Sussex County YMCA

★★★★★Sherif Fahmy

Great facility. Super spacious. Recently attended a swim meet hosted by the SCY swordfish. It was very well run, safe, and all volunteers and staff were working extremely hard to accommodate all attendees at the very well attended meet. I left all three of my kids in the gym with our team parents and had no issues getting in touch with my team’s parent marshalers. Looking forward to next years Swordfish Snowdown!

★★★★★Caitlyn Buchney

The Sussex YMCA put on a fantastic meet this past weekend. Huge thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it such a well organized, fun, and smooth event. The facility was clean, everything ran efficiently, and the livestream video coverage was so appreciated by family and friends who couldn’t attend. The volunteers were incredibly friendly and helpful, always happy to answer questions and make the experience stress-free. We’re so grateful for all the time and effort that went into hosting such a great meet. We appreciate that the staff went above and beyond checking and scanning IDs to ensure the safety of all attending the meet. Thank you for a wonderful event!

★★★★★Heidi Howes

Thank you to the Y staff, coaches and all the volunteers involved with hosting the Snowdown invitational swim meet. It ran so smoothly. They were very thoughtful of added small breaks for the 8 and under swimmers. The offering of livestream was an added bonus. I hope this meet continues! My boys had a great time and fast swims!

★★★★★Meg

Excellent experience at the Sussex Swordfish Invitational. The meet was extremely well run with clear adherence to USA Swimming safety, security and athlete-protection guidelines. Swimmer areas were well monitored, access to the deck was controlled, and volunteers and officials were visibly represented throughout the meet, creating a safe and organized environment for the athletes. The livestream was a huge plus- family members across the country were able to watch my child swim. The snack bar offered a great variety of healthy options. Despite being an extremely well-attended meet, crowd management was excellent, with multiple viewing options including poolside bleachers and a common area with livestream access. Thank you to the Swordfish team, YMCA staff, and the parent volunteers for making this meet safe, successful, and enjoyable. Our team looks forward to attending again next year!

★Eric S.

I brought my daughter to a swim meet held at this YMCA. I have attended multiple swim meets at other YMCA facilities in the past; however, the “Swordfish Showdown” was exceptionally poorly managed for several concerning reasons. Upon check-in, the children were directed into a gymnasium area that was not accessible to parents. Given that the outdoor temperature was approximately 25 degrees, and that children were wet after warm-ups, this raised immediate concern. Anticipating this, I brought my daughter a warm blanket and a seat cushion. I was not permitted to personally deliver these items to her. Instead, a staff member at the desk insisted that they would bring the items to her on my behalf. At the conclusion of the meet, approximately five hours later, I picked up my daughter and found her extremely cold. She informed me that the gymnasium had been very cold and that she never received the blanket or seat cushion. This was deeply upsetting, as my child had been sitting wet and shivering for the duration of the event. I returned to the desk to address the issue. A staff member later located the blanket and cushion set aside in the gymnasium, unused. Because parents were prohibited from accessing this area, I had no way to verify the situation or check on my child during the meet. If the YMCA assumes responsibility for children while restricting parental access, there must be appropriate supervision and accountability in place. In this case, there was a clear failure to ensure the basic well-being of the children. This was unprofessional, unsafe, and proof of inadequate event management. Additionally, the pool area lacked sufficient seating to accommodate a meet of this size. Many parents were forced to stand in hallways, attempt to view events through glass, or watch a television feed from other areas of the facility. This further reflects poor planning and execution. Overall, this was an extremely disappointing experience. I am deeply concerned by how the event was run and by the treatment of the children competing. I expected a significantly higher standard of care and professionalism from this YMCA.