By HEREABOUTS VIRGINIA BURROUGHS
When Butler Twp. resident Jerry Lake saw Young at Heart perform on Ellen DeGeneres’ show, she thought, “That’s our group any day now.”
But Young at Heart is a chorus of elderly Northampton, Mass., residents who perform all over the world and featured in a documentary film this summer, and Lake’s is an aerobics dance class of women from the Dayton-Harrison Twp. area who only perform in class.
“But, I’ve always threatened to have the group perform at nursing homes,” said Lake.
Members have nicknamed the group “Jerry’s Geriatrics,” and it usually consists of 20 women, ranging in age from 60-83. Young at Heart members have an average age of 81.
“Some of my group have been with me for 20 years,” said Lake, who’s taught the class since 1987. “I quit teaching aerobics at Sinclair that year, because I was in my 40s and old enough to be most of the students’ mother. I decided it was time to look for a little older group to teach, and wanted to do my own thing.”
She came up with lowimpact aerobics that incorporated a lot of movement, set up her routines and handed out fliers. “I started out at the old roller skating rink in Forest Park, then moved to the Girl Scout Center (now Charity Adams Earley Girls Academy) and finally moved the class to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church on North Main Street, where I’ve been ever since.”
Although the class focuses on low-impact aerobics, “We call it dance-aerobics,” said Lake. “We always have a circle dance in a group and use props like canes, hats, and ropes for Western songs. My music ranges from the 1920s to contemporary music that my grandchildren suggest. I listen to the music and come up with a routine. We’re into can-can and kick-line now.”
Lake no longer has to pass out fliers, because participants stay and bring in new members by word-of-mouth. “It’s become a social club, with luncheons and picnics.
“One of the women told me she was going to quit when she turned 80, but when her 80th birthday rolled around, she said ‘Why should I quit — I can still move.’
“Another member told me ‘You’re my reason for getting up in the morning three days a week.’ But the fact is, they’re my inspiration – – I want to be able to move like they do when I’m some of their ages.”
The group takes a break during the summer months because the church doesn’t have air conditioning, but it’ll be back, ready for new routines, in mid-September.
Women interested in joining the group can call Lake at (937) 898- 4594, but she warns that, “We move; we get down on the floor; it’s low impact, not slow impact. It’s certainly not senior aerobics — most of the current members have always exercised.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 276-4441 or vburr [email protected].
(c) 2008 Dayton Daily News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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