Half Century tourney on tap

More than 600 people will be arriving in Highlands County in the next several days.

The Florida Half Century Tournament, "12 Hours of Senior Softball" will be in full swing at the Highlands County Sports Complex on Saturday and Sunday.

Athletes in their 60s, 65s and 70s will gather to play teams from all over the state of Florida.

This is the third annual event for the Half Century Tournament in Sebring.

Jarrett Ford is the sponsor for the 65 and over traveling team of Highlands County. According to Bill Todd, Coordinator for the tournament, the team goes somewhere every month to play in a tournament and Jarrett Ford sponsors them. Unfortunately, they can't play in this tournament since they are hosting it, but they will be there to cheer the other teams on.

There will be 45 teams playing this year and the tournament should wind up around 6 p.m. on Sunday. Theses teams are coming from Tallahassee, Ft. Myers, Naples, Tampa, Daytona Beach, Bradenton, Orlando, Lakeland and Jacksonville.

"This is the most teams we've ever had at this tournament and I believe it is because of the quality of this complex," Todd said. "Many of the players that come here have stated that this complex is one of the best, if not the best in the state of Florida. Bob Keefe and Dan Jamison do a fantastic job; the grounds are super and they will do anything and everything asked of them. Vicki Pontius has done a good job and she sure does help us out. If we had five more fields here, national teams would come. And we could play more age groups in this tournament; you're talking over 1,000 players in the 50, 60 and 70 groups."

Imagine what this tournament means to local vendors of hotels, restaurants and even retail stores. These athletes come to Highlands County and need a place to stay, eat and unwind after a hard day of softball.

Figure there are 45 teams and each one has at least 12 – 15 people, not to mention spouses and friends that come along. Our County benefits from their presence and they love to come because of the quality of the fields as well as the location.

"It's in the center of the state, which makes it a good location for just about all the players," Todd said. "The people in Highlands County that are not involved with this complex have no idea how much it is used. Not only are a number of tournaments held here, we seniors use it every day. We come out to bat and practice. And this is not just me talking, other ball players from different parts of the state love to come here and play."

The Half Century Softball is a state tournament. John Diaz got it started in Sebring for the 65 and over traveling team. He had to relocate to Orlando, but Harry Bell took over and the annual tournament has been held here since then. Coordinator Bill Todd jokingly calls himself the "lap boy" and "gopher," but takes his job seriously.

"I've been working on this for over a month now, working with local hotels for special rates on rooms and many other details that need to be done for one of these events," he said.

Todd loves the game of softball.

"He is a baseball nut," his wife Carol said. "He even coached T-ball when our boys were little."

He played baseball in high school and also played on the town's traveling team. He got started with the senior league when a neighbor approached him and asked him to fill in for a local team.

Bill stated, "That was five years ago and I've been playing ever since. When John Diaz was here, he asked me to be part of the traveling team."

Both of the past Half Century tournaments have been very successful. Each year, more teams come to compete. This year's event should prove to be the best yet. Bill has been working hard on making the tournament a success and the crew at the Highlands County Sports Complex has also been at work to make sure the fields are ready for them when they arrive.

"I am in awe at the caliber of talent of these athletes at this age," Bill said. "I'm just an average ball player, but some of these guys are good. They are not your typical retirees, sitting on the porch in their rocking chairs. I've made so many friends; the camaraderie, fellowship, laughs, comedy and travel are all great parts of being involved in the sport. Now there are some sad times too, like when a player passes on and we do have our moments when the competitive juices get going, but that's just part of the game. This is a really good group of guys."

If you want to come out and watch these athletes in action, just stop by the Highlands County Sports Complex on Saturday or Sunday. Some of these guys have quite a history in the sport. You might just be amazed at the talent and action that these games offer.