Grace Tan

Flippa Ball is a simplified version of water polo, played by a bunch of senior ladies who love the water. The youngest in the group is 48 years old and the oldest, 80.

Growing up, I’ve always been quite a tomboy. I was one of those children who couldn’t sit still, so I grew up playing all kinds of sports. In my school days, I played netball and even joined the boys at the soccer field occasionally. When I became older, I would play tennis and squash in-between raising my kids and helping my husband out with his business.

After retirement, I started swimming daily and have continued for the past 13 years. I wake up at 4 am, leave my home at 5.25 am, and get to Toa Payoh Swimming Complex by 6.15am, 15 minutes before the pool opens.

One day, in July 2016, someone approached me to play some sort of water polo game. I was curious and naturally I said yes, since I was at the pool every day anyway, and that’s how I started playing Flippa Ball.

At 72, I’m really happy to have found this sport as it brings me so much happiness. The friendships that I’ve gained are also invaluable. Besides going for breakfast together after the game, we’ve even travelled to Malaysia and hold regular gatherings at one another’s homes.

To most people, we look like a bunch of animated, older ladies wearing water polo hats and passing a ball around, with a coach shouting at us all the time. It can be quite a funny sight. But the truth is, playing Flippa Ball has improved my health greatly. I’m asthmatic, but after every game I feel refreshed and energised and my reflexes are faster. Not only does it exercise my body it also exercises my brain, as I have to always think about how to pass the ball to the right person so that we can score.

I still remember when we first started playing the game. It was quite fun at the start, but the more we played the more we loved it. After a while, we were looking forward to every Thursday, and we got more ladies into it as well. We now have 23 players, but not all of them are regular. But there’s no doubt that we are all healthier, fitter and happier ladies who look forward to a good game in the pool every week.

I really hope that other swimming pools will start to build their own Flippa Ball team as well, so that have more teams to play against. After all, exercise is a great way to age gracefully. I think it’s very important to stay active as we age, as it keeps us youthful and healthy.