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Women find their home base in area softball team
By JULIANNE WU
© St. Petersburg Times, CLEARWATER -- They may run a little slower. And sometimes they limp off the field. But don't think for a moment that the women on the Freedom Spirit slow-pitch softball team are powder puffs. Even though they lost a recent nine-inning game to the Gulfport Boomerangs senior men's team, they can hit the ball. They scored 12 runs, in fact, and gave up 19. The Clearwater-based women's team is taking its cuts to prepare for the Senior Olympics in Baton Rouge, La., from July 22-28. They will represent Florida and are one of only five or six teams of their age in the country. Playing against the Boomerangs "is a short-term thing," said Shirley Smith, 66, of St. Petersburg. "We've been doing it since May." "I think they are great," said Adam Nowakowski, 67, a Boomerangs' third baseman. "They give us a run for our money." "We really have to thank the Boomerangs," said Freedom Spirit's coach Bill Hess, 72, of Largo. "They give us the kind of competition we need. And they don't do us any favors. Our team has to step up to the plate." Smith and Ethel Lehmann, 71, of Largo, co-founded the award-winning Florida Spirit for women 55 and older in 1994. They launched Freedom Spirit, a spin-off team that is for women 65 and older, in 1999. "Our members were getting older, so we decided to branch out a little," said Smith, a native of St. Petersburg who retired in 1989 from the electronics field. The oldest Freedom Spirit member is 75. The players hail from St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, Inverness, Largo, Clearwater and other Florida cities. There are even a few snowbirds and a member, pitcher Ruth Fellmeth, 66, who lives in New York year-round but comes for the Olympics and other big events. Many of the women are also accomplished players of other sports. For instance, Smith earned gold medals and set age-group records in the shot put, javelin and long jump in several Senior Games and National Masters games. She learned softball during her three-year stint in the Air Force and usually plays left center field. "I played softball from 16 to 21," said Lehmann, who normally plays shortstop but sometimes plays first base. "But then my mom made me stop. She said nice girls don't play baseball." Lehmann, a retired secretary and school bus driver, has won numerous road races and field and track events, including a gold in the 400-meter dash at the 1995 Senior Games and a gold medal in javelin throwing in 1999. Another team celebrity is Clearwater resident Jean "Chappy" Chapman, the oldest member of the team at 75. Now a real estate agent, she is in the Ohio Softball Hall of Fame.. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Chapman has been playing since she was 15. She didn't want to dwell on her Hall of Fame status, but said, "In 1966, we won lots of games, including the World Championship in Omaha, and I was on the All-Star team. I don't remember all the dates, but I have lots of scrapbooks." Chapman, a catcher who can play all the positions, coached girls' softball, volleyball, basketball and track for 10 years in an Ohio junior high school. Freedom Spirit is sponsored by Freedom Square and Lake Seminole Square retirement complexes. The team is provided with about $6,000 a year, which covers uniforms, equipment, entry fees and partially covers travel expenses. The team plays the Boomerangs twice a month and practices Tuesday mornings at the Ed C. Moore complex in Clearwater. "There's no pay in my job," Hess said. "But the rewards? I love softball ... and people who can play the game."
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