A sedentary lifestyle is dangerous at any age, but at some point, many of us realize that strenuous habits can become the real risk. When you finally reach that age, though, it might be hard to tell.
You might even find yourself playing softball at 85 years old, like Milt Bjorklund."Well, Larry [Kirchner, co-coach of Seattle Sting] called me up and asked if I would.... I didn't plan to, but here I am," Bjorklund said. Seattle Sting, the only competitive senior softball team in the city, has been around in different incantations for the last 20 years.The Wallingford Community Senior Center is host to the only two senior softball teams in all of Seattle: Seattle Sting and Seattle Too. Some career players, such as Bjorklund, remember when there were four teams in the city. A SHORTAGE OF PLAYERSSting is the competitive team, and Seattle Too (as in, Seattle Also) is for recreational play. Players come from all over the city.The difference seems to be a rather casual one among players."We ask players if they are recreational players, or if they are of a more competitive mind," said John Spaccarotelli, who has been involved with the team for more than a decade. Teams are co-ed, and to be able to compete, they must have at least three women in play. Last year, Too had to forfeit some games because it didn't have enough women to compete. Sting has been lucky to avoid this problem.To combat this problem, a few years ago the age requirement was dropped. Originally set at 55, it was lowered to 50 in an effort to encourage enrollment of women and to avoid not being able to play games. In quick succession the age was lowered to 50 for men. Despite this, there is still a shortage of players. "For Seattle to be the city that it is, and for us to only have two senior co-ed teams...it's a shame that more people don't get involved," Kirchner said. "We have a much larger population than a city like Sammamish or Tukwila."These suburbs are able to find enough players to fill out their teams. This year's schedule includes teams ranging from Bellevue to Maple Valley, and sometimes the two Seattle teams even play each other. "I hope that the message is that there's an opportunity for people of all skill levels to come out," Kirchner said. A RISK WORTH TAKINGBoth teams make every effort to make sure injuries are avoided, including using pinch runners and different bases. There are two separate first bases: one for tagging the runner and one for runners to go to, in order to avoid any physical contact. "I go out of my way to make sure that I don't overextend," said Seattle Too coach Jerry LaFrance.Sometimes injuries still occur, although these are generally minor, he said, and should not deter any interested participants from joining the program. Risks are involved, but they are outweighed by advantages to being on the team, ones that are not quantifiable. "It absolutely keeps you young," LaFrance said of playing. "It gives you a better outlook on life." In the 20-plus years that Bjorklund has been playing, he said, he's only had two injuries, and neither of these has stopped him from coming back. What's the key to his longevity? "I still like to have a drink once a day - I try to, anyways," Bjorklund said. The Seattle Sting and Seattle Too will have their practices through April. They will play their home games at Lower Woodland Park every Tuesday and Thursday starting in May. For information about joining a team, call Larry Kirchner (competitive Seattle Sting), at 932-0188, or Jerry LaFrance (recreational Seattle Too), at 525-3593.[[In-content Ad]]
