Lola Holmes survived through the Spanish Flu, the Great Depression and now she’s returning as a champion. As of recent, the centenarian has been confirmed for having the Guinness World Records title for the oldest living curling player at the age of 102 years and 37 days.
The first time Lola ever curled was when she was 24-years-old, at the time, she was in the field of Nursing.
She then resumed the sport again when she was 80-years-old living in Vancouver, Canada.
For those who may not know, the Olympic sport Curling has attracted mass popularity over the last few decades, becoming as well-known as sports ice skating and luge.
It is a sport that involves players sliding stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles.
Despite her age, all of Lola's teammates say that:
“She’s an excellent shot and she is the first person they choose to be on a team.”
Lola plays the lead and curl position with the Vancouver Curling Club in the Ladies Seniors League.
She mentions, “I am in the game of curling to win. I love to win games with our teams. I am equally unhappy when I lose.”
Despite being a renowned legend in her local community, Lola was once almost unable to play her favorite sport at all.
When Lola reached 83, she developed carpal tunnel syndrome in her wrist and was told by doctors that she would never be able to curl again.
And although worried, Lola was adamant on playing her favorite sport and soon found a loophole that allowed her to do so.
After discovering that stick-assisted curling was allowed in competitive curling, she began taking lessons to learn how to curl using "the stick."
Soon, she was honing in on her skills once again for the sport, and returning with an electrifying attitude and sportsmanship that has led her to still dominate the game today at 102-years-old.
Lola received so much love from her curling club, her family and her friends when they found out she had gained a Guinness World Records title.
The Vancouver Curling Club even donated an engraved rock celebrating her new achievement.
Lola said she would have “never thought [she] would ever hold a Guinness World Records title. It feels fantastic to be awarded the record.”
She also said that she hopes people will understand that remaining active in your later years is of utmost importance.
Discover more incredible record-breaking individuals like Lola Holmes by tuning in to the celebrations for Guinness World Records (GWR) Day 18 November 2020!
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