Rock of Ages basketball team competes in National Senior Games

Sarah Patterson took an elbow to the nose, Jo Ellen Linn broke her finger two weeks before Nationals, Susan Altemeier and Stephanie Johnson played with quite a few bruises from contact under the basket and all five players on the Rock of Ages team had jammed fingers at some point during competition.

The Rock of Ages women’s basketball team qualified for the National Senior Games after winning their age bracket of the 3-on-3 tournament at the Iowa Games this summer.

“To still be able to play ball and push ourselves was really fun for all of us,” Sarah Patterson said. “We played against tough competition and did our best.”

Patterson is part of the five-player squad which also included team captain Stephanie Johnson as well as Susan Altemeier, Doree Ward and Jo Ellen Linn.

The 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the National Senior Games was played at Prairie Trail Sports Complex in Ankeny, but they are held in different locations every two years.

The tournament included players and teams from all over the United States and some even who came from different countries.

Newton’s three-on-three team won two games and finished seventh in their division. Ward won a free-throw contest in her age division, too.

“Two really cool events we attended were the lighting of the flame on the steps of the state capital on (Aug. 1) and the state parade at Water Works Park on (Aug. 4). At the state parade, each state was announced and all the athletes from that state walked together. It was kind of like the state swim meet parade.”

The Rock of Ages played two games each on August 1 through August 4. They played eight games in four days after previously participating in six games in three years.

As the team captain, Johnson wrote down the lineup for every game and participated in a coin toss to see who started the game with the ball.

Patterson said Johnson also attended the captain’s meeting and made sure the players knew the rules.

Johnson and Ward put the team together, but they had no idea they would be playing at Nationals when they began participating three years ago, according to Patterson.

“It was kind of (Johnson’s) dream after we won the Iowa Games last year and found out we qualified,” Patterson said. “We all decided to go for it and pushed hard. We practiced four to five days a week all summer. I really enjoyed the training.”

The Rock of Ages team won the 50-55 age group division at the Iowa Games.

Altemeier said current Newton Cardinal Brooke Garvis and graduated Cardinals Bella Winther and Alex Garvis helped the squad prepare for nationals.

The competition at the National Senior Games included opponents who have played professionally and players who competed at Villanova and North Carolina in college.

“It has been fun learning how to play three-on-three,” Altemeier said. “We range from never playing basketball before to playing basketball in college. We enjoy spending time together.”

Linn broke her finger two weeks before nationals and got her splint off a few days before competition started but still played in all eight games.

Patterson’s elbow to the nose came in the very first game and resulted in a black eye.

“As for what motivates me to keep playing basketball, it’s all about staying active, my passion for the game and the camaraderie with my teammates,” Johnson said. “Sure, bruises and jammed fingers are part of the game, but the memories we created with the team are what truly matter. I’m excited for the games in 2027 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.”