‘Move it or lose it,’ say three active elders

Published 10:30 am Wednesday, October 15, 2025

On Vashon, age doesn’t mean slowing down. It means plunging into the icy Puget Sound, saddling up for dressage, or swinging a golf club straight into a championship.

At 90, Jill Andrews is the oldest member of her “plunge club,” a group of island women who wade into the Sound twice a week—rain, shine, or frost. Suzanne Beaudoin, 73, and her horse Ava, 27, just joined a national equestrian “Century Club” for pairs whose combined ages reach 100. And on the day before his 95th birthday, longtime islander Bob Lande beat out nearly 50 competitors to win the men’s golf tournament at Vashon Island Golf & Country Club.

Their motto could be summed up simply: move it or lose it.

The median age on Vashon is 51.7, and roughly one-third of residents are 65 or older, based on 2020 census data. That makes staying active — and connected — a shared way of life on the island.

Community is the number one important thing for seniors, Maria Glanz, executive director of the Vashon Senior Center, said. After seniors find community, then life becomes about “taking care of your body and your spirit and your mind and all kinds of fitness, but if you’re home alone, that’s really hard to do.”

Glanz said the center often serves as “Vashon’s community center,” reflecting the island’s older demographics.

“Feeling like you are connected with a community is everything in terms of inspiring someone to keep living and to keep living a healthy, wonderful and independent life,” she said.

Jill Andrews and the plunge club

Twice a week — stormy or calm, warm or freezing — Jill Andrews walks down to the edge of the Puget Sound and wades in. About 15 women join her, timing how long they can stay submerged depending on the season.

At 90, Andrews is the oldest in the group; the youngest, she said, is in her 60s.

When Andrews was caring for her late husband, Murray Andrews, she found herself bound to the house, searching for small ways to get outside. “It was a hard time taking care of my husband and watching him decline, and that kind of lifted my spirits.”

Her son had been plunging into the Sound, calling it a “mood elevator.” A lifelong swimmer, she followed his lead and, that first autumn, simply kept swimming after summer ended.

Murray would sit on the porch and set a timer for three minutes, telling her when to come in. Now, since his passing, the plunges remind her of him.

Friends soon joined her, forming a group that still meets twice a week — sometimes more.

“I go in more than the group,” Andrews said. “I’ll just look out there and it looks so inviting that I’ll just go in.”

After the first 30 seconds, she said, the cold stops feeling cold — though the chill returns about an hour later.

“We all just love it,” Andrews said. “Going in with friends is fun — we talk and distract ourselves from the cold — but going in by myself is completely different, almost a spiritual thing.”

Her daughter also started plunging and found it eased her migraines. “It definitely does something good to your body,” Andrews said. “It minimizes inflammation, and it releases endorphins and so it raises your mood.”

Now she can’t resist the water’s pull. “It kind of gets under your skin,” she said. When family visits for Thanksgiving, everyone joins her. “It’s kind of a thing with us,” she added, laughing.

Andrews walks her dog three miles a day, attends Pilates and other fitness classes, and keeps up with her nine grandchildren. “I’m very lucky, because I love to be active physically — it’s not work for me,” she said.

Whenever she feels down, she heads outside. “You get more of a perspective,” she said. “You have to keep moving, even if you don’t feel like it.”

Her small driveway can’t hold many cars, but she encourages others to start plunge clubs of their own.

“People love to come. They’re always thanking me, but I want to thank them.”

Suzanne Beaudoin and Ava

Ava, a dark brown horse with a splash of white, stood patiently as a vet administered a routine vitamin shot to help with her joints before a morning ride.

“She’s such a well-loved horse on this island,” the vet said.

Suzanne Beaudoin, a longtime Vashon equestrian and Ava were inducted on Oct. 11 into The Dressage Foundation’s Century Club, honoring riders and horses whose combined ages total 100 years or more.

The recognition comes after years of training and competing.

“It’s a milestone for both of us that we’re still active,” Beaudoin said. “We’re both in really physically good shape. We’re both doing amazing. It’s very exciting to reach this milestone together … it’s like a celebration of life.”

Beaudoin, 73, and Ava, 27, have been together for 15 years. “We’re kind of like the old married couple,” she said with a laugh.

Preparing for the event, Beaudoin said, gave Ava “another kind of spark of life” — and reignited her own.

Once an eventer, she now focuses on dressage — a sport she compares to “figure skating,” involving precise, graceful movements judged for form and control.

Ava’s full name is Avalanche. Beaudoin bought her when she was 12 and quickly recognized that Ava was special. “She’s a little spicy — she has a presence of her own,” she said.

Through Ava’s injuries and the many times Beaudoin rehabbed her instead of riding, their bond deepened.

A lifelong athlete, Beaudoin runs, rides and stays physically active with her husband. Years ago, they competed in the Senior Olympics in Olympia, where she took home a medal in her age division. “I saw some people in their 90s running around the track and they were amazing,” she said. “It was so inspiring and uplifting.

Her philosophy is simple: “Use it or lose it. You’ve got to stay active. It’s good for your brain, it’s good for your mental health.”

Bob Lande and the perfect swing

On Oct. 4 — the day before his 95th birthday — longtime islander Bob Lande won the championship belt at the annual men’s golf tournament at Vashon Island Golf & Country Club.

“It’s always great to win a tournament, especially when you don’t think you had a chance,” Lande said with a laugh.

He bested 44 younger competitors with a net score of 67.

“I know the younger guys felt good about me winning,” he said. “They could see an older guy out there doing well and think, ‘We can still do that when we’re older.’”

Lande plays golf three times a week, rain or shine, and says it keeps him active and social.

He credits golf — and mowing his lawn — for keeping him strong. He walked the course for years but now uses a cart.

“I think it’s something that you can play and try to get better at,” Lande said. “You don’t have to try and beat anybody except yourself.”

He’s always been active and fit, he said. The key, according to his doctor, is simple: don’t stop.

Longevity, Lande said, is hard to pin down — whether it comes from good genes or staying active — but he knows one thing for sure: “Just don’t quit doing something,” he said. “Even just walking around the block.”

The Beachcomber hopes to feature more active, creative and inspired seniors in future editions in a column-style series like this one. Do you know someone who fits the bill — or are you that person? Email aspen.anderson@vashonbeachcomber.com to share your story.