• Granny Basketball
• Courting Girls
• Trinity Church

Granny’s Got Game

As far as Barbara McPherson is concerned, there're not enough people rooting for Grandma.

"A lot of ladies at our age are baking cookies and making quilts, but no one's cheering for them," said the 61-year-old semiretired nurse from Lansing, IA.

Maybe its because cheers of "Knit purl rah rah rah!" lack a certain oomph.

But cheering for a silver-haired person who just got a 3-pointer is a different story. That's the kind of cheer you'll hear at a game in the Granny Basketball league, which is made up of golden girls aching for exercise. Today, there are over 100 members throughout Iowa.

Participants play by old-school women's basketball rules: 3 courts, 6 players per team, no running, no jumping, and limited dribbling. That way, nobody gets hurt (to be sure, players need a doctor's note before signing up).

McPherson's inspiration was her father, a former basketball coach whose book, Courting Girls, she was rereading when the idea to start a league of her own hit her.

"I was reading and thinking, gee, even I could play this game," she says. If you think their moves are old-school, you should check out the players' bloomers. The ladies of the court play in 1920s uniforms - middy blouses, bloomers, stockings, and tennis shoes. "That way, you get to cover up your flabby parts," she says. McPherson and the others make the uniforms themselves (she fashioned the pants from a pattern for harem trousers).

The season runs from January through May, and membership fees go toward local charities for women or to Trinity Church in Des Moines.

"The best thing is the camaraderie," says McPherson. "Ladies of our ages have been consumed by family and grandkids, and this gives everyone a chance to get out and be with ladies that are active and want to have a lot of fun. It's very beneficial for us all. When you're out on the court, you totally forget about all your problems."

And don't worry about the ladies injuring themselves. When a player does happen to twist her ankle, it's seen as a badge of honor.

"I suppose we have a little exhibitionism in us," McPherson says. "We love going to the doctor and saying 'I did this playing basketball.'"

 

Posted on August 14, 2006