Whap! The ball sails well into the outfield where it is caught with ease by one of several trim, well-tanned players sporting huge grins under the bill of their blue and red caps.
But these youthful team members aren't playing for a high school or college team. They play for The Legends of Lake Wales, a softball team comprised of men at least 60 years old.
Their coach, Ken Duell, won't reveal his age, but he admits to being the "senior person on this team."
Most of the players on The Legends have played softball or baseball at some point in their lives, but this isn't a prerequisite for being on the team.
"The main requirement is that you have to get along with everybody," Duell said. "We have a good time. We get along real well and this makes for a happy dugout."
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Ken Duell of The Legends lines up to catch a pop fly to the outfield as team member Elvis Abney looks on.
Paul Crate / News Chief |
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Part of the Florida Half Century division of the Amateur Softball Association, the team practices once a month - although many of the players also practice and play on teams in other communities - and participates in one Florida state tournament each month. Each tournament includes two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday.
"We've won two championships in the last three years plus three gold medals in the Polk Senior Games," Duell said proudly, adding that eight or nine of the players were on the original team he put together in 2003.
The Legends teams, Duell said, is ranked 13th out of approximately 30 teams with players 60 years old or older.
"What I feel good about is how many guys can still play at my age," Duell said. "Not only playing, but playing well."
He nods his head, glancing first at the batter and then to those in the field.
"As you can see, these guys are a long way from sitting in a wheelchair. There are some in their 90s who play on other teams. That is proof that it is good for them to play," Duell said.
The men are retired, active, passionate about softball and maintain positive attitudes, but their backgrounds are vastly different.
New York City native Gary Quartana, 60, moved to the Lake Wales area after retiring from a law enforcement career in Miami.
He grew up playing neighborhood baseball on the streets of New York.
"We slid on asphalt. We didn't have any fields," he said.
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Lake Wales Legends coach, Ken Duell, right, talks with team members during practice at the Northwest Complex in Lake Wales.
Paul Crate / News Chief |
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While he didn't play baseball in high school, he is making up for the lost years now. In addition to The Legends, he plays with a team in Nalcrest three times a week.
"It's fun,"he said. "The game is never over until the final out. Sometimes the best team doesn't win."
Don Witmer, a retired engineer for the Department of Transportation, played organized youth baseball while growing up in Lakeland. He began coaching girls softball for Miss Softball America in 1973. He joined The Legends in January and continues to play and coach softball.
"It's exercise - mental and physical," said Witmer, who turns 60 this year and also enjoys the camaraderie of the sport.
Staying active has been a positive aspect of his marriage, too. His wife of more than 20 years, Bonnie, attends all of his games and shares his interest in bicycling and lifting weights.
Retired Coast Guard commander Bob Christiansen, 65, played football, wrestled and threw the discus for his track and field team in high school and college. He began playing ball at 33 years old while in the service.
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Russell King of The Legends connects during batting and fielding practice at the Northwest Complex in Lake Wales.
Paul Crate / News Chief |
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"It was very competitive. I got hooked on it," Christiansen said.
Now he plays softball two to three times a week, dividing his time between The Legends and Winter Haven Senior Softball. He also lifts weights, plays golf and gardens.
"I like doing things. In a way, everything works for the other," he said.
Ben Bane, 62, who owned and operated a medical equipment business before retiring, drives from his home near Plant City to practice with the team. In addition to playing softball, he runs and bicycles.
"This keeps you active and it's more fun than running," Bane said.
Playing softball, he said, opens doors to other activities.
"You have to do more than this, especially when you are older and the game is slower," he said. "You've got to use this to get to other things."
Duell listens to the men's good-natured bantering as they practice catching pop flies in the field.
"Being out there playing at their age ..." he said, eyes sparkling and letting the sentence remain unfinished.
"You never get the kid out of the guy. If you're playing a kid's game, your mentality has to be young," he said with a chuckle.
