On most mornings at Gwinnett County’s Mountain Park Park, you can find 90-year-old John Lamb in motion. Calling out the score and chasing down shots.
For him, tennis isn’t a pastime of his youth. It’s a passion he discovered at 75, and one he now plays for hours at a time, sometimes six days a week. While 86% of older Americans don’t get enough physical activity, Lamb isn’t among them.
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
He works out with a diverse group of players, organized by the late tennis instructor Bryan Shepherd. Everyone is welcome at these sessions, which usually attract cross-cultural participation.
“You’re always mingling with somebody different every game. It’s a social thing that’s improving your tennis, giving you exercise, and releasing any tension you have,” Lamb said.
As a widower, Lamb welcomes the social interaction that tennis offers. He’s become friends with the regulars at practice, where everyone is laughing and having fun while still working hard on their game.
“I see no sense in people beyond a certain age getting serious about sports. You’re not going to win a prize. The joy of playing is the best prize of all,” he said.
Consistent physical activity like playing tennis is linked to a lower risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease, some cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Just 13.9% of American adults age 65 and older get the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity a week, according to National Institutes of Health research in 2022. For those 85 and older, the percentage drops to 6.2.
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
But Lamb has never been one to sit still.
Throughout his career as a civil engineer for the U.S. Forest Service, frequent relocations became opportunities for adventure. He hiked the Himalayas while working in Nepal for three years and scuba-dived while managing a project in Grenada.
Wherever he’s lived, he’s gotten involved in some activity — from white-water rafting to church league volleyball. Even on bad weather days, he stays active by riding a recumbent bike in his basement or working out on a trainer that simulates downhill mogul skiing.
Downhill skiing is another favorite activity. For 30 years, he has taken a multiweek ski trip to Utah, where he usually hits the black-diamond slopes at several resorts. While many people scale back physical challenges as they age, Lamb continues to seek them out.
On the tennis court, his steady presence and sharp mind have earned him a special nickname. Fellow tennis player Kim Wurapa said he’s a strong competitor and an even better person. She said the tennis family he plays with “adores him” and calls him “Papa.”
“While most of us in our 40s through 70s struggle to remember the score, John can explain point by point where we are in the game,” she said.
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
Credit: Abbey Cutrer/AJC
After his wife, Shirley, died in 2024, Lamb was back on the court a week later, said Wurapa. He also played after hand surgery, with his hand still wrapped, and following a hospital stay when his pacemaker caused an infection. Even while in the hospital, Lamb got in his daily 10,000 steps by circling the halls of the cardiac wing.
He said if he keeps moving, he doesn’t have the aches and pains of aging.
“If something happens and I don’t get to exercise for three or four days, I can really tell,” he said. “I find, if I keep on keeping on, I’m good.”
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