Today, we know the rules for girls' basketball in the 1920s were outdated for young female athletes, but participants of Granny Basketball are happy to play by the old six-on-six standards.
“Anybody over 50 really doesn't want to go through broken arm, have problems with their knees, sprain their ankles. That's why all the rules are constructed to keep us safe, basically,” said Diana Siguenza, co-captain of the Cedar Rapids Sizzlers, one of the 57 teams in the league.
Iowa is the birthplace of the Granny Basketball league and the national tournament is coming back to the state. From July 17-19, 32 teams from nine states will be competing in Ankeny. Ticket sales from the tournament are benefiting the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The Cedar Rapids Sizzlers are the defending champions. They’ve been practicing since the end of October last year.
"Of course we've got the target on our back, but we've had the target on our back for the last couple of years,” said Susan Hartley, co-captain of the Sizzlers. “I mean, we won the state tournament four years in a row. Those Texas teams are out to get us.”
The rules are that there are two guards, two forwards and two centers. Players have to maintain a three-inch gap between each other, or risk a foul. The court is divided into thirds, and players are only allowed two dribbles.
“You have to pass from one section to another and then to another. No running, no jumping, but we do a lot of hurrying,” said Hartley.
Then, there are the outfits. Players wear sailor blouses with long sleeves, bloomers and long socks. Everything has to be tucked in. If players raise their arms and their shirt come up, they can receive a “flesh foul.”
Many of the participants grew up playing six-on-six basketball in high school. Barb Tomlinson Trammell, the founder of Granny Basketball, said the sport represents the history of basketball in Iowa.
“Women of a certain age really didn't ever have anything besides basketball when they were growing up,” Trammell said. “It might be different now, but back when I started it, women of my age, we didn't have volleyball, we didn't have soccer. Basketball was the only thing, and it did a whole lot for self-esteem and confidence.”
And it still does. In addition to getting women together to play and socialize, Trammell said women are celebrated on the court.
“The best thing about playing basketball is that when you do something good, people cheer. And how many times in your age group do you get cheered?” she said. “I mean, you can bake wonderful cookies and make wonderful clothing articles or crochet or whatever — nobody applauds that, so basketball really fills in for recognition.”
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Caitlin Troutman produced this episode.
