Carol Remley, Dan Nunn tops in their sports in Houston
By Laura Owens
Printed with Permission by the Charlotte Observer
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The 2011 National Senior Games provided participants the means to compete and socialize in Houston, and two local seniors even captured some hardware.
Carol Remley, 73, a 28-year Charlotte resident, brought home a gold medal in archery, having competed against more than 300 other archers at the games in late June..
"It's really awesome to see so many older people who are doing these things," said Remley, who lives in the Pine Island area in northwest Charlotte. "Some look like they're in better shape than others, but still in all they're out there, they're competing, and that's what the Senior Games program is.
"It's all about health, recreation, wellness, staying active."
Dan Nunn, 58, a 35-year Charlotte resident who lives in South Park, won a gold medal in racquetball.
He said he uses the sport as his social outlet.
"I find that the racquetball group is a network, at least on the national level, where the sportsmanship and the camaraderie is very special," he said. "That's just a testimony to the quality of people that are in this niche sport."
Remley competed in the 70-74 age group. She said she's never been athletic or competitive, so competing in the Senior Games was exciting for her.
"My kids get a big kick out of this," said Remley. "I said, 'Well, I never played sports. I always watched you guys play, and I watched (husband) Ken play, but I never did anything like this, so I'm having a blast.' "
The Remleys decided to drive two and a half days to Houston rather than fly, because traveling with bows made flying more trouble than it was worth.
"One of us doesn't have a break-down bow, so I just didn't trust the airlines with that," Remley said. "We just put everything in the car and went down there."
Nunn won his medal for the 55-59 age group. He competes in a national tournament once every two or three years, and he went to the 2011 Senior Games looking to win.
"I'm glad I pulled it off, " Nunn said of his victory. "It was very satisfying."
Though the Senior Games has a state tournament every year, the national tournament is every other year. Nunn said he'll probably sit out the 2013 Senior Games in Cleveland.
Remley, however, said she's looking forward to competing in 2013 again, where she'll move up to the next age group.
"I'll be the baby in the 75-79 age group," she said. "I'll be one of the younger ones. "
Carol Remley participating in the 2011 Charlotte Mecklenburg Senior Games
Dan Nunn
They're good at badminton; local players go to nationals
Senior adults gather Tuesdays and Thursdays at Huntersville rec center.
By Joe Habina Special Correspondent
Posted: Sunday, Jun. 5, 2011
Badminton doesn't have the term "love" like its racquet counterpart tennis, but Joe and Grace Rigdon are doing their best to change that.
The Huntersville husband and wife met about seven years ago on a badminton court in Charlotte. Their love for one another grew as they played the sport together at Huntersville's Waymer Recreation Center.
Senior adults have been meeting there for badminton every Tuesday and Thursday morning since 2004.
The program is hosted by Huntersville Park and Recreation, and it averages about 12 players every session. They play recreationally most of the year, but many of them also compete in Senior Games competitions.
This month, several local players will be traveling to Houston for the Senior Games national championships.
Until seven years ago, Lake Norman-area badminton players had to travel to Charlotte's Marion Diehl Center to get their fix. At that time, Huntersville resident Brian Myerscough, now 77, approached the Huntersville recreation department about finding a place to play on the northern side of Charlotte.
Waymer was available, and the group has been playing there ever since. Park and Recreation supplied the nets for the two courts and had regulation badminton lines permanently imprinted on the floor.
The Waymer expansion led to other facilities opening their doors to senior badminton, including J.V. Washam Elementary in Cornelius and the Mooresville War Memorial building. Players can play just about every day of the week, among facilities in Iredell, Mecklenburg and Gaston counties.
Grace Rigdon, 63, said she remembers playing badminton in her native Jamaica as a much younger woman. But when she picked up a racquet for the first time in 30 years, it "was like I was starting over."
Joe Rigdon, 75, had been playing badminton since 1999. He didn't meet Grace until she started playing in 2004. Doubles play is fairly common, especially in recreational circles, and the future couple enjoyed playing on the same side of the court.
Together, the Rigdons have won countywide mixed-doubles titles in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties. They have enjoyed even greater success off the court: They got married on Dec. 3, 2008.
"We just seemed to get along pretty well," Joe Rigdon said. "We did pretty well as badminton partners, and it just grew from there."
In competitions, the Rigdons have fared better with doubles partners of their own sex. Joe Rigdon and Brian Myerscough won a silver medal at last year's Senior State Games and qualified for this year's nationals. Neither will attend, though, since the financial requirement for a trip to Houston is quite demanding.
Grace Rigdon and Helen Patil, 68, of Davidson have been doubles partners since 2006. They also qualified for nationals, but only Patil will be attending.
The same thing happened in 2009 when Patil played at the national games in Palo Alto, Calif. Patil played with a partner from North Carolina, although she had not known her previously. This year, Patil's partner is from Kansas.
Patil said she has improved tremendously since she started playing badminton in late 2004. She was hesitant about giving it a try, but "something drew me."
"I was exercising, but it was boring," Patil said. "I had no idea about badminton. I envisioned it like playing in the back yard. This is much different."
Other Lake Norman-area players also will compete at the national Senior Games this month. Waymer player Lynette Plummer of Huntersville will be going, as will her husband, Compton, who plays at Washam. William and Margaret Hewitt of Davidson play in Charlotte and also are headed to the nationals.
Chimi Sada of Mooresville, who was instrumental in starting badminton at the War Memorial building, qualified for nationals but does not plan to attend.
Ken Remley grew up shooting fish and rabbits with a bow and arrow, but he abandoned the pastime when he married.
Now Remley and his wife, Carol, are preparing to compete in archery in the National Senior Games, which begin today in Houston. Participants carried a torch Thursday night to the games' cauldron and lit the ceremonial flame outside the George R. Brown Convention Center to kick off the event. The games continue through June 30.
Ken Remley, 76, and Carol, 74, will be among more than 10,000 participants.
In 2003, Ken saw the State Games in Raleigh, N.C., and picked up his bow and arrows again. The bow cracked when he got up to shoot, but he bought a new one and regained his passion for the sport.
Different expectations
After three years of watching her husband shoot, Carol decided to give it a try. Though this year's Senior Games is her first national tournament, Carol only has one competitor in her division, so she is confident she won't go home empty-handed.
Carol admitted that Ken is more competitive than she. She said she does better in practice than in competitions.
"He's psyched. I would like to do well, but he will do well," she said.
Ken towered over other competitors, which explains why he is often asked if he is at the Games for the basketball tournament.
"He'll tell you he's 6'9", but he's really about 6'8"," she said.
Ken played basketball in college, and said he gets the same pre-game energy at national archery tournaments as he did playing a big game in his youth.
"Here, I get adrenaline rushes, I have to settle down," he said. "This is concentration and focus."
'Collecting gold medals'
In 2007, Ken won the gold medal at the National Senior Games in Louisville.
As ambassadors for the National Senior Games, the couple speaks to people in North Carolina, where they live, and tells them about the competitions that occur every two years.
David Keaggy, 85, is another archer who gave up his bow and arrow for a while.
After the 1987 Senior Games in St. Louis, he put down his bow for about 20 years before picking it back up again. Keaggy is often the only one in his division, so he wins almost every competition.
"I'm just collecting gold medals while I have the chance," he said.
National and international champions Frank and Becky Pearson will be competing as well.
Archers are divided into divisions based on their gender, age group and type of bow and arrow. Archery competitions are today and Saturday, and awards will be given Saturday.
Basketball, bowling, softball and track and field also begin competitions today.
Ken Remley pulls out his arrows Thursday during practice for the Senior Games at Reliant Center. Remley and his wife, Carol, will both be competing in archery categories.
Charlotte couple shoots for the gold in Senior Games
Ken and Carol Remley have become two of the top athletes in the competition
By Joe Habina
For more than 50 years, Carol Remley lived as a sports spectator. She was the supportive wife and mother, attending games played by her husband, Ken, and their three children.
In 2003, Carol decided she no longer wanted to be only a spectator. She and Ken, 73 and 75 respectively, started playing with a local seniors badminton group. Ken picked up archery as a Senior Games sport that year, and Carol joined him a few years later.
Along with multiple-gold-medal-winning swimmer Joan Wayne, the Remleys have become some of the most decorated local athletes in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games. The three will be competing in the national games in Houston, starting this week.
Wayne, 86, participated in the first Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games in the late 1980s. She since has compiled a resume at her level that would rival some of the greatest Olympians.
Wayne currently holds 28 state Senior Games records in numerous events and age groups and owns national marks in the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events in the 80- to 84-year-old age group.
She set her national records at Pittsburgh in 2005 (100 yards) and at Louisville, Ky., in 2007 (200 yards). Wayne also holds the national Senior Games second-best time in the 200 yards (2007) and the third-best time in the 100 yards (2005).
"I'm not really competitive," Wayne said. "I just swim for the enjoyment."
Like many local competitors, Wayne said she felt the national games in San Francisco in 2009 was too far to travel, and she did not attend. This year she will compete in the 85-89 age group in six events: the 100- and 200-yard freestyle, 50-, 100- and 200-yard breaststroke, and the 100-yard individual medley.
Wayne thought that this year might be her "last hurrah" in terms of national competitions until she found out that the 2013 games will be held outside Cleveland, a trip she feels she's capable of handling.
The Remleys also skipped the 2009 national games because of the distance, so Ken didn't have the opportunity to defend the gold medal he won in 2007. He finished first in the 70- to 74-year-old division of the barebow recurve competition, in which no sights or any other aids are used on the bow.
Standing 6-feet-9-inches tall, Ken has always been athletic. He played college basketball and was drafted by the NBA's Detroit Pistons in 1960, though he never played in a regular-season game.
Ken competed in his first national Senior Games in 2005. He shot his first two of the required three rounds in archery but had to skip the third round so that he could play with his doubles partner in the badminton competition, disqualifying him from the archery competition.
In 2007, the year Ken won his national gold medal, Carol competed in archery at the state games. Ken has won the state championship every year since 2005, and Carol has done the same since 2007.
To prepare for this year's competition, the Remleys have been practicing at the Mecklenburg Wildlife Club on Sam Wilson Road. They shoot two days in a row because that will be the format at the national competition.
The Remleys have become such advocates of Senior Games that they serve as official ambassadors, speaking to groups and organizations about the benefits of the programs. They often make presentations as a threesome: Ken, Carol and Ken's national gold medal.
Joe Habina is a freelance writer. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at joehabina@yahoo.com.
Ken and Carol Remley - Photo courtesy of David Fawcette
Joan Wayne - Photo courtesy of David Fawcette
Making a comeback at Senior Games
It's been 50 years since Mary Eagle considered herself athletic
By Joe Habina Special Correspondent
Posted: Sunday, May. 22, 2011
When college students visited the seniors group at the Betty Rae Thomas Recreation Center last year to promote health and fitness, it had been 50 years since Mary Eagle considered herself an athlete.
Eagle was a teenager then, living across the street from the Third Ward Recreation Center, where she enjoyed activities like basketball, volleyball and the broad jump.
Five decades later - hearing the young people talk about Senior Games - being able to compete on a state and national level was a foreign concept to Eagle.
Now Eagle is putting the "Big" in Big Saturday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games' annual track and field competition. Participating for the second year in a row, Eagle won four gold medals and one silver.
Last year, she amazed herself with eight medals at the local level and earned three more at the state competition while qualifying for this year's national championships.
"The last time I did anything (athletic) I was 16 years old," says Eagle, who will turn 68 on May 23. "I don't know why I got away from it. I want to say it was because the director, Julia Wilson, left. I just didn't want to do it after that."
Eagle had lived the life of a switchboard operator and maid, mother of daughters Teresa and Tawanda, and wife to John Eagle for 16 years until he died in 2009. She never had an interest in sports - or maybe she just didn't have the time.
In 2007, she started visiting the Betty Rae Thomas Recreation Center, participating in activities like exercise, fashion shows, dances and plays a couple times a week.
Last spring, she didn't know what to make of the dozen or so students from Xavier University in Cincinnati who visited the center as part of a nationwide tour.
With the help of the recreation center staff, Eagle registered for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games.
She learned new games like shuffleboard, and spin casting - a competitive skill involving a fishing rod and reel. Some of the other games she tried came naturally, like the basketball shoot and the running and standing long jumps.
By the end of the back-to-back weekends known as Big Saturday and Little Saturday, Eagle had accumulated gold medals in the running long jump, standing long jump, football throw, softball throw, basketball shoot, shuffleboard and horseshoes.
Participating in the 65- to 69-year-old age group, Eagle was the only athlete competing in some of the events, but that didn't tarnish her feelings toward her first-place finishes: She even set a county age-group record in the softball throw.
At the Senior State Games in Raleigh last fall, Eagle captured gold in the two long-jump events. She will compete in the national Senior Games (held every two years) in Houston in June only because that's where her daughter Teresa lives with her family, and Eagle already had planned a visit.
The exercises she's been doing in the weight room recently are more about losing a few pounds than getting ready for the Senior Games, but despite some health issues over the last year, Eagle is eager to compete.
Aside from the times she practiced horseshoes and shuffleboard for about 15 minutes each at the recreation center, Eagle hasn't been doing much training.
"I haven't been doing anything," she said. "Of course, I didn't do anything last year, either."
Hattie Stutts doesn’t need a magic potion to keep her young and healthy. The 79-year-old Charlottean attributes her active lifestyle and physical fitness to the North Carolina Senior Games.
The N.C. Senior Games is an organization aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles for people 55 and older. The Senior Games takes place in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties and encourages senior citizens to stay active through sports and other hobbies.
Stutts has participated in the games for 22 years, doing everything from competing in croquet and three-on-three basketball to jumping into a cheerleading squad encouraging other senior athletes.
Her basketball team has competed at the national level multiple times. She also has served as a N.C. Senior Games ambassador, speaking at church clubs, senior centers and nursing homes, educating her peers about the organization and how it promotes healthy lifestyles.
Stutts has even been known to tell people she meets in her doctor’s office about the Senior Games.
“A lot of people say they had never heard of (the Senior Games) before,” she said. “You’d be surprised at how many people write it down when I tell them.”
The effects of staying active with the Senior Games paid off for Stutts when she had knee replacement surgery in 2006. “I got along so well,” she said. “I felt like my playing with the Senior Games has really helped me go through that.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg division of the 2011 Senior Games began holding events April 18 and local competitions continue to June 4.
But participants begin training months in advance. Some teams will continue to play together throughout the year for fun and to hone their skills. “I still bowl on a senior league on Tuesday mornings,” Stutts said. “I also do three-on-three basketball. We get together every week to practice.”
Seniors Games organizers spread events out over the course of seven weeks, with one to three taking place on an average scheduled day. However, a considerable number of the games occur on “Big Saturday,” which will take place May 14 at Alexander Graham Middle School.
“Big Saturday” is truly a big day for all those involved with the Senior Games, with seniors competing in 14 events from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“Little Saturday” follows “Big Saturday” on May 21 at Nevin Park, where four major events take place.
Stutts, who just recently won the silver medal for bowling doubles with her sister, is looking forward to both Saturdays. “Those days are some of the best days for the Senior Games,” she said. “I look forward to those every year.”
Other Senior Games events include a softball tournament, track and field competition, visual arts, bocce tournaments, swim meets, cycling, performing arts and golf.
Local coordinator H.C. “Woody” Woodward said the past two weeks of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games has been very successful. “It’s gone extremely well,” he said. “We’ve had great weather. This past Thursday, we had performing arts. We had 90 people, with 13 acts and about 250 people in the audience.”
This year, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg branch of the Senior Games will see 293 people participate. That’s slightly fewer than last year because, Woodward said, 2011 is not a qualifying year for the national competition. But he expects to see the number of competitors swell again in 2012.
Though the Senior Games has much to offer in physical health and fitness, the organization also offers senior citizens a chance to have fun and meet new people. From the moment two members of her bowling team introduced her to the Senior Games back in 1989, Stutts knew the experience would be enjoyable.
“What appealed to me was everyone was having so much fun,” she said. “It’s about fun and fellowship. You make the best friends that will stay with you for life.”
If she could say one thing to her fellow senior citizens about the Senior Games, she’d tell them, “I don’t know what I would’ve done without (Senior Games). I’ve just kept on going and had so much fun and made so many friends. If people can come (just once), they’ll be so happy they did.”
(Above) Hattie Stutts in 2007, when her cheerleading team won the gold medal at State finals.
Game on for hundreds of seniors this April
By Cory Inscoe
Posted: Wednesday, March 23, 2011 Reprinted with permission from the Charlote Observer
Starting in April, hundreds of the best athletes 55 and older will take to the court, field, pool, lanes and even the stage as part of the 2011 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games.
The games, founded in 1983, will begin April 18 and feature 23 different athletic events, including archery, softball, cycling and croquet, as well as artistic competitions including visual, performing and literary arts. The event culminates in a "Breakfast of Champions" on June 11.
The deadline to apply to be a participant is 4:30 p.m. March 28 at the Tyvola Senior Center.
Woody Woodward, 65, local coordinator for CMSG, started working with the event in 1997 as a county liaison for Mecklenburg Country Park and Recreation and was chairman of the board in 2003. He changed positions after 2003, taking him away from the games, but after retiring in 2010 Woodward wanted to get involved again.
"I got involved because I knew ... that there was a portion of the citizenry that needed to expand it's health and wellness programs, and the senior games did that," he said. "We all know active involvement when you become a senior is very important for your health."
Since 1983, 10,000 people have participated in the games. Woodward said 353 competed last year.
Participants compete against members of their own sex in age categories of five-year increments, from 55 to 100-plus. The top three finishers from each event qualify for the North Carolina Senior Games, which take place in September and October in Raleigh and Cary. Every other year, the top four finishers at the state games qualify for the National Senior Games. This year is not a qualifying year, but 75 competitors from the Charlotte area qualified last year for this year's National Senior Games in Houston on June 16-30.
"You'd be surprised at the level of competition that some of these seniors will put out there," said Woodward. "They take their sport very seriously."
Woodward took a 70-year-old women's basketball team to the 2003 National Senior Games in Norfolk, Va., where they won bronze. "Just to see the excitement on those women's faces," he said. "They're out there just like the pros, except they're 70."
Paul Holmes throws horseshoes in last year's Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games, one of the 23 athletic events at the games. Photo courtesy of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games
Mary Eagle participated in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games for the first time in 2010. She medaled in four events. Photo courtesy of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games
Just Call Her the Energizer Bunny
By Josh Whitener Posted on March 18, 2011 Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly
Being a senior citizen might slow some people down, but for Jean Grayson, it’s a chance to do more than she’s ever done before.
The 73-year-old Mint Hill resident, volunteer, cheerleader and basketball aficionado now finds herself one of only 100 people in the country still vying for the 2011 Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame. She has a chance to become of one of 10 finalists but needs online votes from supporters at www.facebook.com/energizer bunny.
Voting runs through March 25.
Grayson exhibits a kind of exuberance that’s unique and hard to find among people of any age. She spends her time working with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg branch of the Senior Games, helping the American Red Cross and volunteering at Lawyers Glen Assisted Living Center in Mint Hill where her sister lives. This type of liveliness earned her the chance to snag the 2011 award.
Inspired by the spirit of its Energizer Bunny, Energizer Battery created the Keep Going Hall of Fame to honor those individuals who take their unstoppable energy and use it to motivate others to make positive changes.
Grayson’s daughter, Sharon Ashmore, heard about the contest online and immediately thought of her mother’s enthusiasm and desire to make the world a better place.
“My mom is such an amazing person,” Ashmore said. “Anytime I see where someone is awarding somebody for doing good and helping others, she just stands out.”
Ashmore wrote and submitted the required essay, detailing Grayson’s energetic spirit and willingness to serve others in the community. Energizer notified Grayson two weeks ago that she was among 100 semifinalists.
“I was excited but a little embarrassed,” Grayson said, adding she’s not comfortable getting accolades.
Grayson began volunteering with the Senior Games in 1985, seven years before she met the age required to participate. As soon as she turned 55, Grayson began entering every event she could.
The Senior Games helps senior citizens focus on the three Fs: fun, fitness and fellowship. The games encompass numerous sporting events and performing art competitions, including basketball, softball, croquet, horseshoes, swimming, music, art and dance.
“She’s a great candidate. She’s very active, just an outstanding woman,” H.C. Woody Woodward, local coordinator for the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Senior Games, said. “You could put her in the Energizer Bunny costume. She’s always able to go out and do a presentation at the drop of the hat.”
Participating in the Senior Games has given Grayson the opportunity to do the two things she wishes she could have done in high school: play basketball and cheer. “I wanted to do those activities in high school, but I just didn’t have the time,” she said.
She has won multiple medals, including a bronze medal for cheerleading in the North Carolina state finals competition. Her basketball team has also made it to the national finals.
In addition to competing, Grayson volunteers with events in which she does not participate. She has served as a board member for the organization and often does public speaking and recruiting, encouraging other seniors to get involved in the games.
Senior Games offers competitions at many levels, and some events require little physical activity, such as crafts, basic basketball shooting and football throwing. “There’s something in the Games for absolutely everybody,” she said, and she accepts no excuses from those hesitant to participate.
This year, the Senior Games take place from April 18 to June 4, and Grayson has a busy and exciting couple of months ahead of her. “I’m really looking forward to it,” she said.
When she’s not working with the Senior Games, Grayson volunteers with the American Red Cross at local blood drives. She has been involved with the Red Cross for 35 years and has taught classes on cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, first aid and swimming.
During her daily visit with her sister at Lawyers Glen, Grayson helps feed other residents. She also hosts a weekly Bingo Night there, typically drawing at least 30 residents for an evening of fun.
“Volunteering at the nursing home is so rewarding,” she said.
After facing a second round of judging by Energizer, in which a panel narrowed the contestants down to nine finalists, Facebook fans will select the 10th finalist online. Energizer will announced the final group April 4, and each finalist will receive a $1,000 donation to the charity of his or her choice.
In addition, the finalists also win a flip camcorder to document their effort to become the 2011 Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame inductee.
Voting for the ultimate winner begins immediately after the finalists are announced and continues through May 13. America can vote online at www.energizer.com/halloffame. The inductee, and winner of the grand prize, will receive $10,000 in cash and a $5,000 donation to his or her chosen charity.
Of course, Energizer will recognize the grand-prize winner at a formal induction ceremony.
If she wins, Grayson hopes to split the money between two organizations.
“If we have more money (for the Senior Games), we can charge less and do more free things for seniors,” she said. And “the Red Cross helps everybody in need. Anytime there’s a tragedy, they’re there ready to help anybody and everybody.”
In the meantime, Grayson plans to continue her volunteer work and recruit more people for this year’s Senior Games.
“My aim is to be active and healthy and help other seniors do the same,” she said.
Want to help?
Mint Hill’s Jean Grayson has a chance to be named the 10th finalist in Energizer’s Keep Going Hall of Fame, but she needs your help. To vote for Grayson, go online to www.facebook.com/energizerbunny. Energizer will announce all the finalists April 4 at www.energizer.com/halloffame, and America will chose the winner with another online voting session.
Attention seniors: Register for the Games!
The 27th annual Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Games kicks off April 18, and if you’re 55 or older you can compete. The Senior Games offers local athletes and artists the chance to compete in events ranging from archery to art shows. Registration forms must be postmarked by March 27. Find more information and a registration form online at www.cmseniorgames.org
They bang the drum joyously
By Greg Lacour Special Correspondent
Posted: Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009 Reprinted with permission from the Charlote Observer
The multi-purpose room at the McCrorey YMCA in west Charlotte is silent until Deborah Scott gives the order. "OK," she says. "Let's roll." Thunder ensues. Twelve African robe-clad members of the Y's Active Older Adult Drum Corps are warming up for the day's session with a simple roll on their djembe drums. The thunder billows through the open door, down the hall to the lobby, to the exercise room where patrons sweat on their cross-trainers.
"Keep your elbows in. Sit up nice and tall. Breeeeathe ... let it out," Scott says, straining to be heard over her own drum. "Yeah! Wake up! I like that smile, Sarah!"
There's reason to smile. The group, members ranging in age from 59 to 86, is a month removed from a gold medal at the State Senior Games in Raleigh. Several wear their medals around their necks.
But they'd be happy to be here even without the medals. Some are locals who joined the group on a whim. Some are transplants, mainly from New York, who were looking for a way to attach themselves to their new homes and found it in the Drum Corps. One survived a stroke. One survived cancer.
Drumming is a way for them to stay sharp and active, the kind of activity experts recommend for seniors who might otherwise sit at home. But it's more than that. The group performs at area churches. Members pray before each weekly class - and, they say, during class, with their drumming. It's hard to explain, but the drumming itself becomes a kind of prayer.
In a predominantly African-American community, the Drum Corps focuses on traditional rhythms from West Africa, where for centuries tribes have used djembe drums - goblet-shaped, hollow wooden instruments with rawhide heads - to send messages and call villagers together for ceremonies.
"Drumming, it's like God's heartbeat, as you hear people say," said Mildred King, 71, a retired nurse who joined the group after a rotator cuff injury left her unable to raise her left arm. "It lowers your blood pressure, your cholesterol. If you have stress, you just take it out on the drum. All the stress just flows out."
The McCrorey Y started the program about 12 years ago as a way to help seniors with arthritis exercise their hands, said Gwen Morris, the Y's senior coordinator. But it's become popular among seniors with all kinds of disabilities, or none at all.
The Rev. Howard Campbell, the retired pastor of a Baptist church in Wadesboro, said he saw an advertisement in the paper about the group and decided to join. He's 84 but has no disability. He comes anyway.
"I've found this to be a very spiritual group," Campbell said. "The drum, you get immersed in the rhythm of it. It's like you're holding hands with everybody. This is what keeps me going."
Deborah Scott, the group's leader, is a retired high school principal from Buffalo, N.Y., who as a young woman in Brooklyn wanted to play drums. But her mother told her they were inappropriate for a girl. She took piano and ballet instead.
Years later, at 26, she took a drum class in Buffalo with Emile Latimer, a renowned percussionist. She continued to play throughout her career in education until she moved to Charlotte eight years ago to be with her son.
Then one day, she ran into Sarah Robinson, who was carrying her djembe. "I was shocked," Scott said. "I had never seen an older woman carrying a drum before. I asked, 'What are you doing with that drum?'
"She said, proudly: 'I'm a drummer!'"
The two became friends, and Robinson, now 74, led Scott, now 61, to the Drum Corps. Scott has directed it for three years.
"I believe in my heart God wanted me to play the drums," she said. "I was really stressed when I was a principal - seizing guns, breaking up fights. Drumming truly got me through those years."
It's helping Lugertha Morris cope with the aftermath of breast cancer.
Morris was diagnosed with breast cancer on Nov. 19, 2007, her 72nd birthday. The chemotherapy that followed lasted 33 days. Afterward, she would make it to the McCrorey Y when she felt strong enough. Some days, she could stay for only 20 minutes.
Her cancer is in remission, and she's back to drumming at near-full strength.
"When I first found out I had breast cancer ... I told the group here," Morris said. "I was in the circle, and they prayed for me. They touched me from my head to my feet. I will never forget that. They touched me over my entire body."
Margaret Gant, 64, joined seven years ago after a stroke. "I thought it was all over for me," she said. Then she saw the Drum Corps at her church, and "I saw myself dancing while they played. That was God's heartbeat drawing me, freeing me from this oppression."
As she spoke, Campbell and Scott began tapping out a soft rhythm. Other members joined in. The sound swelled.
"It sets you free - from depression, from oppression," Gant said as the beat crescendoed behind her. Her words transformed into a kind of chant. "Whoever's out there, come join us. It'll set you free."
She could restrain herself no longer. She leapt to her feet and began to dance. The group drummed furiously behind her. Harriet Sturdivant, a member suffering from brain tumors and seizures, got up and danced with Gant. For 10 minutes, the women danced in the center of the circle as Scott and the rest pounded away in joy.
Finally it ended with an emphatic rhythm played in unison. "Thank you, Jesus," member Barbarette Talley, the youngest at 59, muttered as she tried to catch her breath.
Scott merely smiled. "That," she said, "was God's heartbeat."
McCrorey Drummers at 2009 State Finals
Queen Bees end the sting of defeat Team for women 70-74 beats longtime nemesis for the first time in its 12-year history.
By Joe Habina Special Correspondent
Posted: Sunday, Nov. 01, 2009 Reprinted with permission from the Charlotte Observer
Raleigh's Fabulous Seventies may have won the war, but Charlotte's Queen Bees won the battle.
Though the Queen Bees lost to their longtime nemesis in the championship of the State Senior Games basketball tournament last weekend, they beat the Fabulous Seventies in an earlier round - their first victory over the Raleigh team in the Bees' 12-year history.
The Queen Bees, a team for 70- to 74-year-olds, was one of three Charlotte senior teams competing in separate divisions in the senior women's basketball state tournament at East Carolina on Oct. 22-23. Just as the Queen Bees did, the Charlettes (80-and-up) and Honey Bees (60- to 64-year-olds) also won silver medals, marking the first time all three teams finished as high as second place.
"I think that was really good," said Hattie Stutts, 77-year old member of the Charlettes. "Because when you run into competition like that and play people that are that talented, it makes you feel real good that you can still do that."
The Charlettes and the Queen Bees won silver last year, but the Honey Bees did not reach the medal round. All three teams practice together at Dilworth Recreation Center and Myers Park Baptist Church.
Senior women's basketball is run by and includes teams around the state. It's played three-on-three in two, 10-minute halves. They play half-court and make-it, take-it: If your team makes a bucket, it gets the ball back on the next possession.
"We go for the fun of it," Stutts said. "We play hard and we try to win, but we're just so lucky to be able at our age to get up and play ball. I really feel fortunate, myself being in pretty good health."
The core of the Queen Bees has played together since 1998. The top two finishers in the state tournament qualify for the national tournament and, when they played in younger age groups, the Queen Bees placed second nationally in 1999 and third in 2001.
Led in scoring by player-coach Gail Eppley and Betty Davis, both from Charlotte, the Queen Bees won three games on the first day. One win was 27-20 over the Fabulous Seventies. The win was keyed by the double-teaming of the Fabulous Seventies' post player, who stands 6 feet 1 inches tall - six inches taller than the Queen Bees' tallest player, Mary Evans of Charlotte.
After a championship bracket first round win over the Red Foxes, the Queen Bees succumbed to the Fabulous Seventies, 33-22. The Fabulous Seventies' hot outside shooting countered the Queen Bees' double-teaming in the post.
The Honey Bees overcame some adversity to win their silver medal. Top scorer Linda Camp recently injured her hand and couldn't play in the tournament.
Just like the Queen Bees, the Honey Bees - all from Charlotte - had problems with an old foe. The High Point Silver Spirits, who have played together since junior high, according to Honey Bees' captain Dolores Lee, beat the Bees in pool play and in the championship game. The Spirits finished third nationally in August.
The Charlettes finished second in their division by virtue of there being only two teams overall. They were swept in a best-of-three series against the Hoopers of Clinton.
The three teams will continue to practice twice a week and pick up single games and tournaments throughout the year.
Honey Bees (60+) - Linda Camp, Gail Engle, Jeanie Fallaw, Dolores Lee, Martha Mallory and Betty Yamall
Queen Bees (70+) - Geri Bachar, Carol Burbridge, Betty Davis, Gail Eppley, Mary Evans, Jean Grayson and Joanne Waters
Charlettes (75+) - June Ector, Nancy Laramie, Peggy Snipes, Hattie Stutts and Vera Wilmer
75-and-over team has already scored a big win for fitness
Kathy Haight Posted: Tuesday, Sep. 02, 2008 Reprinted with permission from the Charlote Observer
The player drives for the basket, a six-inch scar on her right knee, white curls framing a determined face.
Cutting behind an opponent, she shoots and scores – moving a bit slower than her teammates, since she's 76 years old and got her start playing high school ball in 1948.
“Way to go, Hattie!” a teammate shouts, as Hattie Stutts catches her breath before bringing the ball in at half-court.
Stutts is captain of a 75-and-older women's basketball team. It's among three teams of Charlotte women training for the N.C. Senior Games competition in Greenville in October.
Stutts is one of the oldest on the court on a recent Monday, when the teams practice together at Dilworth Elementary.
But her remarkable stamina helps her keep up with even the 59-year-old baby on the youngest team. She wasn't even born the year Stutts joined the girls' team at Derita High School.
Stutts and her teammates are proof that if you keep your body moving, you can maintain strength and mobility – and keep doing more of your favorite activities as you age.
As if to prove this, Stutts reaches for her toes after she comes off the court and touches them without bending her knees.
Research on nursing home residents has showed that average muscle strength can improve more than 100 percent from working out as little as 15 minutes three times a week for eight weeks.
A recent study of British twins showed changes at the cellular level in the twin who exercised more – resulting, in some cases, in cells that looked almost 10 years younger.
Some loss of mobility as people age comes from fear and faulty thinking, says UNC Charlotte exercise physiologist Mike Turner. People wrongly assume they can no longer do certain activities and eventually stop trying.
“What we're seeing with older adults who start an exercise program – whether they're 60, 70 or 85 – there are huge benefits that are very long lasting,” Turner says.
Exercise not only builds muscle strength, endurance and flexibility – it can help prevent chronic conditions like osteoporosis. It also helps relieve the aches and pains that creep into joints as we age.
Stutts doesn't give up when it comes to fitness, and she's not afraid to play hard.
She'll show you two fingers she's broken on the court and explain how her 2006 knee replacement helped her game.
Stutts has no trouble getting up by herself when she takes a fall during Monday's practice.
Instead of a fitness routine based on walking, weights or a set of specific exercises, Stutts' weekly workout looks like this:
Monday – 90 minutes of basketball practice. Stretching beforehand is key.
Tuesday – Two hours of league bowling.
Wednesday – Two hours of cheerleading practice for Senior Games competition.
Thursday – 90 minutes of extra basketball practice with the two younger teams on most weeks.
Friday – Square dancing with her husband, Arlee, every other week.
“Somebody asked my oldest daughter, ‘When is your mama going to stop all that stuff and take up reading?' ” Stutts says.
Former high school basketball player Hattie Stutts, 76, took up the sport again in her 60s. She's now training for October's NC Senior Games in Greenville. KATHY HAIGHT
