Sun City Poms with Mary Zirbel, center.Photo: Mike FrancherLife as a member of theSun City Poms, a performing and marching squad for women over the age of 55, can be a lot of work, with three-hour practices three days a week — but people stay as long as they can for one simple reason: because they love it.Mary Zirbel, 81, has been with the group for 23 years now, joining after she saw them in a parade and thought, “that’s what I want to do.“Although not every member has a background incheerleading or marching bands— president Peggy Parsons, also 81, tells PEOPLE she first got involved because she “loves dancing” — Zirbel began twirling batons when she was in grade school, learning most everything she needed to know from a book.Nowadays, it remains a big part of her life. “My daughter had a great big birthday party for when I turned 80 back in Wisconsin,” she says. The bash took place at a little sports bar — and of course, Zirbel’s baton was there. “I was twirling all over the place,” she says.Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherOne of the rules of being in the group is that you have to live in Arizona’s Sun City, a retirement community where Zirbel moved after 40 years as a practical nurse in Green Bay.As for why she went West, the answer could be summed up in two words: the weather.“I thought I’d probably end up in Florida,” she said, but one wintertime trip to Sun City with her significant other, who has since passed away, was enough to change that plan. “I’m still in the same place, and my daughter and her husband are out here now also. They only live about six doors away from me.“Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherRight now the group boasts 30 members and a handful of trainees, who can join after completing a three-month class, learning two routines, and proving they have what it takes. “It’s kind of like an audition,” says Parsons.The current members range in age from 58 to 90 — and Parsons says the older you are, the louder the cheers from the crowd. “Ginger, our 90-year old, always gets the loudest,” she remarks.This year, the group is particularly close.“We requested that our teacher teach a routine called ‘We Are Family’ because we like each other so much,” says Parsons. “They’re like sisters.“Of course, being a member is about more than just getting along. It’s also a big commitment, with the group performing in about 40 to 50 events a year, including at parades, conventions and memory care facilities. On March 25, the group also had a big “Celebrate the Poms” show, which drew a crowd of over 700 people — and it even included a special number from “The Flops” (otherwise known as the husbands, friends and lovers of the Poms).The Flops.Mike Francher"It takes a lot of wind out of you,” Zirbel says of one standout event, the Fiesta Bowl, where she estimates she walks about three miles. “I do the zigzag. So I go out to one side, and then I go back, and I’m going forward all the same time.““I don’t have a routine, I just do what I want to do when I twirl. And if the mood is right, I can do it, throw it up and catch it like you wouldn’t believe. And then again, there’s days that you just are off,” she says.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.One of her stand-out memories?“One time, up in one of the real Western towns, they had a lot of horses. And you can imagine what the horses do,” Zirbel recalls. “All of a sudden I turn around and I stepped in this big, big pile.““Well, I got that cleaned off [with tissues]. Now what do I do with these things in my hand?” she remembers thinking. “So I just dropped them and I pranced off.“Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherAs for what the future holds, Zirbel, who has three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, says that she plans to continue twirling for as long as she can keep up.“Last year, I started thinking, ‘Oh, maybe I’m getting too old for this.’ But you know what? The people love it. The crowd loves it. And if I can do it, I still want to do it,” she says.Meanwhile, Parsons — who writes romance novels in her spare time and has had ten published so far — has her eyes set on a particular milestone.“I’m hoping to get to be 90 so that they can celebrate with me,” she adds, explaining later the Sun City Poms' goal: “we aspire to inspire before we expire.“Peggy Parons (left) performing a routine with the Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherGetting to share so much with the group has meant a lot to Parsons.“Sometimes I feel like I’m their mother because I’m one of the older ones,” she explains. “And that’s wonderful because I had three sons, I didn’t have any daughters, and now I can share all these pretty costumes and fun outfits.“In fact, Zirbel ended up purchasing one of these outfits just in case a certain NFL team ever invited her to Lambeau Field. “I figured being in Green Bay with the Packers, I should have a green and gold one in case I get asked to twirl,” she says. “That hasn’t come around yet.“Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherNo matter what the future holds, Zirbel says her motto is “just help people out and have fun” because “life is too short.“And thanks to the memories she’s made with the Sun City Poms, Parsons says getting older doesn’t bother her anymore: “It makes me not mind because I think these are the best years of my life.”
Sun City Poms with Mary Zirbel, center.Photo: Mike Francher
Life as a member of theSun City Poms, a performing and marching squad for women over the age of 55, can be a lot of work, with three-hour practices three days a week — but people stay as long as they can for one simple reason: because they love it.Mary Zirbel, 81, has been with the group for 23 years now, joining after she saw them in a parade and thought, “that’s what I want to do.“Although not every member has a background incheerleading or marching bands— president Peggy Parsons, also 81, tells PEOPLE she first got involved because she “loves dancing” — Zirbel began twirling batons when she was in grade school, learning most everything she needed to know from a book.Nowadays, it remains a big part of her life. “My daughter had a great big birthday party for when I turned 80 back in Wisconsin,” she says. The bash took place at a little sports bar — and of course, Zirbel’s baton was there. “I was twirling all over the place,” she says.Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherOne of the rules of being in the group is that you have to live in Arizona’s Sun City, a retirement community where Zirbel moved after 40 years as a practical nurse in Green Bay.As for why she went West, the answer could be summed up in two words: the weather.“I thought I’d probably end up in Florida,” she said, but one wintertime trip to Sun City with her significant other, who has since passed away, was enough to change that plan. “I’m still in the same place, and my daughter and her husband are out here now also. They only live about six doors away from me.“Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherRight now the group boasts 30 members and a handful of trainees, who can join after completing a three-month class, learning two routines, and proving they have what it takes. “It’s kind of like an audition,” says Parsons.The current members range in age from 58 to 90 — and Parsons says the older you are, the louder the cheers from the crowd. “Ginger, our 90-year old, always gets the loudest,” she remarks.This year, the group is particularly close.“We requested that our teacher teach a routine called ‘We Are Family’ because we like each other so much,” says Parsons. “They’re like sisters.“Of course, being a member is about more than just getting along. It’s also a big commitment, with the group performing in about 40 to 50 events a year, including at parades, conventions and memory care facilities. On March 25, the group also had a big “Celebrate the Poms” show, which drew a crowd of over 700 people — and it even included a special number from “The Flops” (otherwise known as the husbands, friends and lovers of the Poms).The Flops.Mike Francher"It takes a lot of wind out of you,” Zirbel says of one standout event, the Fiesta Bowl, where she estimates she walks about three miles. “I do the zigzag. So I go out to one side, and then I go back, and I’m going forward all the same time.““I don’t have a routine, I just do what I want to do when I twirl. And if the mood is right, I can do it, throw it up and catch it like you wouldn’t believe. And then again, there’s days that you just are off,” she says.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.One of her stand-out memories?“One time, up in one of the real Western towns, they had a lot of horses. And you can imagine what the horses do,” Zirbel recalls. “All of a sudden I turn around and I stepped in this big, big pile.““Well, I got that cleaned off [with tissues]. Now what do I do with these things in my hand?” she remembers thinking. “So I just dropped them and I pranced off.“Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherAs for what the future holds, Zirbel, who has three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, says that she plans to continue twirling for as long as she can keep up.“Last year, I started thinking, ‘Oh, maybe I’m getting too old for this.’ But you know what? The people love it. The crowd loves it. And if I can do it, I still want to do it,” she says.Meanwhile, Parsons — who writes romance novels in her spare time and has had ten published so far — has her eyes set on a particular milestone.“I’m hoping to get to be 90 so that they can celebrate with me,” she adds, explaining later the Sun City Poms' goal: “we aspire to inspire before we expire.“Peggy Parons (left) performing a routine with the Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherGetting to share so much with the group has meant a lot to Parsons.“Sometimes I feel like I’m their mother because I’m one of the older ones,” she explains. “And that’s wonderful because I had three sons, I didn’t have any daughters, and now I can share all these pretty costumes and fun outfits.“In fact, Zirbel ended up purchasing one of these outfits just in case a certain NFL team ever invited her to Lambeau Field. “I figured being in Green Bay with the Packers, I should have a green and gold one in case I get asked to twirl,” she says. “That hasn’t come around yet.“Sun City Poms.Mike FrancherNo matter what the future holds, Zirbel says her motto is “just help people out and have fun” because “life is too short.“And thanks to the memories she’s made with the Sun City Poms, Parsons says getting older doesn’t bother her anymore: “It makes me not mind because I think these are the best years of my life.”
Life as a member of theSun City Poms, a performing and marching squad for women over the age of 55, can be a lot of work, with three-hour practices three days a week — but people stay as long as they can for one simple reason: because they love it.
Mary Zirbel, 81, has been with the group for 23 years now, joining after she saw them in a parade and thought, “that’s what I want to do.”
Although not every member has a background incheerleading or marching bands— president Peggy Parsons, also 81, tells PEOPLE she first got involved because she “loves dancing” — Zirbel began twirling batons when she was in grade school, learning most everything she needed to know from a book.
Nowadays, it remains a big part of her life. “My daughter had a great big birthday party for when I turned 80 back in Wisconsin,” she says. The bash took place at a little sports bar — and of course, Zirbel’s baton was there. “I was twirling all over the place,” she says.
Sun City Poms.Mike Francher
One of the rules of being in the group is that you have to live in Arizona’s Sun City, a retirement community where Zirbel moved after 40 years as a practical nurse in Green Bay.
As for why she went West, the answer could be summed up in two words: the weather.
“I thought I’d probably end up in Florida,” she said, but one wintertime trip to Sun City with her significant other, who has since passed away, was enough to change that plan. “I’m still in the same place, and my daughter and her husband are out here now also. They only live about six doors away from me.”
Right now the group boasts 30 members and a handful of trainees, who can join after completing a three-month class, learning two routines, and proving they have what it takes. “It’s kind of like an audition,” says Parsons.
The current members range in age from 58 to 90 — and Parsons says the older you are, the louder the cheers from the crowd. “Ginger, our 90-year old, always gets the loudest,” she remarks.
This year, the group is particularly close.
“We requested that our teacher teach a routine called ‘We Are Family’ because we like each other so much,” says Parsons. “They’re like sisters.”
Of course, being a member is about more than just getting along. It’s also a big commitment, with the group performing in about 40 to 50 events a year, including at parades, conventions and memory care facilities. On March 25, the group also had a big “Celebrate the Poms” show, which drew a crowd of over 700 people — and it even included a special number from “The Flops” (otherwise known as the husbands, friends and lovers of the Poms).
The Flops.Mike Francher
“It takes a lot of wind out of you,” Zirbel says of one standout event, the Fiesta Bowl, where she estimates she walks about three miles. “I do the zigzag. So I go out to one side, and then I go back, and I’m going forward all the same time.”
“I don’t have a routine, I just do what I want to do when I twirl. And if the mood is right, I can do it, throw it up and catch it like you wouldn’t believe. And then again, there’s days that you just are off,” she says.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
One of her stand-out memories?
“One time, up in one of the real Western towns, they had a lot of horses. And you can imagine what the horses do,” Zirbel recalls. “All of a sudden I turn around and I stepped in this big, big pile.”
“Well, I got that cleaned off [with tissues]. Now what do I do with these things in my hand?” she remembers thinking. “So I just dropped them and I pranced off.”
As for what the future holds, Zirbel, who has three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, says that she plans to continue twirling for as long as she can keep up.
“Last year, I started thinking, ‘Oh, maybe I’m getting too old for this.’ But you know what? The people love it. The crowd loves it. And if I can do it, I still want to do it,” she says.
Meanwhile, Parsons — who writes romance novels in her spare time and has had ten published so far — has her eyes set on a particular milestone.
“I’m hoping to get to be 90 so that they can celebrate with me,” she adds, explaining later the Sun City Poms' goal: “we aspire to inspire before we expire.”
Peggy Parons (left) performing a routine with the Sun City Poms.Mike Francher
Getting to share so much with the group has meant a lot to Parsons.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m their mother because I’m one of the older ones,” she explains. “And that’s wonderful because I had three sons, I didn’t have any daughters, and now I can share all these pretty costumes and fun outfits.”
In fact, Zirbel ended up purchasing one of these outfits just in case a certain NFL team ever invited her to Lambeau Field. “I figured being in Green Bay with the Packers, I should have a green and gold one in case I get asked to twirl,” she says. “That hasn’t come around yet.”
No matter what the future holds, Zirbel says her motto is “just help people out and have fun” because “life is too short.”
And thanks to the memories she’s made with the Sun City Poms, Parsons says getting older doesn’t bother her anymore: “It makes me not mind because I think these are the best years of my life.”
source: people.com
