Published: April 08, 2008 01:54 am            

BARKER: Seniors enjoy water aerobic program

Senior citizens don’t have to go to Florida for a warm swim. Barker High School is the place to go for therapy, muscle development and low-impact fun on Monday nights.

The Barker Seniors Water Aerobic Program resumed Monday night and will continue through mid-September. The cost is $20 per month for Barker Senior Association members and $28 for non-members.

“We wanted something for adults so they would not be confined at home,” Barker School Superintendent Roger Flagg said. “It’s pro-active for health and fitness for members of community.”

The pool temperature, which is cooled down during the competitive swim season, has been raised to 84 degrees. The pool used to be too cold for seniors, and the Town of Somerset helps to subsidize the increased cost for heating the pool.

Jo Anne Greenwald, the Barkers Senior Organization director, got the program going in 2005. She was elected village mayor in 2007. Lynn Wilson, is the lifeguard and instructor.

On opening night, there were 13 seniors participating in the hour-program — all women. “Men are welcome, but very few take advantage of it. They are probably intimidated because there’s all women,” Greenwald guessed.

The mayor expects another half-dozen association members when the program restarts on April 21.

Lynne Wilson leads aerobic exercises in the water. There is weight-bearing activity to strengthen joints, build muscle and sturdier bones. The wife of Barker coach Bill Wilson leads the exercises from the side of the pool to the tune of upbeat music.

The women loosen up with the music and go into exercises. “The nice thing is we can modify it,” Wilson said. “Some people come who had hip surgery or back surgery, heart conditions. It’s easy to modify and there’s not a lot of banging, impact.”

Wilson, a lifeguard, scouted the programs at the Lockport YMCA to prepare for the Barker classes. “A lot of women don’t swim and stay close to the shallow end and do well,” she said.

Nancy Woolson of Appleton comes to exercise, have fun and visit with friends. “It’s just an overall good,” she said. “I find it pretty easy.”

Peg Stevenson of Barker came to the program a few years ago and then came back. The cold water in the winter did not keep her away. “It’s a chance to get out with your friends and visit a little bit,” she said.

The chilly pool in the winter recreation program keeps some away, however. “When the water temperature drops, they get very upset,” Wilson said. “It’s kind of an ongoing war with the school to make sure it stays warm.”

Participants with arthritis find they have more movement after exercises in the warm water.

“It’s warm water therapy and people feel energized,” said Greenwald who suffers from arthritis in her shoulders. “The exercise is wonderful. It loosens me up and I feel so good afterwards. You get the cardiovascular going and with the blood pumping. It releases endorphins and you really feel better.”

Greenwald began the initiative to start the program before she was mayor and when John R. Sweeney was the Town of Somerset supervisor. Barker also got a grant through the Healthy School Initiative from the New York State Leadership Institute.

Contact reporter Bill Wolcott at 439-9222, Ext. 6246.

        

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