Coaching Tennis in Later Life: a chat with Eric Flack
At 82 years old, Eric Flack is a passionate and dedicated tennis coach who loves to support people of all ages in learning and playing tennis.
The Drumchapel Tennis Club has been a part of Eric's family's life for generations. His grandfather, father, and now his grandchildren have enjoyed playing on the well-kept courts near the Drumchapel railway station.
Eric began in an organising role in the 1970s and has been proactively supporting the club for more than fifty years. Living nearby with a view overlooking the courts, tennis is never far away!
While no stranger to health challenges - two hip replacements and a heart attack - Eric continues to play tennis when he can. However, he explained that he has adapted his playing style to reflect the doctor's orders, making sure he takes opportunities to rest when he needs to.
The Drumchapel Tennis Club serves a variety of people in the community. Eric explained that their oldest club member is around 85 years old, with their youngest being 4 years old. Eric is still involved in a coaching capacity, offering his coaching skills to anyone who needs them. For example, he often coaches and plays with groups from three local nurseries, putting actions to the popular kids' music of the time (such as The Jungle Book, Lazy Town, or Paw Patrol). Eric said that doing it “keeps me fit going through the actions with the kids! Ten star jumps and high leg kicks – my hip surgeon would be impressed!”.
Eric’s active involvement in Drumchapel also goes beyond the tennis club, having been community council secretary for more than 50 years and involved in a wide range of community activities. Eric's dedication to tennis, and his community, has been recognised by his inclusion on the Queen’s Honours List for a British Empire Medal (BEM) in 2014, being a torch bearer for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games (2014), and ‘UK Coach of the Year Award’ from Tennis For Free in 2017.
When asked what advice he would give to someone who had never played before, with a twinkle in his eye, Eric explained: "Just turn up and we will give them a racket!". This straightforward advice is a good reminder that sometimes we might think too much about all that could go wrong, but that we can redirect those thoughts to focus on getting out and seeing what happens.
Taking that first step towards trying something new can be difficult, but clubs like Drumchapel Tennis Club will welcome novices with open arms. In particular, the club offers an ‘Adult Beginners/Rusty Rackets’ session on Mondays between 7-9pm at Drumchapel Tennis Club. They also offer free sessions at Knightswood Park on Saturdays between 1 and 2pm (booking recommended). It is possible that your own local sports and leisure clubs offers something similar. Take a step towards trying something new and search online or ask your local sports and leisure club for information.
In a recent Age Scotland blog, we wrote about how there are several elements of wellbeing in later life that we can all strive to include in our lives to help support us have a healthier and more balanced life. As a quick reminder, these are: be social, give, move, learn, notice, and eat and drink smart. Eric's story provides a wonderful example of how involvement in a sports club or group, or an activity that you find gives you meaning and purpose, at any age can involve supporting your wellbeing without too much thought!
If you take one thing away from Eric's story, start thinking about how you could take one step towards getting involved, or more involved, in your local community - ideally in a way that also involves getting your body moving.
