After Hours on the Field

For some, down time on the couch is the ideal way to unwind after the daily grind of a busy workweek. But for others, when the office lights go out, it’s time to step under the lights on the playing field.

Adult sports leagues can be a healthy way to blow off steam and stay in shape, but they also can foster professional networking and help keep the mind primed for job-related duties, according to local professionals who fit recreational sports into their schedules.

Ken Childers, executive director of the Youth of the Ozarks Thrift Store, 2140 S. Campbell Ave., plays softball for The Resolutionators in an adult coed league at Summers at the River in Nixa.

Childers, a former college football lineman at Central Methodist College, left organized sports behind after his college days, until he got on a health kick during spring 2011 and dropped 70 pounds.

“I was feeling better about myself and could actually run around the bases and not die,” Childers said. “That’s when I decided it’s time to start playing sports again. I do it because it makes me feel good.”

Competitive benefits
Stress relief isn’t the only benefit of recreational sports, however. They also can foster professional connections.

Childers, who also is also a member of Springfield Sertoma, said there’s usually at least one person he knows – former co-workers, customers or fellow Sertoma members – on every team he plays against, and he’s met several new acquaintances.

“People I didn’t know before, now I’m friends with, and that can further my business,” he said.

Edmund McClure, who plays and coaches soccer and works in sales and marketing at software development firm Ion Wave Technology, said another benefit is that the teamwork that helps on the playing field teaches the same discipline and education that will come in handy in the workplace.

“You can’t just get a group of guys out there and have a free-for-all. You have to have a thought process behind it. If you get a team that has 11 independent players out there, you’re going to have an unsuccessful team,” McClure said. “It carries over into business. If you have 11 players playing as one, you’ll be successful.”

Requisite investments
According to these professionals, the positive aspects that come from recreational sports don’t come without sacrifices, or costs.

McClure, the son of missionary parents, grew up in Brazil, where soccer is a national pastime, so for him, soccer is a way of life.

Now, he balances playing competitively at Lake Country Soccer and coaching in the Magic Soccer Club, which comprises 10 youth teams.

“With coaching and everything else, it’s probably 20 hours a week,” McClure said. “I’m playing and I’m actually coaching two teams. And this summer we’re also doing some traveling three-versus-three tournaments.”

Making time for sports also can be tricky for Jon Kurtz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Springfield forecast office.

Because flexibility in his work schedule is dependent on weather conditions, it’s not always easy for Kurtz to make it to ice hockey games at Mediacom Ice Park. Sometimes, he can get co-workers to fill in for him at game time, but that’s not always possible.

“As long as there’s two people on shift and there’s no severe weather, we can shift-swap,” Kurtz said. “I missed the first game because we had thunderstorms in the area. I was put on radar watch, so I couldn’t leave.”

Beyond the time investment, there are the hard costs. Aside from shin guards and socks, soccer requires minimal equipment, but for McClure, the three types of soccer he plays each require different shoes – cleats, indoor soccer shoes and court shoes for futsal, a variation of soccer from South America.

“Really your only investment besides paying for your league dues, which are about $60, is getting some decent shoes and socks. If you buy some good shoes, they should last you about three years,” McClure said, noting that a decent pair of shoes will cost between $100 and $125.

For ice hockey, players may need as many as 12 pieces of equipment, plus minor expenses such as stick tape or skate sharpening, which costs Kurtz $50 to $60 a year.

“Sticks are expensive too. Mine has replaceable blades that run me around $40 apiece,” he added. “Overall I’d say I originally spent about $300 on equipment.”

League fees at Mediacom Ice Park cost up to $232 for spring or fall sessions, and $192 for the summer, he said.

For Wayne Dipper, chief operating officer of information technology outsourcing company KPM Technologies, any costs associated with sports are well worth it.

Dipper, who played baseball during college at Crowder College, now plays competitive baseball in Mount Vernon. He said his time on the field helps him keep a clear mind at work.

“It’s just kind of therapeutic. I play with guys I’ve played with for years. They’re good friends of mine,” Dipper said.

“When I go to work it helps me do a better job, and when I’m at home, it helps me to be a better dad. If you don’t have that outlet, you’d just be frustrated a lot of the time.”