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Sunshine Girls play in Japan

Citrus Park team back at home after trans-Pacific road trip

By KEVIN JOHNSON (Contact)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

For a few games, bows and hugs took precedent over hits and runs.

Following a tour of Japan, the Sunshine Girls softball team from Citrus Park resumed their practice routine with a Monday morning workout in Bonita Springs.

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The Americas team and players and officials from a Tokyo team gather for a photo.

If that jaunt from home plate to first base seemed a little longer, it was.

And if the softball felt sturdier, it was.

Shorter basepaths and a softer ball were two on-the-field items the Sunshine Girls — age 60 and up — needed to adjust to during their week in Japan earlier this month.

Another new facet to the game was the tradition of both teams running onto the field before the first pitch and bowing to each other. The bows were often accompanied by hugs.

That kind of warmth that greeted the visitors on the field was repeated throughout the trip. Welcomed by bands, flags, dignitaries, American music and even an entertainer from Chicago, the women said their trip will be remembered for the tremendous friendliness and first-class hospitality they received from Tokyo to Fuji and points between.

Photo by KEVIN JOHNSON / Banner

The Sunshine Girls softball team from Citrus Park played in Japan earlier this month. Some players were back at the park for practice Monday morning. From left, front row: Carol Fletcher, Kathy Pettit and Claudia Wasik. Back row: Mer Tank, Dianne MacIver, Arlene Johnson and Marie D'Onofrio. Sylvia Mergl, Aggie Frye and Lucy Parker also made the trip to Japan, but were not available for the photo.

"We felt like professionals," said right fielder Carol Fletcher.

A blend of 10 Americans and Canadians from Citrus Park joined about 20 other similar-aged women from elsewhere in the U.S. to form two teams.

The Can-Am squad — which sported bright red shirts minus an inadvertently omitted "n" — won four of its five games. The Americas squad — which donned dark blue jerseys — never ventured into the win column. Of course, on a trip like this, wins and losses were of least importance.

A greeting from the mayor of Fuji was a Kodak moment, especially when the overcast skies suddenly cleared revealing Mount Fuji.

Mer Tank learned that her homestate of Ohio — or Ohayoo — translates to "good morning" in Japanese.

Opposing teams from Japan were opponents in name only. The Japanese teams' carefree attitude was well-received by the North Americans.

"The Japanese ladies had a very good time," said pitcher/catcher Marie D'Onofrio. "They laughed all the time. If they struck out, the whole bench would just laugh and carry on."

Ditto at a pair of banquets where the guests were provided with ample refreshments from their Japanese hosts.

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The Can-Am team, including Citrus Park's Dianne MacIver, second from left, and Marie D'Onofrio, third from left, take the field in Japan.

"They kept pouring the beer. They didn't want an empty glass," said D'Onofrio.

The Sunshine Girls are veterans of tournaments throughout the U.S. and Canada. Embarking to Japan was their first competition overseas. And maybe not their last. There's already talk of playing in Germany or New Zealand.

Citrus Park's Sunshine Girls softball players in Japan: Marie D'Onofrio (Welland, Ontario), Carol Fletcher (Campobello, New Brunswick), Arlene Johnson (Gladwin, Mich.), Diane MacIver (Welland, Ontario), Kathy Pettit (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario), Mer Tank (Oak Harbor, Ohio), Claudia Wasik (Ypsilanti, Mich.), Aggie Frye, Sylvia Mergl, Lucy Parker.