A group of Tauranga women is proving there is no age limit when it comes to playing basketball.
The Swish walking basketball group, [Swish stands for Senior Women Into Shooting Hoops] started in Tauranga in 2016 with about 12 people involved.
Fast forward to the present day, and Swish has dozens of members and describes themselves as pioneers in New Zealand.
Swish convenor Jill Hill said they started playing the walking basketball format – a modified, low‑impact version of the game – to provide women who enjoyed basketball with an opportunity to continue playing in their retirement years.
“We retained so many of us olds who didn’t play in the competitions anymore, so we started our own.
“I was an old player from way back and it was something that I could do, walking basketball. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded – it was great.”
At that time, Swish had an overall squad of about 60 people aged 50-plus, with an average of 20 players getting together twice a week to play the sport they loved.
“It had grown a lot. A lot of people came and tried it, and some came, some went, and the atmosphere was fantastic, lots of laughs,” Hill said.
“We were very good at blending anybody in ... we had some new ones, and they hadn’t played before, but by the time we gave them a crash course and stuck them on the court, they responded very well and there were so many of us who were able to help out.”
Among them was a group of women over the age of 80 affectionately named the “Bandits,” who wore brightly coloured bands around their wrists.
The other players were not allowed to defend against the Bandits within a metre, and the Bandits were given a free shot if they were in the middle.
This meant the Bandits could get involved on court and not run the risk of being pushed over when things got a little bit competitive.
Hill was one of the Bandits – her love of basketball began when she first started playing in 1958, and it was still going strong 67 years later.
“We did have two or three men who came along because they couldn’t start their own grade — there were certain things they couldn’t do playing with us — but it worked very well. We were very adaptable,” Jill said.
What set this Tauranga group apart was that Swish played all year round, including a couple of tournaments each year “which were major events for us”.
“I was very proud of what we had here. We were pioneers in New Zealand.”
In her time, Hill represented Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty in the sport, and she coached at multiple levels from miniball, to taking Ōtūmoetai College to nationals, and the Tauranga women’s team.
“I think I did my bit,” she said.
Many of the women who were part of Swish had either played with or been coached by Hill over the years.
Swish group leader Jenny Kirk was one of them.
“We made a lot of new friends and of course we were all pretty like‑minded by enjoying the basketball. There were just so many benefits,“ Kirk said.
“It was something we wanted to keep being involved in and hopefully make it over 80 like some of these ladies who became real mentors for us.”
Swish members got together twice a week – at the University of Waikato Haumaru Sport & Recreation Centre on Cameron Rd in central Tauranga from 9.30am on Mondays, and at Mercury Baypark Arena at the same time on Thursdays. Bay Venues managed both facilities on behalf of Tauranga City Council.
“We were very welcoming so if new people wanted to come along that was fine. You just came when you could. There were a couple of options: one in Tauranga [at Haumaru] on Monday mornings and one at [Mercury Baypark Arena] on Thursday mornings.
“We loved our new facility in Tauranga; the Haumaru facility worked out really well.”
Kirk said Swish was “really good for your life” as it gave people a chance to enjoy some competition, have fun, build social connections and friendships, and stay active.
“We just really loved it because you used all the skills you’d developed over the years – you were passing, catching, having some shots and generally having a laugh – and it was really enjoyable.”
Kirk said Swish also lifted “our expectations of what we could do when we got a little bit older”.
Swish walking basketball takes a break over the summer holiday period but is due to start again in the New Year.
It will return to the University of Waikato Haumaru Sport & Recreation Centre on January 29, and Mercury Baypark Arena in February.