Katerine Mestemaker Gilberg and Texas Cowgirl days

here is link to Katherine story of times with Texas Cowgirls barnstorming basketball days
http://www.sentinel-standard.com/article/20121029/NEWS/121029444/1001/NEWS





TEXAS COWGIRL Joan Rupp part of 30th anniversary celebration of title 1X at WNBA game in Seattle.

http://www.blscourierherald.com/opinion/166799776.html?mobile=true

DEMPSEY HOVLAND: HARLEAN HUDSON

DEMPSEY HOVLAND: HARLEAN HUDSON

Joan Rupp story of her Texas Cowgirl days

 Here is some news on a former teammate Joan Rupp who was a player, manager.          
The link here tells a Great story regarding Joan and the barnstorming days of Texas Cowgirls basketball team.
owned by Dempsey Hovland.

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/pierce/bch/community/130290418.html

ice roads...hair pin curve

HEADED TO THE HALL

Here is a link to another article regarding Dempsey Hovland and his Texas Cowgirls basketball team.  This is to happen on June 28th 2010.  Life Time Achievement Award  !!!!
Great photo of the girls in action during a game.  Wish I had taken the photo.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Dempsey Hovland

Just posted a link regarding Dempsey Hovland Liftetime Achievement Award ceremony on June 28th. Texas Cowgirls will be saluted also.
His daughter Erin Hovland efforts to keep the history alive for the barnstorming days of women's basketball is appreciated.

Road surfaces we traveled on

car and traveling conditions

Texas Cowgirls:  1962-1965      Bernice Holladay Shafer

             

                  

I was raised on a small dairy farm near Walkerville, Michigan and grew up loving all sports.  When I went to gym the coach asked me if I wanted to play forward or guard on the basketball team.  Never seeing or playing a game, I asked an older girl what position she played.  Suddenly, the coach threw me the basketball and I literally took the basketball and tucked it under my arm and ran towards the basket- that’s all I knew about basketball.

When I was a senior, I never even realized there were woman’s basketball Professional teams!  The Texas Cowgirls came to neighboring town and I had the privilege of seeing them play.  My coach has talked to the team captain, Linda Yearby about me and a couple of weeks later I received a letter from Dempsey Hoveland, the owner, asking me to travel with the gals for 1 week.  One scared, bashful, little country girl traveling with those girls- WOW, were they good or what!  That same week I’d made up my mind that I was going to travel and become a Texas Cowgirl too.  Up until then, I always thought I was going to become a Policewoman!  My parent’s finally told me I could go to training camp, but had to come home at spring time to help them farm.  Deal or no deal, I was headed for training camp at South Beloit, Ill. Ready to travel and play too!

Washington DC, New York City, west to Montana, the Indian Reservations, Dakota’s, Georgia, Kansas, south eastern states, we hit 36 states and 7 provinces of Canada.  We traveled with and played preliminary games to Harlem Globe Trotters, Men’s Pro teams like the 76ers, Lakers, etc.  We played all men’s teams, men’s rules and averaged around 30-250 games per season and traveling approximately 36,000-40,000 miles per year.  We had a pretty good record, wining about 80% of our games.  What a life!

I thank the Lord and Savior for my ability and privilege of playing and for the friendships that developed with all the players and other farm gals on the team.

The travel, friendships and experiences were awesome, but I eventually came back to Michigan and married my friend, my husband Jerry, of 42 years!