Sylvester Powell, Jr. Community Center

I’ve been a member here for more than a year, and unfortunately have to drop my rating down a notch. This is mainly due to their system of signing up for classes (which are not free to members, unlike some other similar facilities in the metro, although they are somewhat discounted for members). They have changed their method of signing up for classes to an online system, which should be great, except that it doesn’t work. No problem, right, since their website indicates that if one has technical difficulties, simply call the parks department and have someone sign you up manually? Except that that doesn’t work, either. I’ve tried to sign up for classes, had the website fail, called to register by phone, and alert them to the technical problems with the site, and have the people I’ve talked to say, «Sorry, don’t know what to tell you, just try again later,» versus signing me up. I’ve «tried again later,» still no dice.
Signing up for freaking yoga classes shouldn’t involve stress. It just shouldn’t.
I really philosophically want to love this place. It’s my local community center, it’s a really nice facility, and it’s really disappointing to run into these problems, both in the way things are set up and in the customer service.

Through my insurance company, I subscribed to Healthy Pathways, a network of local gyms and fitness facilities all under one membership. So for less than 30 dollars a month, I have access to most are community centers, Curves, Snap Fitness, and others. While I have never tried Curves or Snap Fitness, I do rotate through Matt Ross and Sylvester Powell.
Since Sylvester Powell is a tiny bit closer to home, I do sometimes come here to run on the treadmill. They also have a nice aquatic center, a few basketball courts, a steam room and sauna, and an adult lounge. They also have free weights and weight machines. I have to admit, the facilities are older than that of Matt Ross, but the staff is friendlier, and I like the individual TVs on the cardio machines. Yes, I said it. Sometimes it’s nice to get lost in a random tv show when working out. One thing that I don’t like about SP, is that the cardio equipment is right above the basketball courts, and seriously, some of those basketball players need to be reminded of public gym etiquette. It can get super loud and distracting, even with headphones on blast. I don’t want to be startled by groans and shrieks every 30 seconds. This probably sounds like a petty complaint, but I could seriously barely hear my music one time because they were shrieking so much down below, they could have been mistaken for a group of middle school girls at a One Direction concert.
Anyway, I do want to try the steam room and Jacuzzi, and will continue to work out here periodically when I need to train for my next 5K.

I thought I had reviewed Sylvester a long time ago. Guess I was wrong. When we lived in the area we were members and I swam here daily.
I love the resistance pool and the pool. The resistance pool was great cardio swimming against it.
The club is clean and well maintained. The staff is friendly and helpful.
Highly recommend.

My review is solely for the «indoor playground» sessions held from 0930 – 1130, Tuesday-​Friday, October-​March. The cost is $ 2 per child, and there is an extensive collection of toys and equipment for young children to enjoy. This equipment includes: bouncy castles, climbing jungle gym structures, play houses, crawling tunnels, ride-​on cars and tricycles, balls, large foam and plastic blocks, a very small slides, etc. if you are a parent with only one child, this might be a wonderful option for letting your toddler expend his energy when the weather is prohibitive of outdoor play.
However, stellar reviews of this experience reveal the «singleton conspiracy» of ideas that best succeed for a parent with only one child. As the mother of twins, my visit today could only be described as a preview of a special circle of hell. Although one of my twenty-​six-​month-​old daughters had a great time, my other twenty-​six-​month-​old daughter was as miserable as I was. Now, actually, the fact that one two-​year-​old was crying because she felt so overwhelmed by the crowd made life a bit more manageable for us; because she wanted to be held and hated to be out of arms reach from me for even a second meant that we were able to follow the other two-​year-​old. I only lost a child once during our hour-​and-​a-​quarter visit (though somehow the whole experience seemed MUCH longer…). The gym was TERRIBLY CROWDED, which made for a chaos that I do not desire to repeat.
Now, in all fairness, part of the problem was coming on a day when schools were not in session. There were quite a few older children who rampantly ran over the pre-​school kids.
Around the perimeter of the gym are where parents set their coats, diaper bags, infant carriers, etc. (For mothers with an infant in addition to a toddler, a carrier that straps your baby to your chest seems ESSENTIAL to the experience. You will be chasing your toddler and intervening when he or she takes a tumble, gets into a tussle with another child, decides he or she wants to play on the other side of the gym three seconds after to think he or she has committed to playing in any given area, etc.) The mothers sitting amongst their belongings around the edges of the gym best resemble refugees as they cradle crying children and ply their cranky offspring with goldfish crackers and sippy cups. My children were disinclined to sit on the peripheries with their snacks; they wanted to carry their snack cups of goldfish and their straw cups of water with them. Efforts to convince one daughter that she must leave her precious snacks with me if she wanted to play on the moon-​bounce resulted in an obstinant decision to keep her cups and not bounce. If my children didn’t know that I always have an emergency stash of snacks in my diaper bag, I’d have preferred that they had not gotten early access to their snack cups. Keeping track of two toddlers AND their accessories (remember, kids are obliged to remove their shoes before entering the moon-​bouces, so you are frequently picking those up as you chase down your young) could try the patience of the best of us.
I might try bringing my two two-​year-​old daughters back here again, but my experience today was bad enough to give me serious pause about making the attempt again. I will say that the area is enclosed enough that it would be difficult for a child to escape entirely, even if he or she manages to get out of sight for a moment. And the safety standards seem to be appropriate for pre-​school children and the equipment well managed.
I would wholly recommend this for a parent with only one child. If you are a mother of multiples as I am, I would consider bringing an additional adult to help or thinking of a different option for indoor play.

I am a Mission resident so we receive a good deal on a monthly family membership. It is a great community center with a wide variety of activities offered. We don’t use the center much in the spring/​summer but really enjoy the indoor track in the colder months. I have used a personal trainer here as well and was very pleased. The prenatal yoga class is great as well. They offer a variety of classes however cost an additional amount above your membership.

my review is strictly for the morning playgym. for $ 2 it’s a great deal and my little guy always leaves happy and worn out. they have a ton of ride-​on toys, bouncy balls, a couple small jungle gyms and even a bounce house. the staff is friendly and they do their best to make sure little ones don’t try to escape.
it’s a wonderful place to go in the chilly weather!

Yesterday at class the AC was noticeably cooler than before and the director of the center showed our instructor a setting on her ipod that took care of the over-​active base issue. I still feel like that’s more of an issue with the sound system than the various ipods that get plugged into it but hey, a work-​around has been discovered so I’ll take it. Now, bring on the salsa!

This is the perfect place to supplement your workout if you regularly are a yoga studio, Jazzercise, running outside, etc. fan. It’s only $ 6 for a drop in class! And the first time you try a class, it’s free! Typical drop in classes I’ve found around Kansas City are $ 15-​$ 20, so Sylvester Powell is a steal for the committmentphobes. Or frequent travelers.
Burn Factory class has so far been my favorite. No warm-​up, you just start running laps for 5 minutes to warm up. Another class I tried, the instructor (most instructors are also personal trainers) brought Christmas presents for everyone in attendance. When I explained that I was just «striving» the class (you get a test-​drive pass free for every class you want to try), she insisted that I get a present too. The instructors are qualified, moderately intense, and very nice.
My best friend who is a workout-​a-​holic said she didn’t like the vibe and thought the overall energy was low. Because of affordability, she still is paying the drop-​in fee to use the cardio and weight equipment to supplement her CrossFit cult workouts.
Sylvester Powell is a nice facility with a wide range of class offerings. I wish they offered classes on Sunday. Although their Cycling through the Vineyards class almost makes up for it. Except that after you spin for an hour watching the rolling hills of Sonoma Valley, you drink 4 – 5 samples/​glasses of wine and pack on those calories you just burned. Oh well. Like my favorite yoga instructor says: «You detox, and then you retox».

I like my community center and I’ve been a member for many years however you don’t dare complain or you will be threatened by the Exec Director with the loss of your membership. She actually told 17 members she didn’t want to hear even a peep from them ever again. If she did, she will pull their membership. Members aren’t happy about it but can’t speak up.
Few months later, when a member overheard a basketball player threatened another player to bring in a gun to resolve a dispute, the member could not report it for fear it would be interpreted as a complaint. On another day the gym lights were turned off to conserve electricity even though a volleyball game going on in the gym. As the sun set, the gym grew darker and more dangerous. Players were running into dark corners to get the ball. Someone could have been injured but the members didn’t complain for fear they would have their membership revoked. This is not a fair way to do business, so for this I can give only two stars.

A great gym, it just kinda sucks that even members have to pay for additional classes.
I’ve always found it weird that there are big meeting and event rooms, but possibly weirder that people hold their wedding receptions there. I mean, the rooms are nice and all, but it still smells like sweat and chlorine.

I love this community center for a couple of reasons. The first is that it just looks so pretty from the outside! The tan colored brick looks great and it really is something so pleasant to see in Mission.
The next thing I really like is the wide scope of activities they offer here. Their seasonal classes have everything from arts and crafts to bootcamp and cycling. They also have really creative classes and are always trying new things. My favorite so far– the cycling class where you watch an action movie the entire time, doing different speeds depending on what is happening in the movie. They are also offering a ‘tour of wine country’ class this winter where you ‘cycle’ through different wineries, learn about wine, and then after your workout, you get to try the wine you just learned about. I’m not so sure I want to drink after exercising, but it’s an awesome idea.
If you live in Mission, it is definitely worth it to check out a class here.

The Sylvester Powell Rec complex, located in Mission, KS is a great option for local residents that are looking for a gym with a hometown community feel. «Sly Pow» as many call it, has all the amenities of a full gym or community center, but its hours can’t compare to that of a 24-​hour fitness. My experience there was not the best; the basketball courts are very small and only have space to play half court or a miniature 4-​on-​4 full court. I like to play basketball, so I want a gym with at least one full court– which they do have, but they have a temporary wall down, to split it into two small courts.

Everything you could want in a local gym. Awesome indoor pool with lazy river and slide for the kids. The Center offers tons of classes, I have enjoyed the yoga and kickboxing classes in the past.