by Daniel Holden

Fall 2005

If there are any steroids used in these games, they are to help the players breathe, not hit home runs. A "lockout" is when Joe on first base loses yet another hair. The only thing contracting is the lifespan of the players. But with the help of visionaries like Al Schneider, senior softball is definitely on the rise.

The third baseman steps on to the field in anticipation of the season ahead. On his mind are new teammates, a new beginning and new things to prove. For a moment, as he strides onto the lush green field, he questions his ability and reflects on the experiences that got him to this point. Then he moves past self-doubt and goes out to do what he does best: play ball.

For 15 years, Schneider has been heavily involved with senior softball., originally as a league pioneer in his home state of New Jersey and more recently as the founder of the Active Lifestyles spring training camp for seniors, held annually in Altamonte Springs, Florida.

Back in Jersey, Schneider saw the need for a league that catered to seniors when, at age 50, he noticed he was playing with guys half his age.

"I got involved originally because when I was 50, I was forced to play with guys who were 25 – that was nutty and very dangerous," he remembers. "I said, 'there must be a better solution,' and all this started."

'This' is the New Jersey Senior Softball Association, which now boasts almost 2,000 participants, one of the largest state programs in the country. Back in 1986, after reading about a softball program for seniors in California, Schneider looked around and found 90 people who were in the same boat – people who still loved to play ball but were discouraged about playing against men much younger than themselves. From that initial group of softballers, the NJSSA was formed.

In the early stages of its growth, the game primarily attracted men who were part of the Little League boom in the 1950s and '60s; now moving into their golden years, they were still yearning for the chance to put bat on ball. More recently, Schneider has noticed more and more seniors picking up a bat for the first time. He has seen the numbers of women interested in the game rise as well.

Spending more time in South Florida as retirement loomed, Schneider encountered the same exponential growth in senior softball that he experienced in New Jersey. In 1990, he capitalized on this popularity and started the Active Lifestyles camp. Next January will mark the 12th edition of the five-day spring training, which has become the traditional kick-off to the senior softball season, giving players a chance to shed some of their winter rust as well as return to days gone by.

"There is no historical precedent for the good health and fitness that senior citizens of the U.S. and Canada have the potential to experience," Schneider explains. "What we do is give them a chance to actually be a kid again, and take advantage of their good health and their desire for activity."

Seniors, it seems, are looking to softball for a number of reasons, not the least of which are the health benefits found in swinging a bat and running the bases.

"You don't stop playing because you grow old," Schneider says with a grin. "You grow old because you stop playing."

Schneider has witnessed first-hand the benefits players experience when they get interested in the game and work on reclaiming the skills they once had. He is adamant that gains in physical health are visibly obvious even after his five-day softball camp. Over longer periods the rewards, both physical and in level of play, are amazing.

"As they play from day to day and month to month their skills improve and their physical fitness improves dramatically," Schneider says.

The physical gains of hitting the field are only equalled by the psychological and social advantages of sitting in a dugout with your peers and playing a competitive game.

"The camaraderie, the appreciation, the fact that you are playing with people your own age," Schneider says. "When you're young you take it for granted if you're athletic. When you hit the age groups that we're talking about, everybody is really aware of the difference between when they were 15 and when they're 55, 60, 65 or older. It's a big difference."

While most participants are happy with just the physical and social benefits of softball, for some the competitive embers still burn bright. The seniors' game offers differing levels of competition. You can play for the fun of it, or compete for the opportunity to take part in the Senior Softball World Series. Teams travel to regional tournaments throughout the U.S. and Canada to qualify for the championship.

Schneider is quick to acknowledge the irony of a group of seniors spending five days in a camp setting, being given a schedule and being put through a regiment of stretching and training exercises.

"The camp is run like a camp they might be sending their grandchildren to at this stage, but it is geared to the 50-and-over crowd. That's what draws them back year after year."

Keeping himself busy with speaking engagements that encourage active living for seniors in addition to his continued involvement with the Active Lifestyles camp, Schneider is truly an inspiration to other Americans his age. Combine this with the ongoing thrill he gets from stepping out of the dugout every week, and it's clear that this guy has figured out how to hit for the cycle.

About the Author: FitDV senior editor Brad Holden has had his freelance work published in newspapers, magazines and online. He has fond memories of the Ned Overend poster that adorned his bedroom wall back in the day.

To learn more about the camp, contact Al Schneider at 1-888-335-3828, or send him an email at info@softballcamp.com.

Home plate