For Leita Walker, playing pickup basketball at the Dayton YMCA at Gaviidae during lunchtime is about more than exercise.
A first amendment lawyer at Ballard Spahr LLP, Leita appreciates how diverse the group playing basketball can be on any given day. She's competed with and alongside Division I players, individuals with a physical disability and one who was over 65 years old.
"That, to me, is a microcosm of what the Y stands for," Leita says. "It's truly a melting pot, and that's what distinguishes the Y from other gyms that I could belong to."
Leita grew up in Rolfe, Iowa, a town of 500 people with no YMCA nearby. But the mother of four was looking to exercise around lunch time, and the Dayton YMCA at Gaviidae was close to her firm's downtown office. To her, though, it's more than just the game.
"It gets me out of my bubble," Leita says. "I cross paths with a slice of humanity, and I've become truly like friends with a lot of people I wouldn't have otherwise."
There's a core group of players, she says, but new people regularly show up, which keeps things even more interesting. But the goal is to try to make it a good experience for everyone on the court.
"You just make sure the matchups are good, and it all works out and everyone has fun," she says. "Even the most trash-talking person in the gym, when a bad player starts hitting a shot, they’re cheering for them, and it just kind of gives you hope."
Check out more highlights of Leita's interview:
On why she joined the Y's board: "We had COVID and George Floyd unrest, and my four children attended Minneapolis Public Schools. They were out of school (because of COVID) then went back, and then there was a teacher strike. And as a downtown worker, I saw downtown destroyed by the series of events, and it made me so sad, and I saw the Y as a place that built community and was devoted to downtown and the city of Minneapolis in a way that other places were not. I just valued the Y so much, and I just wanted to contribute to the community.
On the Y's impact on her family: “We've had a family membership for years, and my older two were high school athletes and used the Y for workouts and practice. And swim lessons and a basketball league for my 8-year-old.
On what moves her: "The sense of community, which I don’t think commercial gyms can replicate. The fact that everyone’s welcome. You walk in, they know your name, you’re rubbing shoulders with people who you wouldn’t cross paths with in everyday life."