Sarasota Area Softball Team Draws Inspiration from Field of Dreams at 2025 National Senior Games
Ray Kinsella built the Field of Dreams in rural Iowa and the Making Waves Softball team heard his call and came to visit prior to its first game at the 2025 National Senior Games.
The team emerged from the corn fields onto the softball fields at the Hy-Vee Multiplex in Grimes, to score a pair of pool play wins Friday in the Women’s 60-64 age group pool play.
The field trip to Dyersville, was organized by Making Waves team member, Candy Roll, who told teammates two days before the first game, “I’m going to the Field of Dreams, who else wants to go?”
She was met with less than enthusiastic responses. Roll was adamant and told teammates her car would be making the trip and anyone who wanted to jump in was welcome.
“We ended up taking two cars,” she said with a laugh.
Making Waves, with team members from various locations in Sarasota and south, scored its first win against Sho-Me, from St. Louis, Missouri, by a 10-1 score. Through four innings, Making Waves held a 2-1 lead. With two outs in the top of the fifth, Heidi Manchester and June Campbell, ignited a two-out, four-run rally with back-to-back home runs, that got past the Sho-Me right fielder. Two more runs scored, increasing the lead to 6-1.
Four more runs were added by the Waves in the top of the seventh, for a 10-1 lead. Makin Waves wrapped up the bottom of the seventh with a double play for the win. They returned to the field later in the day with a 22-7 win against the CT Thunder.
The team, which won a gold medal at the 2023 National Senior Games, as the Cappers, and a 2024 Florida Senior Games gold medal, to qualify for the National Senior Games, is made up of a majority of recreational level league players in the Sarasota area, according to Coach Dan Graham.
“We only travel to a couple tournaments a year,” Graham said.
A pair of former Florida Senior Games Female Athletes of the Year, were in the pool Friday morning at the Wellmark YMCA, in downtown Des Moines. The 2022 Athlete of the Year, Linda Fulton, of Celebration, won a gold medal in the 70-74 age group 100 backstroke, narrowly missing her own National Senior Games age group record, set in 2023.
Fulton’s time of 1:19.36, was less than a half second more than her time of 1:19.07, for the record at the 2023 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh. She also won a bronze medal in the 200 Freestyle, with a time of 2:43.11.
Fulton admitted to swimming the freestyle event more for fun than competition.
“I’m not even wearing my fast bathing suit,” she said.
It was obvious her competitive suit made a difference as she finished nine seconds ahead of the silver medalist in the 100 Backstroke.
The 2009 Female Athlete of the Year, Patrice Hirr, from The Villages, won a silver medal with a time of 47.00 in the 50 Breaststroke.
The 2025 National Senior Games will be in competition daily through August 4 in Des Moines. A total of 713 athletes from Florida, the most of any state in the U.S. will be in action. For full National Senior Games results, please visit www.nsga.com/nsgresults and follow the accomplishments of the Florida athletes on Facebook at www.facebook.com/playinflorida.