4 Game Sweep

Posted on by Brad Swift
On Wednesday, April 24th, the Henderson County Senior Softball League sent two teams on the road to do battle and came out with a victory in all four games that were played.  In Clayton. Georgia the Henderson County 60+ squad, aka The Sluggers, sponsored by Southeastern Physical Therapy lived up to their nickname as they crushed the Rabun County team. This was a battle of undefeated division leaders from the Clayton League, but when the dust settled only Henderson County remained unbeaten. After falling behind by 4-3 after one inning of play, Henderson County hit the ball well and played solid defense to win game one by a 24-10 score.  Game two was more of the same as Henderson County continued to pour it on for a 29-10 win.
At the same time, the Henderson County 70+ team sponsored by Worsham Tax Service made the trip over the mountain to Winged Deer Park in Johnson City, Tennessee to play the Tri-Cities 70+ team. The first game was nip and tuck as only one run separated the two teams after six innings of play. However, in the top of the seventh inning Henderson County exploded for seven runs and held Tri-Cities to four in the bottom half to pull out a 19-15 win.  Henderson County kept the bats hot from the seventh inning of the first game going into the second game as they scored 20 runs in five innings to win going away 20-7.  Because of the large lead, Henderson County did not bat in the bottom of the sixth or seventh inning.  
The next action for the league takes place on Wednesday, May 1st as they once again send two teams on the road.  The Henderson County 65/60+ team travels to the neutral site of Waynesville to play the Franklin squad in Clayton League action.  The Henderson County 75+ team will travel to Winged Deer Park in Johnson City, TN to face their counterparts from Tri-Cities.
The Henderson County Senior Softball League is always looking for new players ages 50 and older.  Regular league games are played on Monday and Friday mornings at 9:30 on fields 8 and 9 at Jackson Park in Hendersonville. For additional information go to:

http://www.wncsrsoftball. com

or call

  

828-260-2130

.

League Drops 3 out of 4 Games

Posted on by Brad Swift
On Wednesday, April 17th, the Henderson County Senior Softball League had two teams in action at two different venues.  The Henderson County 65+ team sponsored by Phillips Family Chiropractic made the trip over the mountain to face off against the Tri-Cities 65+ travel squad at Winged Deer Park in Johnson City, TN.  The teams seemed to be evenly matched as they split the two games and after fourteen innings of play, only two runs separated the cumulative scores. In the first game, Henderson County surged out to a large lead and picked up a 16-8 win.  In the second game, the Tri-Cities bats came alive as they came out on top with a 19-13 victory.
At Jackson Park, the Henderson County 70+ team sponsored by Barnette & Coates Insurance played host to the Spartanburg (Upstate), SC 70+ team that will be playing at the National Senior Games in Albuquerque, NM this summer.  The Henderson County team was diluted because four of their players had qualified with the Spartanburg team and were playing with the “enemy” on this day. Even though the Henderson County team had to borrow some players from the 75+ team to fill out the roster for this game, they hit the ball well and played competitively for the most part although they dropped both games to Spartanburg by 20-9 and 20-13 scores.
The next action for the league is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24th as they become road warriors.  The Henderson County 60+ team travels to Clayton, GA to square off against Rabun County, GA. This will be a matchup of the early season division leaders in the Clayton League.  On that same day, the Henderson County 70+ team will travel to Winged Deer Park in Johnson City, TN to face off against the Tri-Cities 70+ team.

The Henderson County Senior Softball League is always looking for new players ages 50 and older.  Regular league games are played on Monday and Friday mornings at 9:30 on fields 8 and 9 at Jackson Park in Hendersonville. For additional information go to:

http://www.wncsrsoftball. comor call      828-260-2130

 

The Winning Ways Continue

Posted on by Brad Swift

On Wednesday, April 10th, the Henderson County Senior Softball 60+ team sponsored by Southeastern Physical Therapy LLC played host to the Lake Keowee Lakers in the opening games of the Clayton League season.  The action took place on field 8 at Jackson Park and, although the home team took both games, it was very competitive in the first game.  Lake Keowee Lakers led game one 5-1 halfway through before Henderson County took a slight 6-5 lead in the bottom of the fourth.

Lake Keowee regained the lead at 8-6 before the home team again came from behind and took control to pull out a 14-11 victory. The Henderson County bats came alive in the second game as they scored early and often to cruise to a comfortable 24-8 win.
The next league action is scheduled for Wednesday, April 17th as the Henderson County 65+ team will travel to Winged Deer Park in Johnson City, TN to face their counterparts from the Tri-Cities 65+ squad.  On that same day, the Henderson County 70+ team will host the Spartanburg 70+ team on field 8 at Jackson Park.
The Henderson County Senior Softball League is always looking for new players ages 50 and older.  Regular league games are played on Monday and Friday mornings at 9:30 on fields 8 and 9 at Jackson Park in Hendersonville.

HCSS League Takes 5 Out of 6 in Special Games Opening

Posted on by Brad Swift
Wednesday, April 3rd, marked opening day for the Henderson County Senior Softball League travel season as they hosted teams from Seneca (SC) and Tri-Cities (TN) at Jackson Park. It was a good day for the home team as they came out victorious in five of the six games played.

Almost a Sweep

The Henderson County 60+ team sponsored by Southeastern Physical Therapy LLC swept their twin bill with the Seneca 60+ team winning the first game 24-15 and hanging on to capture the second game 26-24. The Henderson County 70+ team sponsored by Barnette and Coates Insurance came out on the winning side in both of their games against the Seneca 70+ team. Henderson County took a hard-fought first game 20-17 and rolled to a victory in the second game by a comfortable 21-9 margin. The Henderson County 75+ team sponsored by WF Wood Fired Pizza split their games with the Tri-Cities 75+ squad narrowly pulling out a 19-18 win in game one. Tri-Cities exacted a measure of revenge in the nightcap as they romped to a 23-9 win.

Coming Up

The next action for the league is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10th, when the Henderson County 60+ team welcomes the Lake Keowee Lakers to Jackson Park for a pair of games starting at 10:00 am on field 8.

Awesome Kickoff Meeting Starts the Season

Posted on by Brad Swift
You will find below a PDF of the excellent Powerpoint presentation prepared by Jeff that has most of the relevant information we covered in Friday’s meeting.
I’ve added a few notes here just for clarity. Thanks to those who attended and for all your positive comments. If you see points that I did not include in this email that you feel the rest of the group should know about, please let me know by replying to this email. Here goes:
While talking about the new organizational structure, we learned that the old concession stand at fields 8&9 may be available for us to store our equipment. We should know soon if this is the case. If it is

 

possible, we’ll invest in a ‘gang box’ that can be kept locked and inside the building for added security. 

Also, the league’s position on players who are under 50 are as follows: With the approval of the executive team, such a player can be a part of our games but ONLY as an umpire or catcher. They are not eligible to bat or play elsewhere in the field.
Special Games
We have a busy Special Games schedule. The Division’s VP (Jeff Donde and Ed Neace) along with the team coaches will determine whether a game will be playable due to weather conditions, also arranging transportation, and other communications with players. Sign up forms will be at the field. You can also be in touch with the coaches directly to let them know you are available to play. Signing up means you are available to play and that you will show up for playing. It’s the decision of the coaches who will actually play. For Tim Epley’s team (I believe that’s the 60s group), you should be in touch with him directly.
NC Senior Games Annual Tournament
This is not a qualifying year but 2020 is. Location to be determined but is likely to be back on the east coast. This year’s tournament is from Oct. 4-7, location to be announced. Mark this in your calendar if you are considering going. We’re aiming for a June 1 date to get a good handle on who plans to go this year and on which team. At that time we’ll have a meeting of those players to determine which teams we’ll be sending and how to make them as competitive as possible. We’ll also know at this point if we’ll need to supplement any of the teams with outside resources. 
It is also time to register locally for the senior games. Cost is $16. There was some uncertainty if you can register at the Rec offies on 708 South Grove Street

Hendersonville, but it does appear that you can. They recommend you register online. General info is available online here:  

https://www.hendersoncountync.gov/recreation/page/senior-games-silver-arts

 As I get more information on how to register online, I’ll send it out. (NOTE: I need someone who’s registered online to send me a step by step guide that others can follow.) In the meantime, here’s the link to go to: 

https://torch.ncseniorgames.org/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2f

 
There is a local luncheon kickoff for the Senior Games scheduled for April 2nd. You can call Administrative Office  P: (828) 697-4884 to reserve your spot.
 
Sponsorship
Our goal was to move from $1300 sponsorship to $3,000. We didn’t reach that number. We EXCEEDED it! Buzz Stickney, with assistance from John Wiggins and others, raised somewhere between $5200 – $6000 (the money is still coming in.) Buzz is asking to retire from this position. While we’re not sure if we’re going to let him :-), we definitely need help in maintaining the momentum of this program and to keep our sponsors renewing with us each year. Great job, Buzz! Take a look at the attached PDF of current and new sponsors.
Financial Update
Gary Warren, our treasurer, did a fantastic job coming up with this year’s budget.
Communication & Membership

Most everything is already covered in the attached PDF.

A lot of hard work was put into this website to make it as attractive and user-friendly as possible and it has already started to attract new members.
I’m also excited to share that we have a start to a Membership Team who will help us grow our membership. So far, these are the ones who have expressed an either or have come on board:
  • Mark Thompson
  • Al Kmeciak
  • Antoine Ignazio
  • Gene Siler
  • Your Name Goes Here

Yes, I mean you who are reading this blog post. If we all do a little more than just play softball, we’ll all have a strong league with which to play softball. Otherwise, our beloved league will go out of existence. It’s that simple. So, add your name and be a part of creating the future of our league. Email me at 

coachbrad21@gmail.com

 to let me know that you are interested and/or ready to join the Membership Team. We will have a short conference all in a little over a week so let me hear from you now. 

Questions? Suggestions? Positive comments? Let me hear from you. 

CPR & AED Saves Senior Players Life

Posted on by Brad Swift

On Nov. 1, (2011) 66-year-old Henderson County Senior League Softball player Bill Curtis suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and died … four times.

Thanks to the quick response of his fellow players, Tom Hendley and Ed Neace, and the fact that the league recently purchased a defibrillator to take to its games, Curtis is alive and well and able to tell his story.

“I remember reaching second base. After that, the next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital four days later,” said Curtis, who prior to the event had never had any health problems and had never been hospitalized.

 

Read the full dramatic true story HERE. Thanks to DEAN HENSLEY / Times-News Staff Writer for permission to reprint a portion of his story here.

While you might say this is ‘ancient history’ since it happened over seven years ago, it’s also part of our league’s history so I thought it was a great story to kick off our new blog. As a quick update, all three players continue to enjoy playing in our league. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below. Interestingly, all three have provided important leadership over the years.