These Girls Have Game

Posted December 2, 2007, 4:20 pm in Sports
Credit Growing Bolder

For many women, each milestone birthday is something to dread. First the 30s, then the 40s and GULP! the 50s! But one Maine woman has turned the "big day" into something to look forward to. You see, Debra Smith won't even let you into her summer camp unless you are a woman and you have made it to 50. If it sounds exclusive, it is, and the women who make the trek to Maine every summer say it's about time there was a camp for someone other than the kids.

Debra tells Growing Bolder that the idea for the camp started in 2004 when she turned 50. The pivotal birthday meant she qualified for the National Senior Games. Debra traveled to Pittsburgh and competed against other women her age in basketball. On the trip back, Debra realized that the women were all interested in learning new skills, they just didn't have anywhere to go. The answer? Summer camp!

Debra didn't want to wait for someone else to make it happen. So she met with a friend to brainstorm ideas and took the proposal to a community college near her home in Maine. The athletic director jumped at the idea, and from there, the Not Too Late Basketball camp was born. Debra limited enrollment to women 50 years and older and camp started the summer of 2006.

The first year that Debra accepted campers, 53 people signed up. They came from 11 states and represented all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Many of the women had never played the sport before. They came for the companionship and camaraderie and left with much more.

Jo Dill -- 62 years and proud of it -- was one of those campers. She tells Growing Bolder that she started playing basketball as a young girl because it was one of the only sports females could compete in. She would practice her free throws over and over, using a special "court" set up by her father. But after high school, there weren't many places to play. So after a few intramural games in college, Jo put her game on hold -- until she heard about the Not Too Late Basketball camp. Forty years after putting down the basketball, she picked it up again.

Jo calls the camp a "dream come true." She says even though the women who participated had never met before, it only took moments for them to come together as a group. They all helped each other and rooted for the others to succeed.

Debra says for many of the campers, this was the first time anyone had taught them about athletics. The 10 hours of day spent in skills, training and competition could have overwhelmed the women. In fact, at the end of the day when the coaches would meet, Debra says some of the male coaches would question whether the campers could keep up the pace. But the women proved the men wrong, not just keeping it up, but pushing themselves day after day. Even during "free time" on Sunday morning, Debra says most of the women showed up to play more basketball.

And the coaches took notice! Amanda Rodgerson came on as camp director, and says as soon as she heard about Debra's plan, she wanted to be a part of it. At 27 years old, Amanda wouldn't have been able to come as a camper, but she says she got a lot out of working with the women. Amanda says after working with players who were college-age or younger, it was refreshing and rewarding to meet women willing to challenge themselves physically and emotionally at camp. And it's a lesson she took back to her college team. She says she even brought some campers back to work with her players, to teach them the meaning of "teamwork."

And Jo says the coaches, many of whom were in their 20s and 30s, told her they felt "honored" to be a part of the camp.

After such a successful start in 2006, Debra decided to go ahead with a second year of camp. In 2007, 68 women enrolled from 17 states. One woman came from Texas just because she wanted to take a vacation to Maine. She had never played before and was nervous when she arrived. Debra picked her up from the airport on Wednesday. By the return trip on Monday, Debra says the camper was a changed woman. She had lost her self-consciousness and trusted her fellow players to teach her.

The women stay in dorms on the college campus and eat in the cafeteria through the summer sessions. For four days, they are more than just campers and competitors -- they are sisters in the experience. And they shatter stereotypes set for their age groups. At the end of camp, Debra posts pictures of the participants on her wall at work. She says her co-workers love to guess how old the people are. They're often surprised at how active the women are well into their 50s and 60s.

Debra says what started out as a plan to help others turned out to be a learning experience for herself. She admits, the timing was perfect. She found a business she loved and plenty of people who wanted to join in. Debra says that it's not too late to do anything you want to do. And now, at 53 years old, she is thinking bigger and bolder. She wants to enroll more women and offer the camp in different states. She hopes to add a second session of the camp. And that's just the beginning.

Debra says she's learned that women can bond through basketball, and since she's a camper herself, she has no plans of slowing down. She and the other "golden girls" prove it's never too late to get your game on.

To listen to our conversation with Debra and Jo, click the play button below the photo on the right.

© 2006-2012. Growing Bolder Media Group. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.