Virginia Barry on swimming, canoeing, and being a lifetime member of Beta Sigma Phi

#ElderWisdom | Stories from the Green Bench

Episode #42 - Deep diving into some fascinating waters with Virginia Barry to talk about sorority and sisterhood, the importance of safety on the water, and her competitive spirit. From The Village of Wentworth Heights in Hamilton, our first debutante on the green bench and a life-long member of a worldwide sorority, Beta Sigma Phi.

Joining Beta Sigma Phi at the age of 18 in 1952, she loves the sisterhood where she learned about formal table settings, formal greetings, banquets, volunteering and more. Her Toronto Chapter (Beta Omicron) worked with Sick Kids Hospital. She used to go for weekend retreats with her sorority sisters. She named the annual ball, The Yellow Rose Ball. A yellow rose is special, it is what you gift someone who is special in your life.

A Debutante is an upper-class young woman making her first appearance in fashionable society. Learning dances such as the Waltz, Foxtrot, Quick Step and more prior to attended the ball at the Royal York in Toronto. She is very proud.

A swimming champ
Virginia retired in 1991 from work, and decided to take up swimming at the local pool. There she saw a man who was always swimming lengths, Virginia decided that she would keep up with him. She was counting on this stranger to keep her going… it worked! In 1997, while in Florida she joined a swim team called the Silver Streaks. They were competitive and she ended up at the Huntsman Senior Games – it is like the Olympics for Seniors. There were 4,000 participants and she won a gold and six bronze medals.

"Competition in swimming, badminton, tennis, volleyball and canoeing was for my own enjoyment." - Virginia Barry

"The best kind of sport is when you are competing against yourself for your personal best." -Erin Davis

Basic Canoe Skills can be found at Paddle Canada, a community of trusted leaders whose aim is to connect Canadians to nature through canoeing, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding with certified Paddle Canada instructors. https://www.paddlecanada.com/

Virginia gave her father's canoe to the museum, it is on display in Gravenhurst.

On the Red Current River in Missouri, she was tossed out of the canoe in the rapids. The near-death experience did not stop her from getting in a canoe again.

"I've had a lot of wise seniors in my life, and it continues. How blessed I am." - Erin Davis

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The Green Bench is a symbol of elder wisdom. Physically or virtually, the bench invites us all to sit alongside a senior, share a conversation, or give and offer advice.

It challenges the stigma seniors face; the ageism still so prevalent in society. It reminds us of the wealth of wisdom our elders offer and in doing so, helps restore them to a place of reverence.

"The greatest untapped resource in Canada, if not the world, is the collective wisdom of our elders." -Ron Schlegel

This podcast is brought to you by Schlegel Villages, retirement & long-term care homes in Ontario, Canada.

#ElderWisdom | Stories from the Green Bench is produced by Memory Tree Productions
Learn more about our host, Erin Davis, at erindavis.com
Learn more about #ElderWisdom at elderwisdom.ca