SUN CITY, Ariz. — When 83-year-old Peggy Parsons fell at home and fractured her back in February, it could have been the beginning of a permanent decline.
But just a couple of weeks ago there she was – marching and waving her pom poms in the air with a dozen of her fellow teammates on the Sun City Poms.
“They’ve been so supportive. I can’t talk even about this,” Parsons said, getting emotional after a team practice.
As the storied Sun City Poms celebrate their 45th year in existence, they continue to prove the importance of two rules for healthy aging: stay active and stay social. A seminal 75-year study on aging by Harvard researchers provides ongoing evidence that those two habits dramatically improve one’s odds of being happier and more physically resilient later in life.
The Sun City Poms and the neighboring Sun City West Jazzy Poms recently spoke with 12News about being part of a unique sisterhood. Both squads hail from the suburbs of the northwest Valley, separated north to south by a dry wash.
They laugh at the idea of being “pom rivals.”
“We could have a dance-off! Just like West Side Story!” one of the pommies joked, discussing the possibility of encountering each other on the streets. They are proud of their respective legacies, and together they exemplify the secret of how to fight the real rival: father time.
“You can be anything you want to be. This is a time for re-invention. You don’t have to be the person you were when you were 30, 40 or 50,” said 74-year-old Diana Lamb of the Sun City Poms.
A growing body of research also shows the importance of engaging in exercise that requires coordination and diverse body movements, as opposed to say, just taking walks. More complex forms of exercise, such as dance, stimulate brain activity.
“If you’re not using your body, your body isn’t happy. And if your body isn’t happy, nothing else is happy,” said Jan of the Jazzy Poms.
Terry, a cheerleader in college, said she was ecstatic to put on the Sun City West Jazzy Pom uniform for the first time.
“I got to wear glitter, finally. That was my favorite part,” Terry said.
Since the Sun City Poms began in 1979, similar groups have sprouted up in retirement communities across the country.
“It’s the greatest group of women I’ve ever met. When I’m on vacation and get back it’s like we’ve been gone from our best friends forever,” said Marcy of the Sun City Poms.
The groups typically perform at high school assemblies, parades, community events and care centers.
The two Sun City-area teams are funded differently but both practice year-round. Unlike the Sun City Poms, the Sun City West Jazzy Poms requires its members to live within Sun City West boundaries. It belongs to the DanceSensations Club in the family of Sun City West Clubs
“Being in my 80’s now I feel something almost every morning I’ve never felt before. But you just get up and keep moving and you’re fine,” said 83-year-old Marian, the oldest member of the Jazzy Poms.
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