There’s Not A Single Person On This Synchronized Swim Team Under The Age Of 55

It’s always been my plan to lead an active life when I’m a senior. Not only is it good for your body, it’s also a proven way to keep your mind sharp!

So, if I’m still living in NYC by the time I hit retirement age, I may have to consider joining the Harlem Honeys and Bears. Nobody does fitness over fifty quite like these folks!

Really, I should say fitness after fifty-five. That’s the minimum age requirement if you want to join this special interest synchronized swimming team.

The Harlem Honeys and Bears have been swimming together since 1979, when they first launched their swim-dance team with a dozen members.

Now, it has grown to include 300 people, mostly women, but a handful of men too.

Many of them sought a physical outlet to help manage health problems, and the aches and pains of aging. Some of them, including 85-year-old Lettice Graham, didn’t learn how to swim until they joined the group.

She joined more than twenty years ago at age 64 with no background in swimming. Today, she’s the star of the show, consistently taking home medals when the team competes.

It’s a remarkable turnaround for Graham, who says that swimming changed her life. Quoted in a New York Times article on the team, she said:

“It took me three months to be comfortable in the middle of the pool. Since then, I’ve learned to love the water so much that it starts my dad. I take no medication. I feel like I’m 18.”