The San Diego Splash are not your typical women's basketball team - they're all over 80 years old, and they have some of the best sportsmanship we've seen in our lives. The team was recently featured in an espnW video, where the seven women open up about their appreciation for the sport and one another, and immediately convince us that age has no control over our athletic abilities.
"If you can stand up and move your legs, you're welcome," 87-year-old Marge Carl said in the video.
The women play three-on-three, half-court games for 30 minutes as part of the San Diego Senior Women's Basketball Association for ages 50 and older. The incredibly inspirational 80- and 90-year-old women on the Splash may be the oldest in the league, but they have made it very clear, they "play to win," as 91-year-old Meg Skinner explained.
With 40-point games, you would think these impassioned women have been playing their whole lives, but most of them only started playing recently. For 91-year-old Grace Larson, basketball wasn't an option for young girls when she was growing up.
"I was 78 years old when I got my first basketball shoes," she said. "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. I thought, oh gee that would be so much fun if I could actually play basketball. As long as I can, I'm gonna play."
Maybe it's their huge smiles or their passion for the game, but the San Diego Splash have officially stolen our hearts.
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