If you walk into a Knox County S.A.I.L. class at the Deane Hill Community Center, you’ll probably be greeted by several attendees who will, unprompted, heap praise on instructor Kat Eldridge.
But the 72-year-old Eldridge is humble, and she’ll heap that praise right back.
“I always say, if you want to know what time (the class) is ask me. If you want to know what makes class work, ask them,” Eldridge told Knox News.
S.A.I.L. — Stay Active and Independent for Life — is a fitness class intended for seniors to improve balance and strength to reduce falls.
But for Eldridge, it’s about more than just fitness. It’s about creating a sense of community for seniors.
“I didn’t like the way people looked at older people because I would see how they talked to them,” she said. “When you’re in your 50s, your 60s, you have a purpose. When you retire, that separates you from most everything.”
After 38 years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Eldridge became a substitute instructor in 2016 after attending a class herself. But she wanted a class of her own, and became a full-time instructor in 2018. The position is entirely voluntary, and Eldridge teaches three classes a week.