May 19, 2020

Over 80’s Female Basketball Team Stay Fit By Training At Home

The high-flying exploits of Michael Jordan have gained massive media attention in recent weeks thanks to the release of Netflix’s ‘The Last Dance’ documentary.

This documentary has rekindled a passion for basketball for a number of people who were already familiar with the sport, while many of the uninitiated have reported feeling a spark of interest in the game which they previously did not have.

Sport has a way of awakening a passion inside of people, and a group of elderly basketballers who are known as the ‘Splash Sisters’ are proof that this passion does not come with an expiry date.

The Splash Sisters are a group of women who are part of the San Diego Senior Women’s Basketball Association, a women’s basketball league for those 50 years of age or older.

While other teams have players in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, the Splash Sisters are the elders of the league and boast a talented roster of women over the age of 80.

The Splash Sisters actually have several team members in their 90s and a few approaching the age of 100.

While the game itself has been modified to 3-on-3 and played in the half-court for roughly 30 mins, this alteration did not dampen the competitive spirit of its competitors.

However, there has been one development in recent times that has forced all involved to step away from the hardwood court, and that reason is COVID-19.

With play suspended since March, 94-year-old basketballer Grace Larsen is a 14-year veteran of the team who is setting an example for her teammates by continuing to sharpen her skills from home.

We’ve got to be ready to get back to basketball, so we better be active,” Larsen said.

Ms Larsen is a former municipal court deputy clerk in her hometown of San Diego who is relishing the chance to play organised sport in her later life because these opportunities did not exist for women when she was younger.

Instead, Ms Larsen chose to play football with kids in the street and basketball in gym class at her school.

Throughout quarantine, Ms Larsen has been going for daily walks and executing drills to improve her dribbling skills with the help of some training videos that were put together by the team’s coach.

The team’s coach, CJ Maloney, has been both a player and coach for the Splash Sisters for the last five years, and regularly check-ins in with her teammates via the telephone.

Fellow Splash Sisters teammate Marge Carl is a 90-year-old daredevil who jumped out of a plane last year, but she has now taken to walking the stairs in her apartment complex to stay fit and be ready for the day when they can tip-off once again.

Getting involved in a sport is one of the most fun and rewarding ways to maintain physical fitness and the Splash Sisters are living proof that you are never too old to put your hand up and remove yourself from the bench.

 

Photo Credit – ESPN YouTube

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Hi. Can new members join! I’m 81 and love playing basketball? I have been playing since High School in the 1950’s. The state of Georgia had girls basketball teams at that time. Haven’t stopped playing. Would love to be part of a team. I love to compete and just go out and play. Let me know if new members can join in on the fun. Thanks, Millie

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Because how we care for our ageing is a reflection of who we are as a nation

HelloCare Exclusive – Part 1 in series of 4 There are many people, in every community, all over Australia, who need support because of ill health and frailty. Some are in hospital, or living alone, others are elderly and living at home, or living with the support of carers. There are informal carers, who are... Read More

Let’s do better for our elders

Ageing and death can be difficult issues. Most of us prefer to distract ourselves from these fundamental realities. As a result, however, our political discussion on aged care has been characterised by gingerness, euphemism and indecision. We have failed to grapple practically with a concrete political problem. Since 2002 the government has released four intergenerational.... Read More

Why should some aged care staff receive retention bonus but not others?

  Laundry staff, cleaners and kitchen staff working in residential aged care will not receive the government’s retention bonus, even though home care workers performing similar duties are entitled to the payment. On 20 March, the government announced it will pay a ‘retention bonus’ to aged care workers to help providers keep staff employed through... Read More
Advertisement