CA member Doris Russell, 88, is known as Madame Butterfly for her award-winning butterfly stroke.

Three times a week, like clockwork, you'll find Columbia Association member Doris Russell swimming laps at Columbia Swim Center. The 88-year-old Ellicott City resident calls the exercise regimen her fountain of youth. She can swim about 50 lengths of the pool — about three-quarters of a mile — in one hour. This month, she will be inducted into the Maryland Senior Olympics Hall of Fame.

Born in 1920 in Catonsville, Russell grew up in Forest Hill. Her father was a swim coach, so swimming was a family affair. She began competitively swimming at age 13. She married Jimmy Russell, who had a penchant for diving. The couple moved to Ellicott City in 1966.

"I had to find a pool right away," Russell said.

Russell and her husband raised the youngest five of their eight children at Columbia Swim Center, which opened in 1968. The family regularly put on swimming shows at local pools and clubs that included entertainment, skits, swimming and diving.

"I had them in the pool when they were little things," she said.

Today, Russell is still making waves. In May, she earned six gold medals in swimming at the YMCA Masters National Championship in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She competed in the 85-89 age group.

At the competition, two of her children cheered her on from the deck,  screaming, she said.

"I hope I can swing into the 90s [age group]," she said.

Russell is known for her butterfly stroke, but she didn't start swimming that stroke until she was 70 years old. Today, Russell says she has strong shoulders and a powerful upper body thanks to swimming.

"I feel so young," she said.

Swim coach and former Swim Center lifeguard Danny Russell, who now works at outdoor pools, said many members are inspired by Russell. Although the two share a last name, they are unrelated.

"She has proven that swimming is one of the few life-long exercises," he said. "It's something people her age can do to improve health and keep their bodies in shape. Water activities allow people with physical limitations to do more than land activities can offer."

Russell needs a day of rest after swimming, so three days of exercise a week allows for that. But it's sometimes hard to keep up the routine.

"Many a day, I don't want to go, but I make myself go," she said. "It makes you feel so good, so fit."

Find out more about Columbia Swim Center at www.ColumbiaAssociation.org.

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