With a dedication to physical fitness that would humble folks half their ages, a local trio remains as active as ever.
Iolans Norman Bunch, David Heard and Wayne Ryherd — all in their 70s — are in what they jokingly refer to as their “offseason” from playing men’s league softball in Olathe.
Bunch and Ryherd traveled to Olathe to play in their respective leagues each Tuesday from April through October. Heard played each Thursday.
All are members of a 60-and-older league, where they eclipsed the ages of some of their competitors by 10 years or more.
They’ve also returned from Las Vegas in October, where they were members of a traveling softball team. Their squad — sponsored by Knapheide, a manufacturer of truck beds and vehicle compartment boxes — took third place among 13 teams in the World Masters Championships in the Men’s 70+AAA Division.
Bunch was the pitcher for the Knapheide squad, Heard patrolled the outfield and Ryherd was the team’s utility player.
The 13 finalists were pared down from earlier competitions of more than 70 squads nationwide.
“I played about anywhere on the field,” Ryherd said. “I’m wherever they need me.”
The Knapheide squad lost three games while in Las Vegas, “all by one run,” Ryherd said. “If we could’ve caught a couple of breaks, we could have won the thing.”
The Las Vegas tournament was the biggest, but not the only, tournament the trio partook in on the softball diamond.
They’ve competed across the Midwest and in Aurora, Colo., Oklahoma City, Springfield, Mo., Omaha, Denver and Dalton, Ga.
Heard also has competed in Phoenix, Ariz.
“We’ve done really well in the smaller tournaments,” Ryherd said.
All have dedicated a portion of their retirement time to softball and other physical activity.
Ryherd is a retired employee with the City of Iola. Heard owned Heard and Smith’s Western Auto for years. Bunch is a retired chiropractor.
While they don’t lace up the cleats and grab their gloves during the winter months, all three stay active in other avenues.
“We’ll still go down the rec building two nights a week to play basketball,” Heard said.
Softball stalwarts staying active on, off diamond
