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7/27/06
go play!
6:07 PM
Page 46
G I L B E R T R E C R E AT I O N
stepping up to the plate Residents enjoy softball competition
written by
JAMES ANDERSON photography by
MARTIN PEREA
Looking to relive the glory days or just go out for some fun, the Gilbert Parks and Recreation Department has a softball league for everyone. Sean Carlin, supervisor for the recreation department, says games are played six nights a week at Freestone Park. There are more than 130 teams in 15 leagues, playing in divisions ranging from the serious men (men’s B) to coed recreational (co-rec D). “Softball is our bread and butter,” Carlin says. “We run three seasons a year. It is big sports stuff for us and a lot of people in the community.” About half the teams are co-rec, and one family that has enjoyed the coed divisions is the Shaneyfelts. Jim and Barb Shaneyfelt have lived in Gilbert for 16 years and have made softball a part of their lives.
B a r b, Stacey and Jim Shaneyfelt.
Two of their daughters grew up around the fields and took part in the city’s youth leagues and now regularly play with Jim and Barb on their team. “I coached them when they were younger and it’s
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GO GILBERT! Magazine
August 2006
