More than 11,000 athletes from across the country have flocked to the Steel City the week of July 10 to compete in the National Senior Games. All participants, from pickleball to shuffleboard to basketball, are ages 50 and older.
Officials with SportsPITTSBURGH, which is hosting this year’s games, say the competition celebrates staying active and aging well. The athletes present embody that: four are over the age of 100.
“It’s a little bit disappointing as you’re aging [and you] can’t move as quickly, because that’s what I am accustomed to,” said basketball player Sheila Bingham, who traveled with her team from Jackson, Tennessee.
“We actually have a player that’s 82,” Bingham added. “She is my motivator. When I see her, I can’t quit. I’m encouraged to do more and keep playing.”
Bingham began playing basketball as a point guard on her high school’s team. But many older female athletes warming up inside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on Monday lived through a time when school teams for women weren’t guaranteed.
