About 500 women from 47 states competed in basketball at the 2005 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh. And in response to growing interest by women, the formerly all-male Masters Basketball-National Championship will for the first time offer a women's competition at its May event in Coral Springs, Fla.

The movement to basketball among older women is exciting but not surprising to Audrey Pastore, who established the Senior Women's Basketball Association of San Diego in 1998. Today, her league has about 100 members who play three-on-three games on 18 teams. Three of those teams won gold medals at the 2005 National Senior Games.

"It's going to get bigger and bigger," said Pastore, 66.

There are even basketball camps for women 50 and older.

Deb Richards of Portland, Maine, launched her Not Too Late basketball camp last year and drew more than 50 women from 11 states. Richards, 52, plans another camp this August at Southern Maine Community College.

"They saw what their children had in experiencing sports and they didn't have that," Richards said.

But there are risks.

Because basketball is such a physically demanding sport, doctors say older players risk cardiovascular problems, and some may aggravate existing arthritis conditions.

Women also are more susceptible to painful knee ligament injuries, said Dr. Kathleen Weber, director of the women's sports medicine program at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

"A lot of people decide to play a sport and they may not be in proper condition," Weber said. "They need to do conditioning."

Most leagues require doctor approval before joining.

Players on the Iowa Granny Basketball League have various reasons for joining, but clearly having a good time is a priority. Each team sports eye-catching attire, and they flap their arms to 1920s swing music at halftime. Many of their games raise money for charities, and there are stunt games like playing against a team of teenage boys who each have one hand tied behind their backs.

"I'm having fun and I love it. We have a nice bunch of girls here," said 78-year-old Phyllis Huxford of Des Moines. "The main thing is it gets you out of the house."

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