouthamel can provide alone. “As we try to grow in our programming at the Monett Area YMCA, we are always in need of help. As a non-profit our volunteers are everything,” he said.

“In sports, we are always needing good coaches. In camp, we are always looking for the best counselors. We want our staff to be the best that they can be for our children,” Crouthamel explained. For anyone interested in coaching or working as a camp counselor, it’s recommended that they contact Crouthamel at the Monett YMCA.

Maybe folks aren’t in a place to help in these areas working directly with children. For them, Crouthamel said

Outside of athletic activities, children at the YMCA Summer Day Camp have opportunities to explore other fun activities and make new, unusual friends.

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that financial support is also vital. “We offer financial assistance for all our programs, the only way we can make that happen is when people can give so a child can go to camp, or a child can play soccer or flag football in the fall. Every little bit helps.”

The encouraging element about YMCA programs to many families is the focus of the programs. “The most important thing people need to know about our programs is that we are about families,” Crouthamel said. “The YMCA youth programs are geared for families. We are not a competitive league. We are, again, a fundamental league. We are about the child first and sport second. If the child is not having fun in the sport that they are playing then we have failed. If a child is coming home from camp and isn’t telling their families how much fun they had today, then we need to fix that. Growing up is tough for children, and at the Y we want to make sure they are having fun and feeling safe.”

This summer, outside of the Summer Day Camp, the YMCA will offer aquatics programs including swimming classes. Family Skate Nights will continue on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer. Children will have a new option this year — basketball camp. The camp will begin in June and run for six weeks. All participants will get a free camp shirt with registration.

Crouthamel also added that the YMCA isn’t only for children. “Finally, the Monett Area YMCA is for our community,” he said. “Here at the Y, we are trying very hard to serve our community. We want to hear from you, the good and the bad. We want to be great for this community. The only way we can do that is through effective communication.”

For community members curious about the Monett YMCA, the staff would be happy to share the many opportunities to get involved at the YMCA. n

by Pam Wormington

Hay Fever

It’s that time of year, when I get Hay Fever. I see it as an undiagnosed anxiety about driving farm equipment that I am not qualified to operate combined with the rise in temperature outside and an itch that resembles barbed wire in your bra. The treatment plan is not working well but I continue to take it every year from my boss. It usually is interpreted something like this … every morning as soon as the dew dries, take this tractor and ted the hay in that field, then rake the hay in that field, and don’t get the equipment tangled up in the gate or electric fence. The side effects: extreme mood swings and an upset stomach.

We weren’t married long before

I understood the meaning to the saying “let’s make hay while the sun is shining.” Being eager to please my new husband, I agreed to drive the Farmall Super H that his grandfather once owned.

Maybe I should mention that it had brakes when his grandfather owned it.

I also should mention that our farm has ‘rolling’ hills. You don’t have to be a math genius to figure out this equation. I was on the tractor and it didn’t seem to matter that my feet didn’t reach the pedals because they didn’t work anyway. The boss was on the wagon behind the tractor with the hay loader attached. As I coasted downhill, I found it unmanageable to make

The retired Hay Monster

all pieces of equipment turn at the same time in the same direction. The tractor turned and the hay loader and wagon didn’t. It was kind of neat to watch them climb up on the rear tractor tire. It was amazing how fast my boss came off the wagon. Might I mention he was not impressed and the only raise I was getting was the one in his voice. I was starting to understand the claim “farming accident.” It didn’t matter who or what was to blame. My boss (who asked to remain anonymous in these stories, probably as a means to witness protection) managed to untangle the mess and expected me to resume the task as before. I found it difficult to operate the clutch as my legs were shaking uncontrollably. I don’t know if I was more afraid of my boss or the tractor or the upcoming hill that could cause a reenactment.

At times, I think he will just fire me and hire someone who is qualified for the job.

Then I remember the saying, you get what you pay for … that’s how you get me.

It wasn’t long before my father-inlaw showed up to lend a hand. Thank goodness he lent his whole self and asked me to get off the tractor. I was more than glad to obey. My job was then to walk the field alongside the hay loader and to make sure the bales were in line for pick up. I gladly chalked that up to exercise and getting my steps in for the day. The heart rate continued as someone laughingly threw a little snake off the hay wagon in my direction just to see me jump and scream. Snakes are not a laughing matter in my book. The wagon and loader soon retired to a concoction called the hay monster. It is a little hard to describe but let me give it a whirl. Picture a long flatbed on top of a truck chassis. Down the middle of the bed is a conveyer chain and to one side in the front of the wagon is a steering wheel and a seat and fire extinguisher. A long snoot attaches to the front of the wagon and the driver steers this contraption around the field lining up the bales that the monster eats and spits onto the wagon where a person with great balance and strength stacks the bales. The hay Monster retired, and this ole dog learned a new trick. Square baling! It’s kind of like driving a slow train. There is a tractor, square baler and a wagon and a conductor barking orders on the wagon just waiting for a bale to pop out and be stacked. I tried doing his job but bucking bales above my head, let’s just say, I ain’t doin’ it! Back to the task at hand, instructions go like this…put the tractor in gear, don’t drive too fast, don’t drive too slow, watch out for the corners, don’t let the PTO run too high, make sure the windrows are even or your bales will be lopsided, don’t jackknife the wagon and don’t make bales faster than I can stack them. On top of that, the wife in me is watching her middle-aged husband sweat profusely while doing labor that was intended for young boys. I don’t know what a shear pin is, but I know you always keep an extra one in the toolbox. I’m married to a very patient man, and I don’t know if that is a blessing or a curse. At times, I think he will just fire me and hire someone who is qualified for the job. Then I remember the saying, you get what you pay for … that’s how you get me. In the meantime, I’ll grab the sunscreen, Benadryl and hopefully a hot shower at the end of the day. And while our happy cows are eating the same grass in the winter that they enjoyed in the Spring, I will rejoice in the Lord Always.