St. Patrick’s Day brought a treat to tennis fans and community members in the Heritage Palms community as four men all at least 90 years of age took part in a tennis doubles match. There were over 360 years of life experience on one court, but don’t let their ages fool you because the competition is fierce!On a frigid Tuesday afternoon, the Heritage Palms community witnessed what some are calling the tennis match of the century.Dozens of spectators packed the bleachers to watch these men compete as they shined in the spotlight.Tennis player Don Pickard said, “When you’re 92 and you can move, you move and then you hurt afterwards and then you get up and move again and that’s the way we do it. It still hurts though!”To no one’s surprise, this game came down to a tiebreaker, with one team claiming the coveted trophy, but everyone that took in this match left the court as a winner.Tennis player Bob Gerlicher said, “It’s kind of fun to play in front of your home crowd because they were cheering and yelling, and I think that helped a lot.”Ron Morrison said, “The main thing the crowd got back was that it doesn’t matter what your age is, it’s surprising that you can still play tennis.”Next year, these four plan on returning to the court, with an additional four years of life experience, and a love for staying active.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
FORT MYERS, Fla. —
St. Patrick’s Day brought a treat to tennis fans and community members in the Heritage Palms community as four men all at least 90 years of age took part in a tennis doubles match.
There were over 360 years of life experience on one court, but don’t let their ages fool you because the competition is fierce!
On a frigid Tuesday afternoon, the Heritage Palms community witnessed what some are calling the tennis match of the century.
Dozens of spectators packed the bleachers to watch these men compete as they shined in the spotlight.
Tennis player Don Pickard said, “When you’re 92 and you can move, you move and then you hurt afterwards and then you get up and move again and that’s the way we do it. It still hurts though!”
To no one’s surprise, this game came down to a tiebreaker, with one team claiming the coveted trophy, but everyone that took in this match left the court as a winner.
Tennis player Bob Gerlicher said, “It’s kind of fun to play in front of your home crowd because they were cheering and yelling, and I think that helped a lot.”
Ron Morrison said, “The main thing the crowd got back was that it doesn’t matter what your age is, it’s surprising that you can still play tennis.”
Next year, these four plan on returning to the court, with an additional four years of life experience, and a love for staying active.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.