Liseth Martinez
June 21, 2019 05:19
My children have taken swim lessons at the Enid YMCA
, among other sports. On, Wednesday, June 19, 2019, around 4 pm, I decided to take my children to the pool. My children are 13, 10, 6 and 3 years old. We entered the pool in the 3 ft deep area where my 10 and 13 year old were able to stand. My 6 and 3 year old were wearing vests. My 6, 10, and 13 year old are capable of swimming. The lifeguard approached me immediately and told me Shaun told her that my two smaller children and I had to go to the splash pool because I had too many children and if an adult has more than two kids they need to go to the splash pool. There are signs stating that children under 6 need a parent to be in the pool. The rule she implied was nowhere to be seen in the facility. I told her I was only watching 2 children 6 and under. She said that did not matter and it was Shaun who told her to tell me. She clearly felt uncomfortable making these statements. My 6 year old began crying because he didn't understand why he could not swim. I have witnessed parents with more than two children in the slide pool. It is apparent that the same rules do not apply to everyone. I feel discriminated against as a mother alone with her children as well as a Mexican-American woman who is a minority in this town. We got out of the pool and I went to the front desk and canceled my membership. The person at the front desk was confused as to why my children were not offered a swim test. I went into my vehicle and cried, and to say that this ruined my day doesn't explain how my children and I felt. In an effort to cheer my kids up we went across the parking lot to Champlin pool where we had no issues. I went ahead and reviewed the YMCA that same evening. Kim promptly replied and called me the following day. Kim was very nice and respectful and seemed like she truly wanted to help. That afternoon I receive a call from Shaun. He was very rude and disrespectful, he implied I left before the lifeguard finished talking which is untrue, so I asked him if they had cameras and he said you do so please do review the footage. I left the facility upset but peacefully. Shaun said they have newer life guards who may not be applying the rules. Shaun kept talking over me and said the rule is one non swim child per adult, this is not what the lifeguard stated at the time of the incident and my children were never offered the swim test. The rules are not applied to everyone, they are applied to whom the staff feels inclined to apply them to. It was a back and forth argument, I asked him why he called if he wasn't attempting to settle anything and he said I asked for a call back. I did not ask for a call back, and again the YMCA made sure I knew I was less and not worthy of their facilities. I am upset I was treated in such a way. I hope the YMCA does not treat others this way because they do not deserve it. They attend your facility to have fun, be healthy, and enjoy their family. This is not the first incident I had in the facility dealing with discrimination, this time it is different, I felt targeted. I will never recommend this facility or attend any event associated with Denny Price YMCA. Please address this problem so others do not have the same impression of your facility that I do. Nothing has been done to resolve this issue.