{"id":187085,"date":"2025-10-03T09:08:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T09:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/187085\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T09:08:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T09:08:14","slug":"soccer-after-60-these-players-say-its-pitch-perfect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/187085\/","title":{"rendered":"Soccer after 60? These players say it’s pitch-perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a late-summer evening, and the mosquitoes are buzzing around the people watching soccer practice at Allendale Columbia School.<\/p>\n

Half of the players are wearing neon-green vests to show which side they\u2019re on in the fiercely fought battle playing out on the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cGotta chase him! Gotta chase him!\u201d one player yells as they move down the field, his coaxing quickly followed by good-natured name-calling and laughter.<\/p>\n

The players on the school\u2019s upper field this evening aren\u2019t moving as quickly as the varsity team playing on the lower field. There\u2019s a little less force behind the kicks.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s another difference. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll the green ones are the over-60,\u201d Tomi Lahcanski said on the sideline as he prepared to join his teammates, many of whom have been playing together for more than 40 years. \u201cWe\u2019re part of a team called Still Sporting, and Still Sporting goes back to the late \u201970s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rochester<\/p>\n

Jose Sansidoro, 76, defends the ball against Michael Jordano at Allendale Columbia School.<\/p>\n

Lahcanski is working to help take them to a new level with the creation of an over-60 soccer tournament later this month \u2014 and ultimately, a formal league for the older athletes.<\/p>\n

The players \u2014 along with the mostly 50-somethings competing against them \u2014 are among many older Americans playing sports. <\/p>\n

That’s a group that may be growing. The National Senior Games Association<\/a> reports that participation in its summer national championships has grown from 2,500 in 1987, to 11,681 in 2023.<\/p>\n

But other indicators demonstrate a need for far more physical activity in this age group. According to a report from the Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics, 13.9% of adults age 65 and older<\/a> met federal physical activity guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities in 2022.<\/p>\n

“For older adults, regular physical activity helps maintain physical functioning and reduces the risk of chronic conditions, including dementia, and also reduces the risk of falls and fall-related injuries,” the report states.<\/p>\n

\"Rochester<\/p>\n

Wayne Bulling, left, looks to steal the ball from Alen Kreso.<\/p>\n

Many on the Still Sporting team are lifelong athletes who started when they were students themselves. Some took it further; Lahcanski played for St. John Fisher University and in the Canadian National Soccer League, and he has played in the Rochester District Soccer League for 50 years.<\/p>\n

Most of them look far younger than their ages, perhaps another benefit of the game they still play because of their love for it \u2014 and for each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been on this team, played over-30, -40, -50, and now they’re doing the over-60,\u201d said Fraser Ritchie, who\u2019s served as captain for some of that span. \u201cSo we\u2019ve had a good run.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you get the right core,\u201d he added, \u201cnobody\u2019s going to break them apart. … The camaraderie and the people you meet through playing this game, it\u2019s just fantastic. You can\u2019t replace it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ritchie, 67, lives in Hamlin and said it\u2019s a 45-minute drive just for practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s well worth it, you know,\u201d he said. \u201cThe older you get, it\u2019s harder to keep moving and be around people that are in the same age, the same attitude. … We like to rub each other the wrong way sometimes, but that\u2019s what men do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Soccer players in their 50s and 60s play against each other during a recent practice at Allendale Columbia School. <\/p>\n

The players clearly relish the competition.<\/p>\n

Bob Johnson \u2014 \u201cnot from the Chevrolet dealership,\u201d he quickly explained \u2014 said being able to join his teammates on the field is a highlight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis makes my week,\u201d the Webster resident said, \u201cwhen I can come Tuesday nights out here and play with these guys that I\u2019ve played with, you know, for years and years and years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ken DiStefano, 65, also of Webster, said he\u2019s been playing soccer since the third grade. He\u2019s been out of action for a while but is mounting a comeback at Lahcanski\u2019s urging.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hung it up at 60, and then Tomi dragged me out of the mothballs for this tournament, and here I am,\u201d he said with a laugh. “I gotta get in shape.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Over-60 Soccer Tournament<\/a> that DeStefano is preparing for is set for Oct. 18 and 19 at Grace and Truth Sports Park in Greece. Lahcanski is organizing it for over-60 players from across the region and beyond.<\/p>\n

The rules and format will be a little different: slide tackles and punts aren\u2019t allowed, for example, and the eight-person teams will play on a half-sized field. The halves will be shorter, too, at 30 minutes instead of 45, and substitutions on the fly will be permitted.<\/p>\n

Lahcanski said the tournament is a part of a broader vision.<\/p>\n

\"Rochester<\/p>\n

Tomi\u00a0Lahcanski, 69, talks with former Rochester Rhinos head coach Pat Ercoli, after a practice.<\/p>\n

The first step, he said, is to raise awareness about the opportunities for senior athletes through the tournament. The second is laying the foundation for the Forever Sporting Over-60 Soccer League, which ultimately will expand into other sports such as fencing, track, and walking. All of those promote active longevity, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find that … if you stop for a week or more, the body really shuts down,\u201d said Lahcanski, 69, of Penfield. \u201cAnd, you know, the lesson is: Keep on moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtherwise, you\u2019re going to get all the problems,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Jose Sanisidro of Rochester is apparently living that lesson. He started playing as a teenager in Spain and never stopped. At 76, he\u2019s the oldest athlete playing this evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s in my blood,\u201d he said during a brief break in the action. \u201cI cannot quit that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sanisidro said he would encourage anybody to play sports all their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt keeps you young,\u201d he said. \u201cI say it\u2019s the best thing you can ever do in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jose<\/p>\n

Jose Sanisidro and Fraser Ritchie walk off the field after finishing their practice at Allendale Columbia School.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a late-summer evening, and the mosquitoes are buzzing around the people watching soccer practice at Allendale Columbia…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[49,48,561,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-187085","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-soccer","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}