THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 15, 1996 TAG: 9608150334
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 60 lines
A shooting that may have stemmed from a confrontation at an after-hours party at the Mount Trashmore YMCA has led officials there to review policies on renting Y facilities.
Police were called to the facility early Monday to break up a group that rented the YMCA for a back-to-school pool party. When police arrived, many party-goers jumped into cars and sped from the parking lot.
James Pratscher was driving on South Boulevard about the same time, and reported that a car passed his van, and a bullet struck his wife, Jacque Pratscher, in the face, shortly after midnight.
Since no arrests have been made in the shooting, the YMCA doesn't know whether the person who fired the gun had been attending the party.
But Beverley Blount, spokesperson for YMCA of South Hampton Roads, said officials have been reviewing their policies anyway, to make certain that parties at the Y's eight branches do not get out of hand. ``We don't want a situation like this to happen again,'' she said.
Two concerns arose out of the party, which was attended by college-age people. Blount said the group agreed that only 100 people would attend, but by midnight, around 300 people were there. Also, she said, people were drinking alcohol at the party, which is against YMCA policy. The YMCA would not release the name of the person renting the facility because of a confidentiality policy.
A YMCA staff person monitoring the party called a supervisor after the group broke the two rules. The supervisor, in turn, called the police to break up the party. Up until about 11 p.m., everything had been going smoothly, according to Blount. But between 11 p.m. and midnight, a large number of people began arriving, sending the number over the capacity of the building.
YMCA staff people oversee the events, but each group must have chaperones who make sure the number of people is correct and that other parts of the rental agreement are being followed. Often, chaperones send people home if too many people show up, Blount said, but in this case, a YMCA supervisor decided that police should be called to help break up the party.
Blount said the person renting the Mount Trashmore Y that night will be banned from renting the facility again because of the rule violations.
The YMCA rents the facility to all types of groups, from Boy Scouts to people throwing birthday parties, to school groups to senior citizen organizations.
The cost varies according to the number of people and how much of the facility is needed for the event.
People who rent a Y facility must fill out an agreement, with their name, the organization they represent and the number of people who will attend the event. If the facility is rented for a youth group, a list of chaperones and their telephone numbers must be supplied.
The person renting the facility must also agree to follow YMCA's policies, such as prohibiting alcohol.
Blount said Y officials may begin closer scrutiny of groups who rent YMCA facilities. ``We don't want to exclude anyone,'' she said. ``We want to control who we rent to without discriminating in any way. A lot of teenage parties are good, clean fun. They're wholesome events. We don't want to cut those people off.''
KEYWORDS: ASSAULT SHOOTING INJURIES by CNB