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How to keep active as you age? These players chose pickleball : NPR

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Bu içerik, Florida’daki Wiregrass Ranch Spor Kampüsü’nde gerçekleşen bir pickleball turnuvasını konu almaktadır. Resimde 56 yaşındaki pickleball oyuncusu Alice Edington, Florida Yaşlılar Oyunları’nda çiftler maçında rakiplerine topu geri gönderirken görülmektedir. Pickleball, en hızlı büyüyen sporlardan biri olup, yaşlı sporcular arasında da popülerdir. Turnuvanın turnuva direktörü Aaron Del Mar yönetimindeki oyuncular, içerideki iki düzine kort üzerinde yarışmaktadır. Oyuncuların çoğu 50 yaşın üzerindedir ve bazıları yanlarında yetişkin çocuklarıyla gelmiştir. Takım arkadaşlarıyla eşleşen bazı oyuncular renkli tişörtler giymektedir. This content is about the Florida Senior Games, where nearly 600 players registered to compete in various sports, with pickleball being a popular choice. The event draws participants from both Florida and other states, showcasing a community of active seniors aiming to stay healthy and involved. The article highlights the experiences of pickleball players, including Ruth Weil, who found joy and a sense of community through the sport. The participants emphasize the importance of starting and staying active in sports as part of aging gracefully. The piece includes images of pickleball players gearing up for the competition and enjoying the game. Bu içerik, Florida’daki yaşlılar oyunlarında altın madalya kazanan 76 yaşındaki Ruth Weil’in hikayesini ve 85 yaşındaki eşi Joy ile birlikte pickleball ve softbol oyunlarına nasıl hazırlandığını anlatmaktadır. Ruth, yaşlılar oyunlarında yer alarak 2025 yılında ulusal oyunlara katılma hakkı kazanmıştır. Eşi Joy’un ilham verici öyküsü üzerinde durularak, çiftin ABD’nin farklı bölgelerini gezip yarışmalara katılmak için planlar yaptığı belirtilmektedir. Ayrıca, 72 yaşındaki Gene Berg’in, ülkenin her eyaletinde yaşlılar oyunlarında madalya kazanma hedefine de değinilmektedir. Bu içerik, 72 yaşındaki Gene Berg’in Florida Yaşlı Oyunları’nda tekler maçına çıkmasını ve pickleball oynamaya nasıl başladığını anlatmaktadır. Gene ve eşi Margaret, çocuklarının büyüdüğü zaman pickleball oynamaya başlamışlar ve şimdi haftada dört kez saatlerce bu sporu oynamaktadırlar. Gene’in hedefi, madalya kazanmak değil, yaşamında yapmak istediği şeyleri gerçekleştirmek olan bir “kova listesi”ni tamamlamaktır. Eşi Margaret ise, onunla birlikte bu hedefe ulaşmak için yanında olmaktadır. Resmin kredisine Zack Wittman for NPR ismi verilmiştir. Bu içerikte, Gene ve Margaret’in sakatlanmaktan kaçınmak için esneme yapmaya dikkat ettiklerini belirttikleri anlatılmaktadır. İkili, 22 fitlik bir Airstream’e sahiptir ve genellikle yarışmadan yarışmaya seyahat ederler. Ancak son Florida seyahatlerinde uçmayı tercih etmişlerdir. Bu yıl yedinci veya sekizinci etkinlikleri olacak. Gene, “Florida’da birçok emekli var, birçok iyi oyuncu var” dedi. “Bu yüzden buraya gelirken biraz endişeliydik, ama işte buradayız.” Tania Miller ise Florida Emekli Oyunları’nda pickleball oynarken, ebeveynleri metal tribünlerden izledi. Onların etkisiyle kendisinin de raket almaya başladığını belirtti. Bu içerikte, bir kadının evden çıkıp iş dışında başka şeyler yapması gerektiğine dair bir konuşma, pickleball oyununa olan ilgisinden bahsediliyor. Kadın, oyunun ilk oynadığı maçta hemen bağlandığını ifade ediyor. Ayrıca, pickleball partneriyle tanışması ve onunla olan bağlantısından da bahsediliyor. Ayrıca, Florida Yaşlılar Oyunları’ndaki ilk defa katılan iki kadının zaferlerinden ve oyun sonrası yaptıkları açıklamalardan da bahsediliyor. Görsellerde, oyun sırasında oyuncuların ve maç sonrası kazananların fotoğrafları yer alıyor. Bu içerikte, pickleball ile ilgili deneyimler paylaşılıyor. Yaşları 56 ile 62 arasında değişen bir grup kadının, pickleball oynarken yaşadıkları keyif ve rekabet vurgulanıyor. Ayrıca, 70 yaşındaki Debra Wells-Lynn’in tenis kariyerinden pickleball’a geçiş hikayesi ve sporu ne kadar sevdiği anlatılıyor. İçerikte ayrıca, yaşın sadece bir sayı olduğu ve sporun keyifli olduğu vurgulanıyor. Görselde, pickleball oynayan ve Florida Senior Games’te yarışan Debra Wells-Lynn’in fotoğrafı yer alıyor. Bu içerik, içerik açıklaması oluşturma konusunda yapay zeka asistanlarıyla nasıl işbirliği yapılabileceğini ele almaktadır. Yapay zeka asistanları, içerik oluşturma sürecinde insan yazarlara destek sağlayabilir ve hızlı bir şekilde içerik açıklamaları oluşturabilirler. Bu içerik, yapay zeka asistanlarının içerik oluşturma sürecindeki avantajları ve etkileri üzerine bilgi vermektedir. Bu içerikte, içerik açıklaması oluşturulmaktadır. İçeriğin konusu belirtilmemiştir, ancak içeriğin ne hakkında olduğu, hangi bilgileri içerdiği ve ne tür bir içerik oluşturduğu gibi detaylar açıklanmaktadır. İçerik açıklaması, içeriğin özünü ve önemli noktalarını vurgular, okuyucuların içeriği daha iyi anlamasına yardımcı olur. Bu içerik açıklaması, içeriğin kapsamı ve amacı hakkında genel bilgiler içermektedir.
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Kaynak: www.npr.org

Pickleball player Alice Edington, 56, returns the ball to her opponents during a doubles match at the Florida Senior Games. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport and it's also popular with older athletes.

Pickleball player Alice Edington, 56, returns the ball to her opponents during a doubles match at the Florida Senior Games. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport and it’s also popular with older athletes.

Zack Wittman for NPR


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Zack Wittman for NPR

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — At the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus on a recent Tuesday morning, dozens of pickleball players gathered around tournament director Aaron Del Mar.

Dressed in a neon green shirt, with a walkie-talkie microphone clipped to his chest, Del Mar bellowed out instructions, before dispatching the players across two dozen indoor courts.

“We’re going to be running a round-robin system today, ” he told the group. “You may be playing against teams that may be younger or older than you. If you don’t want to play them, you don’t have to.”

The players competing here are all over the age of 50. Some had come with their adult children cheering them on in the stands. Some wore colorful shirts that matched their teammates. And all were vying for a spot in the National Senior Games in 2025.

Pickleball players warm up before their competition at the Florida Senior Games.

Pickleball players warm up before their competition at the Florida Senior Games.

Zack Wittman for NPR


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Zack Wittman for NPR

Many states across the country host senior games, which include all types of sports like archery, basketball and mountain biking. But here in Florida, pickleball is the crown jewel. Nick Gandy, sports information manager for the Florida Senior Games, says nearly 600 players registered to compete, including some who traveled from outside of Florida.

“It’s like they’re going back to their younger days when they did this with their friends,” said Gandy, who’s been involved with the Florida Senior Games for 25 years. “But it’s a more mature, adult group of people just trying to stay active, and stay healthy, and stay involved in a sport that they love, and they meet other people that inspire them.”

As part of our series on active aging, we headed down to Florida to spend some time with pickleball players as they competed for nationals. Some of them were competing at the state level for the first time. Others had been playing for years. One couple made it their mission to medal at senior games in every state.

Almost to a person, when we asked them for advice for anyone who hoped to pick up a paddle or begin a new sport the answer was simple: Just start.

Ruth Weil, 76, of The Villages, Fla.

Ruth Weil started playing pickleball 15 years ago after she and her wife moved to The Villages, a sprawling retirement community. She says the active community there is part of what keeps her going.

Ruth Weil started playing pickleball 15 years ago after she and her wife moved to The Villages, a sprawling retirement community in Florida.

Ruth Weil started playing pickleball 15 years ago after she and her wife moved to The Villages, a sprawling retirement community in Florida.

Zack Wittman for NPR


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Zack Wittman for NPR

“I have two very bad knees that I just keep plugging along — cortisone shots — knowing that eventually I’m going to have to have replacements. But it’s just a matter of getting out and doing it and trying to stay active … I mean, we have things going on morning, noon and night.

“I look at everybody, and I said, ‘How lucky we all are at this age, to be able to still compete,’ ” Weil said.

Her wife, Joy, is also a competitive pickleball player.

Ruth Weil, 76, (right) receives her gold medal at the Florida Senior Games. She will play in the national games in 2025.

Ruth Weil, 76, (right) receives her gold medal at the Florida Senior Games. She will play in the national games in 2025.

Zack Wittman for NPR


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Zack Wittman for NPR

“My wife, who’s 85 years old in January, is still competing in pickleball and she is here today,” Weil said. “And she, to me, is an inspiration for everybody. Because how many 85-year-olds do you see out playing? So as long as she competes, I will compete.”

At the Florida Senior Games, Weil clinched her spot and will play in the national games in 2025 in both pickleball and softball.

She and Joy plan to load their car full of equipment, and drive from The Villages to Des Moines, Iowa, so they can see part of the United States before competition begins.

Gene Berg, 72, and Margaret Berg, 63, of Litchfield, N.H.

Gene Berg has an ambitious goal: He wants to medal in the senior games in every state in the country. So far? He’s up to 36.

When we asked Gene how he started on this path, he laughed, and said: “I think it’s just a fetish.”

Gene Berg, 72, competes in his singles match at the Florida Senior Games.

Gene Berg, 72, competes in his singles match at the Florida Senior Games.

Zack Wittman for NPR


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Zack Wittman for NPR

“It’s his bucket list. I’ll play in the games but I don’t have to get a medal,” Margaret said. “But if I get a medal and he doesn’t we still have to go back to that state.”

They started playing pickleball when their kids got older.

“We spent probably 35 years chasing youth sports,” Gene said. “And when the youths left the nest, we had nothing left to chase, so we had to chase each other.”

Margaret adds, “he said, ‘I’ve heard about this sport, pickleball, do you want to try it?’ And we went to our local, little indoor gymnasium where the people taught us how to play.”

Now, Gene plays about four times a week, for hours at a time. Though, he and Margaret both note that they’re careful to stretch to avoid injury.

Margaret Berg, 63, and Gene Berg, 72, watch pickleball matches on the sidelines at the Florida Senior Games.

Margaret Berg, 63, and Gene Berg, 72, watch pickleball matches on the sidelines at the Florida Senior Games.

Zack Wittman for NPR


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Zack Wittman for NPR

The two have a 22-foot Airstream and frequently drive from competition to competition. But on this recent trip to Florida, they opted to fly. It’s their seventh or eighth event this year.

“Florida’s got a lot of retirees, a lot of good players,” Gene said. “So we’re a little nervous coming down here, but here we are.”

Sondra Boruty, 58 of Tampa, and Tania Miller, 57 

As Tania Miller played pickleball at the Florida Senior Games, her parents watched from the metal bleachers. It was their influence that led her to pick up a paddle herself.

“My parents always played and I always made fun of it, ‘Oh pickleball, it’s for old people,’ ” she said. “And they were like, you need to get out of the house and do something other than go to work.”

She was hooked by the first game.

Sondra Boruty, 58, (top left) and Tania Miller, 57, (top right) return the ball to their opponents as they compete in their doubles match at the Florida Senior Games.

Sondra Boruty, 58, (top left) and Tania Miller, 57, (top right) return the ball to their opponents as they compete in their doubles match at the Florida Senior Games.

Zack Wittman for NPR


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Zack Wittman for NPR

“You don’t have to be a super athlete or be extra strong to hit a good ball,” she said.

Miller met her pickleball partner, Sondra Boruty, at the local rec center.

“We just clicked, in all ways, in life too,” Miller said. “Exact same age born the exact same year. We both went to college for art and design. I mean, so many things just clicked, and it was right away.

“It’s like so many things fell into place, like once we started playing together and, you know, and we do outside things together now too,” she said. “It was a fate thing.”

Alice Edington, 56, and Teresa Cheney 62, of Palm Coast, Fla.

Alice Edington and Teresa Cheney were first-timers at the Florida Senior Games. We spoke to them as they stepped off the court after their first game — a victory.

Edington says she loves that she’s “still in the game.”

Sondra Boruty, 58,  (from left) and Tania Miller, 57, with their opponents, Alice Edington, 56, and Teresa Cheney, 62.

Sondra Boruty, 58, (from left) and Tania Miller, 57, with their opponents, Alice Edington, 56, and Teresa Cheney, 62.

Zack Wittman for NPR


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Zack Wittman for NPR

“I really was a competitive racquetball player, but my knees just wouldn’t take it over time,” she said. “And so being able to play another game, I mean, it may look slow when you’re watching it, but when you’re playing it, you know, it’s very competitive and it just gives you that old feeling again.”

Both women stay active off the pickleball court, too. Edington does cardio, walks and swims. Cheney strength trains with kettlebells, runs and does Pilates.

“I mean, [I’m] 62 and I’m still able to play — knock on wood — competitively,” Cheney said.

Age is a number, she added. “Just go out and have fun.”

Debra Wells-Lynn, 70, of Poinciana, Fla.

Debra Wells-Lynn isn’t just a pickleball player. She’s also a coach. A former tennis player, she picked up pickleball when she moved to Florida from New York.

“I ate tennis, I drank tennis, I loved tennis, it was all about tennis,” she said. “But then, when I got down here, tennis kind of went out the window.”

 Pickleball player Debra Wells-Lynn, 70, prepares to serve during a match at the Florida Senior Games. Wells-Lynn is a former tennis player who picked up pickleball when she moved to Florida.

Pickleball player Debra Wells-Lynn, 70, prepares to serve during a match at the Florida Senior Games. Wells-Lynn is a former tennis player who picked up pickleball when she moved to Florida.

Zack Wittman for NPR


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Zack Wittman for NPR

She took a class for beginners and immediately fell in love with the sport.

“You have an advantage when you’re a tennis player, and you come into pickleball, great advantage because you know how the ball bounces,” she said.

Her advice for new pickleball players? Pay close attention. Listening to instructors will help avoid injury and keep you playing longer.

How to keep active as you age? These players chose pickleball : NPR
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