They say that tennis is sport for life.

You will have no argument from Len Stirrat, who has lived a long one, on and off the courts.

For several years, he and his group of male doubles mainly in the early morning (Rita Edwards, the wife of his colleague Pete, is the only woman) have met at least on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 am on the courts in clay of Roger Scott of Pensacola Tennis center.

Wednesday March 11 started as usual, with players drawing cards to see which field they would be playing on and who would be their duplicate partners.

After the first round, to Len’s surprise, the game was interrupted to present him with a celebration of the 91st anniversary.

Humble to the bone, Stirrat did not necessarily want all the fuss to be another year older. He much prefers to play rather than eat open cakes and gifts. But as an inspiration to so many people over the years, he soon sported a big smile of gratitude for the memorable morning.

“I told John (McDaniel, group member / organizer) that I really didn’t want this,” said Stirrat. “I appreciate it; it really touched me.”

Today, don’t let anyone say that Len tennis is a game of weak men.

Growing up in a country town in New Jersey, however, a tennis racket would have been the last thing he would have.

“When I was in high school, I practiced a lot of sports,” said Stirrat, who became a semi-professional soccer player after playing basketball. “Anyone who has played tennis – I thought it was a” sissy “game. After I moved to Fort Lauderdale, my daughter came home from college and took up tennis, and asked me to hit with her. “

He didn’t even know where he got the racket, but the sport was much more difficult than he had ever imagined.

“I went there with her on the field, I missed the ball and thought,” What kind of sport is it? “So it became a challenge right away. Then I had my son hit with me. In less than a year, in 1978, we moved here. I played a bit and took lessons from Bruce Caton. “

And soon he was hooked.

Cato introduced him to Hans Krucke, 10 year old junior from Stirrat. They quickly became friends, before they even discovered they were from the same hometown of Irvington, N.J.

“Hans and I have been playing for 42 years,” said Stirrat. “His first girlfriend lived in my grandmother’s house and we played in the same high school. When we were working (Stirrat had a Pepperidge Farm road from Pensacola to Panama City), we played every Saturday in West Florida, then we played in Pensacourt, and now we play here.

“It’s another good thing about tennis – you create a lot of close friendships with people.”

Cato’s favorite story to tell is one of his student’s efforts to learn, whatever the conditions.

“It was January a year, and the actual temperature was close to freezing,” said Caton, former tennis director Scott and current teaching pro. “The cooling factor was at least in the mid-20s, if not lower, and everyone had long since canceled their lesson.

“He showed up for his shorts and short sleeve shirt lesson and told me how he grew up playing rugby in the Northeast, and it was a point of pride to show up in shorts and In the meantime, I had three layers – thermal top and gloves and woolly hat, and it was there as if it was a hot spring day.

“He is one of the nicest men I have ever met. He’s a great guy, great, great. He has always been kind and to give and give a physical example to everyone. He has been a physical inspiration to us every day. “

After losing his wife 12 years ago, Stirrat took a closer look at tennis – not just for exercise, but for the special bond he has with his friends.

“If it weren’t for tennis, I don’t know if I would have done well. This is how important it was to me, mentally and physically,” said Stirrat.

And he hasn’t lost a step after all these years.

“This is what is so amazing,” said Stirrat, who fought in the Korean War while in the US Navy aboard the USS Antietam. “I have no pain, no pain … no medicine. I don’t eat red meat (laughing). We have a good group of guys – nobody ranks, everyone is on the same level. It’s very rewarding and it’s a very nice routine. “

Two days after his birthday (March 9), his friends celebrated Stirrat with a homemade cake from Rita Edwards, hot coffee and donuts, and of course, a catchy rendition of “Happy Birthday”. Longtime friend and playmate, Marvin Wagner presented him with a large, handmade card with photos and cutouts of tennis balls signed by everyone, including Scott’s pros.

“He’s a soldier,” said Wagner. “I have been playing tennis with Len for 20 years now. I played with him at Pensacourt. He owes his 91 years of activity on tennis courts, and that’s his life. He likes to play tennis. “

For those who need a kick to get motivated, just watch Stirrat serve a tennis ball any day of the week. Let the coronavirus be cursed.

“He is an inspiration to all of us, he really is,” said McDaniel, who has been playing with him for 10 years. “All of us who suffer from aches, pains and injuries, we just look at Len and say“ God ”. He is truly a force of nature. All these guys love and revere him. “

Mac Knefely is a News Journal correspondent.