Farewell to the BAAC

Starting as a small racquetball club in 1980, Roger and Elaine Ralph built the Bel Air Athletic Club in 1982 from the ground up. The Ralphs took a $500,000 loan to build a ten-court racquetball gym with fifteen employees and five hundred members. Over time, they expanded, adding a basketball court, a spa, an aerobic center, before and aftercare, preschool, and much more.  

At the time, the Bel Air Athletic Club was the only club in Harford County that provided a full family experience. The Ralphs sold the Bel Air Athletic Club in 2000 to Wellbridge, a corporation based in Colorado which owned 19 clubs across the country.  

The Bel Air Athletic Club has shown its importance to the community throughout the years by winning such awards as the community award and culture award from Wellbridge, Best Alternate Wellness Center and Best Gym/Fitness Center from The Baltimore Sun, and many more. 

The BAAC has loyally served the community for the past 41 years and is closing its doors today, Thursday, February 16. Coppermine – a well-known soccer and lacrosse team – will most likely be leasing the Bel Air Athletic Club once it closes, but at this time, little is known about when or if (for sure) the establishment will reopen under the new management. 

Current General Manager, Brian Price, says that over the years, the BAAC has been “a place where people can achieve something that they hope to achieve.” For many members, the BAAC has been more than a gym.  

Three years after the Bel Air Athletic Club was built, the Arena Club was founded in Harford County, providing a similar experience about 15 minutes away from the Bel Air Athletic Club and in 2007, The Ward Y in Abingdon was built. Each new club provided similar resources to the Bel Air Athletic Club, including a gym, basketball courts, afternoon care, preschool, swim team practices, cycle classes, and much more, giving every family in Harford County a club to join near them. 

But for dedicated BAAC members, while these other clubs do offer great services, they still won’t feel like home. And as for Coppermine’s opening in the same space, it is still to be determined which services will still be offered. 

Families are scrambling to find before-school and after-school care as well as preschool upon the BAAC’s closing. Families depend on the Bel Air Athletic Club as a preschool and because of the untimely closing, kids may have to miss out on this important educational and social development time as they prepare for kindergarten. 

Not only are the school and care programs being affected but also the teams that practice at the club. Swimmers are being greatly affected as they no longer have a place to swim. Many are looking to the Arena Club, but with little space, many may be turned away.  

“The whole team just kind of plans on going to the same place,” said Maddy Hoyer, a two-year member. Athletes who already pre-paid for this season will now lose their team, their coaches, and must find replacements for their home meets. 

The Bel Air Athletic Club is also home to a ballet class along with a baton twirling team and a HupKwonDo studio. Participating in year-round sports, these athletes must find another location to practice. “It was all under one roof [which] made it very convenient to drop your kid off and go workout for an hour and be able to have some downtime,” said Brian Price.  

Unfortunately, many people who use the gym and pool will be forced either to take the extra 15-minute drive or downgrade to a less convenient gym. People saw the gym as a quick stop for easily accessible exercise, but now it has turned into a challenge. “I’m kind of upset it’s closing right before lacrosse tryouts because it’s what I use to get in shape,” expressed Macy Budke.  

Others use it as a reason to get out and be active. “Someone once said to me, if it weren’t for the Bel Air Athletic Club, I wouldn’t have a social life,” jokes Jack Gease, a member for the past 39 years. “It’s been an amazing transformation to watch this place grow into a really full-scale Athletic Club.”  

Seeing the community come together over the years and being able to have conversations with the members is an experience that will be greatly missed. Phil Raub, another member of 36 years says, “It’s been a great half of my life. You get to see people around the same time, you run into the same people and get to know them some… you make friends, and I will certainly miss that.” 

The impact of the club’s closing has affected many members as they recount the many memories they have made throughout their childhood. “I was in shock and heartbroken by the news,” said Rylee DeVito, who worked in the nursery. “It was so sudden, and nobody was expecting this to happen.”  

Many will miss the basketball courts, the kids’ sports center, summer camp, the tree house, and much more that truly impacted every member. “I spent so many summer days in kids’ sports,” said Emily Atha.  Ava Neubert agrees as “the tree house is like the staple of [her] childhood. “ 

With a business closing, the community will always be affected but the ones who are affected the most are the employees.  

Since it was announced that the lease would not be renewed, Bel Air Athletic Club employees have only had a month’s notice to find a new job before they would be out of work. “I’m trying to find another job because I start school again on Monday for the spring and it’s just going to be terrible not having [one] because I need the money,” said Taylor O’Donnell, a Before and Aftercare associate.  

Whether BAAC employees end up being rehired by Coppermine or move on to new opportunities, they all agree that the BAAC has been a great place to work. “This is where I decided to become a trainer for a living,” said Dave Webber, a trainer at the club. “It feels like an independently owned business; everybody knows everybody.”  

From coaching boot camps during the Red Pump Elementary School field trips to connecting with all the members, Webber and other employees have made the gym feel welcoming and open to every level of athleticism.  

This also means they have seen the side effects of closing firsthand. “It was like someone let the air out of the place,” said Webber. “Almost every time you come in here you feel like it’s the last time you will see these people.” 

“There is nothing like the Bel Air Athletic Club anywhere near us. The Arena Club is the closest you’ll get and it’s not the same at all,” said Lindsey Dettloff, echoing the sentiment of many others. While the Arena Club did announce the expansion of its facilities and childcare centers, nothing will beat the community and accessibility of the Bel Air Athletic Club. Change is inevitable, but it still hurts to see it go.