[VillageIdiots]

I'm guessing a good number of people come to this section to get information on how to get into softball in The Villages. Just thought I'd share my experience so far, now that I have completed 2 of my 3 evaluations. First off, evaluations is the proper term, not tryouts. One of the first things they point out to you is that there is a place for everyone, so it is not a tryout, rather it is an exercise in fairly evaluating your ability so that you don't end up at an unfair competition level, one way or the other. The volunteers that do the evals are great and very helpful. It is clear to me that, without the volunteers, the softball program would not be able to operate. Many of them play, umpire, keep score, etc. and sometimes all of the above, so their willingness to volunteer is very admirable.

I'm only 53 with a fair amount of experience playing ball as a kid, as young as I can remember, and then into adulthood when there was ever any opportunity to play. It was suggested to me to practice throwing, fielding, and hitting as much as possible before evaluations. I agree with those suggestions. However, of utmost importance is to stretch and stretch well before evaluations or any exercise for that matter. I pulled one of my quads when doing some running before my first eval, and today I pulled a calf when jogging across the outfield to shag a ground ball (stepped awkwardly into a small indention in the field).

If it's something you think you'd enjoy, give it a shot, don't wait. It feels good to get back between the white lines again, feel the dirt and the grass, and field a few balls and take some cuts. Don't expect it to be like riding a bike again. Ease into it at a pace you are comfortable with and it will slowly come back.

When my hometown rec department could no longer get enough participation to support any softball leagues anymore, I assumed I'd probably never play again. So, I'm thankful that's not the case after all. Now I just need to talk my body into hanging with me so I can enjoy playing this great game one more time, at least for a little while.

Evaluations are every Tuesday morning (check your rec news) at Buffalo Glen complex from 8 until 10. Get there a little early and stretch. When you think you have stretched enough, stretch a little more.

[Bogie Shooter]

Excellent sharing of information...………………..