Pirouettes on ice: Pensioners take the spotlight

DW (English)

Figure skating is demanding, especially later in life. At 71, Alan Lessik is living his dream on ice at the amateur World Championships in Oberstdorf.

Transcript

00:00Who says dreams have an expiration date?

00:05That's my metaphor for life now.

00:08They are over 70 and still on the ice.

00:13They aren't professionals, but they are real winners.

00:21What they demonstrate on the ice is more than technique.

00:24It's courage, resilience, and a real statement.

00:28We can change the world just by skating.

00:32Alan Lessig became a figure skater after suffering from rheumatism.

00:37Such a severe case of arthritis that I couldn't do anything.

00:40And I thought that was going to be the rest of my life.

00:43And eventually he competed as one of the oldest participants

00:46at the Amateur Figure Skating World Championships in Oberstdorf, Bavaria.

00:54It's the biggest competition in the world for adults.

00:57And so it's my chance to be with people from around the world.

01:04Many here have led remarkable lives.

01:07Every year they gather in Oberstdorf.

01:10Around 500 skaters from 30 countries take part in the adult figure skating competition,

01:16which is considered the world championship for amateurs.

01:19It's a stage where even first-time competitors can shine.

01:25Like Eleanor Stanbury, who first saw an ice rink after moving from Malaysia to New Zealand in 1977.

01:34When I first started, the feeling when I first learned to glide is like flying.

01:47Or Janet Breger from the U.S.

01:49Growing up, her parents couldn't afford the sport.

01:52She started when she was 62.

01:55You know, what is the one thing I really wanted to do in my life that I didn't do?

01:59And it was ice skating, so I started.

02:02Alan Lessig's story is even more inspiring.

02:06Just two weeks ago, he was preparing for the Amateur World Championships in his Berlin apartment,

02:12practicing dry runs and gymnastics every day.

02:15He didn't start skating until his late 40s after being diagnosed with rheumatism.

02:25During that time period, yeah, I felt really, really bad and awful all the time.

02:32And then once I started getting my body back, yeah, I had just decided this is my one chance.

02:39Like today is my one chance to do something.

02:42He takes figure skating seriously.

02:47Alan has lived in Berlin since 2021, training under former Olympic figure skater Romy Kermer.

02:54Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

03:00Training times on the ice are hard to come by, but he's committed to his passion.

03:05So I think I realized how important it is in your life to do something that you really love to do.

03:16And not be afraid. Yeah, I think that's the, yeah, not be afraid to trust your body.

03:22And to learn, yeah, to learn that you can learn things.

03:26Only two hours to go until his freestyle skating in Oberstdorf.

03:31Does he have stage fright?

03:33There's a friend of mine who said, there's no such thing as nerves, it's just energy.

03:38And so I'm going with that right now.

03:41This is Alan's most important performance of the year.

03:46The Amateur World Championships are an official international skating union event, following the same rules as the professionals.

03:56No one here takes it lightly.

04:01Alan has spent six months preparing for his free skate.

04:05At 71, he's the oldest male competitor.

04:08He created the choreography himself.

04:22Every element, the music, jumps, and spins are all part of his self-expression.

04:33After just two minutes, he comes to a close.

04:37For Alan, figure skating is more than just the applause or the joy of coming in third.

04:43It's a philosophy, a way of life.

04:46That's my metaphor for life now.

04:48It's like, here I am on these skinny little blades on a slippery surface,

04:55and trying to make do and trying to do it right and trying to be graceful as I'm doing it.

05:00That's what life is about.

05:02I think it's a perfect, an absolute struggle for you, the next world.

05:05I think it's a good point.

05:07That's what life is about.

05:09I think, it's a good point.

05:11Yeah, it's a good point.

05:12It's about...

05:13...the space that I've experienced is the way to find the joy of living and living now.

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