2001

On August 19, 2001, the 50+ Tournament Team won the World Championship Title in the International Senior Softball Association League.  Here is the team in Manassas, VA, after their victory:

This team picture below was taken after the team won the Eastern National Tournament in the Senior Softball World Championship League (SSWC).  This tournament was held in Glen Burnie, MD, in August of 2001.

Here are the four Golden Girls who were named All-Tournament Players in the Eastern National Tournament:  Lucy Sale, Roc Johnson, Linda "Trip" Davis, and Annie Sneden.

We started the season by opening up with a meeting in February to determine which tournaments we wanted to attend. After we chose the tournament list we agreed on practices sessions continuing throughout our tournament season. Through a series of emails players/possible players were made aware of our group and given the opportunity to “try out” for our team. With only a limited amount of age 45 spots, our group was finalized and than the tournament work started. Prior to attending the tournaments all players were given forms for the appropriate cards to play at the tournaments. 

The first tournament we attended was in Columbus, OH. We played a great tournament and came in second to the OH Cardinals. This was our first tournament to play together and get to know each other.

The second tournament was in Glen Burnie, MD. We played a great tournament and came in first. The second day it rained so the placement of the teams was based on the first day performance. This was an important point to keep in mind for the future, to play well on the first day if possible.

The third tournament was in Pittsburgh, PA. We played a so-so tournament. The rain came and we had to play a one-pitch game the first day. We came in second to the Maryland team. We noticed Maryland was hitting the ball extremely well and asked some of the players about their improvement. The Maryland team noted it was due to a hitting clinic which some of us attended after this tournament.

The fourth tournament was in Gallatin, TN. We played our best tournament of the year. We took first place. Our offensive production was unbelievable when we went into double elimination and out defense was just as stingy. Linda Trip was named MVP. Katie Page was named Offensive Player of the tournament. The All World Representatives were: Anne Sneden, Lucy Sales, Linda Tripp and Kathy Collett. The entire team was awarded jackets.

The fifth and final tournament was in Palm Springs, CA. We played a great tournament and this time we actually beat the Ohio Cardinals the first day. Eventually we took second to them. The All Tournament Team Representatives were: Lucy Sales, Dory Wagner, Lori Grimm, Roc Johnson, and Kathy Collett. The Tournament Director for the team has ordered sweatshirts.

2003

Our first and second tournaments were in Glen Burnie, MD. They were both qualifiers for the SSWS and the SSWC. We played great, never losing a game, tying one, and came in first in both tournaments. The third tournaments was in Pittsburgh, PA. It was also an SSWS qualifier. We played a great tournament against some tough competition without losing a game. Our best defense of the year was in this tournament. Our first game was a 1-0 game against the Michigan Storm. This seemed to set the tone for the rest of the tournament. We had a few injuries to contend with but when it came to game time, no one was feeling any pain. Some of our competitors commented that the Golden Girls were hobbling around between games but played like nothing was wrong.

The fourth tournament was the International Senior Softball Association tournament in Manassas, VA. Even though this was a small tournament, we kept our focus, hitting extremely well and playing good defense. The Golden Girls 50+ team has won this tournament every year since the inception of the ISSA. That would be seven times. There were several selections to the All World Team.

The fifth tournament was the USSSA Senior Women's World Championship in Gallatin, TN. We returned as defending champions in the 45+ division. We played our best tournament of the year. Our offensive production was incredible and we won most of the games by the slaughter rule. We repeated as champions in the 45+ division, a feat that should be savored for years to come. There were more teams and better competition in 2003. When you consider the vast spectrum of ages on our team against teams favoring a majority of 45-49 year olds, it was a great accomplishment to repeat. Several members were selected to the All World Team. The entire team was awarded championship jackets.

The sixth and final tournament was Women's Senior Softball Association tournament in Palm Springs, CA. After battling the 102 degree heat on the field we came alive the second and third days and came out of the loser's bracket and won four games on the final day to win the tournament. This was the only tournament in which we lost any games. It was truly a gutsy performance considering the heat and some injuries. The team was named MVP and again several members were selected to the All Tournament team. Championship rings were received by all team members.

It was truly an awesome season. We won one national title, one international title and one world title. It's incredible to think of some of the outstanding plays during the season. We only lost three games all season. Each and every member listed below contributed to the success of this 2003 season: Anne Sneden, Dory Wagner, Diane Gardner, Katy Page, Lori Grimm, Andrea (Andy) Hoard, Vivian (Queen) Kyles, Linda Haas, Judy Burt, Lucy Sale, Doris Schaefer, Pam Joseph, Diane Minor, Debbie Swing, Lynda Chamowitz, Trachetta Irons, Linda Tripp, Roc Johnson, Jill Goldberg, Sharon (Okie)Washington, Theresa Hone, A.D. Grafman, Kathy Collett and Coach Greg Crutcher.