Winnie Moore (ABAC #11)

IMMEDIATE DECEMBER 2, 2004

FIILLES HAVE 45-YEAR-OLD PLAYER

TIFTON—Winnie Moore, a physical education major from Alapaha, is not your average non-traditional Abraham Baldwin College student. After deciding that now was the time to go back to college full-time, Moore did something most people her age wouldn’t do. At 45 years old, she tried out for the women’s basketball team and made it, playing as a guard and forward.

Most people would be daunted by such a challenge, but not Moore. “It was a spur of the moment decision. I received a student e-mail about tryouts and thought, ‘I’ll just go talk to them. All they can do is say no.’ I didn’t have any reservations about it,” Moore said. She played the position of guard on her team at Berrien County High School.

Julie Conner, coach of the women’s basketball team said, “I was surprised when she e-mailed me about joining the team. But I didn’t care as long as she could play. Winnie has a great work ethic, and the team really respects her.”

While the decision to join the team was not a hard one, deciding to head back to college was.

“I had taken some classes on and off, but when my boys came along, I stopped,” Moore said. “Now that my boys are older, I decided to finish college. I had acquired some English and History credits, and I didn’t want those credits to go to waste. I chose ABAC because it was close to home.”

One big difference for Moore once making the team was her conditioning.

“I have always kept myself in decent shape, but while Coach Conner knew that my conditioning wasn’t 100 percent I wasn’t sure if my teammates understood that. I didn’t want to hold them back,” Moore said.

After the team’s fourth practice, Moore pulled both of her quadriceps muscles.

“My confidence was lacking when I first joined the team and being injured before the season didn’t help,” Moore said. “But I was able to play once the season started.”

That confidence was lifted even higher after scoring her first basket of the season.

“One of my teammates came up to me in the locker room and gave me a big hug,” Moore said. “That meant a lot to me.”

And so has all of the support she has received from everyone on campus.

Another main change for Moore is that fact that everyone, including her coach, is younger than her. “Coach Conner brought that up when I first met with her. I told her I didn’t have a problem with that. She’s the coach, and I’m the player,” said Moore.

“College has been a big adjustment with practice and classes. Studying and making the grade is priority for me. At first, I was thinking ‘What have I done?’ Now it’s getting better since my injuries are healing, and I’m getting used to my classes. I couldn’t have done any of it without my husband’s support.”

Besides attending ABAC and playing for the Fillies, Moore works at Hubert Moore Lumber Company and is an active member of Northridge Church of Christ. She is the wife of Tim Moore and they have two sons, John Michael and Keefe.

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