Playing basketball well requires a certain level of skill, hand-eye coordination, and athleticism. People usually reach their peak performance level pretty young, but an elderly Chinese woman is proving that age is just a number when it comes to the love of the sport.

Zhu Shumei, who stands just five feet tall, is known as the "Basketball Grandma" by a beloved group of young people in China who, until recently, just knew her as a frequent visitor to Zhejiang Normal University in China. Shumei has been seen running 400-meter laps, climbing poles to stay fit, and hooping it up on the court. One day, Son Huating, a student at the university, noticed Shumei playing basketball and wanted to get to know her. Huating discovered Shumei's story of becoming a single mother after her husband divorced her when she was 54. Shumei was left to take care of her developmentally disabled daughter all on her own.

Time magazine recently did a story on Shumei, detailing her life's struggles and how she got into basketball as a way to cope. She used to borrow students' basketballs while they were not using them, and then she saved money to buy her own. After 20 years of playing, her favorite possession is a genuine leather basketball that she paid $80 for. Time's article even describes how precisely Shumei cares for her basketball, washing the ball daily before she takes it to the court.

Shumei lost her job at a library, forcing her to live on an allowance which equals only one-third of China's low minimum wage. Shumei's story inspired Huating and other students to solicit donations for the woman on China's version of Twitter, Sina Weibo. So far, the amount of money raised is enough for Shumei to make a down payment to join China's insurance pension program, which will pay her living expenses.


http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/basketball-grandma-becomes-internet-star-200308512.html



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Mama doing her thing

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It's never too late to follow your dreams

Wow!

Stories like this make me ease tension frm Naija tragedies. So wish it happened here in Naija. But Naija own version would have been,'76 years old woman burnt to death for alleged witch and possess spirit'. God help 9ja!

SlyIg: Stories like this make me ease tension frm Naija tragedies. So wish it happened here in Naija. But Naija own version would have been,'76 years old woman burnt to death for alleged witch and possess spirit'. God help 9ja!

Very correct.

Wow!

Nairaland no go kill person oooooo

Dreystar: It's never too late to follow your dreams

Never too late...
Sometimes your passion could push you to doing things that look so unusual, weird...but, the satisfaction it brings is priceless. Follow Ur Dream...

Before my grandma died at 88yrs she was still playing football so kini big deal?

Not suprise cos because my GRANDMA do all dat b4 she answer God Spiritual Call. LOVE U GRANDMA

Oh c'mon, my grandma could do better than that.

Chinese are very athletic and energetic people. Kudos to her anyway!

i would like to see her dunk. heck grandmama larry johnson could dunk the ball and she was 130 years old

wow... just wow!!! I just watched the video, and all I can say is WOW!!!!

berem: Before my grandma died at 88yrs she was still playing football so kini big deal?

Liar,your grandma wey dey waka with walking stick,haba Berem sofre dey lie na.

;DOmo mehn...no be small thing oh...inspiring

OlowoTee:
Never too late...
Sometimes your passion could push you to doing things that look so unusual, weird...but, the satisfaction it brings is priceless. Follow Ur Dream...

''I HAVE A DREAM''

No b small thing

Seconded

OlowoTee:
Never too late...
Sometimes your passion could push you to doing things that look so unusual, weird...but, the satisfaction it brings is priceless. Follow Ur Dream...

@Post

This is very inspiring. God bless you grandma Shumei.

Post So Inspiring!

Chinese people na power people. They cycle on bike, play table tennis outdoors, groups of people will do yoga in the morning. I mentioned to someone in Naija about doing Yoga to keep fit, she said her MOG said it was demonic because Hindu's revere animals. Na naija where pot belly dey rule well well, even simple 1 mile trek, your Auntie or Uncle will look at you like you dey craze.

A friend of mine went back to the village from London to spend 6 months re-building his family home. He cycled regularly around the village. Four weeks in, his uncle spoke with him and asked him to stop cycling around as people think it is embarrassing that he has come all the way from the UK just to push bike. They wanted him to burn up the atmosphere in a fully loaded 4 x 4. Wahala dey. The next day, he spent an hour walking around the village talking to himself loudly, shadow-boxing and laughing loudly to himself. He got peace in that village from that time until he left. Naija na fools paradise.

Lanreclassic: Mama doing her thing

I don't trust Chinese folks. How sure are we that she ain't wearing a 76 years old woman's skin? Just saying

Man this broadcaster chick (Melissa Knowles) is bad.

got damn.

dat woman don chop witch and we dey clap 4 ram

Tor,una dey praise am now,if she fall die now,na only im children go dey cry.....Which kain yeye ball wey she dey play at her age??She dey even jump!

grandma,,, the baller