Keen-Ager program co-ordinator John Gates, left, and players Carl Darko and John Hall are keen to get going.By Kath Gannaway
CARL Darko of Warburton is just a “keen-ager” when it comes to table tennis.
At 78 Mr Darko has been playing the game he says keeps him young for 46 years. His opponent in a friendly exhibition match last week, John Hall, not yet 59, is also a veteran of the game having started in 1974.
While Mr Darko says he gets plenty of action in competition down the line, often playing against “red hot” players who are older than him, both he and Mr Hall are looking forward to the Keen-Agers Table Tennis starting soon at the Yarra Centre in Yarra Junction.
The program is run through the Active Places Program of the Upper Yarra Community House and co-ordinator John Gates says while it is aimed towards people over 60, it’s open to anyone who is keen to have a go. The two-hour program will run twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays starting at 9am with two “try-out” sessions in February leading up to a March start.
Mr Gates said the Keen-Age program, which started in 2000 to provide a non-competitive activity for people to enjoy a social game of table tennis and keep fit at the same time, had proved hugely successful.
“It doesn’t matter whether you have played before or not, it’s about meeting people, enjoying a game and having fun,” Mr Gates said.
He said programs run in other country areas were reporting great benefits for people who might be reluctant to try sport, such as people with arthritis and those recovering from heart attack and stroke.
“I hate to think of people just sitting in their chairs at home, looking out a window, when they can enjoy the benefits something like this offers,” he said.
The practice sessions will be held on Tuesday 3 February and Friday 13 February at the Yarra Centre at 9am. For details phone Mr Gates at the Upper Yarra Community House on 5967 1776 on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.
