Who's Feeling a Bit 'Timeless'?
Senior Dance Troupe "Timeless Torches" Another Win For WNBA Side Liberty
Even though I’m still looking for the Song of the Summer to rock out to, one of the biggest summer stories has been the continued rise of the WNBA. Viewership is up, cultural cache is up, and there are ownership groups who want to pay big bucks for a team. And even though a lot has been written about the “sex toy scandal” as of late that has elicited a few snickers, that has been nothing more than a footnote in the story of the now 29-year-old league.
Today though, I want to discuss something that is just now getting some coverage in the mainstream press in my hometown of New York, as well as the WNBA in general. The reigning and defending WNBA champs, the New York Liberty’s dance team. Dubbed the “Timeless Torches,” players in the troupe are all over the age of forty years old and have been dancing since the 2005 season.
Here’s what I mean:
You know what’s wild? When I was a kid, I thought 40 was old. And while I’m sure I can chalk that up to “just being a kid,” I need you to know that I thought that 40 was really, really old. Like, incredibly ANCIENT. You see, all of my friends thought ages just kind of stopped after 25. We would tell ourselves, “By the time I’m 25, I’m going to be the best dang rodeo clown ever!” What happened after 25? Who knows? Mom and Dad were older than that. Grandpa and Grandma were older than them, but the counter might as well have read infinity after twenty-six. These Timeless Torches? They are moving like people half their age!
When Joseph Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai took over the team, they were really adamant about letting the Liberty shine. I’m getting off topic here a bit, but during the waning days of its original ownership, the team played in a high-school gym-level facility some ten miles from town. Now? The team plays under the bright lights of Brooklyn, they are consistently one of the best teams in the league, and their (second) mascot, Ellie the Elephant, has crossover fame.
Yes honey!
My point is. This organization could have gone for the shiny presentation of a more “traditional” dance group. Or even have gone in a more modern direction, such as “here’s a drone and light show between halves.” What the Liberty did instead was approach something that could be seen as problematic (or at least objectifying) and made it accessible to a group that doesn’t have that many outlets to dance for a pro sports team at that level.
And they doin’ SPLITS?!
Either way, I love this for the team, league, and community. And maybe the next generation would say something along the lines like “When I’m forty, I can’t wait to both pop AND lock for the fans in the stands.”