A man who is 92 years old is not only still competing in his activity of choice — he’s teaching others the secrets of how to live a long, healthy and fulfilling life.
Ivan Pedley, a retired toolmaker, plays ping pong twice a week — and said he has no plans to stop doing so any time soon.
The grandfather of three took up the paddle sport when he was just 14 years old, news agency SWNS reported — and now, 78 years later, he’s still strongly involved in it.
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The retiree plays roughly 14 games a week at the Great Wryley Table Tennis Club in Staffordshire, West Midlands, England.
He often goes up against opponents who are much younger than he is, SWNS said.
Ivan Pedley is a 92-year-old ping pong player who enjoys the activity twice a week for up to three hours at a time. (SWNS)
And while he may have slowed down a bit over time, Pedley said he rarely gets knocked off the table and that success at the sport is all about “technique.”
He said that regular ping pong playing helps him stay fit and healthy — and that continuing to play it well into his senior years is the best thing he’s ever done.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Said Pedley, who lives in Walsall, West Midlands, “I enjoy every minute of it.”
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He added, “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I don’t know anyone older than 92 [who is still] playing.”
Sprightly retiree Pedley plays about 14 games of ping pong each week. (SWNS)
He said that while the others who play might be “faster” than he is, “it’s all in the technique.”
There are “a lot of people in their 60s” who play, he said, “but I play the younger people, too. I try to play everybody at the club.”
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He continued, “I’ll keep going for as long as I can, as long as my health stays. Sitting on your backside is no help to anyone.”
He said he first found his passion for ping pong while he was a teenager — and let it go for awhile when he was in his 20s.
Pedley (center, front) said he has no plans to retire from playing ping pong. He’s a grandfather of three and first took up the paddle sport as a teenager. (SWNS)
But once he reached his 60s, he rediscovered his love of the sport following a chance game with a friend while on vacation, he said.
He then started playing regularly again while also continuing to stay involved in bowling, swimming and judo — in which he is a brown belt.
“I like to keep myself healthy … I keep going.”
Pedley said that he believes he’s gotten better at ping pong because of the standard of skill in those he’s playing against these days.
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He added jokingly, “I do let these [them] win sometimes, though, because I don’t want to dishearten them.”
Pedley goes to the club on Tuesdays and Fridays, he said — spending as long as three hours there each time.
Pedley said ping pong helps him stay fit and healthy — and that playing as a senior is one of the best things he’s ever done. (SWNS)
He said, “I don’t want to sit here and do nothing. I like to keep myself healthy … I keep going. It makes me get up and do it.”
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He added about being part of a club, “Once you’re committed, you have to try and turn up. I’d tell anyone to join a club to start with.”
“He’ll always put his heart into it.”
He said, “I’ve done amateur competitions. I’ve got certificates from what I’ve achieved at table tennis.”
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Club secretary Tony Reeds told SWNS about Pedley, “He’ll always put his heart into it.”
He said that Pedley will play against “anyone” who comes into the club to play ping pong.
Pedley is shown at left during a match. He said that while he may have slowed down over the years, the trick is “all in the technique.” (SWNS)
The 92-year-old often goes up against opponents who are much younger than himself. (SWNS)
“He’s part of the furniture now. He’s had some good games.”
Pedley tells people, “If you want to keep fit, this is the way to do it,” Reeds also noted.
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Older people are wise to stay active, eat well, remain connected to others and take care of themselves both physically and mentally in other ways as well, health and medical experts have long said.
