As Founder and CEO of the NSWBA, I would like to give a heartfelt thanks to the two biggest inspirations behind the formation of the NSWBA - the San Diego Senior Women's Basketball Association (SWBA) and the legendary San Diego Splash.

The SWBA is the largest and longest running senior women's basketball league in the country.  With over 20 teams and 125 players, they have been a guiding light to senior women's basketball teams everywhere.

The San Diego Splash have won 6 gold medals and 2 silver medals in the past 8 National Senior Games.  They're now an 80+ team and an incredible inspiration to me and to all the other senior women basketball players who have the pleasure of meeting them and watching them play.

Upon retiring from professional basketball in 1999, I returned to my home town of San Diego where I eventually heard about a group of senior women playing basketball at the YMCA in Mission Valley.  A bunch of old women playing basketball?  Are you serious?  I couldn't believe it.

One day I drove to the YMCA, walked into the gym and watched them with my own eyes. I immediately got goosebumps!

There were the SWBA players laughing, sweating, rebounding, blocking shots, telling the ref what they thought (politely, of course), and playing basketball with a passion ... and all of them were 50 or older! 

Most important, what I witnessed that night and have witnessed again and again since getting involved with the SWBA is the amazing community that has grown around their league.  The community support and the strong bonds that have grown between the women players is exactly what the NSWBA wants for all senior women nationwide!

As fate would have it, that first team I saw playing at the YMCA was the Splash - the now legendary 80+ women's basketball team that has taken home 6 gold medals in the past 16 years, including their latest at the 2011 National Senior Games.

My heartfelt thanks to the amazing women of the Legendary San Diego Splash 80+ Team:

Back row (left to right) - Jackie Ives #20, Cori Thomson, Meg Skinner, Marge Carl #30
Front row - Dolly Scott #13, Fran Styles, Grace Larsen #11, Toodie Wright #5

Thank you to the Splash and the San Diego SWBA for being
such an inspiration to me, the NSWBA, and to so many others!