The gymnasium of the village hall in Vledderveen celebrates the 5th anniversary of sports lessons for the residents of the village. The guidance is provided by volunteers aged over fifty and that is a unique concept. One of those volunteers is 77-year-old Gerrit Ekkels.
“At first it was a bit strange to sit in front of the group, but you get used to it. I have my own music and I download it. And that’s not ‘Little Robin taps on the window’,” he laughs.
“Yes, it is a fantastic lesson, of course. Gerrit always has a good attitude and good dynamics,” says spinner Jeroen Meijboom. “I don’t notice that he is 77 years old, when I see how fast he is going.”
Ekkels is probably even better at spinning than himself, Meijboom suspects. “I’m sure of that. Because he keeps the time well and it’s nice when someone sitting in front of you does that well.”
Spinner Hans van der Heijden adds: “We all hope to live to be that old. For us he is the great example. Our nestor. He also cycles with the group in the village, once or twice a week. Fantastic.”
Ekkels himself hopes to continue giving spinning lessons for a long time to come. “I have no guarantee, but I hope so, yes. I will continue to do this as long as I can.”