Seven Twin Cities women, led by Minnesota State Mankato graduate Betty Enright, have formed a senior synchronized swimming group. From left (front) are Jeanne Belisle, Dode Olsen, Ann Dickinson; (back) Kathy Hamer, Peggy Fisher, Suzy Kennedy, Enright. (Woodbury Review photo)
It was a phone tip from a lady that first informed me about a group of eight women who are about to culminate about five years of diligent practice with a command performance.
Actually, the phone message said something like this: "Wally, I wonder if you would be interested in doing a little story about a group of senior women. These women meet once a week and are preparing to do a show in synchronized swimming."
I called back and left a message quipping, "I'm interested in senior women, even if they don't swim."
It turns out the caller was North High grad Betty Enright of North St. Paul and the tale she told was fascinating.
Most people probably think that synchronized swimmers are a group of people who get together, practice, make the team, enter competitions throughout the world and hopefully, one day are seen by millions as they demonstrate their skills in an Olympic competition somewhere.
Not this group. About five years ago Jeanne Belisle, a graduate of the College of St. Catherine, approached Sister Andrea Lee, I.H.M., president of the institution in St. Paul, about the members possibly using the college pool to practice synchronized swimming.
Evidently, Lee was also fascinated.
All the ladies were Catholics and St. Kate's grads, with one exception - Enright is a Lutheran who went to St. Olaf College in Northfield. Back when they were attending high school and then college, there were no sports for girls and young women.
But at St. Kate's there was a physical education instructor who taught classes in synchronized swimming. Lee told Belisle, "You may use two lanes (there are four) of the pool for one hour, every Wednesday."
The seed had been planted and it began to develop. But Lee had a stipulation. She told Belisle that she and her cohorts were welcome to use the pool as long as she agreed to perform for the Class of '57 - that's 1957 - all-school 50-year class reunion.
Belisle - a 1957 graduate of "St. Kate's" - agreed. Hey, it was hard to visualize five years down the road. She enlisted three classmates from the 1957 class who also were synchronized swimmers. Belisle - who was Jeanne McEnaney before marrying her husband, Bill - called on Kitty (Kelly) Jobst, Dode (Stelten) Olsen and Suzy (Hager) Kennedy.
Now there were four and of course, they knew others. Other grads from St. Kate's were sought out. From the 1961 class came Kathy (McMillin) Hamer and Ann (Russell) Dickinson.
Then, from the class of 1971, came Peggy (O'Neill) Fisher and now there were seven.
Sometime in the '50s, Jobst, a North High grad, did some lifeguard work at Silver Lake in North St. Paul.
There, she met fellow lifeguard Betty Lillie - later to become Betty Enright.
Enright attended St. Olaf College, then switched to Mankato State and became an elementary teacher. When Belisle agreed to the conditions to use St. Kate's pool, she recruited her longtime friend to round out the group.
For five years the ladies have been showing up every Wednesday to practice. But this is an unusual group of "seniors."
Since graduating from college, they have gone on to do many things.
Jobst, a phy-ed major, taught at St. Joseph Academy and then put in a seven-year tour at Archbishop Murray. (It is now Hill-Murray.) She resides in Prior Lake.
Belisle graduated with a social science major in secondary education, and later earned a theology degree. That led to seven years of family ministry at Transfiguration Church in Oakdale, where she resides. Her family has a history of active ministry. He uncle was Fr. William O'Reilley, the former pastor of St. Peter's Catholic Church in North St. Paul.
Dickinson majored in art and English. She went on to teach in Chicago and returned to St. Paul where she runs an art studio and continues to reside.
Olsen finished her college years with a phy-ed degree, and she taught in North St. Paul. She is also an avid golfer and has a hole-in-one to her credit. She lives in Maplewood.
Kennedy graduated with a social work degree and worked for Catholic Welfare in Minneapolis. She now lives in Stillwater.
Hamer graduated with a mathematics degree. She traveled and lived for a while in Belgium, eventually returned to the Twin Cities and lives in Woodbury. She has been a tutor for much of her employment years.
Hamer might be considered the "pro" swimmer of the group. During the late '50s and early '60s she was a member of the Aquatennial Aqua Follies. Fisher, who lives in St. Paul, became an elementary school teacher and was employed by the Catholic church for some 20 years.
Suddenly, five years have passed, and show time is fast approaching.
Although they have held a couple of dress rehearsals, they admit they are getting a bit nervous about their two big shows.
They are scheduled to perform June 21 at 7 p.m. and June 22 at 5:30 p.m. Their five years of "basic training" have paid off, but it has not been without a few setbacks.
Among the women, there have been three hip replacements. Two in the group have undergone knee replacements. There has been one broken arm. Two of the woman have been diagnosed and are staving off cancer. One, after nearly a year, is still in "dry dock." Another has been suffering with shingles for nearly a year.
But the ladies made a commitment to entertain the Class of '57. They may be a bit apprehensive, but they are determined to keep their promise.
Perhaps even more amazing and a testament to their commitment and longevity, each of the women is still married to the same person to whom they agreed to "love, honor and cherish" so many years ago.
One of the group said, "I've only been married for 34 years. Can't you tell I'm the youngest?"
I wisely sidestepped answering, but thought it was pretty incredible that here were eight women who, collectively, have been married for something just under 350 years.
That's only part of it. All of them are still with their first husband and all of those spouses are still alive. Collectively, they have 35 children, 59 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
And to think they still find time and are still enthused about synchronized swimming.
Along with Lillie Suburban Newspapers photographer Linda Baumeister, I stopped by Butler Center on the College of St. Catherine campus to take in the first "dress" rehearsal of the group.
It was impressive. It was obvious that in the last five years the group has melded into a cohesive unit of precision performers. But how did they feel about the rapidly approaching performances?
"Very nervous," some responded, with affirmative nods from the group.
This was the first day they were allowed to have the entire pool in which to perform. This was going to be the test. They would have one more rehearsal in the whole pool and then would come the first show on June 21.
They were still deliberating about a name for the group. Someone suggested they were the "Mermaids of Yesteryear." Another simply stated, "We are the Synchronized Seniors."
Just the humorous entrance alone was worth the visit. When they came out of the dressing room, I wasn't sure I wasn't visiting a nursing home.
One woman was on crutches. Another had an arm in a sling. A couple more were using walkers and there were canes and limping performers. Kitty Jobst, the choreographer, was sitting on the sidelines because of an affliction on her leg.
She barked suggestions to the group in the water.
"Excuse me for shouting in your ear," she said from the bench where we watched. "I taught phy ed so I still have a loud voice," she explained as she yelled suggestions to the swimmers going through their routines.
There were three full-group performances and two duets.
Now all those years of practices are about to pay off with a performance in front of a major audience.
And what will they do after five years of keeping a pledge to a cause that has brought the group so close?
"Collapse," shouted one as we headed for the door.
But there is a new bond that has been riveted into the constitution of each of the individuals on hand that day.
"There is a strange camaraderie that has formed over the years; I hope we are able to continue," Kitty explained.
"But none of us are getting any younger," I pondered.
On the other hand, most of us are not part of an invigorating synchronized swimming group.
Email this article | Permanent link | Topstories news | Topstories news archives
Minnesota State
University, Mankato
Mankato, MN 56001
1-800-722-0544
© 2005-2013 Minnesota State University, Mankato. Minnesota State University, Mankato is a member of
Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system and an affirmative action/equal opportunity university.
