Bean bag baseball
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on April 2, 2018 1:33 PM
Patricia Curtis stands in front of a board on the floor with holes cut in it. She's tense as she prepares to toss a bean bag at the board.
She throws underhanded.
The 67-year-old used to take the bean bag in her hand and extend her arm out behind her, then take a few steps -- like in bowling.
"But someone said I shouldn't move so much, so I stopped moving like that," she said. "Before I let go of the bean bag, I'm thinking, 'Please don't get an out, don't get an out.'"
Curtis is just one of the many seniors who play bean bag baseball every Tuesday and Thursday at the Mount Olive Senior Center.
The game has been going on at the center about 10 years, said director Josh Phillips. He said a woman from Louisiana brought it with her when she moved here to be closer to her son.
"We have a great core group, anywhere from 15 to 20, who come out every single Tuesday and Thursday," Phillips said. "They're the bean bag crew. But we can have up to 25 and 30. It's hard for people to get here every single Tuesday and Thursday, but there are some folks who have never missed at all."
The game is similar to baseball, except instead of using a bat and ball, the beanbags are tossed into holes cut in a board, sort of like cornhole.
On the board are various holes -- two first bases, two second bases, two third bases, one home run, two outs and a foul area.
"There are a lot of holes on the board that they want to try to get, while missing the out holes," Phillips said. "Whatever hole your bag lands in, that's the base you get. Or you could get an out. If you get a foul, you throw another bag. If your third pitch lands on the board and stays on the board or goes off the board, you're out. That third pitch is crucial. So a lot of times, people tense up when they have that third bag."
The seniors play nine innings, just like in baseball, Phillips said.
"They play anywhere from an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half," he said. "Everybody runs the bases if they get a base on the board."
Bases are chairs set up around the center.
There's a line set up 17 feet from the board, where the players stand to "bat."
The players are divided into two teams -- The Go Getters and the Sharp Shooters. If teams are sometimes lopsided, players will go to the other team. The players even have jerseys ---- really T-Shirts ---- with their nicknames on the back, like "Air Claire" and "Bossy."
"It's amazing to see how good they get over time," Phillips said. "It's addicting so they want to come back. We have folks here who are very, very good, and it will amaze you how many home runs they get every day."
The seniors can get a little competitive at times, Phillips said.
"People don't lose their competitive drive, and you can see it here," he said. "They won't say it, but for a lot of them, that's why they want to be here."
One of them is 70-year-old Lynn Joyner, who used to be a physical education teacher before retiring. She has been playing the game for three years.
"I am very competitive," Joyner said. "Some days I do well. I always look at the bottom third of the board and try for that. That way, if I'm off, I don't get into the two top out holes. That's my strategy. Standing at the line getting ready to toss the bean bag, I feel good because I feel like I'm back out with the kids."
In addition to the competition, Lynn also likes the social outlet the game provides.
Curtis also likes the camaraderie of the group, having been playing about six years.
"We all cheer for each other," she said. "When one side gets a home run, the other side cheers."
Peggy Barwick enjoys playing bean bag baseball and also likes the fellowship it offers.
"The first time I played, it was confusing," the 80-year-old said. "It took me a while to ever get the feel of the bag and tossing it to the board.
"I would put the bean bag in my hand to toss it, but each time, my hand would turn. It would be this way and that way. I have a board at home, so I decided to practice. Now I flip the bag. That's my routine, and it works."
She said it's a good sport and a wonderful game.
Phillips said bean bag baseball is good for both physical and mental activity.
"A lot of people don't move that much during the day, but they've got at least nine chances to bat," he said. "There's a lot of movement in the way they pitch the ball (bag), so it's really good physically.
"Mentally, it's the best because we have laughter for an hour and a half. We have conversations. It's a great game, but there's something to be said about the relationships they build every single Tuesday and Thursday."