After watching their mother, Alice Terrill, 83, play to a softball victory on Friday with the ‘Platinum Gems 70’ over ‘The Classics’ from Kentucky, it was Mom’s turn to cheer on her daughters Saturday morning. Three of Alice’s ten children, shortstop Chris Terrill, left center fielder Ginny Frisco and Lynn Keane, who usually plays second base, all suited up for Head Coach Midge Ferraro’s ‘The Players 50 AAA’ team. As a vote of confidence, Alice suited up as well and watched the game from the team’s dugout.
This ‘family outing’ was all part of the Softball Players Association (SPA)’s 2014 Paradise in the Villages National Invitation Tournament (NIT), which began on Wednesday and will conclude on Sunday, August 24. The Association, which was purchased by its current owner and executive director, Ridge Hooks, in 2000, looks to expand honest, ethical senior softball for both genders. Known as ‘The Candy Man’ because of his previous sales management career with candy manufacturer M&M/Mars, Hooks had previously coached women’s softball and well appreciates the excitement and passion women bring to this game.
An Alhambra Village resident since 1998, Alice Terrill raised a large, active family. “The whole Terrill family has been involved in slow pitch softball for as long as I can remember,” Alice said. Trim and agile, looking years younger than her chronological age, she was a physical therapist and worked with handicapped children for many years before retiring from Maryland to The Villages with her (now deceased) husband, Art.
“We have always been into athletics and animals — dogs mostly,” Alice’s daughter Ginny Frisco, who flew in from San Jose, California, for the tournament, said. “Softball was always a big thing for us. Our father loved living here with our Mom, and couldn’t understand why people ever wanted to travel away from The Villages. He found everything he ever wanted right here.” Ginny’s ‘home base’ is Davenport, Florida. She is married to an elephant trainer and travels all over the country with ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ — The Ringling Brothers Circus. The Friscos have a daughter, and a son who is learning to work with elephants as well.
“We lost one brother at age fifty to illness five years ago,” daughter Lynn Keane, revealed wistfully, “but five of Mom’s children were boys and five are girls. She had five lefties and five righties. Mom is a brown-eyed lefty and Dad was a blue-eyed righty — so of course, they had five kids with blue eyes and five with brown eyes.” Lynn had been a high school health & physical education teacher before moving to the Village of Bridgeport at Lake Sumter in 2004. She currently enjoys selling real estate for The Villages.
Another daughter, Chris Terrill, who has been a Briar Meadow Village resident since 2005, had been a manager for FedEx. Chris now also works for The Villages Sales Department. “We all played softball together in neighborhood leagues for twenty or twenty-five years. Mom coached me when I was on an ‘eleven and under’ team.”
After Alice Terrill’s early game 18-5 victory with the Platinum Gems 70′ on Friday, the team went on to lose 15-9 to the undefeated ‘Golden Gal’s’ team later that day . And although ‘The Players 50 ‘ team lost 15-14 to the ‘Rockin Ribbies 50 AAA’ team from Brooksville, Florida , Saturday morning, the sisters took the loss in stride.
“This is the first time ‘The Players’ had been together as a team — so we didn’t do too badly — we had a respectable score,” Lynn said. Lynn’s remark reflected the attitude of most of the SPA tournament players . They competed vigorously on the fields, playing as well as they could — but there was a sense of shared sportsmanship and camaraderie that the women found wonderful.
SPA Tournament Director, Don Cherry, and Assistant Director, Nancy Veahman, love The Villages; the quality playing fields and the friendliness of the people here. They hope the participants have memorable experiences in this first ‘Paradise in the Villages NIT,’ and are talking with The Villages Recreation Department about future tournaments here for both women and men.