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Thursday, April 20, 2006
Golden Olympics help seniors stay fit, active, healthy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I smelled defeat. My own.
He took his expensive Ping-Pong paddle out of a leather case. It made mine look like something from Wal-Mart. Which it was.
We volleyed. Backhands. Overhands. Trick spins. And in my case, lucky shots. I’d gain some semblance of a lead. He’d resort to a special serve that I couldn’t counter.
In the end, Bill York whipped me like I stole something. Three times. Whipped me the same way I used to rule the table back in the day at UGA. Whipped me like I was a kid and he was the master.
And on this day in the Gwinnett Senior Center off Bethesda Church Road, that held true.
York just turned 80. He’s been playing Ping-Pong — table tennis, if you prefer — ever since he was a 10-year-old in Hymera, Ind.
The itty-bitty town had a teeny-tiny recreation hall with a Ping-Pong table. York took to it.
“Reached the point where I was beating everybody in town,” he said. The man enjoys competition. Says it’s healthy.
Which brings me to Ping-Pong and the reason we hooked up recently to hit a few. The 2006 Gwinnett Senior Golden Olympics kick off tomorrow and continue through mid May.
The Games provide seniors with a chance to partake in different sports, acquire new skills, meet people and learn about recreational outlets available to them in Gwinnett. Only 76 participants competed in a dozen or so sports when the Games started six years ago. This year, nearly four times that many will chase medals in bowling, horseshoes, swimming and such.
“We have everything from A to W, and all the sports in between,” said Al Sandham, the chairman. “We have a dedicated team of volunteers.”
And seniors like York.
People who believe in the benefits of exercise. Of staying active and alert. He has registered for three events. One of them is table tennis. Archery and tennis are the others. He used to play golf.
“Then I began having a shoulder problem,” he said. “After playing, I would hurt. After table tennis, I don’t hurt.”
He ran York Furs of Buckhead for four decades. In retirement, he’s written and self-published four fiction books as well as two on Native Americans. To stay fit, he plays tennis, punches a speed bag and does military-style calisthenics. Man. To be 80 and that healthy.
“I tell you how to do it,” he told me. “Lay off the booze. Lay off the cigarettes. Exercise regularly, and it doesn’t have to be jogging and running.” The day after York whipped me, he sent an e-mail. He thanked me for playing. Said he had a good time. And like a true competitor, he offered advice: Buy a better paddle.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
Never play in dress shoes on a slick floor.
“We’ll do it again,” he wrote.
Count on it.
(The 2006 Gwinnett Senior Golden Olympics takes place April 21 through May 19 at various locations. For more information, visit the Web site: www.gwinnettseniorolympics.org.)
