Director helps chart a new course for Stonington's 'Como'

Stonington -- The Stonington Community Center has a lot going for it, including Matt Haugen, its executive director for the past year, who comes with a doctorate in sports management as well as the unusual ability to speak Mandarin Chinese.

A native of Logan, Utah, who grew up in Austin, Texas, the 41-year-old Haugen spent three years coaching tennis in China outside the capital of Beijing, picking up the language on the fly.

But after COVID hit, he moved with wife, Rosselyn, a Westerly native, to this area, eventually taking the reins at one of the region’s longest-running athletic complexes, dating back to 1945.

If you remember the Como as a place to find a pickup basketball game, you haven’t been in a while. In addition to its newly air-conditioned basketball courts and auditorium, the complex also includes a preschool, pottery studio, kitchen, tennis courts, gardens, paddle tennis courts, makerspace area, thrift shop and athletic fields within its 16-acre site.

“We want people to feel good when they come here, a place to call home,” Haugen said during an interview last week.

Haugen also wants people to know that the Como, which sits within Stonington Borough, is not just for residents of Stonington and Mystic, but can be accessed by anyone for a small membership fee ($55 for youths, $65 for young adults, $80 for adults and $110 for families).

The Como is in the midst of a rebranding campaign and mission update that will emphasize all of the activities available to patrons, including cooking classes, theater, Scholastic Aptitude Test training, driver’s education, summer camps and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programs.

“We love for people to come no matter where they are, from 3 to 83,” he said.

If one might see the Como rebranding as a nod to the popularity of the nearby Mystic and Westerly YMCAs, Haugen said he sees no real competition.

“I don’t see the Y as one of our competitors,” Haugen said. “There something for everyone no matter where you go. We have such an engaged group of citizens.”

While the Y has focused on athletics with some recent renovations, including new outdoor pickleball courts in Mystic, Haugen seems more focused on programming and skill development. He is especially high on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics ― “STEAM” ― programming, and he also talks about the Mystic Museum of Art offering classes on campus and Breezeline sponsoring adults to learn 3D printing.

The Como has an arrangement with the Connecticut Sun to introduce girls to basketball through the Her Time to Play program, with close to 75 adolescents participating. Other programming for girls include classes on nutrition, body image and cyberbullying.

A Girls Who Code class has also been offered as a free program sponsored by the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut.

“These are the kinds of programs that really excite me,” Haugen said.

Haugen also cites the Como Kids Program that offers educational enrichment and the kids’ garden that includes vegetables and flowers, often used for educational talks about pollinators and proper nutrition.

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, the Como was just finishing up the popular summer children’s camp that invites about 100 youngsters to stay active. Across the way, two of the four paddle tennis courts were in use, and Haugen said they have attracted a loyal following as one of the most distinctive Como offerings, including an enclosed lounge area.

Haugen said one of the paddle tennis members has taken it upon himself to arrange a league that encourages more use of the courts.

“We need volunteers and people like that who we can help continue to cultivate,” Haugen said, “because ... we're a small organization, not a lot of people who wear a lot of different hats.”

Another distinctive feature of the Como, and one of its major fundraisers, is the thrift shop, where shoppers can find a range of items, from lamps to recliners. But it is most noted for the designer clothes that pour into its intake area, offering high-end apparel from Versace to Ann Taylor.

Haugen admits he’s a risk taker, and with his job at the Como he’s taking another leap of faith ― a leap into a community where he now feels comfortable, and where he hopes to bring a new strategic vision for the future. It’s also a community that feels like a good place to raise a family, good timing since he now has a young son who will soon be part of the Como, too.

“I want to build an open, inclusive environment that provides an opportunity for intellectual growth, creative expression and physical activity,” he said.

l.howard@theday.com