They shoot, they dribble and they score. Sometimes they get knocked down, but they immediately get back up. It’s all a part of the game. Oh, they are also all over 50 years old. They are the 61 women who make up the Grand Allstar Leagues for Seniors
They shoot, they dribble and they score. Sometimes they get knocked down, but they immediately get back up. It’s all a part of the game.
Oh, they are also all over 50 years old.
They are the 61 women who make up the Grand Allstar Leagues for Seniors in Chicago. GALS is a modified basketball league for local women 50 years old an older who have a competitive spirit and enjoy an active lifestyle.
Most of the women were players during their school years, and some even remained active in the sport afterwards, said Barbara Lee Cohen, president and “commissioner” of the league.
This is the league’s inaugural season, and they plan to expand it nationally by 2010.
Each team consists of 12 players. Six play in each game: two guards, two forwards and two centers. The game has four quarters, and each quarter is six minutes long.
The rules of play are simple–and relaxed–and help to move the games along.
A player may only hold the ball for three seconds on the court, five seconds when throwing in from out of bounds.
There are no time restrictions within the scoring lane or to pass the ball between sections. Players may also dribble up to four times before passing to another player or taking a shot.
No fast running is allowed.
“I’m 63 years old and can still work up a sweat. It’s a lot of fun! I played basketball in high school and college when I lived in Pine Bluff, Ark. I was supposed to play this year, but I had an injury so I decided to still be a part of the league and referee. I will play next season,” said GALS referee Quency Hampton after a game at Homan Square Park, where all the games are played.
Hampton had mostly kept active by playing tennis, but when she heard about the new league, she “jumped at the chance.”
Bessie Price, who also played basketball during her elementary and high school years, said this was the perfect opportunity for her to “officially” get back into the game.
The 60-year-old Camden, Miss. native said she mostly played ball in her backyard with her sons and other relatives, but when news about a basketball league for senior women was being formed, she had her daughter look up the information.
“This is my first time being on a team in a very long time. It’s wonderful. I never thought I would get back into it after so many years. It’s fantastic,” said Price, who has been soliciting members from her church to also join the league.
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