What started as a late passion is his elixir of life today: Georg Steeper is still on the tennis court at the age of 96 and is amazed with cheeky play and charm.
“Detlef, bring the balls with you,” it echoes over one of the eight tennis courts of TSV Holm, west of Hamburg. The voice belongs to Georg Steeper – 96 years old, wiry, dark sunglasses and caps deep on the face. He is slightly impatient on the net with the racket. “Detlef, the balls please!” he calls again with a touch of strict in his voice. But player Detlef Kleinwort takes the time. Comes comfortably over the square and greets each individual. “It has to be,” he says.
“He is always to be expected”
The TSV senior native group has 22 members, around 15 of them are regularly on the pitch – all over 70 years old. The average age of the group is currently around 80 years, reports team leader Ingo Aurin. But Georg Stieper is by far the oldest and at the same time one of the fittest. “He is always to be expected,” says Aurin. “He is definitely not a round feed for us.”
Stieper loves to surprise his teammates. “Insert!” He calls with a mischievous grin for a successful point. “He’s back at the back, and then I hit the ball into the short corner. That’s a little trick from me,” he says. “I’m no longer the fastest, but I still master such short balls and slice.”
The ambition has remained
Stieper is a real late profession. His sporting career began at a young age at the TSV gymnastics, initially as an active athlete and later as chairman of the gymnastics department. Badminton and athletics followed. The sport, says Stieper, is in the family. Only at the age of 50, through a friendship with the then chairman, Stieper discovered his love for tennis – and stayed with it. Because for him it is just the right thing, especially in old age.
“I can play in stages,” he explains. “I run, take a break of 20 seconds, rest short and then it goes on.” These natural breaks and intervals are crucial for him. Especially in doubles. And individual games? “Too exhausting. I don’t do it anymore,” admits Stieper, at most to play. But the ambition has remained. “As soon as he is on the pitch, he can hardly wait for the game to start and count,” says Kleinwort.
Two to three hours of sport a day
Stieper lives in Wedel, comes to work with his black folding-e-bike to Holm. In the past, he was still struggling without electrical support, but for two years the small engine has made it easier for him to stretch the long distances. It is no coincidence that he is still so fit at 96. “I recently read in the newspaper that you should train 120 minutes a week to stay fit,” he explains: “I do two to three hours – every day.”
The day begins with 20 minutes of morning gymnastics for him, followed by an hour of Nordic Walking in the park, then he rides on the bike. In the evening it is about the block again. “Interval training: run 300 steps, go 50,” he says. And even before going to bed, the 96-year-old does five to ten minutes of gymnastics. In addition, tennis at least twice a week. A lot comes together.
Everything, just don’t give up: Georg Steeper in action.
“I’ve been doing this consistently for five years, I’ve been alone since then. My partner died at the time,” says Stieper. The loss had caused him to restructure his everyday life and also return to the north. He had previously spent twelve years with his partner in Cologne. “At TSV, he was immediately integrated into the team,” recalls friend and teammate Aurin.
Dosing the strength – “I’m not exaggerating”
Steeper keeps your body and mind going with his strict training program every day, but also pays attention to balance: “I don’t exaggerate. I don’t run a marathon, but dose my strength consciously.” A daily lunch break of one to two hours is part of his rhythm.
“Schorsch”, as everyone calls it, does not think of quitting. “The training that I do every day pays off,” he is convinced. He feels fit, has no complaints: “not yet,” he adds with a wink. “But if I give up now, it will be over in 14 days.” He knows how quickly that can change. He therefore does not make long -term plans. But he has already registered for the next winter season.
Chat and with each other in the “third set”
“It was an ace,” says Stieper dryly when he creates a perfect serve. “Detlef, please the same ball,” he calls: “This is my lucky ball.” Steeper smiles, but also knows that such hussar pieces are less common.
Towards the end of the two -hour training session, the two -stage stands filled with moss overgrown. The passive members take a seat on beer banks and old garden chairs. It is the moment you are all looking forward to: the “third sentence”. This is what the team calls the sociable get -together after training. Because this is no longer about tennis, but above all about cooperation. “The need to chat with each other is great,” says Aurin.
