Young at heart: A group of seniors, some in their 80s, still gets together to play softball

Friendships, competition and a second family. That’s what you’ll find at the softball fields in La Vista on Monday and Wednesday nights.

When Tom Holder first heard about the Nebraska Senior Softball League, he assumed it would be slow.

“And then you come out and watch it, and you're like, ‘holy moly, this is real ball. This looks fun,’” Holder said.

The organization keeps standings and crowns a champion each season. The winners get a specially-made jacket, which Holder might know a thing or two about.

“I got a couple jackets in the closet that I love wearing out here once in a while,” Holder said.

The male ego doesn’t go away after getting older, he said.

Beyond the dirt and grass surrounding the La Vista Sports Complex, the league’s impact is felt.

The club has been like a second family through tough times, Holder said.

“My mom died three years ago," Holder said. "The day after she died, I was out here."

Another member of the league recently lost his son and promptly returned to the game they all love so much. Softball’s impact runs deep for many of the players.

Three members are older than 80. Some refer to them as “legends.”

“I mean, they're all an inspiration to those of us that aren't that age yet," Holder said. "It's like, geez, I can keep playing another 15 years."

Holder, 65, is considered fairly young around the diamond. He said seeing the legends compete encourages him to stay in-shape as long as possible.

The league started in 2000. Just two of the original 28 players are still active in the organization.

One founding member is Larry Peterson. He claims the title of league chaplain. Peterson was a pastor in Bellevue for 14 years.

The founding tenets of the league are fun, fitness and fellowship. Recently returning from a knee replacement, Peterson said the league is important in his life.

“And it means a lot to me, because I've ministered to a lot of players in this field. I've done weddings for players. I've done several funerals for players,” Peterson said.

He wants to work with players in joyful times and in the difficult ones. One of those tough times included a member of the league, Andy Johnson, battling brain cancer.

“We gathered all the players, and we had a prayer service for him, and it was probably 100, 150 people that gathered,” Peterson said.

Johnson passed away months later. Now there’s a lauded and selective award given out in his honor.

Despite the losses through the years, Peterson keeps a positive outlook about how others in the league lean on him for help.

“I love that about this league, just the relationships, because I know a lot of older people that just kind of end up at home and they're lonely,” Peterson said. “I don't like being lonely, so I get out and I talk to people. I share with people. I enjoy people, and I get to play this wonderful game."

The only other original player from the start, Joe Barrientos, 84, plays on a team dubbed the Yankees.

“(I’m) just trying to keep in shape,” Barrientos said. "That's about it. At my age, I have to try to keep in shape a little bit."

He enjoys meeting new people on the diamond.

But he doesn’t care for golf. Softball is his main love.

“I've been here for 25 years when we first started, and it's been fun,” Barrientos said. “You get to meet a lot of new people every year.”

Barrientos has never heard people call him a legend before.

“We're just old guys enjoying ourselves having a good time,” Barrientos said. “They'll say, ‘Gosh, I hope I'm in as good a shape as you are at your age, and I can still play ball.’ I said, ‘Well, just got to keep at it.’”

On a warm September evening, the Yankees are taking on the Pirates.

Alvin Chamberlain plays catcher for the Pirates. A so-called legend in his own right, he turns 81 in early October.

The softball league is all about camaraderie, Chamberlain said. Every Monday and Wednesday night in the fall, they meet on the field. Away from the diamond, they do spend time together.

“We see each other at wakes and funerals and that’s about it,” Chamberlain said.

Chamberlain isn’t afraid to joke about slowing down a tad.

“They put substitute runners in for us, which is good, because we don't have the speed we used to have,” Chamberlain said. “The players that I play with on the team that I'm on right now, there's seven of them that are under 56 years old. So, I got kids older than they are.”

Ballplayers in their 50s are called the young guys. That’s a welcomed adjective for many.

For people wanting to stay social and active, he said softball is a fantastic option.

“Stay active. That's the biggest thing. Stay active. It's a lot of fun. (It’s a) great bunch of guys and great friendships have been developed,” Chamberlain said.

But, Barrientos does have one disclaimer for those returning to the game after a long hiatus.

“Some of these guys come in here and they start running. All of a sudden, there they go. They pulled a muscle. So they're out for the season just about, because they don't warm up,” Barrientos said. “They think they're back like when they were young kids. Their bodies changed already. You have to stretch.”

It’s not just about stretching their muscles, the league allows people to stretch what they thought was physically possible at their age.