As you reach the end of the long and beautifully decorated main hallway at Mirador Retirement Community, you begin to realize that this is not your grandmother’s nursing home. Alright, fine. Maybe it really is. But – stay with me.
Hanging to the left at the end of the hallway is silent, and the boisterous sound of Jimmy Buffett’s “Volcano” betrays Mirador’s conservative aesthetic.
Giggling and laughter can be heard from the 70s, 80s and 90s, who have just completed their synchronized swimming routine.
You read that right: synchronized swimming.
“We are not in a retirement home waiting to die,” said former swimming coach and resident Trudy Kenyon. “We’re living. We’re really living.”
Swimmer Mirador
Kaeli Hernandez has a master’s degree in kinetics. She teaches classes like yoga, pilates, “postures”, which help people strengthen their upper body and of course, water aerobics.
When Kenyon approached her with the idea of starting a synchronized swim team, Hernandez said she immediately got on board.
“I’m just like, ‘You do it, and we’ll do it,'” she said.
Resident Jenny Mohundro said synchronized swimming seemed like a logical next step, given what they did in the pool
“When we went to aerobics class and worked out, we said ‘Oh, that would be a good choreography!'” she said.
So on Monday, the group will hold a July 4th themed performance for the remaining residents of the complex. To prepare, Kenyon researched at what she calls “YouTube University” for inspiration.
Kenyon tailors what she sees, integrating aids like instant noodles into their routines to make them usable at all skill levels.
“None of us were going to dive underwater and things like that,” Kenyon said. “We do not replace Esther Williams. “
Kenyon calls water “a great balancer,” because it doesn’t matter if a resident uses a walker — in water, she says, one is just as capable as any “body.” .
“We had one of our members have a knee replacement, and as soon as she was able to get in here she joined, and in the middle of it all,” Kenyon said. “I kept saying ‘Are you sure this doesn’t hurt?’ (She said) ‘No, No, No. Do it. Do it.’ “
Mirador Swimmers 2
Kenyon moved to Mirador after her husband died three years ago.
“I’m sitting in my old house – and of course COVID is happening, so that makes it worse – but it’s like ‘I’m sitting here alone and it’s so lonely’,” he said. she said.
She said isolation is a common problem with the elderly and elderly.
“I’ve dealt with that loneliness and isolation, which is what happens to old people because their friends die,” she said. “We also lose people in Mirador, which is always sad, but there’s always new people moving in, so you’ll have instant friendships there.”
And she continues to meet people through the synchronized swimming team.
“We all know each other, but there are newcomers to Mirador in the last few months, and so we probably don’t know about them either,” she said. “Now – now we are best friends.”
And with modifications, they can operate however they choose and on their own terms.
“We have a lot of 90-year-olds – a lot of them – and I believe it’s for the community,” she said. “And I hope I’ll be among them, swimming in sync.”
SEE THEIR FULL PERFORMANCE HERE:
A genius comeback: Local retirees start a synchronized swim team
