Cheerleading is seen as a preppy young girls’ activity but in reality, it is a highly competitive sport.
Though it is usually still a younger person’s game, some grandmothers from Arizona decided they wanted to participate too.
So, in 1979, some of the women living at the Sun City Arizona retirement home started up their own cheer squad.
They call themselves the Sun City Poms and have been actively participating in cheer functions ever since.
The only requirements to join are being over 55 years old, and having pep!
The ages of the members range from 55 to 90 years old, and everywhere in between.
81-year-old Mary Zirbel has been a member of the squad for 21 years and she plans to keep going as long as she can.
While there is no need to have prior cheer experience, Mary was a baton thrower in her youth and she continues that practice to today.
Mary says that during parades when they are just walking around and showing off, she does whatever she wants but usually, their routines are practiced.
For 3 hours 3 times a week the women get together and practice their routines, they need to prepare before performing at any of the 50-60 events they do over a year.
Even to join the squad there are requirements to check that the newbie is fully prepared for what is being asked of them.
New recruits have a 3-month training period before they are allowed to join the team and there is currently a waitlist for new members.
Not only have these women grown to become great friends and teammates, they consider themselves family.
They even learned a new cheer to the song “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge, that they could perform with and for each other.
The president of the group, Peggy Parsons, joined because of her love for dancing and wanting to meet new people in her community.
While cheerleading at any age is hard work, the women of the Sun City Poms find that, due to their age, they get huge positive reactions from their crowds.
And the older the woman, the more excitement she brings, “Ginger, our 90-year-old, always gets the loudest cheers.” Parsons recalls.
To go along with their zest for life, the Poms have their motto; “We aspire to inspire before we expire.”
All the women of the group hold onto this motto during the hours of rehearsals they have during the week, they are still able to do these things and are therefore very proud of themselves.
“It makes me not mind,” says Parsons when asked about the exhausting schedules, “because I think these are the best years of my life.”
These women are an inspiration to everyone they come across.
If they can do it, why can’t you?
“Maybe I’m getting too old for this,” Mary remembers thinking, “but you know what? The people love it, the crowds love it, and if I can still do it, I want to.”
Meet the lively members of the Sun City Poms on their Facebook and Instagram pages.
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