Life and Basketball: Senior Detroit Women Play to Stay Young
Amy Barczy
| 6 min read
For two hours every Monday afternoon at the Lasky Recreation Center in northeast Detroit, time doesn’t matter – only basketball.
That’s when the Michigan Spirits practice. They’re the first senior women’s basketball team in Detroit, and the only of its kind in the state. While they are fierce competitors on the road; at home in Detroit, they’ve built a community of support that goes beyond the court – and is their secret to staying young.
The Michigan Spirits
Leading the team in a practice on a recent spring Monday is Edna Jones Allen, 81, of Detroit. She co-founded the team in the 1990s with the late Cal Dilworth.
Jones Allen started playing basketball in grade school in Mississippi and stopped after two years of college ball. She started playing again in senior leagues in her 50s with the men – but after five years of back-breaking play, Jones Allen said “we needed a women’s team.”
Edna Jones Allen, 81, of Detroit, poses for a photo at the Lasky Recreation Center. She co-founded the Michigan Spirits senior women’s basketball team.
And so, the Michigan Spirits were born – and they’ve dominated ever since. The team of women in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s play a mean game of three-on-three basketball. The team competes every two years in the National Senior Games in brackets based on age. Their next competition is this July.
Basketball is life for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan member Jones Allen. She was a health and physical education teacher at former Burroughs Middle School in Detroit and coached at Macomb Community College for eight years. Jones Allen doesn’t flash her medals or rings – but she’s got them to prove it.
“I just love it,” Jones Allen said. “It’s helped me with every phase of my life.”
The Michigan Spirits senior women’s basketball team practices at the Lasky Recreation Center in Detroit.
Basketball as medicine
On the Michigan Spirits, the depth of the team runs the gamut. Some played basketball in elementary and high school and dropped the sport during mid-life as demands with work and families took precedence. Others are playing for the first time in their 60s.
Several players were on college teams, including Sheila Butler-Robinson, 67, of Detroit. Butler-Robinson was a forward guard on one of the first women’s basketball teams at the University of Michigan from 1976 to 1980. Butler-Robinson, a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Medicare Advantage member, said the Michigan Spirits helped get her back to doing something she loves.
The Michigan Spirits senior women’s basketball team practices at the Lasky Recreation Center in Detroit.
“Basketball gives me movement, and helps my exercise routine,” said Butler-Robinson, explaining she manages high blood pressure with diet and exercise, and is working to maintain her weight after losing 55 lbs. post-retirement from her career as a special education teacher.
For older adults, regular exercise is a key part of staying healthy. Many older individuals have reduced mobility as their strength and stamina wane – caused by less physical activity. By age 75, one in two women get no physical activity.
According to the National Council on Aging, exercise helps older adults:
- Prevent bone loss
- Relieve osteoarthritis pain
- Prevent and manage chronic conditions
- Boost immunity
- Improve mood
Among the senior members of the team is “Little Mary”: Mary Lawrence, 85, of Detroit. She, too, picked up basketball for the first time at age 60 – finding joy in the sport during retirement.
“It’s good exercise, and competitive,” Lawrence said. “You have to push yourself. You have to tell yourself you have to keep moving.”
A mental break
For others on the team, playing basketball serves a mental and physical break from being the primary caregiver for aging family members and friends.
Darcia Cheeks, 66, of Detroit, has been on the Michigan Spirits team for a year – and it’s a new sport for her. As Cheeks cares for her 91-year-old mother, and has two adopted children, she enjoys the time she gets to spend on the court.
“It’s stress-relieving and enjoyable,” Cheeks said. “I love it, even though I feel awkward and keep making mistakes.”
It doesn’t stop her from coming back. Being around the women on the team helps to keep her mind and body active, Cheeks said.
For others on the Michigan Spirits team, it’s a way to reconnect with a sport they loved as children. Mary Gibbs, 84, of Detroit, stopped playing basketball after high school. At age 60, she found the team and hasn’t stopped playing since.
“This is the best thing that could have happened to me,” Gibbs said, explaining she works hard to compete with the 50-somethings on the team. “It’s challenging; you got get a little rough. It makes you better.”
Barbara Thomas, 76, of Detroit, reconnected with basketball in her 60s after a decades-long break from playing on a sponsored women’s basketball team in Kentucky during her teen years. The game helps keep her active after having COVID-19; and she said it’s a needed break from taking care of a friend with dementia.
The Michigan Spirits senior women’s basketball team practices at the Lasky Recreation Center in Detroit.
The community of a team
For every player on the Michigan Spirits, their time on the court keeps them young. There are physical benefits to staying moving and active. And then there’s the community of the team. When they’re not supporting each other on the court, there’s an active group text they use to share advice, resources and messages of encouragement.
“All these ladies come with something (to practice),” said Christeena Livingston-Long, 67, a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Medicare Advantage member who joined the team seven months ago. “The camaraderie – we care about each other. We love the game, but basketball is last. There are no arguments. If someone falls, we stop.”
The team has wrapped its arms around Patrice Hale, 70, of Detroit, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 sarcoma in 2019. She still attends practice and is building her energy to play again. Hale played basketball when she attended John J. Pershing High School in Detroit – and picked it back up as an adult.
“The secret is exercise. Eating right, and having people to exercise with,” Hale said of how she works to heal from her cancer treatments. “Family and friends are glad I’m playing again.”
The Michigan Spirits provide a social support for the women on the team – a vital component to healthy aging. Research has linked a strong social life with health benefits including a lower risk of depression and a longer life span. As individuals age, their social circles often get smaller as friends move on or pass away; or chronic illnesses limit their mobility. Nearly one-fourth of adults age 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated – which brings health impacts.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, social isolation and loneliness in older adults are associated with:
- Increased risk of premature death
- A 50% increased risk of dementia
- A 29% increased risk of heart disease
- A 32% increased risk of stroke
- Higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide
Emily Hall, 73, of Detroit, has played with the team for 20 years. She picked up basketball at the age of 50 – and hasn’t stopped; playing through heart problems, COPD and a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease that now makes her prone to falling. For Hall, a Blue Cross member, the game keeps her going.
“Everybody’s competitive – but we take care of each other,” Hall said. “We help each other; they watch out for me. I’m going to play until I can’t walk anymore.”
Read more from A Healthier Michigan on how to stay healthy and fit.
Photo credits: Amy Barczy/BCBSM
