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l a n o i g e R VOLUME 13 NUMBER 44
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015
Baseball opens doors, brings light to life for Stettler senior STACEY LAVALLIE WEEKENDER REPORTER When Fred Bozek’s wife Lucille died of cancer just months short of their 50th wedding anniversary, it plunged the Stettler man into a deep, dark depression that trapped him in the home he had shared with his wife. For weeks, he didn’t want to see anyone, go outside, or do more than the basic chores of living. After all, the woman he had known for more of his life than not, was gone. “It was my baseball buddies, and my hockey buddies, who got me through it,� Bozek said, sitting at a baseball diamond in West Stettler Park, baseball glove on one hand, neon-bright ball in the other. “They kept at me, saying how they missed having me out to play.� Bozek credits those friends, and the sports that draw them together, for pulling him out of the dark dungeon of despair Lucille’s passing had thrown him into. Now, while he still misses her, he’s moving on with life, spry and active and smiling. Bozek recently returned from St. George, Utah, where he played baseball for the 65+ Pals and the 70+ Muggin’z. The two teams took silver in their categories, something Bozek is very proud of. After all, more than 400 baseball teams compete at the Huntsman World Senior Games, and many don’t see a medal round game. Bozek, on the other hand, has collected a double-fistfull of medals in his 11 years of competition. “I’m going to play until I can’t,�
Bozek said. He turns 73 in November, and is as spry as a man in his 50s. “I’m very fortunate. All those years working, inhaling grain dust. I never wore a mask, my lungs should be shot.� Hard labour could have affected his hands, elbows or shoulders or wrecked his knees, but Bozek credits remaining active in sports despite being a busy father and adult, for keeping him nimble. “I can play all positions but they usually put me in centre-field,� he said. “Some of these guys are wearing knee braces, but I can still run pretty good. And it’s a hitting game, so I need to run after that ball.� The Hunstman World Senior Games not only has baseball, but many other sports. There’s basketball, archery, racquetball, pickleball, golf, cycling, bowling, tennis, track and field, triathlon, walking, dancing, shuffleboard, and volleyball, to name a few. “I’ve never seen women so tall,� Bozek said of witnessing a 60+ women’s volleyball game. “Their legs go on forever.� Bozek, who also plays on the Stettler Old Sox locally, has been going down to Utah for 11 years, and is in active pursuit of the 15-yearring. That means he needs another four trips back to Utah, playing on his baseball teams. “I’ll get there, health permitting,� he said. “You never know what can happen.� Not only did being active in sports brighten his life after Lucille’s passing, but it’s given him so much happiness in general, he said.
“A lot of kids, they get to 20, 21, 22, and they think they’re done,� he said. “Work bogs them down, they don’t have time. But take time. There’s sports out there. And it helps so much.� Sporting events like the Huntsman Games and Alberta 55+ Games help people remember there’s sports for adults, too. “I have people come up to me and say, ‘Why are you playing kids games?’ Who says they’re kids games?� Bozek said. “When you see some of these 80-year-olds playing sports you think that a young man couldn’t keep up. It’s pretty amazing.� Bozek considers himself and others like him who remain in sports into their golden years as ambassadors for active living, visible and real proof that remaining in sports helps people remain healthy and active years beyond those who find themselves crippled by sedentary lifestyles. “When I stayed at home (after Lucille’s death), I stiffened up and ached all the time,� he noted. He added that it took a bit of time to work himself back into sports, going at the pace his body allowed, but now it’s like he never took a break. Sports has opened many doors and provided many opportunities for Bozek over the years. He’s travelled and played ball in the United States and in Europe and has met all sorts of people normal through chances that he wouldn’t have had in everyday life working in the grain industry. continued on page 2
Stacey Lavallie/Weekender reporter
Despite the bright sunlight, Fred Bozek lines up neatly under a pop fly, which descends into his glove with no problem.