Local granny basketball team to make Louisburg debut

By Andy Brown
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Updated: February 1, 2017

“We’re off our rockers.” That’s the slogan of Granny Basketball and it’s coming to Miami County.

Granny Basketball is for women over 50 and follows girls’ rules from the 1920s. That means the court is divided into three sections, a player has to stay in her designated section and oh, by the way, she can’t run or jump. Hurry up is allowed and so is the granny shot, which is worth three points.

The first Miami County Granny Basketball game will match up the Louisburg Tonics vs the Kansas Grayhawkers and the Kansas Gray Tornadoes on Sunday afternoon. The two-game shootout begins at 3 p.m. at the Wildcat Activity Center (former West Gym), 7 S. Peoria St., Louisburg. The event is free and open to the public.

Local organizers Jean Carder and Becky Berg encourage the community to come check out the fun.

“Granny basketball is a hoot for the players and the fans,” Carder said. “And it’s a lot harder than it looks. My son teases me that I don’t have a vertical jump but I’ve been called for jumping. I’ve also been whistled for a flesh foul. Come to the gym Sunday and see what that’s all about,” she said.

The local team has 11 players and there is always room for more. “We’d like to invite any ‘granny’ over 50 who is looking for a little physical activity and a lot of fun to come check us out,” Carder said. “I’d like to get some gals from the other Miami County towns to join the fun and form a team.”

Granny Basketball started in Iowa in 2005 as a one-time fund-raising activity. The ladies had so much fun they decided to start a Granny Basketball league. There are 27 teams across the nation divided into three divisions. The two Lawrence teams will be traveling to Louisburg for the games Sunday. There is also a new team just forming in Olathe. The Tonics are part of the Granny Basketball southern division which has 10 teams located in Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Louisiana and Virginia. The eastern and western divisions feature teams mostly from Iowa but also Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Members of the Miami County Granny Basketball team are Jean Carder, Becky Berg, Janet York, Ellen Morland, LaVonne Mize, Susan McKeever, Mary Cromer, Mary Schmale, Jan Berg, Lisa Berg, Carolyn Williams and Kathy Musgrave.

For more information on Granny Basketball, check out the website at www.grannybasketball.com or the Kansas teams’ Facebook page, www.facebook.com/kansasgbb or call Carder at 913-837-5719.