Local senior citizens looking for fun, fitness and friendships don’t have to look much further than the North Tampa Bay Senior Softball League.
Since it’s inception over four years ago by Walt Bockmiller, the league has been growing each year.
(Courtesy of Walt Bockmiller)
The league began with about 20 players, but had more than 90 players when the most recent season ended on April 29.
Men and women of all skills levels are welcome.
But you can’t play in this league unless you are least 60.
Bockmiller, a former longtime parks and recreation official, said it’s ideal for seniors who’ve never played organized softball to get involved with the league.
“All levels play,” Bockmiller said. “They come out, they hit, run, throw and catch, and they’re all placed on a team by a draft.”
While scores are kept during the 7-inning games played at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, more emphasis is placed on having fun and enjoying the game rather than on winning.
In other words, sportsmanship rules over player excellence and competition.
“They come and get a smile,” Bockmiller said about the league’s players. “They make errors, they hit and they have excitement. They do good, they do bad, but they all have fun.”
Bockmiller noted the league is a great way for local residents to meet new people and develop long-lasting friendships, too.
“That’s the big side benefit, the best thing of it,” said Bockmiller, acknowledging he didn’t know anyone when he moved to Land O’ Lakes in 2009. “The playing gives you the fitness, but the other big benefit is the smiles that they get by…forming relationships.
“Many of these people that have met other people now go on cruises with (each other), or they go out to eat together,” the league organizer added. “It’s the socialization factor.”
Games are typically played Friday mornings between 9 a.m. to noon from September through April, with a winter break between December and January.
The league’s past season was dedicated to the late Tom McDonald, who passed away in July 2015 after suffering a heart attack.
McDonald, a retired police officer who was heavily involved in the league, was described as “gregarious” and someone who “loved to make friends,” Bockmiller said.
McDonald’s death sparked the idea for the league — which recently incorporated as a nonprofit organization— to work toward purchasing a defibrillator to ensure player safety.
Bockmiller noted the league has about “98 percent” of the funding to purchase a defibrillator, which typically costs somewhere between $1,200 to $1,400.
“We’re taking donations to make sure we get the goal accomplished,” he said. “Because of Tom’s passing, we realized we needed that.”
Once purchased, Bockmiller plans to have every league member trained on the device in the case of an on-field emergency, which is especially critical, considering the league has some players who are over age 80.
“I want everybody to know how to operate that thing — not just four people,” Bockmiller said. “Everybody’s got to know. The device is there, so you’ve got to (know how) to use it.”
With the softball season over, Bockmiller is currently creating a growth plan to expand the league, hoping to add more players and more teams.
Meanwhile, he’s organizing indoor pickup basketball, volleyball and Ping-Pong for seniors until next year’s softball registration.
“We are always growing. Each year, we grow,” Bockmiller said.
Published May 11, 2016
