While the Oshkosh 20th Street Y receives five stars from me, the Oshkosh Downtown Y receives only one. While the new 2017 facility is beautiful, it is NOT kid friendly, esp. not for kids between the ages of 10 and 14! The old downtown Y may not have been so fancy but at least it had things for pre-teens to do and the staff was super laid back. In addition to the basketball courts and swimming area, the old Y had a special room which was staffed so kids could hang out play pool or foosball. The new Downtown Y did away with this room, replacing it with an "intergenerational" room which has nothing but vending machines, a couple of tables and chairs, magazines, and coloring books. There is also a nice lobby with a TV and, of course, the obligatory TV in all the sitting areas in all the dressing rooms! When I take my kids to the Y I don't take them there so they can sit and wait for me watching TV or reading magazines! Clearly, they designers of the new Y were looking for a way to save on staffing by not including a youth room! This is incredibly unfair since those kids living close to the 20th Street Y on the West Side have such a room in addition to multiple other activites: climbing, indoor soccer, skating!
What motivated me to write this review, however, is the fact that my kids have gotten reprimanded on several occasion by overzealous Y staff and now no longer want to go to the Downtown Y. According to Y rules, youth between 10 and 13 can run on the track and use some of the equipment as long as a parent is with them. Both my kids love to run, do the stair climber, and row on the rowing machine. They are incredibly well-behaved and respectful of those around them, yet they have been treated very rudely. Here are two examples: My 12 year old son was running on the track while I was walking. He was doing everything according to the rules when a staff member told him he to get off the track. I overheard and spoke up saying that I was with him. The guy tried to tell me that my son could not run ahead of me, which I think is ridiculous. If he is running according to the rules and I am walking on the same track, there should not be a problem! Another incident involved my 11 year old daughter who was on the stair stepper while I was on the elliptical. A staff member came up to her and told her she was too young to be doing the stair stepper and sent her off to the basketball court even though she told him that her mom was right there. I heard her mention she was going to the basketball gym which I thought was weird b/c she does not like basketball. Later as we were preparing to leave, I could tell she had been crying. She had apparently sat in the basketball gym crying the whole time! I was furious, esp. since this staff member had not talked to me first. I should add that on ALL the occasions when I have been there with my kids, very few adults or teens where present, so it was not like my daughter was keeping others from using the stair stepper. I am furious for three important reasons: First, the Y claims to be for healthy kids, yet it discourages kids from using the Downtown facility. Second, we are Y members because we want to make working out a family affair. If we didn't care about our kids working out with us, we might as well join Planet Fitness. Thirdly, while my kids still LOVE the 20th street Y, I should not have to drive all the way across town so we can all get exercise at the same time! As is right now, my son still goes to the Downtown Y to play basketball but stays away from the track because he is afraid of being reprimanded. My daughter refuses to go all together unless I take her to the other Y. read more