A lifelong swimmer who is still competing at the age of 96 has become an inspiration for not allowing her age to stop her from taking home gold.
Native New Yorker Judith “Judy” Young was born in Brooklyn. She has two sons, aged 68 and 70, and today she lives in an independent senior community in Jamestown. She is an unusual resident; up to three days a week she can be found at her local YMCA in a one-piece and goggles with the masters swim team, training for her next competition.
“Swimming is definitely responsible for my good health,” Judy told The Epoch Times. “I can only inspire others by their seeing how active I am able to be.”
A typical day for Judy entails walking, reading, Sudoku puzzles or social bridge games, and lunch or dinner with friends. Judy does not follow a strict diet; she eats lots of fruits and veggies and believes in “a little of everything.” She has outlived her father by 24 years and her mother by 14, and is unsure what role genes have to play in her health but swears by lifestyle choices.
“The only tip I can give is: stay active,” she said. “Almost anyone can walk, which is one of the best ways and easiest ways to exercise. Read and play games for mental activity ... I keep moving, walk a lot, do some recumbent stationary bike and recumbent stepper, and swim at the Jamestown YMCA pool.”
Judy routinely competes in 50-, 100-, and 200-yard backstroke, plus 50-, 100-, 200-, and 500-yard freestyle swim races in the 95 to 99 age category. At the 2022 Senior Games meet in Cortland, New York, she placed first six times. At the 2022 YMCA Masters Nationals at the Rosen Aquatic Center in Orlando, Florida, she set three records and broke three records out of seven races swum.
She has since qualified to swim at the Senior Games National in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in the summer of 2023. Judy is always supported by her sons, David and Jim, and has earned a loyal, excitable fanbase at the YMCA.
