8 ■ SENIOR LIFE ■ May 2023
www.seniorlifenewspapers.com
Sports
Gosbin helps start Mid-America Senior Softball League
By BLAIR BAUMGARTNER Staff Writer
Rich Gosbin has been involved with softball on and off again since his childhood. Gosbin said, “It started when I was a young kid. It was something to do during recess at Bible school. We traveled with Mennonite churches around the area. I was the youth leader.” Gosbin was busy working in construction and decided to take a hiatus from softball in his late 20’s. “At about age 30, I picked it up again and became a sponsor through my company. We wound up in a league called All-State Athletic,” he said. Gosbin took over that league and renamed it The Creative Sign League. He was in the sign business at that time. Eventually the league grew to 18 teams. “We started to have different divisions and played doubleheaders at different parks. This was before the Internet,” said Gosbin. He said the league contin-
ued to grow and acquire new members. “When you’re the commissioner of the league, people come up and talk to you. I was young then. We had 250 people in the league and they expected you to remember all their names,” he said, laughing. Gosbin said there were multiple medical incidents at that time, which caused them to contact the City of South Bend and eventually get 911 phones at all the old ballparks. Gosbin has worked hard to recruit new members to the Mid-America Senior Softball League, which will kick off the season Thursday, May 11. “We have females in our league. Years ago when we ran the other league, we might get six new players. This year we have 22 new players who have not played in any of our leagues. To me, that’s pretty special,” he said. Gosbin mentioned they even have a travel team for 70 year olds who travel and play in other tournaments.
He emphasized the new league is also focused on giving back to the community. The league is exploring how to give back to local youth through scholarship opportunities. Gosbin said, “We have an app on our website that talks about how high school students who play softball or baseball are able to apply to our group to get a scholarship for college.” The league also wants to give back to its own members. “We are talking about possibly taking the two winning teams from the midseason tournament to the skybox to watch a South Bend Cubs game,” he said. The league has paid for leaguewide batting practice at Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium. “Mishawaka mayor Dave Wood threw out the first pitch of the season. We’re negotiating with the South Bend Cubs to use their facility for our end-ofseason banquet,” said Gosbin. The league will play games
CHECKING THE LINEUP — Shown is Rich Gosbin checking the lineup. Photo provided by Rich Gosbin. at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Normain Park in Mishawaka. The league is also considering scheduling games at Henry Frank Park. Any softball player over 52 years old is welcome to play in the league. Each team is
allowed one player who is 50 or 51 years old. Gosbin said the league is still looking for new members to participate when the season kicks off May 11. For more information, visit michianaseniorsoftball.org or call Gosbin at (574) 286-0474.
Professional Forum EXPANDING — Interested Businesses Call Cathy Wilson 1-866-580-1138, Ext. 2402 A Monthly Question And Answer Advertorial Column
Professional Services
Professional Forum . . .
Your exclusive opportunity to present common questions or concerns “Adults 50 Years And Better” may have relating to your product(s) or service.
Advertising with us is a Breeze
Q. What is Estate Planning? A. Did you know that “estate” is
a Middle English word derived from the Latin term for status? Since the 13th Century, this archaic word has been used to describe a person’s social standing. Another definition for the word estate is a large house situated on an extensive area of land in the countryside. Maybe it’s these exclusive definitions for the term “estate” that misled people into believing that estate planning doesn’t apply to regular people. The truth is that there is also a legal definition for the term “estate” and it simply refers to all the property you own. An estate plan defines who you want to manage or receive your assets in the event of incapacity or death.
Q. Where are Senior Life Newspapers distributed? A. Each Senior Life Newspaper is distributed
Ryan Hahn
Trust Administrator Contact TCU Trust Services, we welcome the opportunity to discuss your estate and what plan is best to protect you and your loved ones. Contact TCU Trust Services for more information.
DISCLOSURE: This information is not designed, meant, nor does it constitute the rendering of legal or tax advice. You should consult with your attorney and/or tax advisor before implementing any strategy discussed here. Trust services provided by MEMBERS Trust Company are not federally insured, are not obligations of or guaranteed by the credit union or any affiliated entity, involve investment risks, including the possible loss of principle. MEMBERS Trust Company is a federal thrift regulated by the Office of the Comptroller or the Currency.
Ryan Hahn Trust Administrator Wealth Management Center 110 S. Main St. South Bend, Indiana 46601 (574) 284-6210, ext. 6232
to over 300 locations each month and is free for public pickup and supported by advertisers. Locations for distribution are chosen with the 50+ aged person in mind and include Grocery Stores, Libraries, Senior Centers, Restaurants, Senior Communities, Banks, Apartment Complexes, Doctor Offices, Drug Stores, Farmer’s Market, Resale locations, Churches, Convenient Stores, and Retail Stores. There are four distinct issues of Senior Life Newspaper including St. Joseph County (extending to LaPorte and Marshall in IN and Berrien & Cass in MI), Elkhart (extending to LaGrange, Noble, Kosciusko and Wabash in IN and St. Joseph MI, Allen (Ft. Wayne) County (extending into DeKalb, Noble, Whitley, Huntington, Wells and Adams Counties), and our Northwest issue covering Lake & Porter Counties. Total distribution each month is 84,150! Call today for more information on how you can advertise in Senior Life.
Cathy Wilson, Account Executive Serving South Bend and Surrounding Counties (574) 298-8806 1-866-580-1138 Ext. 2402 cwilson@the-papers.com
www.seniorlifenewspapers.com