ATL Lady Hawks were meant to fly

Photos submitted by ATL Lady Hawks Women’s basketball, from the collegiate level to the WNBA, has reached new heights in 2024. But for many players watching as the sport surges in popularity, their love for the game isn’t new and is a passion that hasn’t disappeared even as they aged.& The& ATL Lady& Hawks, created in 2022, is a senior women’s basketball team for women over fifty. Entrepreneur Stefanie Batiste owns the team and leads three teams, ages 50-54, 55-59, and 60-64 years, to gold in various competitions nationwide. That winning spirit is a trait that the Savannah native said she’s had all her life. As the oldest child and only girl in a lineup of brothers, Batiste grew up as a competitive and athletic child. She lent that competitiveness to a basketball career at Beach High School under head coach Ronald Booker, whose legendary career championed the Lady Bulldogs for 34 years. Batiste also ran track, which led her to running the USATF Masters Outdoor Championship in her 40s. Unfortunately, she got injured during a competition, but that didn’t stop her from searching for the next thing to fuel her competitiveness.& Batiste returned to her roots and chose to...