The story of how a Watertown, Mass. fitness center struggles during the bombings at the Boston Marathon, and how one employee stands alone inside the club as Watertown goes on lockdown.
Mount Auburn Club in Watertown, Mass., is a family-owned club that has served the Watertown community for 40 years. Managed by brothers Bill and Paul Crowley, many members and staff have been a part of the Mount Auburn Club “family” for years, including Tanya Crowley, Bill’s daughter, who is a club executive. “I’ve been a part of the club since I was a kid,” said Tanya. “It’s my home.”
According to Tanya, last week’s tragic events in Boston were difficult for the club’s members and staff, especially due to the club’s community-oriented focus. “We’re such a tight-knit community here at Mount Auburn,” said Tanya. “To have gone through this turmoil is unprecedented. It’s surreal, which is the only word you can use to describe what happened.”
On Monday, April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, which resulted in three deaths; including that of an 8-year-old boy. On Friday, April 19, 2013, all eyes were on Watertown, after police engaged in a shootout that resulted in the death of one suspect — Tamerlan Tsarnaev — the pursuit of another — Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — and a lockdown of Watertown.
Even though Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured, Tanya said some of the members and staff are still in emotional recovery. “My team, they’re doing alright,” she said. “Those affected … these are good people that experienced this trauma, and their lives are changed.”
Monday, April 15, 2013
Mike Thornton, one of Mount Auburn Club’s staff members, had just finished running his first Boston Marathon before the explosions occurred. He and his family were sitting a block and a half away from the first blast, as Thornton attempted to recover from the strenuous 26.2-mile race.
“I was sitting on a curb, trying to get my legs back,” said Thornton. “That’s when we heard what sounded like a cannon go off.” He and his wife immediately locked eyes. “I knew right away that something wasn’t right. There was this eerie silence, and then you heard sirens.”
When Tanya heard the news of the bombings, she said she quickly went into information-gathering mode, worried that Thornton and Paul, her uncle, could be injured.
“With not being able to reach anyone, the emotions ranged from hysterical to stunned,” said Tanya. “Finally, I got through to Mike and he told me he was okay. Members were calling the club trying to find out if everyone was okay. I posted whatever information I could to Facebook and Twitter. We texted and tweeted everything we could to try and keep everyone updated.”
Fortunately, Tanya had no terrible information concerning club members or staff to share. Although Thornton and multiple members had run in the Boston Marathon, all came away from the race unharmed.
“After we cleared the area close to the explosions, my family and I sat on a bench a few blocks away on Charles Street, which leads to [Massachusetts] General Hospital, and there was just ambulance after ambulance going by,” said Thornton. “It was tough. I kept thinking, what if had gotten a leg cramp? My family had been walking up and down Boylston Street all day. I’m so grateful nothing happened to them.”
The next day, Tanya said both members and staff were mainly concerned with what they could do to help. “Right away, you want to do anything you can to help,” she said.
Friday, April 19, 2013
A few days later, the lockdown of Watertown provided another traumatic experience for the club’s staff and members. Friday, the club’s opener, Shelbia Djelassi Spence, had already made it to Mount Auburn Club and had begun making opening preparations, when the lockdown was ordered.
“When I got to the club, I took a phone call from Debbie [Bickoff], one of our employees, who informed me we were on lockdown,” explained Djelassi Spence. “I realized the [suspect] could be anywhere in my area. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I felt so vulnerable.”
Due to its large size — at 110,000 square feet, Mount Auburn Club boasts 11 tennis courts and a swimming pool — Tanya and Djelassi Spence worried that the club would be the perfect hiding place for someone on the run.
“I was thinking about all the places he could hide in the club,” said Djelassi Spence. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Djelassi Spence was alone for just 15 minute before another staff member, Derek Casinghino, came to help her close down the club, but she said by that time she was extremely worried.
“I was only alone for 15 minutes, but it felt like a lifetime,” said Djelassi Spence. “When Derek got there, I felt like he was my hero. I was panicking before he got here.”
Casinghino and Djelassi Spence then proceeded to shut down the club together, and returned to wait out the lockdown in their respective homes.
Aftermath
The next day, on Saturday, April 20, 2013, Mount Auburn Club was open, per usual. “On Saturday morning, the feeling in the club was one of thanks for being open,” said Tanya. “The staff and members were filled with gratitude to be able to return to some kind of normalcy.”
Now, Tanya said Mount Auburn Club is focused on giving back to the community that’s been so deeply affected by horrific events. The club, to benefit any and all affected, is planning both live and silent auctions. “So many officers and firefighters were involved, so many people affected, where do you even start?” asked Tanya. “Giving back to the community has always been a main focus of the club — this just helped solidify our purpose and our values, and one of our core values is community.”
“I can’t believe the outpouring of support I received from the employees and members,” said Thornton. “Everyone wanted to know I was okay. It made me feel very good. One of the things about this club is we’re such a community, and an event like this has definitely brought everyone closer together.”
By Rachel Zabonick
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
