People to watch: Nelson Irvine

On an average day, attorney Nelson Irvine writes legal documents, catches a few minutes on an elliptical trainer and winds down with a round of hatha yoga.

The nonprofit closest to his heart, literally and spiritually, has been the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga. In the late 1960s, he juggled duties as soccer coach and legal adviser.

If this sounds a tad stuffy, well, it can be at times. But Mr. Irvine, in person, shows a more interesting side, especially when it comes to fitness and athletics.

Q: Why soccer?

A: I was too small for football and not tall enough for basketball, so I played soccer.

Q: What’s one cool thing you’ve done for the YMCA?

A: I helped restructure the YMCA’s board from being run by a volunteer member to a more modern structure of having a volunteer board and hiring a professional executive director. When we did that, the YMCA really grew in size.

Q: The YMCA says it follows “Christian principles.” What does that mean?

A: Fitness is not just about having a nice-looking body. It is something more. Members of the Y encourage and support each other and share the experience of building and keeping a healthy body, mind and spirit. It is an example of the Christian principle of loving and caring for your neighbor at work every day. Teamwork is the golden rule. The Y isn’t linked to Christian churches, and we have members of all religions. It’s open to all.

Q: Ever played basketball?

A: In the 1960s, lots of lawyers in town used to meet at noon at the Y. It was a great way to stay in shape and a great way to work off the stress of a law practice. In my early 40s, I decided it was time to hang up basketball to do something with less risk.

Q: What do you do to stay fit now?

A: I’ve done a lot of things I don’t still do, like soccer and basketball. But the happy thing is if you stay active you can keep doing things your whole life. I’m a great user of the exercise equipment. I love the elliptical machines, love the new weight machines. They’re terrific for somebody my age.

Q: Tell me about yoga.

A: Yoga is the most important thing I got out of the last 20 years. My father taught yoga. It all began with Jim Irvine, Betty Stoker and a handful of others in the back room of the Y. Yoga’s a terrific program; it’s wonderful. You can keep yourself in better shape doing yoga than you can forcing other kinds of strenuous exercise. Yoga puts all the parts in the right place.

QUICK BITS ABOUT HIM

Age: 67.

Job: Partner at Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel.

Born: Chattanooga.

Schools: Baylor School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt University Law School.

Family: Married to Deanne Runyon Werner, four children, nine grandchildren.

Charitable works: Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Association, Hospice of Chattanooga, Friends of the Festival (Riverbend), YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga.

Latest award

William D. Pettway Jr. Memorial Leadership Award, given to board members who “exemplify leadership and dedication” by the YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga.

Legal mythbuster

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