‘Feisty as ever’: At 86, a Charlotte basketball player is anything but a passing fancy

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Gail Eppley is happy to tell you how old she is, and why she won’t let being 86 hold her back on the basketball court.

“When I get on the basketball court, I feel like I can compete against anybody,” she told Queen City News. “On the court, I go out there and win.”

Eppley was selected to play 3-on-3 basketball at the National Senior Games, to be held from July 24 to August 4 in Des Moines, Iowa. She finished third at the last event in 2023, with teammates from around the country she’d never met before.

She was also named one of this year’s 10 Humana Game Changers. Eppley was chosen for the national honor out of 12,000 senior athletes who are prime examples of what aging gracefully looks like.

“I just feel so blessed to be one of those ten,” said Eppley.

“There’s too many people my age that have given up and are sitting on the couch. I wish I could change that,” she said.

Pickup basketball is her regular Monday pick-me-up at Tom Sykes Recreation Center in Charlotte.

“We’ll start off with you three, and we’ll bring you in,” she explains to the rest of the life-experienced hoopers, known as the Sassy Sisters. They play Monday nights between 5:30 and 7 p.m., and senior women of all skill levels are welcome to join the fun.

Her fellow golden girls respect their elders, and Eppley’s the eldest. Like the great ones, she makes players around her better by sharing the ball.

“I see the court well. A couple of times I’ve split hair throwing a ball across somebody’s head,” she said. “And they’ll say, ‘Hey, you just about hit me.’ But I was passing.”

“She is still as feisty as she ever was,” said fellow Sassy Sister Maureen Benfield. “She still sets screens on people 20, 30, 40, 50 years her junior.”

As the OG in the group, Eppley makes LeBron James seem like a child in comparison.

Is the 5’3″½ recreation basketball veteran the local LeBron?

“I wish! No,” she said with a laugh.

In a world where it might seem like every man for himself, the Sassy Sisters play for the common good.

“Don’t stop, keep going, you can do it,” said Benfield, who’s 66 if you’re keeping score.

Gail’s been a hooper since she was at Cramerton High School, where she was one of two selected as “best athlete” in her senior yearbook.

She went on to High Point College, which is now High Point University. The college didn’t have a team back then. Eppley played on a squad sponsored by an off-campus organization.

Over the years, Eppley has had two knee replacements, two hip replacements, and ankle surgery. The one procedure she won’t need is a heart transplant, because she’s all heart.

“I think my children thought after I had the knees and hips replaced it was time to quit, but I said, ‘No, this is my life.’ This keeps me going,” she said.

Her rich life includes Richard Eppley, her husband of 66 years, who she says, “is my biggest supporter and encourages me to reach for the sky in all I do.” They have four children, 14 grandkids, and eight great-grandchildren.

“My mom has experienced many injuries over the years,” says Suzette Smith, Gail’s youngest daughter. “But every time she fought to get back to doing the things that she loves. I would worry more if she was inactive. Sports provide her with a community and friendships that keep her young at heart.”

“It’s awesome to see my mom continue to be active later in life,” Smith said. “She is always up for any kind of physical activity, whether it’s yard work or pickleball or playing with the grandkids.” 

Whether it’s basketball, yardwork, or walking, Eppley urges folks her age to “Just do it.”

“Every little increment that they do is something that’s going to help their bodies,” she said. “I hope I reach somebody that will be inspired to do that.”

“We’re very lucky to have her, she’s a great treasure to have,” Benfield said.

When it comes to age, the Sassy Sisters don’t let digits dictate their playful state of mind. Eppley is the epitome of the zest for life and the sport that’s given her a lifetime of camaraderie and confidence.

“My mom is an inspiration to everyone that has heard her story, me included,” Smith said. “I can only hope to be as active as she is when I reach her age.” 

You might say she helps 86 all doubts that you can stay active well into your eighties.