High time for Eldridge to open the new Scott County Family Y

Construction of the new Eldridge branch of the Scott County
Family Y was well underway in September, 2021. 

Much of the work had been completed by June 2022.

    A new branch of the Scott County Family Y is set to open in Eldridge in a few months. Opening day cannot come soon enough.

    I first joined the Y organization about 15 years ago, in Davenport. It was the start of the of a new era of exercise as I weighed almost 165 pounds. I had begun a 10-year stint as the health and wellness reporter at the Quad-City Times and I was determined to lose the excess weight with a regular exercise routine.

    Practice what you preach, right?

    This was helped by the Y personnel, in Davenport at the North facility (attached to Davenport North High School), at the West Y (attached to Davenport West High School), and at the downtown Y.

    I signed up for classes and started at the Y five days a week. I also purchased a treadmill.

    I'll tell you what: Taking on a challenge like this is MUCH easier when you do it in a public way, such as with a class. You get exercise and have Y friends who are in similar straits, rooting you on.

    That's just what I'm looking for in the new Eldridge Y. Doing what I do now: Running 5K races, the two-mile version of the Quad-City Times Bix 7, and other events requires regular attention to exercise, especially when a girl is in her 60s. 

    Years ago, girlfriends and I did the 7-mile Bix 7, and that required only really working out in the warm-weather months. I once took Fletch, our 10-pound dog, on a four-mile walk around the neighborhood and nearly killed the little guy. I felt terrible about that poor decision but he survived the episode for many more years.

    I no longer do the longer 7-mile Bix race but replaced those work-outs with regular runs. This will be much easier at the new Eldridge Y. The facility is designed with a running track and it will be available, rain or shine.

    These days, I run about 2 miles in Scott County Park five days a week, trying to go uphill most of the time. It's not easy to get to the "Bix at 6" practices, but the hills in the park are somewhat like the Brady Street Hill, downtown Davenport.

    I don't mind running on my treadmill but it can be dangerous. One time I was careless and fell on it. Ouch! According to the U.S. Product and Safety Commission, some 22,500 people fell on treadmills in 2019.

    The new Y is to open the first week of October. It will be an autumn highlight!