‘Young Whippersnapper’ Meets ‘Old Geezer’ in Ping Pong Showdown

Ingleside at King Farm resident Sid and Fitness Manager Cody Christian

Ingleside at King Farm resident Sid and Fitness Manager Cody Christian faced off in a ping pong “Battle of the Ages” and proved that folks can enjoy an active lifestyle as they grow older.

You might think that Sid, who is 93, would be overwhelmed by Christian, 24. But Christian says the “old geezer,” as publicity for the event termed him, was able to hold his own.

“I had to move all over the place to keep up with his skills,” Christian says. “He’s smart. I can hit hard, but he knows where to hit and when to hit.”

The match was played without keeping score, because, Sid says, “when you play for points, it puts a certain tension to win. So we just volley, but we don’t play any less well than we would for points.” The two played for about half an hour, and “we both won,” Sid says. “Some of the people here claimed I had Cody on the defensive. My opinion was that we were pretty well evenly matched.”

“The idea was to show people that if you don’t sit on your duff and are physically active, you can enjoy life well into advanced age,” Sid says. Sid participates in Christian’s fitness classes, excels in everything and always tries to improve himself, Christian says. He also walks on the Fitness Center’s treadmill at least three times a week and plays ping pong with Cody and other opponents several times each week.

Several dozen people showed up to watch the match and cheer for the combatants. Christian thinks the event served its purpose.

Christian says Ingleside at King Farm residents have become more aware of the benefits of physical activity and the other dimensions of wellness, which include social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and vocational wellness.

“Physical activity can greatly improve your quality of life,” Christian says. “I encourage residents to not let age keep them from being physically active. Even if you have limitations or disabilities, there will always be a way to continue to be active in later life.”

Ingleside at King Farm, a Continuing Care Retirement Community, offers a wide variety of wellness, cultural, educational and social activities for residents who seek to live an active, engaged retirement life.

About Christen Milstead

Christen Milstead is the director of marketing for Ingleside, a not-for-profit parent organization to Ingleside at Rock Creek, Westminster at Lake Ridge, Ingleside at King Farm, Westminster Ingleside Foundation, and Ingleside at Home. She graduated from University of Maryland, Baltimore County from Erickson School of Aging with a master's degree in management of aging services and from Towson University with a bachelors in Business Administration, with a concentration in marketing. She is also CASP (Certified Aging Services Professional) Certified.

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