Congratulations on your retirement, Linda!

The light sound of water lapping along the edge of the pool at the West Family Y could be heard as Frank Sinatra serenaded a group of agile seniors. Linda Benninger was leading one of her last Rusty Hinges classes. She’s set to retire at the end of the year.

Benninger started as an aquatic instructor at the YMCA two and a half years ago, but that wasn’t always the goal she explained. She was a student first, but when their teacher resigned, that’s when “the class said, ‘Linda, get up there!’”

Benninger said she had some prior experience teaching aquatics while living in Florida, and that’s why the group encouraged her to take on the role. She received some help from the former instructor, but after a couple of sessions, she was on her own.

“It’s one thing being in the water, it’s another being in front of people,” she said, explaining just how nervous she was during those first few classes. But nevertheless, she took on the challenge. Her class started out with eight people and has grown to accommodate a pool full of participants.

“I had so many compliments from the people in the class, which boosts your spirit and confidence level, I said, ‘Okay, I’ve got this,” Benninger explained.

One of those people who joined Benninger’s class and never left is Dave Alamo. The 79-year-old had two brain surgeries and suffered a major infection, he explained pointing out his scar. He comes to the Y three times a week to exercise and to keep his mind and body sharp. His wife drops him off and picks him up whenever he needs to stop by the West Family branch.

“I probably wouldn’t have survived. I was in that bad of shape,” he said. “It’s a great group of people. I love being here.”

It’s members like Alamo that have filled Benninger with confidence and joy. It’s something she gratefully expresses, “I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart,” she said. “They have supported me, [and] stood by me from day one.”

Benninger’s final class is scheduled for Thursday, December 28, but that doesn’t mean you’ll stop seeing her at the Y. The recently turned 70-year-old plans to still be an active swimmer.

“We all have this love and friendship,” she said. “We like being a Y family.”