Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
BATTER UP!
STAYING FIT AT ANY AGE
Two years ago, brothers Rich, 70, and John Stanislaw, 71, had a shared thought after traveling to Lyons from their homes in Exeter Township and Kenhorst, respectively, to play on the Lyons Senior Softball Team.
“We thought, ‘this is kind of crazy there is only one team in a county which is known for softball and baseball’,” Rich said.
So they set out to start their own league and started getting the word out by putting yard signs up in the area. People called and helped spread the news by word-of-mouth, which led to the formation of nine teams just two years after establishing the Berks County Senior Softball League.
“I was surprised it grew that fast,” Rich said. “I thought we would have four teams.”
Rich, who is retired, chalks up the interest to pent-up demand.
“A lot of people wanted to do it but they never knew they could,” he said. “They figured they were never going to play softball or baseball again in their life and now they are playing.”
That was Rich and John’s case just seven years ago when they joked with each other one day about getting together to play baseball catch.
“We laughed and said we hadn’t played in 40 years,” Rich said.
A love of the game
Like Rich and John, most members of the league grew up playing baseball in their youth and maintained a love of the game but had no outlet to play until the Stanislaw’s league came along.
This year, the co-ed League anticipates growing to 10 teams, although the coronavirus outbreak has delayed the start of the season. The teams play each other twice a week during the winter at Exeter Field House, Exeter Township, and compete in the summer at Big Vision Sports Complex, Leesport.
The age requirement to join is 60 and over for men and 50 and over for women. Currently, the oldest player in the League is 86.
“We lowered the age for women to try to get more to join the team,” Rich said.
Kristyne Rosier, 51, found out about the league by spotting one of the League’s yard signs.
“I had been looking for a team for a long time, but there weren’t any teams in this area,” Kristyne said.
This opportunity to play again takes her right back to her youth.
“When we are all out there it’s just like we are all 16 again,” she said.
Kristyne, who lives in Sinking Spring, said she has found a true brotherhood/ sisterhood through her experience of playing in the League.
“They are all like brothers to me,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what team you are on because we encourage each other and are all good sports.”
In total, 135 team members come out to play twice weekly in the summer and 90 in the winter.
Most players hail from Berks, Montgomery, Lancaster and Lehigh counties but some come from further afield, such as Quakertown, Minersville and even Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Practices and games normally take place on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
“Some people are retired but those who work arrange to take off at that time and have flexible schedules,” Rich said.
Special safety rules in place
The league has special safety rules in place headed up by a safety committee to help players avoid injuries.
“We can’t slide, we have two home plates, one for batting and one to run to, to avoid collisions,” he said. “We have a double bag at first base so you don’t run on someone’s foot.”
If they believe a team member may be a danger to themselves, they put them through the safety committee.
“If they are seeing double we would do that,” Rich said, of one example. “It’s difficult to tell someone we want to protect you from getting hurt.”
The range of talent varies and each new member is assessed before being placed on a team.
“Some people are really good and you wonder how they keep in such good shape,” Rich said.
Kristyne said that getting back to playing after a long break is kind of like riding a bike.
“You never forget,” she said.
Due to the wide range of skills, in order to keep the playing field even they make up the teams to include all ranges. The nine teams that make up the league play each other unless it’s a charity game. Each team has a different coach that is a player-coach and games are self-umpired on an honor system and stats are kept for each game.
“It’s a fun league but people like to win,” Rich said.
Competitive edge
Just because the teams are made up of seniors doesn’t mean they have lost their competitive edge.
“There are certainly people that speak out more than others and are more competitive than others,” Rich said.
Spectators who come out to watch the games are typically made up of spouses, the children of players and grandkids.
“If there are at least two people in the bleachers we tell them they have to do the wave for us,” Rich said, with a laugh.
The time the players spend together extends beyond the fields. At the end of the season, they have an annual hamburger and hot dog barbecue where they give out awards.
“The camaraderie is the best part about it — you have that feeling of being on a team,” Kristyne said.
It’s an opportunity to make new friends and in one case, establish a lasting relationship, such as a man and woman who met each other playing on the same team and ended up getting married.
“Not only physically does it keep you young, but you also benefit from it emotionally and spiritually and friendship wise,” Kristyne said. “We are like one big family.”
Berks Senior Softball League: COVID-19 UPDATE
In accordance with federal and state guidelines surrounding COVID-19, the league aims to offer a Summer/Fall league beginning mid-June, but will make the final call at the end of May as to specifically when the season will begin or if it has to be cancelled. The league will resume recruiting as soon as they start back up. You don’t have to live in Berks to join the league. Stay updated by visiting: www.berksseniorsoftball.com or call: call 610507-5869