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By Scott Nicholson
The gloves were a little stiff and the bats a little dusty,
but Watauga’s all-time all-stars added sparkle to the county’s
newest diamonds Thursday.
The Legends tournament officially launched the two new softball
fields in the Watauga County Parks and Recreation Complex in
Boone.
Jim Hunt warms up his swing
prior to Thursday’s Legends tournament. For more
photos, see the Thursday edition of The Mountain Times.
Photo by Scott
Nicholson |
Hugh Cook, 87, fields a
ground ball for the first time in 40 years as part of
a ceremony to launch Watauga County’s two new softball
fields.
Photo by Scott
Nicholson |
Sponsored by Beef O’Brady’s, New River Building Supply
and Charlie’s NAPA Auto Parts, the tournament brought a
number of old-timers out of retirement.
Roger Critcher, captain of the Legends Red team, said, “It’s
good to come out here and fellowship. A lot of these guys haven’t
been out here in years and years.”
The veteran of the bunch was Hugh Cook, who at 87 was fielding
ground balls before the game. He said he hadn’t played
softball in 40 years. Jack Roten said he hadn’t played
in “10 or 15 years.”
Gene Swift captained the Blue team and Paul Gragg captained
the Yellow team, while Donnie Holder captained the Maroon team.
Jim Hunt, a member of the Legends Blue team, said, “When
they were taking the houses out, I said to my wife, ‘I’d
love to come out here and play just one time.’ Then Gene
(Swift) called me (to play). This is your tax dollars at work.”
Deb Wynn, former parks and recreation director who tossed out
the ceremonial first pitches, said it was an emotional time,
both to see the new fields and to bring together familiar faces
from the past.
“It’s great to see these guys out here who have coached
our youth and played sports,” she said. “Some of these
guys were playing when I was still in college.”
While the tournament featured five-inning games and no official
score kept, the dormant competitive embers were fanned into
flames as the umpires shouted, “Play ball.”
Stephen Poulos, current parks and recreation director, said
the addition of the two fields would enhance the county’s
ability to host large-scale tournaments, with three already
scheduled. “This is a wonderful addition to our program,”
he said.
“We can play quite a bit of softball on four fields. We’re
very appreciative of the commissioners. This land just sat here
for a long time. It’s a great day in recreation.”
The land was part of a federal flood-plain buyout in the 1990s,
with restrictions placed on its use. The county developed the
fields beginning in 2006 for a total of $548,000.
Reggie Perry, who supervises softball and baseball for the department,
hoped the tournament would help launch a recreation league for
players 40 and older.
He said, “We wanted these guys to see the new fields. I’ve
known a lot of them since I’ve been here 23 years and none
of them ever had a chance to play on a state-of-the-art field.”
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