By BJ Corbitt

bcorbitt@forsythnews.com

Age might slow a body down, but that’s no reason to stop completely, as one group of area men are living proof.

The Georgia/North Carolina United 65 and over mens soccer team has won the national title at the United States Adult Soccer Association’s Veterans Cup the last two years running.

Dietmar Doehring, a Cumming resident since 1975, plays on and coaches the United. The German native says the team has a heavy international flavor, uniting men whose love for soccer was birthed in their respective homelands and hasn’t dimmed with the passage of time.

In addition to his own German heritage, the team has American, Dutch, English, Danish, Bermudan, Brazilian, Portuguese, South African, Finnish and Lebanese representation, said Doehring, 67.

Samir Jordak, a 70-year-old Buford resident who spent decades living in Forsyth County, says the team offers camaraderie and a chance to play a game he loved from his days as a youth in Lebanon.

"If you come from the old country, [soccer’s] in your blood," said Jordak, a retired floor covering specialist.

"We enjoy it a lot. It’s a lot of help for us too, physically. We look forward to just about every practice and game or whatever.

"Through soccer, I’ve made a lot of friends from all over the world. It’s very beneficial for anybody, kids [or adults]," he said.

Earlier this month, the team traveled to Sanford, Fla., and went 5-0 in tournament play, beating teams from St. Louis, Dallas, Massachusetts and California to take its second straight title in the 65 and over division. Last year, the United won the tournament championship in Boston.

The United won this year’s final by an 8-0 score, something Doehring attributes to the team’s conditioning and strategic focus on passing the ball to conserve energy.

"The other team was not that bad. They were just shot. They were dead, physically," he said.

Doehring admits the game is played at a slower pace than normal, and hard tackles are generally out of the question, presenting as much of a risk for the aggressor as the victim. Still, the commitment to the game is real, and the players put in serious training hours.

The United has 14 players from the Atlanta area, Doehring said, along with three from North Carolina and three more former area residents who have relocated to New England. The oldest player is 74.

"It’s an exception at that age to still play the game of soccer, but still if you look at the tournament, there are at least 20 players on each team. … You’re talking about 100-plus guys over 65 trying to play the game," said Doehring, a former German Air Force serviceman who spent decades playing competitive soccer in the Atlanta area as a younger man.

Doehring said the team practices offer a chance for socialization and help keep players healthy. Team members have a range of health concerns, ranging from arthritis to a player with a quadruple bypass, but Doehring said the activity is a health boon.

"You get together afterwards, maybe for coffee. … Everybody has some ailments. It’s not that they’re [finding] the fountain of youth here. I personally think … staying active really makes the ailments, if you have any, minor," he said.

Jordak says the team’s three weekly practices in north Fulton County help with the arthritis in his foot.

"I guess you just don’t worry about it. You keep moving. And it really helps a lot for my foot. I’m still able to do a lot of running with it," he said.

For Doehring, the benefits of the exercise are clear.

"You still have the physical one and a half hour practice a day. ... It will keep you in shape. It’s like somebody goes three times a week to the gym," he said.

Based on the two first place finishes for the United, there’s something behind that claim.

The United team members will be starting a local soccer league for players 58 or older during the summer.

Anyone interested can e-mail dural@bellsouth.net or call (770)887-1242.