Foun-Tennis of Youth: 91-year-old Snowbird still at home on the court

Elton John Jacobson says an active lifestyle is the key to staying young.

"You just have to keep things moving," Jacobson said after finishing up a tennis match. "If you don’t, things start to tighten up."

While adjusting his knee braces, Jacobson said he doesn’t have any pain after leaving the court; he just wears the braces to protect himself.

The 91-year-old Snowbird, born Nov. 5 1918, in Minneapolis, Minn., started out his active lifestyle playing handball while attending the University of Minnesota.

"I was in Army ROTC at the time," he said, "Right before I graduated I remember watching some friends of mine hitting the ball back and forth around the court. This was my first introduction to the game."

Jacobson's love for this new game would have to take a brief hiatus while he attended radar school in Florida.

"I didn’t get to play that much while I was in school," he said.

In 1942, radar school had ended and Jacobson found himself stationed in Panama during World War II.

"I was transferred to the radar regiment headquarters where I got technically trained," he said. "There just happened to be about eight other officers who played handball. We would play anyplace that we could until we were able to go home."

While he was in Panama, Jacobson was allowed to take time off to marry his wife of almost 66 years, Betty.

Jacobson said he was lucky to get that time off because he was about to be transferred to the Pacific during World War II.

"They had me ready to go," he said. "But thankfully the bomb went off and we got to go home."

After completing his service, Jacobson returned home to Minnesota and continued to play handball at the local YMCA.

"I think I have been playing handball for almost 60 years now," he said. "It really is a wonderful, action-filled game. It suited me because I am agile and quick."

With years of handball under his belt, Jacobson dedicated himself to another love of his — Tennis.

"I actually started playing tennis before handball," he said. "They didn’t have nets in the public parks back then, so me and a friend of mine split the cost of a net so we could play."

He noted the strategy involved with handball and tennis is very similar.

"It is just fun to make the ball spin," he said. "You can make it jump and move around in almost any way you want."

The ability to play outside is what made Jacobson fall in love with tennis.

Jacobson said there is nowhere else he would rather be than outside and on the tennis court.

"I know there are not many 91-year-old tennis or handball players," he said. "It is just one of my secrets to staying young."