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Highlands Today

Another Year, Another World Title

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The Florida Storm senior softball team took top honors at the ISSA championship this month. Three Highlands County players were apart of the team: Fred Rogers (bottom right), Chuck Detore (bottom center) and Gary Luciano (top right).

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chris hoffman

Published: June 23, 2008

SEBRING –– Championships have become a habit for Sebring's Chuck Detore.

As member of the Florida Storm, Detore won his sixth International Senior Softball Association (ISSA) world championship in seven years recently and is going for yet another world championship later this summer.

"It's really good to get a chance to play with and against the best players in the country," Detore said. "The competition is what we're all out there for. We want to play against the best.

"To win, you have to compete against teams from all over the country. The tournaments are really intense and we don't hold anything back. We're all there for one thing in mind and that's to win."

The Storm were the tops out of 40 teams at the championships and they recently won another world qualifier in the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). They'll compete for the world championship in the 55-over division in Burlington, NC beginning Aug. 29.

"Most of our team is from West Palm Beach or Miami," Detore said. "But we've got a few other good players from Sebring on this team."

Fred Rogers and Gary Luciano are also a members of the Storm. Rogers was a first-time world championship winner and this was Luciano's second.

"It was fun to watch Fred after winning," Detore said. "Just to see his reaction to being a world champion and the smile on his face. They both are really good players and I expect more success from our team."

To qualify for a world championship, a team has to win two sanctioned tournaments for an automatic bid.

Last year, Detore and the Storm participated in the Huntsman World Senior Games, where they took a silver in the AA division.

"That was a great experience to be a part of the Huntsman Games," Detore said. "There were 394 teams in our division alone, and to come out with a second-place finish speaks volumes about the talent on our team."

Playing softball nearly on a daily basis has kept Detore in great shape and has him eyeing a long career on the diamond along ,with a dream of being nominated to the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame.

"That would be nice to one day be recognized for all the hard work and dedication to the sport," Detore said. "But I just play the game because I love it. Being around the guys and playing our best is enough for me."

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