FFor Ulrich Weibel, it is clear: “I would not be old enough without sports.” He is a strong old man with white hair, born in 1939 and lives with his wife in Bergen-Inckheim. In normal times, he maintains fitness in courses given by his coach Denis George of SG Enkheim. Denis George is very tough and demanding. “At first I asked myself if I wanted to do it myself,” says Voepel. “But now I’m glad I do.” The club hall remains closed during the closing weeks. However, Voepel continues the fitness courses. Physicality – via YouTube videos in his living room.

In the video, George presses the balls of her hands onto a blue sports mat, underneath you can see the brown tiled floor of the club. “Very short vacation. Collect power. And now the next ten! Or what would you think? “She asks provocatively and sympathetically in the camera and the next push-up begins. Dennis George’s exercises can be performed with only your body weight. So the risk of injury is lower than the weights, although Ulrich Voepel probably won’t fail with dumbbells either. The SG Enkheim sign hangs behind George – stretched in between Two silver glasses on a high wooden stool This wallpaper is her studio, which has been shooting her virtual fitness class since December.

Almost every week there is a new video via the link. And only for club members who participated in the George tournament before closing. Until December, she offered her lessons every Monday evening in the Volkshaus in Enkheim.

Denise George is also an old lady. And it’s also stiff and always good for informal saying. In one of her videos, she was initially enjoying the poor game Bayern Munich had played a few days earlier. She then asks her audience sympathetically, but firmly, on the floor of a living room, bedroom, or study. In addition to Voepel and another man, about 30 women train online. Most of them are between 25 and 50 years old. Voepel stands out because of its age. Yet he is fully involved. “When I hit my breath, I take a break,” he says calmly. But that doesn’t happen often. Some respectfully refer to Voepel as a “machine.”

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“If someone wanted to start playing sports at age 82, they wouldn’t hold up in the training session,” explains Denise George. “But Mr. Voebel has been in sports for a long time, he can make up for it.” During the conversation, Voebel showed a faded color photo from 1984. It shows him and his wife, in the middle of the snow, at the top of a mountain. The two are dressed in colorful outfits and happily looking at the camera. “At that time, we went up to Mont Blanc,” he says. Kayaking, climbing, mountaineering, downhill skiing – he really did it all. “Oh, and I also ran two marathons in Frankfurt.”