Bell honors fitness teacher, who's 'such a great person'

Ott was nominated by one of her students, Marilyn Livingston, on behalf of the entire "Oldies but Goodies" class, which Ott teaches three times a week at the Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road.

"She's done so much for our class, and she's such a great person," Livingston said. "I've been in a lot of exercise classes but none have been like this. It's such a happy place. She must have an angel leading her. She's just such a wonderful person."

Ott began teaching the class about 11 years ago. She'd been a member for about six months before that, after she and her husband, Victor, moved to Tucson from Colorado. Then one of the instructors left and asked Ott to take her spot. About six months later, the other instructor left. Ott has been at the front of the room ever since.

"It was one of those things that was going to be temporary, and I'm still doing it a decade later," she said. "I enjoy it very much."

During a typical class, Ott leads students through stretching, light aerobics, weightlifting and some floor exercises. There are 20 to 25 people in a session, ranging in age from 56 to 90. It's free to join and is part of Pima County Parks and Recreation's A Club for Every Senior program.

"I think it surprises people," Ott said. "It looks so easy, and then they find out there are muscles they don't normally use."

Ott has always been active — in addition to teaching the class, she walks two miles a day, six days a week. But the class was her first formal exercise group.

"There are a lot of different people who come for different reasons," she said. "A lot of them are alone, and this is a part of their life they enjoy. We do a lot of talking. I talk about chocolate. Sometimes we talk about margaritas. It's a lot of fun and I think they enjoy it, and I sure enjoy it, too."

Her students say they definitely enjoy themselves.

In addition to being a healthy activity — keeping joints spry and helping ward off osteoporosis — Livingston said the class provides a much-needed social outlet for many of the students.

Livingston has been involved for almost a year.

"We all do as much as we can. One lady has a walker and holds on to a ballet bar when she does the exercises. One told me she attributes still being alive to Kit's class," she said.

"We wouldn't be doing it if Kit wasn't there. And she's done it for almost 12 years. It's remarkable. And she always makes us laugh in class. She has such a kind sense of humor. There are people who just won't miss this class."

Students have tried to give Ott some payback through the years, but say she won't take anything. So it dawned on Livingston recently to nominate her for a Ben's Bell. Of course, the folks with the bells agreed, setting off some major planning on the part of the students.

Livingston and her co-conspirators, including Toni Mulle, wanted to keep the honor a surprise. So Livingston notified everyone by folding notes into tissues and handing them to the other ladies at a recent class. Then she called the radio station they usually listen to and requested a lively song to play right before the belling was supposed to take place on Wednesday, so Ott would be distracted.

There were kinks in the plan. Some of the ladies started talking about the notes and Ott turned off the radio to make an announcement. But Livingston kept things calm, and Ott turned the radio back on just in time to hear "The Alley Cat Song," which motivated her to lead students in an impromptu electric slide.

That's when the doors opened and Ott's bell arrived.

"I was so surprised," she said. "I'm a very hard person to surprise, I've been told. But I had no inkling anything was happening.

"I was overwhelmed. For the first time, I really couldn't think of anything to say. But I'm very, very pleased and honored to have them do this for me."

Another student, Gatha Bailey made four lemon meringue pies for the celebration. It was a great treat, Ott said, coming after the workout, although she noted that "calories don't count when you're away from home."

Meanwhile, the students were happy to have given something back to someone who has meant so much to them.

"Our whole class loved it," Livingston said. "It was such a beautiful moment."

To Learn More

The Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center offers a number of classes in addition to "Oldies but Goodies." You can find more information on activities there for children and adults in Pima County Parks and Rec's publication Leisure Times. Go to www.pima.gov and scroll down to "Leisure Times" or call 887-9786.