January 20, 2025 • 41 mins
Janet Mitchell, a notable figure in the senior sports community, shares her journey from a sports-oriented family to becoming a key player on the famed Maryland Roadrunners. This episode dives into her early inspirations, including her pioneering mother, and highlights how her passion for softball ignited a lifelong love affair with the game. We explore the spirit of the Roadrunners, emphasizing how teamwork, strategy, and a shared love for competition have fueled their success in the National Senior Games since 2001.
Travel with us into the heart of senior softball, where the bonds between teammates are as important as the games themselves. Janet reveals the magic behind the Roadrunners' chemistry, the rigorous selection process for new players, and the supportive environment they foster. We also touch on the universal struggles of overcoming health challenges, as Janet recounts her breast cancer journey and how the team became a crucial pillar of support, illustrating the power of community in healing and resilience.
Finally, this episode sheds light on the unique dynamics of self-coaching and the wisdom that senior athletes impart to younger generations. Janet opens up about her unexpected foray into coaching and how the cooperative spirit of the team led to unexpected victories and personal growth. Janet underscores the holistic benefits of an active lifestyle and encourages listeners to embrace the vitality and wisdom that sports bring to life’s second act.
Website for the Huntsman World Senior Games is seniorgames.net
Website for the national sr games (sr Olympics) is nsga.com
Website for senior softball is spasoftball.com
**The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Information on this podcast may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This podcast contains links to other third party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader, user or browser.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
In this week's episode we're talking softball,
teamwork and a whole lot ofmoxie with someone remarkable,
janet Mitchell.
Janet isn't just a lifelongathlete.
She's part of a senior softballteam that absolutely dominates
at the National Senior Games and, trust me, they're not just
(00:22):
playing for fun.
They're out there crushing itit and they're leaving younger
teams in the dust.
Janet's love for the gamestarted young, inspired by her
sports-loving mom back in the1940s.
Talk about a family legacy.
But what really caught myattention?
Janet's team has a secretweapon.
(00:43):
They play with heart, strategyand a little bit of sass.
If you think retirement is allabout relaxing, janet's here to
prove you wrong.
Get ready for some laughs, someinspiration and maybe even a
few tips on how to slide intohome plate at any age without
breaking a hip.
Hope you enjoy it.
(01:04):
I'm Leslie Maloney, retirementcoach and podcast host.
I'm all about helping younavigate the many transitions of
this next chapter, fromredefining purpose to finding
joy in the everyday.
We dive into real stories,practical tips and inspiring
(01:26):
conversations.
So, whether you've alreadyretired, you're planning for it
or you're just starting to thinkabout what's next, join me for
this fun and fearlessexploration of life's second act
, because life after 50 isn'tthe end of the story.
No, far from it.
(01:47):
It's where the magic trulybegins.
Go to my website,meaninginmoxieafter50.com for
more information, and now let'sget going with this week's
episode.
All right, everybody, welcomeback to another meeting in Moxie
after 50.
And I have a very special ladywith me today.
(02:10):
I have Janet Mitchell.
She is an amazing softballplayer, been playing softball
her whole life and she is partof a really cool team and they
just dominate quite a bit in thesenior games, the national
senior games, and so that's howI found her.
(02:32):
So welcome, janet, thank you.
So tell us about your, yourpath around, how softball has
been such a big part of yourlife.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
It starts a long time ago.
My mother actually playedsports in high school in the
1940s, unlike many women, and inDC, lived in DC, grew up in DC
and she played at Coolidge HighSchool and I actually have a
newspaper clipping from her highschool newspaper where she's
(03:07):
quoted as saying I don't knowwhy girls can't play in her high
sports, why do boys get to doit?
So, being raised by a mom likethat in the 50s and 60s, I was
really lucky.
So, yeah, a woman ahead of hertime, definitely ahead of her
time, and so I never heard girlsdon't do that about anything.
And I grew up in a family offive, three brothers, one sister
(03:31):
.
My dad was also athletic, sosports was just a huge part of
our life, except for my poorsister who really had no
interest in sports.
So she got dragged from game togame to game to game.
But I mean I just my mother.
I mean my dad went to lawschool at night when there were
three of us, and so I think hegraduated when I was about three
(03:55):
.
I don't, obviously don'tremember that, but my mother was
the one who had us out playing.
You know, she was the one, youknow, teaching us and we played
wiffle ball and baseball andbasketball and whatever we could
and of course back then youwere supposed to be catholic, to
(04:33):
be on the cyo team.
We were not catholic but my dadsaid I'll have you baptized
catholic, if that's what ittakes.
So obviously we have to do that.
But uh, that would he.
He was cath, so that that wouldhave been okay with him.
Anyway, I just played on teamsever since, every year, since
other than the COVID year, whichwe still practiced even though
(04:55):
we were very restricted.
You know, I've played nowalmost 60 years every year.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Wow.
So how did you find this team?
So you're a part of I want toget the name right the Maryland
Roadrunners, which I really likethat name, and you've been
together since 2005.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
2001.
But they had been together forabout three or four years before
that.
I wasn't old enough to play.
But in senior ball back at thattime if you were 45, you could
play with a 50 and over team.
They could have a few underageplayers, not in the senior games
I had to wait until I turned 50to get to compete in the games
(05:41):
themselves but in all the othertournaments.
So they it was just a group ofwomen who had started this
senior team in our area and theywere going around asking
everybody how old are you?
And then.
So when I said, oh, I'm 44, I'mgoing to turn 45 next year, and
they said, well, do you want toplay?
And I knew a few of them justbecause we've all played on
(06:02):
league teams around here and soforth, and so I said I really
want to play on that team.
It seems like a lot of fun.
At that time the team hardlyever won any games, was just
starting out, but they had sucha good time and such a great
positive attitude and I thoughtthat's I want to be a part of
that so that's how I gotconnected with them.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
It sounds like such a sisterhood.
How often do you practice?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
It really is a sisterhood.
We practice a couple of times amonth.
This year We've had someinjuries so we haven't practiced
quite as often.
We kind of wait till thetournaments are coming up, but
we practice all summer.
We start as soon as the weatherallows, which is generally late
March in our area it has to be50 degrees we don't like it to
(06:48):
be colder than 50 degrees and wepractice all the way through to
our last tournament, which isin November.
So we're really fortunate thatmany of us live close by, close
enough to practice.
A lot of senior teams havepeople scattered throughout
different states and they justdon't have the luxury of having
(07:10):
group practices we have.
Of our 18 people, I think 14live in the area.
So we're really fortunate thatwe can practice and, of course,
go out to lunch every week afterwe practice.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Yeah, for those who are not familiar with the senior
games, let's explain that alittle bit to them.
How would you describe it?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Well, the national senior games are what people
refer to as the senior Olympics,and there's a competition in
each state for almost any sportyou can think of, and the
competitions in each statehappen every year, but the
national senior games are everyother year, so there wasn't one
this year, there will be onenext year in Des Moines, iowa,
(07:52):
and it's just a.
It's such a great organization.
You can.
You're eligible to startcompeting when you're 50, and
then you compete in your statein order to qualify to go to the
national games and you playagainst people your own age.
The age groups range in softballthis is and I think this is
every sport, but I haven'tcompeted in the other sports
(08:19):
Every five years you're eligiblefor the next age group up, so
50 to 54, then you compete in 55and over.
You can compete in a groupyounger than your age.
So we have a number of playerswho are in their 70s, but we
play in the 65 and over, becauseyour age group is determined by
the youngest player on yourteam.
So it's just an organizationthat gives such opportunity to
(08:41):
everyone who's 50 and over.
I never knew this world existed.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Yeah, and it is.
I mean, it's something to I wassaying to somebody else in
another conversation.
We all need things to chase, weall need things to to go after.
Hopefully there are positivethings but and so this gives you
kind of a goal every mean yougot y'all been in like 10
(09:06):
different ones now pretty much.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, they were in, I think, two before I was old
enough and then, yeah, I guessthe first one I was in was maybe
was 2005.
So I might have been still tooyoung by one year that year.
But we've been in a lot of themand they're in a different city
.
Every every national games isheld in a different city.
(09:29):
So we love traveling with ourteam because we play seven or
eight tournaments a year aroundthe country.
So getting to go to differentcities for the national games is
just great.
Fits right in with that.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
What a blast.
Yeah, you get to do sometraveling, you get to have some
competition, you're there withyour sisters and and I mean it's
yeah, what, what a blast itreally is.
It's like traveling with 15 ofyour sisters uh-huh, yeah, oh
gosh, yeah, and I understandthat you all take, have taken
home medals quite often andwe've done very well.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I think we always like to say we have won a lot of
medals.
I think maybe we've medaledevery year.
We've played in the seniorgames, maybe we missed out on
one, but we generally want tomake it into the major division.
Because in softball, after thefirst day of competition, which
(10:26):
is called pool play, whereeverybody just plays three games
based on those results, theythen put you into groups so that
you're competing for medalsagainst people your same, your
same level.
So if there are teams that aremore recreational, then they'll
be competing against each otherand have an opportunity to win a
medal.
And so we, like, our goal isalways to get into that major
(10:48):
division because you know, asyou get older in your age group
it's harder.
You know the team's just movingup to 65s.
We've got a lot of 70s.
Well, that five years makes abig difference.
So I think we've made it intothe majors every year but one
and we have won a lot of medals.
But I always think there's somany good teams and we've become
(11:10):
friends over the 20 years withthese teams from around the
country, but we're not alwaysthe biggest and best team on the
field, but we have such greatchemistry.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
It wins us a lot of games.
Yeah, why do you think that is?
Speaker 2 (11:24):
You know we're very picky about new players, like if
somebody might have greatskills but if it's not a good
fit in terms of being positiveand encouraging and just doing
your best and accepting theresult and kind of having a good
perspective about all of this,then they wouldn't be a good fit
on our team.
And we've had a few people whohave decided for themselves that
(11:46):
it wasn't a good fit, which isfine.
Everybody should be doing thisfor their own reasons.
We actually developed.
So we actually developed.
Probably almost 15 years ago,we developed a written code of
expected conduct on and off thefield in terms of supporting
your teammates and remainingpositive and not calling
(12:09):
attention to mistakes.
No drama, I mean, come on.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
What a great idea, you don't?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
need that, you know no, that's why we have such good
chemistry, I think yeah, what?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
what a great idea to, because sometimes you need to
get it in writing so thateverybody's on the same page
with that, because we all have alittle different way we look at
that that's, that's right.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
And for the, the few people who have decided, you
know, on our team everybodydoesn't play every game, but
everybody is going to contributeat a tournament.
We find a way so that everybodyhas their chance to be on the
field and contribute.
Some people aren't, don'treally like that, they prefer to
be.
You know, maybe they think I'mreally strong and I should be in
(12:50):
every game, and that's okay too, but that doesn't work for us.
So we generally part ways, andyou know, in a friendly way, and
they find a team that worksbetter for them in that regard.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Yeah, well, and and I , you know, I, I, I play on, I
play tennis competitively ondifferent teams, and so it is
really important to have thatand define that for staying
positive, because there are some, it only takes really one
staying positive because thereare some.
It only takes really one.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Yes, to kind of pull things down, very true.
I mean, one of the things onour code of conduct is that we
don't call attention to ourmistakes or the mistakes of
others, because all that does ischange your focus in the game
to the mistake and it makesnobody feels worse than someone
who makes an error.
And let's face it, we're goingto make errors.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
It's okay.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
It's all about the recovery from those, so yeah,
and that's why you're out therecompeting.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
It's it's really you against you, but you want to
have fun.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
I know one of the things we were talking about on
on one of my teams or amongstkind of a doubles group that I
was playing with, is also tostop saying sorry.
Yeah, okay, stop saying sorry.
You're like you don't hear guyssaying sorry about that Sorry,
and so we're, and then we'retrying to correct each other
(14:10):
because it's, it's just, it'swhen you get a group of women
together and oh my gosh sorry,sorry, there can be a lot of
sorrys.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Yeah it, that's.
I think that's a really goodpoint.
And, um, I have a couple peopleon my team who feel they still
have to say it.
They're sort of new, theyhaven't quite realized that we
don't care if you make a mistake, we just want you to try your
hardest and and we know you are,you know, and so they're,
they're getting there.
But that's, that's alsosometimes a personal thing that
(14:37):
people deal with away fromsports, you know, especially
women, I think.
Sure.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
So you're, you're, you're, you mentioned you're,
you play about 10 or 12tournaments a year, something
like that we play about seven oreight tournaments, yeah.
So that's not what the seniorgames that must be with somebody
else.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yes, we, we play around the country.
We play in.
We play at the Huntsman WorldSenior Games.
We play in St Louis, which isan independent tournament that
one of the teams from St Louissponsors is kind of their team
fundraiser.
We play in Prescott, arizona.
That's a rec departmenttournament, and then there's an
organization called SPA, whichis Softball Players Association,
(15:19):
and they put on women'stournaments throughout the year.
And so in the East we that'stypically we generally go out
West two times, maybe three, andthe rest of the tournaments are
they play a lot, nothing nearMaryland or DCC, but Tennessee,
florida, St Louis.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
And so that's kind of sometimes Georgia.
So we play a lot in theirtournaments.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Do you have a particular team, like a couple
of teams that are oh, we'regoing up against the so-and-sos.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I think every major team I mean California has a
fantastic organization calledCalifornia Spirit.
They have a team in every agegroup so they're always
competitive because when theyreach the top of their age group
they bump up to the next agegroup.
So they always have really goodteams and they also have a
(16:30):
number of teams.
They're just, they're just likea mirror image of us.
You know, they're really a goodteam.
Sometimes they have a greatgame, sometimes they don't, but
they're always in it and they'rejust a really fun, positive
group of women.
So we've known, we've playedthem for years and now that we
really are like sisters with allof them, now that we're at the
point in our lives where youknow we've all several teams,
have lost, a couple of playerswho have passed away and that
kind of thing, it's, it's areally a, an emotional group
(16:52):
thing for all of us around thecountry.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Yeah, I would imagine so, because and that's maybe
what keeps the competition inbalance, because we've all been
bumped around by life and soit's kind of like it's just, in
this case, it's just softball.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Yeah that's exactly right.
Yeah, a grandchild with anillness or a child with an
illness, yourself with anillness or, like I said, losing
players, injuries.
We all feel for each other, weall pull for each other.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Yeah, yeah, definitely keeps it, keeps it in
play.
So you had a health challengeback several years ago.
Yeah, team was really anintegral part of your healing.
You want to talk about that?
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Sure, yeah, I had just a it was 2018, a routine
mammogram detected something,and then I had a bunch of tests
and turned out it was an earlystage breast cancer, which was
kind of I don't want to sayshocked, because you know that's
what happens to women at ourage group.
But there was certainly nofamily history or any indication
(18:03):
of any illness for me, so itwas kind of out of left field If
I could say that I do play leftfield.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Sports metaphor.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
That's good.
So you know I had a bunch oftasks and one of my teammates
now too, because we have a newteammate but one of my teammates
had been through breast cancerand so, and as well as other
women on other teams, so youknow there was no mystery about
it I was just the whole time Iwas thinking, oh, I feel so
fortunate that I have this goodhealthcare and, you know,
(18:35):
thinking of all those women whodon't have that, who it wouldn't
have been detected so early.
So I had a lumpectomy andexpected to have radiation, but
the lumpectomy did not come backclean.
They thought it was stage zerobut it came back that it was
invasive.
So, just discussion with thebreast surgeon and the, we
settled on a mastectomy.
(18:55):
So I had a mastectomy and Iknew just from really from other
women I had encountered who hadhad reconstructive surgery and
or wore prosthetics.
I thought I don't want that,I'm not getting the extra
surgery and I don't want to wearprosthetics.
So that's why I had thebilateral and I decided against
reconstruction and so goingthrough that I mean my, my team
(19:19):
actually we went out to dinner acouple nights before the
surgery so we could toastfarewell to my breasts.
That's how you know, I mean itwas never a threatening.
I never felt threatened by thedisease.
I never felt nervous.
I mean I just felt like, okay,well, what do we have to do to
get back out in the game?
You know, not just softball,but just in general.
(19:40):
So my recovery, let's see, mysurgery was in March February or
March, I think and then I wasable to play softball by July.
So that was good.
And then I was also able to getto my Grand Canyon hiking trip
in June.
That was the really importantthing.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yes, talk about that.
My goodness, that was threemonths afterward.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Three months afterward the healing was really
pretty good.
I didn't really have any issues.
I did not.
I went on an endocrine therapyfor five years, which basically
that's an estrogen blocker, andI fortunately didn't have side
effects like a lot of women do.
So I didn't have anydebilitating chemotherapy or or
the radiation because the lymphnodes had been removed.
(20:26):
So I there's a group of us westarted hiking after the
Huntsman World Senior Games inUtah 20 years ago and we've done
it ever since.
So we had a trip planned to thebottom of the Grand Canyon.
We had to carry 35 pound packto the bottom and out.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So can I ask a question?
So were these gals from yourteam or this is a hiking group
that you found?
Speaker 2 (20:51):
From my team.
From your team, yeah, just sortof evolved into a hiking group
and has been one ever since.
So I said to my doctor I got toget on that trip and she was a
hiker.
She is a hiker.
So she said you're going onthat of an issue with some, with
, uh, you have drains after amastectomy and I had some fluid
(21:19):
buildup so she had to put thedrain back in.
But she said you know what?
I think it was in May.
She said we're taking it out,you got to get on with your life
.
So we took, she took it out andit stopped building up, believe
it or not.
So, uh, came the trip.
She said, came the trip.
She said, okay, I'm going tobind you up, you're going.
And I went and it was fine, itwas perfectly fine.
(21:44):
My teammates had sent me thisbig kind of a collage they made
that was all about.
You know we can each take fivepounds and you know it'll be
intense.
But and they had little tentson it, you know, and really nice
, just, I never doubted that Iwas going on that trip.
So but I also think that havinghad a lot of orthopedic
surgeries over the years fromsports was a part of that
recovery, because with thatyou're like okay, I've blown out
(22:09):
my ACL, what do I have to do toget back in the game?
So it was kind of that approachto for this, you know but, yeah
, we we have.
I have two teammates now who aregoing through a chemo for
breast cancer and they're stillplaying.
They're doing great.
Yeah, it's a real community.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Yeah, and it sounds like do you think that your
experience in sports where youkind of just said it, that you
it helps you with challenges inyour life?
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I think it does.
I mean because for two reasons.
One, you learn to work throughthings.
You just learn to give it yourall, but you also have something
that you want to get back to.
So it's incentive to dowhatever you have to do to try
to get back out there and bepart of the fun.
So it's like just wonderful.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
So that?
So that you had a 35 pound pack, and so you went down and then
you hiked across the bottom andthen you came back out.
How many was that?
Speaker 2 (23:15):
well, it was three days.
We went down all the way in oneday.
That was a killer, mostly onthe knees, not on anything else.
My sister actually created this.
My sister had made these littleum foam pads that fit on the
pack so that it wouldn't rub mychest where my scars were.
So that was nice, but uh, so wemade it down.
(23:35):
Then we camped at the bottomovernight, and that was amazing.
I'd been to the, made it down.
Then we camped at the bottomovernight, and that was amazing.
I'd been to the grand canyon,but I'd never been to the bottom
and how many miles?
Speaker 1 (23:43):
how many miles was that down?
Speaker 2 (23:45):
seven and a half okay , yeah it was because it's, you
know, a lot of back switchbacksand stuff, but it was amazing
and we actually saw the milkyway that night from the bottom
of the grand canyon, yeah.
So then then we started thehike out the next morning at
four in the morning because ofthe heat, and we were only going
halfway out up a differenttrail to a campground there and
(24:06):
we were there by like 930because we started so early and
then camped again, and then thenext day we hiked the rest of
the way out, starting at threein the morning because the heat.
So it was great.
It was great, in fact.
Our group is.
We've since gone to Yosemitewith the same company that took
us there.
In this past year we went toWestern Wyoming in the Tetons
(24:31):
with llamas, and next year we'regoing to Alaska right before
the senior games.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
No grass grows under your feet, so you've always been
a super active person and youcontinue.
I mean, it sounds like you justcontinue to do that.
How are you hiking Maryland'spretty flat?
Speaker 2 (24:53):
How are you?
Maryland is definitely flat.
Getting prepared for hiking at10,000 feet in Wyoming was not
easy, in Maryland I mean.
I think the highest pointMaryland is maybe 2,500 feet,
you know, along the AppalachianTrail in western Maryland.
So you know we just we just tryto do what we can do here and
stay active and it's you knowit's everybody in the group is
(25:15):
obviously very active.
There's some play volleyballand we do what we can around
here just to stay in shape andit's pretty okay.
The company we've used knowsour group and so they're pretty
good at adjusting.
You know, if they knowsomething's going to be super
challenging, maybe it's going totake us too long, they'll
adjust, you know, because we arewe always like to say we are a
(25:36):
bunch of old ladies.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
So that's all relative yes, exactly sounds
like.
Yeah, I mean, I know some 20year olds that probably couldn't
have done that oh, it was achallenge, but it was great.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
It was.
It was amazing really do you?
Speaker 1 (25:52):
how do you keep yourself out of injury?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
I mean, you're stretching must be a part of
your routine and things likethat and ever since the first
ACL I blew out was 20 years agoand when I did that rehab that
gets you in the best shape ofyour life.
I mean, it's a long rehab andit's intense and so through that
, at this place where I went andhave continued to go, I was
(26:15):
educated so well about what todo to keep myself in shape and
I've had injuries along the way.
Believe me, I blew out theother ACL but was able to
recover from that.
It's mostly knees with me.
But, yeah, stretching, you knowwe stretch, I work out.
I joined that.
It's a physical therapy placebut then you can join as a
wellness member and to work out.
(26:37):
So I go there sometimes twotimes a week during the place,
but then you can join as awellness member and to work out.
So I go there sometimes twotimes a week during the season,
but try to get there three timesa week just to, just to try to
stay in shape, you know, andobviously stretching is a big
part of it.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Yeah, so you're headed to Des Moines next year
and you're are you donequalifying or you still have
some qualifying tournamentscoming up?
No, we're we you donequalifying or you still have
some qualifying tournaments?
Speaker 2 (26:58):
coming up.
No, we're.
We're done qualifying inMaryland.
We're the only team in our agegroup in Maryland and so we
qualified last we had.
We did play in a littletournament they had locally
because the Maryland seniorgames, because that's what
you're required to do, and so wewere able to do that and and
get our qualification set.
So we'll be going out there andhoping for the best and I know
(27:22):
we'll have no matter what, we'llhave a good time.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
And who is your coach ?
Has your coach been the sameperson pretty much through these
years?
Speaker 2 (27:30):
No, actually my coach is me and I didn't.
It wasn't by choice, but we hada coach when the team first
started we had two coaches thehusbands.
Two husbands were coaches.
Well, long story short, one ofthem passed away kind of early
in my time on the team, maybetwo or three years in.
(27:51):
He passed away from cancer andhis wife decided she was done
playing.
She was, she thought aboutmoving up to the next age group
she was a little bit older, butshe decided she was ready to
retire.
And the other woman got aserious injury and and so they
kind of stopped participating.
So somehow I ended up, I thinkI said I'd do it for a while
(28:14):
until we found someone.
But we've never found anyone.
And then there's another playeron the team, mary Burns, who
does it with me, and I'll tellyou, I don't think it would work
if we didn't have such acooperative group of women.
Because, trying to play andcoach and be fair about playing
time and and do it.
(28:35):
You know you're having tobasically judge your friends, to
figure out what to put, when toput them in and where to put
them and stuff.
So that's a little bit of achallenge for us.
But everybody's so socooperative that you know that
you often will hear, hey, takeme out, she hasn't been in, Let
her play, you know, andsometimes we do and sometimes we
say no, we want you in there.
(28:56):
So it just sort of depends.
But it's a real challenge.
We did have another of ourplayers' husbands tried to coach
us, but kind of he was, he gaveit his all all, but I don't
think he quite got what we wereexpecting in a coach and so it
(29:17):
didn't work out and so she stillplays and he still comes, but I
think he's kind of relieved tome that he didn't have to do it
yeah, it's a testament to you.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
And and how balanced, because, you're right, you're
wearing a bunch.
You know three different hatsthere yeah, it's really
testament to you that you'reyou're um able to do that.
And that's why I asked thequestion, because I'm thinking
y'all are so such a tight-knitbunch that for somebody to kind
of come in there and not get thedynamic of that, yeah difficult
(29:49):
yeah, I think it would be, andI felt like I said I don't know
that we've given him enough of achance, but I kind of knew it
wasn't going to work.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
I could just tell, and I would love to not have to
coach, just because it sort oftakes away a little bit of your
fun at a tournament.
You know, you might we alwaysgo out for meals together and
hang out together, but there'salways oh yeah, we got to figure
out four lineups for tomorrow.
So you know you can't quitejust enjoy everything, but it's
(30:19):
okay and it's getting a littlebetter.
You know, I think I've beenworking on myself to try to not
put so much pressure on myself,which is what all the girls say
Don't don much pressure, but youdo because you want to be fair,
and so I'm trying to work on itand everybody's really very
flexible.
We just played in a tournamentthis weekend and we won the
(30:41):
tournament.
I don't know that we've won atournament like that in a couple
of years.
We just for some reason got ona roll because we didn't even
have any subs, we were thatshort of people and we were
playing against really goodteams who have creamed us in the
last couple of years.
So we know, you know they'regood teams, but but everybody
just did.
You know, I had people.
(31:02):
I had a pitcher playing leftfield the whole time because
that's where she could play andI needed somebody, I needed her
to go someplace.
So you know, we just everybodyjust sort of does what they have
to do and enjoys it.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
So yeah, I'm thinking of that movie I can't remember
the name of it with Tom Hanksand oh, League of their Own.
League of their Own.
League of their Own.
Yeah, yeah, that movie is great.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Do you know?
That's the highest grossingbaseball movie ever made, is it
really?
Yeah, I know that because Ijust me I love the Boston Red
Sox.
I've grown up on the Red Sox.
My dad was from Boston, so theRed Sox have a women's baseball
fantasy camp at their springtraining facility every January
(31:46):
and so I go and several of theladies from that real league
come to the baseball camp.
So we've gotten to meet themand know them and and learn so
much about them and the movieand their experience.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
It's really cool yeah , yeah, that I mean, because
really what, what made thatmovie was the dynamics right on
the team how we got to know allthe players oh, yeah, yeah so
I'm sure it's similar in a lotof ways.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
It's very yeah, yeah, it is, it really is.
And you know we have ourmoments where somebody gets
frustrated or or somethinghappens, and you know we, we try
to always bring it to theforefront and talk about it,
because if, if you don't, that'swhat ends up killing a team.
You know, if there's a lot ofpeople talking about something
and and the focus is lost to thegame, so, we try it and we we
(32:38):
try to respect that.
we're friends.
We're not always going to thinkalike, but, uh, and you might
not agree with what Mary and Idecide to do with the coaching,
but but they accept it, you know, and they might say well, did
you think about this?
Which is great, and sometimeswe have and sometimes they
haven't.
So it's, there's a real giveand take and it's a it's a very
unique group of women.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
Do you ever interact with some of the younger, like a
high school, high schoolcollege teams and and I don't
know is there or even like someof the Olympian of the Olympic?
You know, like some of themthat just came back from Paris,
the US team Does Senior Gamesever arrange those meetings?
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Not that I've ever been a part of.
I'm not sure that that's everhappened.
Ok, I think that would befantastic because you all have
the wisdom to offer thoseyounger teams.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Yeah, yeah, really, I mean, I think, yeah, I think
somebody is missing somethingthere because there there is
there's a you.
You all have the long view thatthey don't.
That's really true.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Yeah, and it's.
It's really a perspective thatchanges throughout your life.
But I mean, yeah, we, we're onthe field, we are out there,
every team is out there justtrying to win.
But when the game is over, thegame, I mean this team that we
beat to win this tournament.
They're a really good team and,like I said, we just got on a
(33:59):
roll and we beat them two gamesby one run in the last inning
and we came from behind.
Well, after the tournament wasall over, we all had a group
picture together, both teams,because when the game is over
it's a game you know where we,where we feel like we've already
won before we step on the field.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
Yeah, yeah, just to be out there moving, having fun.
And yeah, I have another friendthat says if you're having fun,
then you've won.
That's exactly right.
That is exactly right.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Yeahland senior olympics is um.
Their motto is to participateis to win okay, yeah, it's very,
very true yeah who are theteams ahead of you?
Speaker 1 (34:40):
um, what is it?
Who is?
What is the oldest age group insoftball?
In the senior?
Speaker 2 (34:46):
oh my gosh it's fabulous 80 and over.
There are, I think, fourwomen's teams, I think one or
two from canada, uh, 80 and over.
And we're really lucky becauseone of the teams in the in the
us is the colorado peaches.
They seeing these women play.
People might watch them and say, oh, it's so slow, it's a
(35:07):
different game.
They paved the way for us andit's so slow, it's a different
game.
They paved the way for us andit's so inspiring to think.
Look at them, they are having ablast out there.
And we're lucky here because oneof the women on their team,
carmen Campbell.
She plays on the ColoradoPeaches but she lives in our
area and she's our leaguecoordinator here in our little
league we play in and she's thecommissioner of the Maryland
(35:30):
Senior Olympics.
She's one of the commissioners,so she's very involved and we
get inspired by her.
I mean our league.
We're not in a leaguealtogether.
Some of us are on the same teamand some of us are on different
teams.
It's just a local kind of a recleague and she coordinates it,
but she also plays Well.
It's a 40 and over, she's 86and she's playing Well.
It's a 40 and over, she's 86and she's playing and it's just
(35:50):
amazing, so that we we loveseeing the older age groups play
it's, it's fabulous.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Yeah, and, and we're teaching when we take part in
these different things, nomatter what it is that we're
doing whether it's sports orsomething else, we're teaching
those that are younger, how toage and how to age well, yeah,
and they are paying attention.
They really are payingattention, just like you're.
You're aware of her in hereighties, in which she's doing
Absolutely Well, modeled for somany too.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Yeah, and I think socially it's just as important,
that that's just as importantas the physical part, you know.
I mean because as people age wecan get isolated from other
people, people you know we havea couple of women who have lost
their husbands.
You know, you could, you couldfall out of any kind of social
circle for a variety of reasons,and my oncologist works with me
(36:49):
a lot on diet and sleep andnutrition and in particular in
our family we have blood sugarissues.
So she's made me very aware ofthat.
So I said to her listen, when Igo to these tournaments with
these women, we go out to eatall the time.
I can't control necessarilywhat I can eat and when I you
(37:10):
and when I need to take a walkafter I eat.
And she said I'm gonna tell yousomething Stop watching your
sugar when you're on thesetournaments, because the social
part is just as important as thephysical and I think that's the
case with your health.
That's just a big piece of it.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Yes, very much so, very much so.
It's all those aspects thatcome together.
Yeah, so it sounds to me likeyou have found your secret sauce
to staying young.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Oh, it's a secret sauce.
All right, I hope it goes onforever.
I know nothing does, but it'sjust, we're just enjoying every,
every year.
And I remember, before my mompassed away, one of the last
things she said to me was andshe died fairly young, she was
72.
She said don't stop moving,never stop moving.
(38:00):
She said I stopped moving and Iit's hard to get it back.
So we, we try to do that.
You know, we try to keep onmoving.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
Yeah, I mean, and it all relates on, you know, we try
to keep on moving.
Yeah, I mean, it all relates on, you know, mental, physical,
emotional, it all.
It all relates on that cycle wewere just talking about it's
all a piece of of your health.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
It's all important piece of your health yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
So here's my final question as we wrap up.
When you think of the idea ofmeaning and moxie, how does that
play out in your life?
Speaker 2 (38:37):
well, I think you can find a lot of different things
that give you meaning and youknow it can be your faith.
That's a big part of meaning tome your health.
But for me, I think the oneword is team.
Whether it's your sports team,it's your group, your clan, it
(38:58):
might be your family.
It could be family.
It could be your team, a sportsteam it could be, you know,
some club you're in that'simportant to you.
You got to find that team andthat's going to give you meaning
and it's going to let youcontinue to do what you love.
And that's the Moxie.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Yes, amen to that.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Well, what a great place to stop our conversation
here, so inspiring and I.
What we'll do in the show notesis we'll put you know any
information, maybe link to thearticle about you, whatever you
want to share in our show notesso that people can follow you,
follow the senior games andanything else regarding softball
(39:41):
too.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
That's great.
I'll tell you, I'm not on anysocial media, so in terms of
following me, I I don't.
There's nothing to follow.
Speaker 1 (39:50):
Yeah well, we can, we can still there's, there's, you
know, you're searchable.
We can, I'm searchable yeah, themaryland roadrunners is
searchable there definitely aresome articles out there about
the maryland roadrunners yeah,and just and just uh, following
your results in the senior gamesyeah, what you got, yeah, yeah
thank you so much for thisconversation this afternoon.
(40:13):
Thank you for having me.
I enjoyed it, I think it.
I think people will get a lotout of it and and it will remind
them to find these things intheir own life absolutely
absolutely okay, everybody,thank you for listening.
We'll talk to you soon.
Bye now.
If this podcast was valuable toyou, it would mean so much if
(40:37):
you could take 30 seconds to doone or all of these three things
Follow or subscribe to thepodcast and, while there, leave
a review and then maybe sharethis with a friend if you think
they'd like it.
In a world full of lots ofdistractions, I so appreciate
you taking the time to listen in.
Until next time, be well andtake care, thank you.
In this week's episode we're talking softball,
teamwork and a whole lot ofmoxie with someone remarkable,
janet Mitchell.
Janet isn't just a lifelongathlete.
She's part of a senior softballteam that absolutely dominates
at the National Senior Games and, trust me, they're not just
(00:22):
playing for fun.
They're out there crushing itit and they're leaving younger
teams in the dust.
Janet's love for the gamestarted young, inspired by her
sports-loving mom back in the1940s.
Talk about a family legacy.
But what really caught myattention?
Janet's team has a secretweapon.
(00:43):
They play with heart, strategyand a little bit of sass.
If you think retirement is allabout relaxing, janet's here to
prove you wrong.
Get ready for some laughs, someinspiration and maybe even a
few tips on how to slide intohome plate at any age without
breaking a hip.
Hope you enjoy it.
(01:04):
I'm Leslie Maloney, retirementcoach and podcast host.
I'm all about helping younavigate the many transitions of
this next chapter, fromredefining purpose to finding
joy in the everyday.
We dive into real stories,practical tips and inspiring
(01:26):
conversations.
So, whether you've alreadyretired, you're planning for it
or you're just starting to thinkabout what's next, join me for
this fun and fearlessexploration of life's second act
, because life after 50 isn'tthe end of the story.
No, far from it.
(01:47):
It's where the magic trulybegins.
Go to my website,meaninginmoxieafter50.com for
more information, and now let'sget going with this week's
episode.
All right, everybody, welcomeback to another meeting in Moxie
after 50.
And I have a very special ladywith me today.
(02:10):
I have Janet Mitchell.
She is an amazing softballplayer, been playing softball
her whole life and she is partof a really cool team and they
just dominate quite a bit in thesenior games, the national
senior games, and so that's howI found her.
(02:32):
So welcome, janet, thank you.
So tell us about your, yourpath around, how softball has
been such a big part of yourlife.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
It starts a long time ago.
My mother actually playedsports in high school in the
1940s, unlike many women, and inDC, lived in DC, grew up in DC
and she played at Coolidge HighSchool and I actually have a
newspaper clipping from her highschool newspaper where she's
(03:07):
quoted as saying I don't knowwhy girls can't play in her high
sports, why do boys get to doit?
So, being raised by a mom likethat in the 50s and 60s, I was
really lucky.
So, yeah, a woman ahead of hertime, definitely ahead of her
time, and so I never heard girlsdon't do that about anything.
And I grew up in a family offive, three brothers, one sister
(03:31):
.
My dad was also athletic, sosports was just a huge part of
our life, except for my poorsister who really had no
interest in sports.
So she got dragged from game togame to game to game.
But I mean I just my mother.
I mean my dad went to lawschool at night when there were
three of us, and so I think hegraduated when I was about three
(03:55):
.
I don't, obviously don'tremember that, but my mother was
the one who had us out playing.
You know, she was the one, youknow, teaching us and we played
wiffle ball and baseball andbasketball and whatever we could
and of course back then youwere supposed to be catholic, to
(04:33):
be on the cyo team.
We were not catholic but my dadsaid I'll have you baptized
catholic, if that's what ittakes.
So obviously we have to do that.
But uh, that would he.
He was cath, so that that wouldhave been okay with him.
Anyway, I just played on teamsever since, every year, since
other than the COVID year, whichwe still practiced even though
(04:55):
we were very restricted.
You know, I've played nowalmost 60 years every year.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Wow.
So how did you find this team?
So you're a part of I want toget the name right the Maryland
Roadrunners, which I really likethat name, and you've been
together since 2005.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
2001.
But they had been together forabout three or four years before
that.
I wasn't old enough to play.
But in senior ball back at thattime if you were 45, you could
play with a 50 and over team.
They could have a few underageplayers, not in the senior games
I had to wait until I turned 50to get to compete in the games
(05:41):
themselves but in all the othertournaments.
So they it was just a group ofwomen who had started this
senior team in our area and theywere going around asking
everybody how old are you?
And then.
So when I said, oh, I'm 44, I'mgoing to turn 45 next year, and
they said, well, do you want toplay?
And I knew a few of them justbecause we've all played on
(06:02):
league teams around here and soforth, and so I said I really
want to play on that team.
It seems like a lot of fun.
At that time the team hardlyever won any games, was just
starting out, but they had sucha good time and such a great
positive attitude and I thoughtthat's I want to be a part of
that so that's how I gotconnected with them.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
It sounds like such a sisterhood.
How often do you practice?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
It really is a sisterhood.
We practice a couple of times amonth.
This year We've had someinjuries so we haven't practiced
quite as often.
We kind of wait till thetournaments are coming up, but
we practice all summer.
We start as soon as the weatherallows, which is generally late
March in our area it has to be50 degrees we don't like it to
(06:48):
be colder than 50 degrees and wepractice all the way through to
our last tournament, which isin November.
So we're really fortunate thatmany of us live close by, close
enough to practice.
A lot of senior teams havepeople scattered throughout
different states and they justdon't have the luxury of having
(07:10):
group practices we have.
Of our 18 people, I think 14live in the area.
So we're really fortunate thatwe can practice and, of course,
go out to lunch every week afterwe practice.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Yeah, for those who are not familiar with the senior
games, let's explain that alittle bit to them.
How would you describe it?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Well, the national senior games are what people
refer to as the senior Olympics,and there's a competition in
each state for almost any sportyou can think of, and the
competitions in each statehappen every year, but the
national senior games are everyother year, so there wasn't one
this year, there will be onenext year in Des Moines, iowa,
(07:52):
and it's just a.
It's such a great organization.
You can.
You're eligible to startcompeting when you're 50, and
then you compete in your statein order to qualify to go to the
national games and you playagainst people your own age.
The age groups range in softballthis is and I think this is
every sport, but I haven'tcompeted in the other sports
(08:19):
Every five years you're eligiblefor the next age group up, so
50 to 54, then you compete in 55and over.
You can compete in a groupyounger than your age.
So we have a number of playerswho are in their 70s, but we
play in the 65 and over, becauseyour age group is determined by
the youngest player on yourteam.
So it's just an organizationthat gives such opportunity to
(08:41):
everyone who's 50 and over.
I never knew this world existed.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Yeah, and it is.
I mean, it's something to I wassaying to somebody else in
another conversation.
We all need things to chase, weall need things to to go after.
Hopefully there are positivethings but and so this gives you
kind of a goal every mean yougot y'all been in like 10
(09:06):
different ones now pretty much.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, they were in, I think, two before I was old
enough and then, yeah, I guessthe first one I was in was maybe
was 2005.
So I might have been still tooyoung by one year that year.
But we've been in a lot of themand they're in a different city
.
Every every national games isheld in a different city.
(09:29):
So we love traveling with ourteam because we play seven or
eight tournaments a year aroundthe country.
So getting to go to differentcities for the national games is
just great.
Fits right in with that.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
What a blast.
Yeah, you get to do sometraveling, you get to have some
competition, you're there withyour sisters and and I mean it's
yeah, what, what a blast itreally is.
It's like traveling with 15 ofyour sisters uh-huh, yeah, oh
gosh, yeah, and I understandthat you all take, have taken
home medals quite often andwe've done very well.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
I think we always like to say we have won a lot of
medals.
I think maybe we've medaledevery year.
We've played in the seniorgames, maybe we missed out on
one, but we generally want tomake it into the major division.
Because in softball, after thefirst day of competition, which
(10:26):
is called pool play, whereeverybody just plays three games
based on those results, theythen put you into groups so that
you're competing for medalsagainst people your same, your
same level.
So if there are teams that aremore recreational, then they'll
be competing against each otherand have an opportunity to win a
medal.
And so we, like, our goal isalways to get into that major
(10:48):
division because you know, asyou get older in your age group
it's harder.
You know the team's just movingup to 65s.
We've got a lot of 70s.
Well, that five years makes abig difference.
So I think we've made it intothe majors every year but one
and we have won a lot of medals.
But I always think there's somany good teams and we've become
(11:10):
friends over the 20 years withthese teams from around the
country, but we're not alwaysthe biggest and best team on the
field, but we have such greatchemistry.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
It wins us a lot of games.
Yeah, why do you think that is?
Speaker 2 (11:24):
You know we're very picky about new players, like if
somebody might have greatskills but if it's not a good
fit in terms of being positiveand encouraging and just doing
your best and accepting theresult and kind of having a good
perspective about all of this,then they wouldn't be a good fit
on our team.
And we've had a few people whohave decided for themselves that
(11:46):
it wasn't a good fit, which isfine.
Everybody should be doing thisfor their own reasons.
We actually developed.
So we actually developed.
Probably almost 15 years ago,we developed a written code of
expected conduct on and off thefield in terms of supporting
your teammates and remainingpositive and not calling
(12:09):
attention to mistakes.
No drama, I mean, come on.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
What a great idea, you don't?
Speaker 2 (12:13):
need that, you know no, that's why we have such good
chemistry, I think yeah, what?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
what a great idea to, because sometimes you need to
get it in writing so thateverybody's on the same page
with that, because we all have alittle different way we look at
that that's, that's right.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
And for the, the few people who have decided, you
know, on our team everybodydoesn't play every game, but
everybody is going to contributeat a tournament.
We find a way so that everybodyhas their chance to be on the
field and contribute.
Some people aren't, don'treally like that, they prefer to
be.
You know, maybe they think I'mreally strong and I should be in
(12:50):
every game, and that's okay too, but that doesn't work for us.
So we generally part ways, andyou know, in a friendly way, and
they find a team that worksbetter for them in that regard.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Yeah, well, and and I , you know, I, I, I play on, I
play tennis competitively ondifferent teams, and so it is
really important to have thatand define that for staying
positive, because there are some, it only takes really one
staying positive because thereare some.
It only takes really one.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Yes, to kind of pull things down, very true.
I mean, one of the things onour code of conduct is that we
don't call attention to ourmistakes or the mistakes of
others, because all that does ischange your focus in the game
to the mistake and it makesnobody feels worse than someone
who makes an error.
And let's face it, we're goingto make errors.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
It's okay.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
It's all about the recovery from those, so yeah,
and that's why you're out therecompeting.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
It's it's really you against you, but you want to
have fun.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
I know one of the things we were talking about on
on one of my teams or amongstkind of a doubles group that I
was playing with, is also tostop saying sorry.
Yeah, okay, stop saying sorry.
You're like you don't hear guyssaying sorry about that Sorry,
and so we're, and then we'retrying to correct each other
(14:10):
because it's, it's just, it'swhen you get a group of women
together and oh my gosh sorry,sorry, there can be a lot of
sorrys.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Yeah it, that's.
I think that's a really goodpoint.
And, um, I have a couple peopleon my team who feel they still
have to say it.
They're sort of new, theyhaven't quite realized that we
don't care if you make a mistake, we just want you to try your
hardest and and we know you are,you know, and so they're,
they're getting there.
But that's, that's alsosometimes a personal thing that
(14:37):
people deal with away fromsports, you know, especially
women, I think.
Sure.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
So you're, you're, you're, you mentioned you're,
you play about 10 or 12tournaments a year, something
like that we play about seven oreight tournaments, yeah.
So that's not what the seniorgames that must be with somebody
else.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yes, we, we play around the country.
We play in.
We play at the Huntsman WorldSenior Games.
We play in St Louis, which isan independent tournament that
one of the teams from St Louissponsors is kind of their team
fundraiser.
We play in Prescott, arizona.
That's a rec departmenttournament, and then there's an
organization called SPA, whichis Softball Players Association,
(15:19):
and they put on women'stournaments throughout the year.
And so in the East we that'stypically we generally go out
West two times, maybe three, andthe rest of the tournaments are
they play a lot, nothing nearMaryland or DCC, but Tennessee,
florida, St Louis.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
And so that's kind of sometimes Georgia.
So we play a lot in theirtournaments.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Do you have a particular team, like a couple
of teams that are oh, we'regoing up against the so-and-sos.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I think every major team I mean California has a
fantastic organization calledCalifornia Spirit.
They have a team in every agegroup so they're always
competitive because when theyreach the top of their age group
they bump up to the next agegroup.
So they always have really goodteams and they also have a
(16:30):
number of teams.
They're just, they're just likea mirror image of us.
You know, they're really a goodteam.
Sometimes they have a greatgame, sometimes they don't, but
they're always in it and they'rejust a really fun, positive
group of women.
So we've known, we've playedthem for years and now that we
really are like sisters with allof them, now that we're at the
point in our lives where youknow we've all several teams,
have lost, a couple of playerswho have passed away and that
kind of thing, it's, it's areally a, an emotional group
(16:52):
thing for all of us around thecountry.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Yeah, I would imagine so, because and that's maybe
what keeps the competition inbalance, because we've all been
bumped around by life and soit's kind of like it's just, in
this case, it's just softball.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Yeah that's exactly right.
Yeah, a grandchild with anillness or a child with an
illness, yourself with anillness or, like I said, losing
players, injuries.
We all feel for each other, weall pull for each other.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Yeah, yeah, definitely keeps it, keeps it in
play.
So you had a health challengeback several years ago.
Yeah, team was really anintegral part of your healing.
You want to talk about that?
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Sure, yeah, I had just a it was 2018, a routine
mammogram detected something,and then I had a bunch of tests
and turned out it was an earlystage breast cancer, which was
kind of I don't want to sayshocked, because you know that's
what happens to women at ourage group.
But there was certainly nofamily history or any indication
(18:03):
of any illness for me, so itwas kind of out of left field If
I could say that I do play leftfield.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
Sports metaphor.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
That's good.
So you know I had a bunch oftasks and one of my teammates
now too, because we have a newteammate but one of my teammates
had been through breast cancerand so, and as well as other
women on other teams, so youknow there was no mystery about
it I was just the whole time Iwas thinking, oh, I feel so
fortunate that I have this goodhealthcare and, you know,
(18:35):
thinking of all those women whodon't have that, who it wouldn't
have been detected so early.
So I had a lumpectomy andexpected to have radiation, but
the lumpectomy did not come backclean.
They thought it was stage zerobut it came back that it was
invasive.
So, just discussion with thebreast surgeon and the, we
settled on a mastectomy.
(18:55):
So I had a mastectomy and Iknew just from really from other
women I had encountered who hadhad reconstructive surgery and
or wore prosthetics.
I thought I don't want that,I'm not getting the extra
surgery and I don't want to wearprosthetics.
So that's why I had thebilateral and I decided against
reconstruction and so goingthrough that I mean my, my team
(19:19):
actually we went out to dinner acouple nights before the
surgery so we could toastfarewell to my breasts.
That's how you know, I mean itwas never a threatening.
I never felt threatened by thedisease.
I never felt nervous.
I mean I just felt like, okay,well, what do we have to do to
get back out in the game?
You know, not just softball,but just in general.
(19:40):
So my recovery, let's see, mysurgery was in March February or
March, I think and then I wasable to play softball by July.
So that was good.
And then I was also able to getto my Grand Canyon hiking trip
in June.
That was the really importantthing.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yes, talk about that.
My goodness, that was threemonths afterward.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Three months afterward the healing was really
pretty good.
I didn't really have any issues.
I did not.
I went on an endocrine therapyfor five years, which basically
that's an estrogen blocker, andI fortunately didn't have side
effects like a lot of women do.
So I didn't have anydebilitating chemotherapy or or
the radiation because the lymphnodes had been removed.
(20:26):
So I there's a group of us westarted hiking after the
Huntsman World Senior Games inUtah 20 years ago and we've done
it ever since.
So we had a trip planned to thebottom of the Grand Canyon.
We had to carry 35 pound packto the bottom and out.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
So can I ask a question?
So were these gals from yourteam or this is a hiking group
that you found?
Speaker 2 (20:51):
From my team.
From your team, yeah, just sortof evolved into a hiking group
and has been one ever since.
So I said to my doctor I got toget on that trip and she was a
hiker.
She is a hiker.
So she said you're going onthat of an issue with some, with
, uh, you have drains after amastectomy and I had some fluid
(21:19):
buildup so she had to put thedrain back in.
But she said you know what?
I think it was in May.
She said we're taking it out,you got to get on with your life
.
So we took, she took it out andit stopped building up, believe
it or not.
So, uh, came the trip.
She said, came the trip.
She said, okay, I'm going tobind you up, you're going.
And I went and it was fine, itwas perfectly fine.
(21:44):
My teammates had sent me thisbig kind of a collage they made
that was all about.
You know we can each take fivepounds and you know it'll be
intense.
But and they had little tentson it, you know, and really nice
, just, I never doubted that Iwas going on that trip.
So but I also think that havinghad a lot of orthopedic
surgeries over the years fromsports was a part of that
recovery, because with thatyou're like okay, I've blown out
(22:09):
my ACL, what do I have to do toget back in the game?
So it was kind of that approachto for this, you know but, yeah
, we we have.
I have two teammates now who aregoing through a chemo for
breast cancer and they're stillplaying.
They're doing great.
Yeah, it's a real community.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Yeah, and it sounds like do you think that your
experience in sports where youkind of just said it, that you
it helps you with challenges inyour life?
Speaker 2 (22:43):
I think it does.
I mean because for two reasons.
One, you learn to work throughthings.
You just learn to give it yourall, but you also have something
that you want to get back to.
So it's incentive to dowhatever you have to do to try
to get back out there and bepart of the fun.
So it's like just wonderful.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
So that?
So that you had a 35 pound pack, and so you went down and then
you hiked across the bottom andthen you came back out.
How many was that?
Speaker 2 (23:15):
well, it was three days.
We went down all the way in oneday.
That was a killer, mostly onthe knees, not on anything else.
My sister actually created this.
My sister had made these littleum foam pads that fit on the
pack so that it wouldn't rub mychest where my scars were.
So that was nice, but uh, so wemade it down.
(23:35):
Then we camped at the bottomovernight, and that was amazing.
I'd been to the, made it down.
Then we camped at the bottomovernight, and that was amazing.
I'd been to the grand canyon,but I'd never been to the bottom
and how many miles?
Speaker 1 (23:43):
how many miles was that down?
Speaker 2 (23:45):
seven and a half okay , yeah it was because it's, you
know, a lot of back switchbacksand stuff, but it was amazing
and we actually saw the milkyway that night from the bottom
of the grand canyon, yeah.
So then then we started thehike out the next morning at
four in the morning because ofthe heat, and we were only going
halfway out up a differenttrail to a campground there and
(24:06):
we were there by like 930because we started so early and
then camped again, and then thenext day we hiked the rest of
the way out, starting at threein the morning because the heat.
So it was great.
It was great, in fact.
Our group is.
We've since gone to Yosemitewith the same company that took
us there.
In this past year we went toWestern Wyoming in the Tetons
(24:31):
with llamas, and next year we'regoing to Alaska right before
the senior games.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
No grass grows under your feet, so you've always been
a super active person and youcontinue.
I mean, it sounds like you justcontinue to do that.
How are you hiking Maryland'spretty flat?
Speaker 2 (24:53):
How are you?
Maryland is definitely flat.
Getting prepared for hiking at10,000 feet in Wyoming was not
easy, in Maryland I mean.
I think the highest pointMaryland is maybe 2,500 feet,
you know, along the AppalachianTrail in western Maryland.
So you know we just we just tryto do what we can do here and
stay active and it's you knowit's everybody in the group is
(25:15):
obviously very active.
There's some play volleyballand we do what we can around
here just to stay in shape andit's pretty okay.
The company we've used knowsour group and so they're pretty
good at adjusting.
You know, if they knowsomething's going to be super
challenging, maybe it's going totake us too long, they'll
adjust, you know, because we arewe always like to say we are a
(25:36):
bunch of old ladies.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
So that's all relative yes, exactly sounds
like.
Yeah, I mean, I know some 20year olds that probably couldn't
have done that oh, it was achallenge, but it was great.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
It was.
It was amazing really do you?
Speaker 1 (25:52):
how do you keep yourself out of injury?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
I mean, you're stretching must be a part of
your routine and things likethat and ever since the first
ACL I blew out was 20 years agoand when I did that rehab that
gets you in the best shape ofyour life.
I mean, it's a long rehab andit's intense and so through that
, at this place where I went andhave continued to go, I was
(26:15):
educated so well about what todo to keep myself in shape and
I've had injuries along the way.
Believe me, I blew out theother ACL but was able to
recover from that.
It's mostly knees with me.
But, yeah, stretching, you knowwe stretch, I work out.
I joined that.
It's a physical therapy placebut then you can join as a
wellness member and to work out.
(26:37):
So I go there sometimes twotimes a week during the place,
but then you can join as awellness member and to work out.
So I go there sometimes twotimes a week during the season,
but try to get there three timesa week just to, just to try to
stay in shape, you know, andobviously stretching is a big
part of it.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Yeah, so you're headed to Des Moines next year
and you're are you donequalifying or you still have
some qualifying tournamentscoming up?
No, we're we you donequalifying or you still have
some qualifying tournaments?
Speaker 2 (26:58):
coming up.
No, we're.
We're done qualifying inMaryland.
We're the only team in our agegroup in Maryland and so we
qualified last we had.
We did play in a littletournament they had locally
because the Maryland seniorgames, because that's what
you're required to do, and so wewere able to do that and and
get our qualification set.
So we'll be going out there andhoping for the best and I know
(27:22):
we'll have no matter what, we'llhave a good time.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
And who is your coach ?
Has your coach been the sameperson pretty much through these
years?
Speaker 2 (27:30):
No, actually my coach is me and I didn't.
It wasn't by choice, but we hada coach when the team first
started we had two coaches thehusbands.
Two husbands were coaches.
Well, long story short, one ofthem passed away kind of early
in my time on the team, maybetwo or three years in.
(27:51):
He passed away from cancer andhis wife decided she was done
playing.
She was, she thought aboutmoving up to the next age group
she was a little bit older, butshe decided she was ready to
retire.
And the other woman got aserious injury and and so they
kind of stopped participating.
So somehow I ended up, I thinkI said I'd do it for a while
(28:14):
until we found someone.
But we've never found anyone.
And then there's another playeron the team, mary Burns, who
does it with me, and I'll tellyou, I don't think it would work
if we didn't have such acooperative group of women.
Because, trying to play andcoach and be fair about playing
time and and do it.
(28:35):
You know you're having tobasically judge your friends, to
figure out what to put, when toput them in and where to put
them and stuff.
So that's a little bit of achallenge for us.
But everybody's so socooperative that you know that
you often will hear, hey, takeme out, she hasn't been in, Let
her play, you know, andsometimes we do and sometimes we
say no, we want you in there.
(28:56):
So it just sort of depends.
But it's a real challenge.
We did have another of ourplayers' husbands tried to coach
us, but kind of he was, he gaveit his all all, but I don't
think he quite got what we wereexpecting in a coach and so it
(29:17):
didn't work out and so she stillplays and he still comes, but I
think he's kind of relieved tome that he didn't have to do it
yeah, it's a testament to you.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
And and how balanced, because, you're right, you're
wearing a bunch.
You know three different hatsthere yeah, it's really
testament to you that you'reyou're um able to do that.
And that's why I asked thequestion, because I'm thinking
y'all are so such a tight-knitbunch that for somebody to kind
of come in there and not get thedynamic of that, yeah difficult
(29:49):
yeah, I think it would be, andI felt like I said I don't know
that we've given him enough of achance, but I kind of knew it
wasn't going to work.
Speaker 2 (29:57):
I could just tell, and I would love to not have to
coach, just because it sort oftakes away a little bit of your
fun at a tournament.
You know, you might we alwaysgo out for meals together and
hang out together, but there'salways oh yeah, we got to figure
out four lineups for tomorrow.
So you know you can't quitejust enjoy everything, but it's
(30:19):
okay and it's getting a littlebetter.
You know, I think I've beenworking on myself to try to not
put so much pressure on myself,which is what all the girls say
Don't don much pressure, but youdo because you want to be fair,
and so I'm trying to work on itand everybody's really very
flexible.
We just played in a tournamentthis weekend and we won the
(30:41):
tournament.
I don't know that we've won atournament like that in a couple
of years.
We just for some reason got ona roll because we didn't even
have any subs, we were thatshort of people and we were
playing against really goodteams who have creamed us in the
last couple of years.
So we know, you know they'regood teams, but but everybody
just did.
You know, I had people.
(31:02):
I had a pitcher playing leftfield the whole time because
that's where she could play andI needed somebody, I needed her
to go someplace.
So you know, we just everybodyjust sort of does what they have
to do and enjoys it.
Speaker 1 (31:14):
So yeah, I'm thinking of that movie I can't remember
the name of it with Tom Hanksand oh, League of their Own.
League of their Own.
League of their Own.
Yeah, yeah, that movie is great.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Do you know?
That's the highest grossingbaseball movie ever made, is it
really?
Yeah, I know that because Ijust me I love the Boston Red
Sox.
I've grown up on the Red Sox.
My dad was from Boston, so theRed Sox have a women's baseball
fantasy camp at their springtraining facility every January
(31:46):
and so I go and several of theladies from that real league
come to the baseball camp.
So we've gotten to meet themand know them and and learn so
much about them and the movieand their experience.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
It's really cool yeah , yeah, that I mean, because
really what, what made thatmovie was the dynamics right on
the team how we got to know allthe players oh, yeah, yeah so
I'm sure it's similar in a lotof ways.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
It's very yeah, yeah, it is, it really is.
And you know we have ourmoments where somebody gets
frustrated or or somethinghappens, and you know we, we try
to always bring it to theforefront and talk about it,
because if, if you don't, that'swhat ends up killing a team.
You know, if there's a lot ofpeople talking about something
and and the focus is lost to thegame, so, we try it and we we
(32:38):
try to respect that.
we're friends.
We're not always going to thinkalike, but, uh, and you might
not agree with what Mary and Idecide to do with the coaching,
but but they accept it, you know, and they might say well, did
you think about this?
Which is great, and sometimeswe have and sometimes they
haven't.
So it's, there's a real giveand take and it's a it's a very
unique group of women.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
Do you ever interact with some of the younger, like a
high school, high schoolcollege teams and and I don't
know is there or even like someof the Olympian of the Olympic?
You know, like some of themthat just came back from Paris,
the US team Does Senior Gamesever arrange those meetings?
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Not that I've ever been a part of.
I'm not sure that that's everhappened.
Ok, I think that would befantastic because you all have
the wisdom to offer thoseyounger teams.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Yeah, yeah, really, I mean, I think, yeah, I think
somebody is missing somethingthere because there there is
there's a you.
You all have the long view thatthey don't.
That's really true.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
Yeah, and it's.
It's really a perspective thatchanges throughout your life.
But I mean, yeah, we, we're onthe field, we are out there,
every team is out there justtrying to win.
But when the game is over, thegame, I mean this team that we
beat to win this tournament.
They're a really good team and,like I said, we just got on a
(33:59):
roll and we beat them two gamesby one run in the last inning
and we came from behind.
Well, after the tournament wasall over, we all had a group
picture together, both teams,because when the game is over
it's a game you know where we,where we feel like we've already
won before we step on the field.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
Yeah, yeah, just to be out there moving, having fun.
And yeah, I have another friendthat says if you're having fun,
then you've won.
That's exactly right.
That is exactly right.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Yeahland senior olympics is um.
Their motto is to participateis to win okay, yeah, it's very,
very true yeah who are theteams ahead of you?
Speaker 1 (34:40):
um, what is it?
Who is?
What is the oldest age group insoftball?
In the senior?
Speaker 2 (34:46):
oh my gosh it's fabulous 80 and over.
There are, I think, fourwomen's teams, I think one or
two from canada, uh, 80 and over.
And we're really lucky becauseone of the teams in the in the
us is the colorado peaches.
They seeing these women play.
People might watch them and say, oh, it's so slow, it's a
(35:07):
different game.
They paved the way for us andit's so slow, it's a different
game.
They paved the way for us andit's so inspiring to think.
Look at them, they are having ablast out there.
And we're lucky here because oneof the women on their team,
carmen Campbell.
She plays on the ColoradoPeaches but she lives in our
area and she's our leaguecoordinator here in our little
league we play in and she's thecommissioner of the Maryland
(35:30):
Senior Olympics.
She's one of the commissioners,so she's very involved and we
get inspired by her.
I mean our league.
We're not in a leaguealtogether.
Some of us are on the same teamand some of us are on different
teams.
It's just a local kind of a recleague and she coordinates it,
but she also plays Well.
It's a 40 and over, she's 86and she's playing Well.
It's a 40 and over, she's 86and she's playing and it's just
(35:50):
amazing, so that we we loveseeing the older age groups play
it's, it's fabulous.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Yeah, and, and we're teaching when we take part in
these different things, nomatter what it is that we're
doing whether it's sports orsomething else, we're teaching
those that are younger, how toage and how to age well, yeah,
and they are paying attention.
They really are payingattention, just like you're.
You're aware of her in hereighties, in which she's doing
Absolutely Well, modeled for somany too.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Yeah, and I think socially it's just as important,
that that's just as importantas the physical part, you know.
I mean because as people age wecan get isolated from other
people, people you know we havea couple of women who have lost
their husbands.
You know, you could, you couldfall out of any kind of social
circle for a variety of reasons,and my oncologist works with me
(36:49):
a lot on diet and sleep andnutrition and in particular in
our family we have blood sugarissues.
So she's made me very aware ofthat.
So I said to her listen, when Igo to these tournaments with
these women, we go out to eatall the time.
I can't control necessarilywhat I can eat and when I you
(37:10):
and when I need to take a walkafter I eat.
And she said I'm gonna tell yousomething Stop watching your
sugar when you're on thesetournaments, because the social
part is just as important as thephysical and I think that's the
case with your health.
That's just a big piece of it.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Yes, very much so, very much so.
It's all those aspects thatcome together.
Yeah, so it sounds to me likeyou have found your secret sauce
to staying young.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Oh, it's a secret sauce.
All right, I hope it goes onforever.
I know nothing does, but it'sjust, we're just enjoying every,
every year.
And I remember, before my mompassed away, one of the last
things she said to me was andshe died fairly young, she was
72.
She said don't stop moving,never stop moving.
(38:00):
She said I stopped moving and Iit's hard to get it back.
So we, we try to do that.
You know, we try to keep onmoving.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
Yeah, I mean, and it all relates on, you know, we try
to keep on moving.
Yeah, I mean, it all relates on, you know, mental, physical,
emotional, it all.
It all relates on that cycle wewere just talking about it's
all a piece of of your health.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
It's all important piece of your health yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
So here's my final question as we wrap up.
When you think of the idea ofmeaning and moxie, how does that
play out in your life?
Speaker 2 (38:37):
well, I think you can find a lot of different things
that give you meaning and youknow it can be your faith.
That's a big part of meaning tome your health.
But for me, I think the oneword is team.
Whether it's your sports team,it's your group, your clan, it
(38:58):
might be your family.
It could be family.
It could be your team, a sportsteam it could be, you know,
some club you're in that'simportant to you.
You got to find that team andthat's going to give you meaning
and it's going to let youcontinue to do what you love.
And that's the Moxie.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Yes, amen to that.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
Well, what a great place to stop our conversation
here, so inspiring and I.
What we'll do in the show notesis we'll put you know any
information, maybe link to thearticle about you, whatever you
want to share in our show notesso that people can follow you,
follow the senior games andanything else regarding softball
(39:41):
too.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
That's great.
I'll tell you, I'm not on anysocial media, so in terms of
following me, I I don't.
There's nothing to follow.
Speaker 1 (39:50):
Yeah well, we can, we can still there's, there's, you
know, you're searchable.
We can, I'm searchable yeah, themaryland roadrunners is
searchable there definitely aresome articles out there about
the maryland roadrunners yeah,and just and just uh, following
your results in the senior gamesyeah, what you got, yeah, yeah
thank you so much for thisconversation this afternoon.
(40:13):
Thank you for having me.
I enjoyed it, I think it.
I think people will get a lotout of it and and it will remind
them to find these things intheir own life absolutely
absolutely okay, everybody,thank you for listening.
We'll talk to you soon.
Bye now.
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(40:37):
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True Crime Tonight
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com