A group of Wakatipu women are "alive and kicking towards their 2012 [New Zealand] Masters Games goal" of representing the basin in futsal (indoor football) at this week's games in Dunedin.
Bindy Crayford, the main organiser of the resort's two teams, said it all began when a handful of mothers decided to form a team after years of supporting their kids from the sidelines.
"Many of us had never even kicked a ball or played a team sport and we discovered we loved it, even though we were completely useless at the beginning."
Enter football coach Phil Markham and team member Haylee Roberts, a personal trainer at Southern Fitness, and skill drills and fitness training began to transform the players.
"That first year we had one team [with a lot of subs] which grew to four teams in the second year. After a lot of help, regular training, and a couple of seasons playing futsal and twilight football under our belts, we thought it time to check out the competition and see how we measured up," Ms Crayford said.
The four teams were whittled down to the two which would be competing this weekend - Chicks with Balls and Sweet Futsal - which have been training together for the past three months.
With the minimum age for women just 25 and the mothers ranging from their 30s to early 50s, a few younger women from a teachers' social team have been roped in to bring the average age down.
Ms Crawford said the team had no clue about how they would fare but were looking forward to the weekend, regardless.
"There are some really strong players amongst us and definitely some competitive natures, but more than anything, we just love playing. Learning to play a new sport at our age is a great way to increase fitness while still having fun, and the camaraderie of being in a team is fantastic."
