Phyllis Ryden started playing baseball with her brothers and cousins when she was a little girl and she never quit playing. At age 73 Phyllis still loves to play the game and has no intentions of retiring anytime soon. Photo courtesy of Debbie Bakke
She’s not as fast around the base paths as she used to be, but that doesn’t stop Phyllis Ryden, 73, from lacing up her cleats and heading to the softball field to play softball against competitors sometimes 50 years younger.
Phyllis and her husband Pete just returned from their winter home in Florida last week, and she is looking forward to playing in the Cook County women’s softball league for the “25th, or maybe 30th year,” she said. “I can’t really remember. I played some fast pitch for Grand Portage against Thunder Bay, not much but some, and we played on a field in Hovland that Dick Anderson gave us, but that only lasted for a year or so. I played on a softball team for Grand Portage for many years until we moved to Grand Marais.”
While she was in Florida Phyllis just completed her 20th year of playing softball in The Villages.
“I was going to retire when I turned 70, but then I thought, I still enjoy playing, so why quit?”
Phyllis plays third base and shortstop in her Florida league, which is made up of retirees. “The girls don’t hit the ball as hard as the younger girls do here,” she said, adding, “So I can play in the infield. Here, I play catcher for Security State Bank. I like it because I can keep moving. Sometimes playing in the outfield, there are long periods between plays. I like to stay active, and I can do that playing catcher.”
Growing up, Phyllis played a lot of baseball with her five brothers and four male cousins. “My dad was a good baseball player. He was recruited to play for Grand Portage during the CCC days. That’s why we moved here. That’s pretty much all we did as kids, is to play baseball.”
Dorothy and Pete spend three to four months in Florida. They have lived at The Villages for about 20 years. In that time, the community has grown from 15,000 to 125,000 people, and plans are to add 50,000 more homes.
“We have a league with about 12 women’s teams. The men have a league with about 125 teams. Everywhere you go in The Villages there are rec centers, swimming pools, tennis courts, bocce and workout centers. I play some pickleball, but not as much as I used to after Pete had hip and knee surgery. Pete doesn’t play pickleball anymore so now when I want to play I have to find a partner.”
Back home, Phyllis and Pete spend a lot of time walking to keep fit. They often walk with Bob Spry, 78, another ageless wonder.
As far as softball, Phyllis said, “My brother, Dick Spry, who is 77 and still plays softball, says that we turn home runs into triples. I can still run, but for me, it’s my breathing. I had a pacemaker put in a while back, and my breathing isn’t what it used to be. When I’m on first base, and someone gets a great hit I make it home, but it’s hard, and when I hit what should be a home run, I make it to third base and stay put.”
As far as the competition down south, she added, “I’m not nearly the oldest one playing. One lady, a pitcher, just turned 80, and she runs faster than the 55-year-olds,” said Ryden with a laugh.
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