Stockbyte(SAN DIEGO) — Age is nothing but a number for the San Diego Splash basketball team.
“If you can stand up and move your legs, you’re welcome,” said player Marge Carl, 87.
Although the city’s Senior Women’s Basketball Association takes players age 50 and older, to make the Splash team, athletes have to be at least 80 years old. Some of the players are 90.
According to the association’s website, each team is made up of a minimum of five players. The team fee is around $260 for eight weeks.
The players, who grew up when there was little to no high school or college sports programs for girls, said the league allows them to finally live out their hoop dreams. This month, Title IX, which banned sex discrimination in federally funded school programs, including sports, celebrated its 45th anniversary.
The teams play three-on-three, half-court basketball year-round. The games are broken into 15-minute intervals.
Grace Larsen, 81, said she was 78 when she got her first pair of basketball shoes. Larsen said she’d never had the chance to play growing up.
“We didn’t have sports like the girls do today. We didn’t have the opportunity to play. That was before Title IX. We did play softball and volleyball, but never basketball,” she said.
The women said they’ve gained friendships, sisterhood and family because of the team. All plan on playing basketball for as long as they can.
“You only have one life. What the hell — go for it,” Carl said. “Keep moving.”
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