Psst, Don’t Tell Anyone, But Ellyn Wood Is Retiring

Publicity Shy Health And Wellness Director Will Be Missed By All, In Particular The SilverSneakers Seniors

by Mark Smiley

Ellyn Wood, the Glendale Sports Center’s Health and Wellness Director is retiring after 35 years with the YMCA. Having just turned 65 years of age, Wood is hanging up her sneakers on November 30, 2016. Wood, who shies away from the spotlight and prefers to not have a lot of publicity surrounding her, has devoted most of her adult life to the YMCA and its sports programs.

Wood started with the Chatfield YMCA in 1981 as a part-time fitness instructor after exercising there since 1979. She exercised with Debbie Ford, who served the YMCA in many capacities including Executive Director of the Glendale Sports Center. Ford, who has been friends with Wood since the 7th grade, retired from the YMCA three years ago.

As the two described it, they exercised wearing leotards, leg warmers and leading group exercise classes which was the style in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

“As an executive at the Littleton Y and then later at the Glendale Sports Center it was a privilege and fun to work with Ellyn,” said Debbie Ford, YMCA of Metropolitan Denver, past Glendale Sports Center/ YMCA Executive Director. “Ellyn has brought a lot of happiness to members, especially the SilverSneakers. Ellyn has been a very committed, dependable, and innovative employee, you can always count on Ellyn.”

Wood moved to full-time status in 1991 after teaching aerobics at the YMCA as well as some private clubs around town. In 1991, she helped open up the Highline (now Littleton) YMCA and served as Fitness Coordinator. She also ran a large teen sports program and even supervised the pool.

After being promoted to Health and Wellness Director, she was laid off in 2002 only to return two weeks later when the branch reorganized.

Then, a call came from Debbie Ford. Ford tried to convince Wood to join her at the newly formed Glendale YMCA. “I didn’t want to leave Littleton,” said Wood. “I felt comfortable there but Debbie wanted me to come [help open the Glendale location]. She talked me into it.”

From 2002 to 2008, Ford and Wood were two of the only full-time employees in the old building. Then, in July 2008, the City of Glendale opened a 35,000-square-foot recreation and sports center and asked the YMCA to manage it. Wood was in on the ground floor of every aspect of the new facility from scheduling and hiring to recruiting new members and running the SilverSneakers program.

And that is what Wood will miss the most. “…the people. I’ve known a lot of them [seniors] since we were over in the old building,” said Wood. “They are always reminiscing about times in the old building. Because it was just me, I paid a lot of attention to them. They were almost like a family. They loved it.”

Times have changed since leaving the old facility in 2008. Over the last eight years, membership has grown exponentially. “It has been nice to see how the membership has grown and how the classes have grown [since moving into Infinity Park] from when we first started over here,” said Wood.

“From teaching classes, to making sure all the members have coffee and repairing equipment Ellyn has done it all,” said Nicole Limoges, Executive Director, YMCA Sports Branch & Glendale Sports Center at Infinity Park. “She is the most energetic, caring staff person I have had the pleasure to work with and she will be greatly missed by the members and staff.”

Now, it is time to turn a new page in Wood’s life. She and her husband Woody plan to travel. They will visit Baja Peninsula in Mexico, over Thanksgiving and have plans to visit Africa, Greece, Croatia, New Zealand, and Australia.

No trip may be as exciting as visiting their daughter Courtney and two grandkids in California or their son Shane and his wife Stephanie in Italy.

Aside from travel and helping her husband at home with bookkeeping for his business, Wood hopes to enjoy the time off and will be looking to fill her days and be productive. After working for 35 years for one organization, Wood has earned the right to enjoy life on her own terms.