Metropolitan Recreation Center

The Daily Plant : Monday, December 5, 2011

Metropolitan Pool Honored At Best Of Parks Awards

Photo by Daniel Avila

At the recent Best of Parks Awards Ceremony, the staff at Metropolitan Pool was honored with the Best Recreation Center Award.

Located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Metropolitan Pool, or “Met Pool,” shines as an outstanding recreation center. Met Pool has a small three-lane pool and a multipurpose room with weights and cardio. Met Pool is not our largest center but has personality, robust membership, and amazing programs. Met Pool leads Brooklyn and ranks third among centers in revenue generated and fifth in overall center membership with 7,500 regular members.

Met Pool staff have worked hard over the past year to expand fitness opportunities for the community. The fitness room is managed by Recreation Specialist Henry “Pepper” Brent who brings more than 25 years of motivational fitness training experience. Mr. Brent leads programs for all ages including the “Keeping in Step with PEP” treadmill workout he developed while at Brownville Recreation Center. Dyan Tsiumis has also introduced a successful Intensati class run as part of Shape Up NYC. Intensati combines elements of Yoga, aerobics and Pilates to provide an ideal fitness regimen for people of all ages. Center Manager Stevie Groce has embraced the workout, losing 22 pounds himself.

Met Pool offers a stellar teen fitness program, Teen Calisthenics, which focuses on core, cardiovascular and strength training. One success story among these teens is thirteen year old Kayla, who lost 47 pounds during the program. Met Pool is also teaching hundreds of children to swim through aquatics and Swim for Life programs. The 67 member swim team, the Metropolitan Sharks, won the 2010 Borough Cup Championships.

Recently, Met Pool has undergone significant renovations including the installation of lighting and flooring, new paint, and the addition of ten new pieces of cardio equipment.

Stevie Groce; Center Manager
James Graham; Deputy Center Manager
Gilbert Gonzalez; Camp & Afterschool Coordinator
Kathleen Jacobs; PAA
Jose Rivas; Recreation Supervisor
Thomas Pringle; Recreation Director
Henry Brent; Recreation Specialist
Larry Woods; Recreation Director
Peter Iacontino; High Pressure Plant Tender
Ryan Lewis; CPW
Curtis Jackson; Playground Associate
Walter Quick; Community Associate
Saprina Hill; Playground Associate
Dyan Tsiumis; Shape Up NYC

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“When you photograph a face, you photograph the soul behind it.”

Jean-Luc Godard
(1930 - )