A G I N G
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W E L L N E S S
grand dames of the
court
THESE WOMEN PROVE YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO PLAY BASKETBALL BY ANNA-RHESA VERSOLA PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
M
ariangela Walker smooths
her T-shirt, picks up a basketball and steps onto the hardwood court at Hargraves Community Center in Chapel Hill to take a shot. “I’m not used to shooting with people watching,” Mariangela says; she was especially nervous her first time participating in the Orange County Senior Games (formerly known as Senior Olympics) in April. A former long-distance runner, Mariangela is a basketball fan, but has not played until this year. “I can tell you it’s a really energizing sport,” she says. “When you can get a simple goal in a simple basket, the dopamine receptors go off, and your day can sometimes feel complete.” The team roster lists 35 players for the Orange Sprots (the intended name was the Orange Sports, but a typo in the Senior Olympics roster became a fun inside joke, and the name stuck). A Durhambased rival team, Steel Cans, are so called because they “still can” play, while the Raleigh-based team the Red Foxes proved to be formidable opponents with former WNBA players on the lineup. Off the court, Mariangela finds fulfillment with her Chatham-based clothing company, 114
CHATHAM MAGAZINE
SUMMER 2023