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The intense smell of sports liniment permeates the air around them, but these Boomers are champions because they always keep the real endgame in mind.

Mike Puckett had a

gold-medal attitude

when he stepped

up to home plate and slowly

scanned his field of dreams: the

National Senior Games Softball

Championship. On the diamond

that day were guys just like him,

athletic Boomers in their 50s

who were still swinging hard.

Puckett’s love for the game

has been honed by years of

responding to the call, “Play Ball!”

And these days, after countless

hits followed by quarter turns

around bases, Puckett asks,

“What’s a little arthritis in my

knees?” Simply a nuisance, not a

deterrent, it seems. And certainly

not an excuse.

“The pain reminds me of how

far I’ve come, of the many games

I’ve played, and how many more

balls I want to hit,” he says.

Puckett laughs when

confessing that the smell of

sports liniment permeates the

air of any dugout where he and

fellow players on The Power

team huddle. “Most of us wear

wraps, knee braces, and such,”

he admits.

But don’t be fooled by the

medical devices. Counting

these men out would definitely

be a bad call. They have the

hearts of champions — and the

wins to prove it.

When the pitch Puckett was

waiting for crossed the plate

Long Live the Challenge

BY IVEY HARRINGTON BECKMAN

that humid July day in 2011, he

ripped it right out of his field of

dreams for a home run. After

a quick fist pump, he ran the

bases. (OK, so it was more of a

jog, but you get the picture.)

That afternoon, gold medals

were placed around the necks

of Puckett and his teammates.

“They were gold-colored

medals,” he clarifies with a

laugh. Maybe so, but the win

was every bit a real victory, in

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THE NATIONAL SENIOR GAMES ASSOCIATION

The National Senior

Games Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to motivating

active adults to lead a healthy lifestyle

through the senior games movement.

The Games, a 19-sport, biennial competition for men and women 50 and older, is the largest multi-sport event in the world

for seniors. Visit the website nsga.com

to learn more.

with us. We build relationships

that help unbelievers become

more open to talking about

spiritual things. We have a core

group of guys who live it out.”

Webster believes The Power’s

on-the-field witness is the stuff

of 1 Corinthians 10:31: “... do

everything for God’s glory.”

“When we walk onto a ball

field, we’re walking out what’s

in our hearts,” he explains.

BETTER MENThis summer, the 2013 National

Senior Games Softball

Championship will be played

July 19 - August 1 in Cleveland,

Ohio. The Power will be there —

bats ready, liniment rubbed in.

“I think it’s funny that

the major sponsors of these

games are drug and insurance

companies,” Puckett adds with

a chuckle.

But even when knees are

aching and sweat is running faster

than some players sprint, there

are no quitters on The Power.

“No one in their 50s is going

to be out there in the hot July

sun playing ball unless he has a

passion for the game.” Puckett

explains. “And playing for The

Power gives us opportunities to

be lights for Christ. That makes

all the aches and pains totally

worth it. Win or lose the cham-

pionship, we will walk away

better men for having played

the game.”

Ivey Harrington Beckman once played on a softball team. The operative word is once, as in one game. She admires anyone who can throw a ball more than 6 feet.

more ways than one. “Long live

the challenge,” Puckett says.

“The way I see it, the best is yet

to come as long as I remember

that my strength comes from

the Lord.”

POWER TIMESeveral years ago, Scott

Webster was sitting at his

kitchen table, studying the

Bible, when God encouraged

him to start a witness-based,

slow-pitch softball team for men

in their 50s.

“The name The Power is

taken from the message of

Romans 1:16,” Webster explains.

“‘For I am not ashamed of the

gospel, because it is God’s

power for salvation to everyone

who believes... .’ This portion of

the verse is printed on our team

jerseys. We try to live it out on

and off the field,” he adds.

Prior to taking the field for

that championship game, The

Power players had huddled in

prayer, asking

God to use

them for His

glory. And

God did. The

team ended

the game with

prayer, too,

and asked the

team they had

just beaten to

join them. And

they did. A

prayer huddle

after every game is standard

practice for The Power.

“We’ve never been turned

down,” Webster says. “In fact,

guys from other teams will ask

us to pray for various things.

Praying on the field is our

platform to witness.”

HITTING WITH CHARACTERThe men who play for The Power

are, without a doubt, good

athletes and fierce competi-

tors. Just ask the many teams

they’ve beaten. Even though

they play to win, they keep the

real endgame in mind.

“It’s important to keep the

things of this world in eternal

perspective. It’s not only our

words that influence people,

but also our actions,” Webster

explains. “I’ve always been

pleased by how our players

respond to tough calls by

displaying godly character.”

Players from other teams

often say to Webster that they

can tell by the way his team

plays the game that it really

means something to them.

“Anytime you can get some-

thing out there that lifts up the

name of Jesus, that’s a good

thing,” Webster adds.

Godly character is modeled

not only to other teams but to

players on The Power.

“Not everyone on our team

is a believer because we like

to think that we can also be a

witness to someone who plays

“When we walk onto a ball field, we’re walking out

what’s in our hearts.” — Scott Webster

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52 MORE LIVING JULY 2013