Dear Editor:

By the time this letter goes to publication, Mary Baudo will no longer be employed at the local YMCA as her position as the wellness director has been eliminated.

Mary is a true professional and has always given her all to her profession and has been a huge asset to the YMCA. In the last eight years of working closely with Mary, she has always shown a passion for fitness, a hard working ethic towards heath and exercise, and a calm and friendly attitude towards any and all members that she has worked with.

Mary was one of the reasons that I found passion for triathlon as, years ago, she, with the help of Larry Brown, started a triathlon class at the Y. I enjoyed the camaraderie with the participants and became friends with many in the community that I had not previously known. I also greatly enjoyed the health benefits that she helped me realize.

She also got me involved with the Y as a volunteer and passed this class onto me to teach for several years. It was through her efforts that I began to teach not only that class but also cycling. She is, in part, responsible for me finishing an Ironman distance triathlon in 2009 through her dedication towards me and my fitness goals prior to that amazing race, one of the greatest days of my life.

She has spent countless hours working weekends and overtime making sure all of her instructors were well trained and that all their CPR certifications and various credentials for teaching their classes were current and up to date. It is largely because of Mary that I have continued to teach at least one class a week at the Y this winter and over the past several years.

In my opinion she is irreplaceable, and now there will be no wellness director with whom we can get the invaluable information and insight that we may need. We wish you the best, Mary, and know that I am saying this for many, you will be missed.

Cameron Mitchell
Boothbay Harbor