by John Sorce
john.sorce@theleaven.org
LEAVENWORTH — University of Saint Mary president Sister Diane Steele, SCL, hadn’t laced up her basketball shoes since high school.
But that didn’t stop her, or her fellow Sisters of Charity, from holding a fundraiser — Granny Basketball-style — for the Leavenworth school’s Guardian Angel Fund on Nov. 3.
Sister Diane said the idea came from a member of the Kansas Meadowlarks, Elaine Alexander, who is a USM alumna herself (class of 1979) and served as the Sisters’ opponent for the event. But Alexander said the idea initially came from the team’s head coach, Holly Jessen, who is a 1998 graduate and played for the school’s Spires from 1994-98.
“Our coach initially said it would be cool if the Sisters of Charity had a team,” Alexander said. “I liked that idea, too, but I didn’t know what we would play them for. Then, I went to the reunion a few years ago and that’s when I found out about the Guardian Angel Fund they had started. I knew that would be the perfect opportunity to get a Granny Basketball game together.”
A total of $4,826 was raised for the fund, which is an earnings-matching program of up to $2,500 a semester to help students with financial need bridge the gap to achieve their educational dreams. Most of the funds were raised the day of through donations and the 50/50 drawing. People were also able to donate online if they were not able to attend in person.
Alexander said she proposed the idea to Sister Diane a year ago, but it took some time to agree on details. Sister Diane noted that one of the hurdles was getting the Sisters into the gym to learn the rules of Granny Basketball, since many of them had never played before.
“We’ve been working on it for a year because it was a challenge to agree on dates,” Sister Diane said. “A lot of it was learning the rules because they are very different. Then, it was also about figuring out when we could get everybody in the gym.”
There was a lot of excitement going into the game according to Sister Eileen Haynes, who happened to miss the team’s only practice due to a prior commitment.
“It’s wonderful,” she said. “We Sisters of Charity have been talking about it. I had lunch at our motherhouse and they were all talking about it and collecting money to support the cause.
“My hope as I look out at the stands is that everyone will experience camaraderie and working together in support of the University of Saint Mary, and perhaps a different glimpse of who we Sisters are beyond our ministry.”
Granny Basketball is a milder form of the game and provides fun, competitive exercise for women over the age of 50. Players must follow 1920s-era rules and wear uniforms from that era: bloomers, middy blouses and knee-high stockings. Games consist of four 8-minute quarters and the clock is only stopped for timeouts, injuries, free throws and falls. Players are allowed two dribbles per possession and there is no running, jumping or physical contact allowed.
There is a Granny Basketball league that is a nonprofit corporation with more than 600 players on 47 teams across 10 states, including 10 in Kansas. While the Meadowlarks, Kansas Sunflowers and Tonics all play in that league, the primary purpose of Granny Basketball is to raise funds for greater causes at these kinds of events.
“You see our team and two others here as well,” Alexander said, with the Sunflowers and Tonics playing an abbreviated game prior to the main event. “We just love supporting charities and that’s what Granny Basketball is really all about.”
This was the first time a Granny Basketball event has been hosted at Saint Mary — Sister Diane said she had never seen it played before — but there is hope to host another event and they are already looking into dates for 2025.
“I think the day was a great success,” said Sister Diane. “Hosting an event like this exposes our Angel Fund at Saint Mary to a larger audience. One of our challenges is that people don’t know what good work is happening here. Then, everyone seemed to have fun and enjoyed watching Granny Basketball.”
Anyone wanting to learn more about the Saint Mary Guardian Angel Fund, including ways to donate, can visit the website at: stmary.edu/scholarships/angel-fund.
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