Sy Herman’s love of swimming began in a lake in the Catskills. For Bob Verkouteren, it was a country club pool in Montgomery County. The lakes of Minneapolis inspired Peggy Adams.
The three residents of the Ingleside at King Farm retirement community in Rockville now share more than a fondness for water. They share a goal. Meet the Three Aquateers, natatorial nonagenarians swimming their way to their 100th birthdays.
“We’re going to do it, all three of us,” proclaims Herman, who turns 96 in March.
A commitment to fitness draws them to Ingleside’s aquatic center in the early morning. Verkouteren, who turned 96 in January, usually arrives at 6 a.m., with Herman checking in soon after. Adams arrives a bit later. Verkouteren and Herman aim to swim daily; Adams joins them three days a week.
“My dream was to always swim before breakfast,” says Herman, a retired CPA and attorney. “I met Bob almost right away the first time, so we became good friends, and then Peggy came along.”
It didn’t take long for them to discover their common goal and embrace their Three Aquateers nickname.
“I don’t normally ask a woman her age,’’ Herman says, bursting into a grin, “but Bob was 95 and I was 95.”
“They didn’t dare ask me my age!’’ says Adams, who turned 96 in November.
But when the new friends discovered their birthdays fell within a span of four months, a plan was soon hatched.
“We’re headed toward the century club,” Herman says.
Swimming offers physical and mental health benefits for all ages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with specific advantages for older people, including improved quality of life and decreased disabilities. An Australian study found that swimming improves balance, noting that regular swimmers were 33% less likely to experience a fall than non-swimmers.
The aquatic center, Herman recently wrote in Ingleside’s Reflections newsletter, adds “years to our lives and lives to our years.”
For these three, there’s a bonus. They flat out enjoy their time in the water.
“It’s a wonderful way to start the day,” says Adams, a former nurse and later a stay-at-home mother who raised five children.
Verkouteren, also a retired CPA and attorney, likes to sprint a lap, take a break and repeat. Herman favors a steady sidestroke. Adams powers through 10 laps in two sets of five.
“[Bob is] so fast,” Adams says. “He’s boom-boom-boom, and I’m boom (pause), boom (pause), boom.”
Amid the varied styles, collegiality rules.
“You know [Bob] gets that first lane and I like the first lane, too,” Herman says. “So he’s such a nice guy [that] he kind of shortens his time [and] goes into the Jacuzzi.”
All three keep a lively schedule at Ingleside. Verkouteren walks every floor of Ingleside’s seven stories daily, the third floor twice, for an additional workout. Herman and Adams have been active members on the board of Westminster Ingleside Foundation, which supports residents and employees in the retirement community. Among the foundation’s goals is raising money to help residents in financial need.
“And no one’s ever left here for financial reasons,’’ Herman proudly interjects.
The key to retirement living, Adams says, is staying busy.
“I think just activity, physical and mental. I think keep yourself involved,” Adams says. “Find something you like physically and do it.”
The swimmers have an impact throughout this community of 542 residents, who range in age from 61 to 104, says Kenya Bryant, Ingleside’s executive director.
The three-lane, 65-foot-long pool is a hive of activity in the mornings. From 6 to 9 a.m., there are often 25 or so residents swimming laps, warming up on the deck or soaking in a whirlpool, Bryant says. She sees their influence and inspiration extending beyond the pool and throughout the community.
“It’s like throwing the stone into a pond and it ripples,” Bryant says. “We have seen where other groups have gotten together and have been encouraged…to do fitness and wellness together through utilizing all areas of our fitness center,” she says.
The Aquateers have become ambassadors for fitness.
“So to have three residents who are 96 years old encourage wellness and fitness and do it at least three times a week, yeah, that’s our motivation,” Bryant says.
With each lap, the three move closer to their goal.
A four-month celebration is scheduled to begin on Nov. 20, 2027, Adams’ 100th birthday. She’s already sent out “remember the date” messages to friends and Ingleside staffers. Verkouteren’s 100th birthday is in January 2028, followed by Herman’s that March.
“Oh, we’re going to have music, dancing and a meal of your choice. You can have a steak, anything you want, and I’ll cover it with the help of [Ingleside],” Herman says. “If we make it, boy, it’ll be terrific!”
That party will celebrate the end of a chapter, but not the end of the story. It will not be a retirement from swimming.
“Noooo,” Adams says. “Never stop!”
This story appears in the March/April issue of Bethesda Magazine.
