Soap Lake SAIL class provides physical and mental benefits
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | September 2, 2026 1:35 AM
SOAP LAKE — Leanna Hayes said the Stay Independent and Active for Life class at the Soap Lake Senior Center is focused on helping seniors stay active, but its benefits go beyond that.
“You’ve got to be able to move and move strongly and safely. So that's what we work on in SAIL, and that's the very heart of everything that we do,” Hayes said. “The other part is, and I'm beginning to think it's more important, is the community portion of it. Our group is – they are just dynamic. They are so much fun. People come in who are new to the class and see friends they've known for many years but haven't seen, and they (say), ‘Oh, you’re here too! Yay!’”
That shows in the SAIL participants, Hayes said.
“You know, I'm finding people show up earlier and earlier and stay a little bit later and later, just for the opportunity to chat with people, to be heard, to be seen,” she said.
“When they're gone for a couple days and they come back, they know they were missed.”
A training class is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 11 in Soap Lake for people who want to be SAIL instructors. Because space is limited, advance registration is required. Registration is available at the SAIL website, www.sailfitness.org, or by email at [email protected].
Collen Long and her husband Don joined the Soap Lake SAIL class after she had knee replacement surgery, but it was more than that.
“We’re both in our 70s. We were just more sedentary than we knew we needed to be,” she said.
It quickly became more than an exercise program. In fact, Don and Colleen Long have started taking SAIL class into account when they schedule appointments.
“The fun of it is, we just have a good time,” Colleen Long said. “You get in there, you meet new people, and you say hello, and you chat. Some people you know, some people you don’t. Something that’s very valuable is also socialization.”
Soap Lake classes are Tuesday and Thursday; other classes are available in Ephrata, among other locations. Hayes said the classes are so popular that more are needed, and one of the goals of the training is to get instructors that can have classes in other towns, Wilson Creek being an example.
Exercises are designed to improve stamina, strength and flexibility. When she started the class, she discovered they were more demanding than they looked, Hayes said.
She first encountered SAIL when she took her mother-in-law to a class in Ephrata.
“I’ve got to tell you; I was so arrogant,” Hayes said. “I (said), ‘I’m here doing this for her. I don't need this class. I'm just going to sit down and look at my phone or take care of some other business while she does her little SAIL class.’ And wasn't too long (before) Linda Garnett, who is the instructor there, encouraged me just to give it a whirl one time. I got up and holy heck, that's no joke.”
Hayes found it a lot more demanding than she anticipated, she said.
“I'm thinking, ‘Wow, I've been a real jerk about this. Perhaps I should start the class.’ I started the class and loved it,” she said.
The camaraderie among the Soap Lake participants has led them to start socializing outside of class and even do some non-class activities. Among those was a float entered in Soap Lake’s Suds N’ Sun town celebration.
“There were a couple ladies in the class who stepped up and said, ‘Hey, yeah, we want to do a SAIL float for our Soap Lake parade, and they did a marvelous job,” she said. “They secured the truck and the trailer, and they decorated, and we had SAIL logos all over the place, and we won first prize in the float department. So now we call ourselves an award-winning SAIL class, and we have the trophy in our case as you walk in the door.”
Soap Lake SAIL participants at the Soap Lake Senior Center.
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