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Vintage Babes On Today Show

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By LAURA CONE The Sun

Published: March 25, 2009

Maria Menounos of NBC's Today Show put the spotlight on Sun City Center with a recent filming of the Vintage Babes softball team as they competed against women from Hillsborough Correctional Institution.

The game ended in a tie, 14 to 14, a fitting score since the games between the inmates and softball players from Sun City Center has been a win-win for all involved.

Chelsea Veeneman, the director of business development with Sun Towers, said as a spectator, she was inspired by the relationship between the Sun City Center ladies softball team and the inmates.

Veeneman said Sun Towers is a sponsor for Vintage Babes. They helped purchase uniforms and sponsored a luncheon March 14, the day of the Today Show filming.

"They invited me to go to their game and it was just wonderful," Veeneman said. "I was blown away. The inmates were so appreciative and pumped up by everything the ladies brought to them. I was amazed by how they are showing the inmates what life can be like out of jail. There are a lot of things to live for. You could see it in the ladies' faces."

Veeneman said she was proud of the women who were interviewed by Menounos.

"The exposure is great," she said. "It's really exciting. The ladies are really good representatives of the Sun City Center Community. It's a project that has caught national attention."

Ed Barnes, the president of the Sun City Center Community Association Board of Directors, said it is not the first time the activities of people in Sun City Center has drawn national attention to the community. Barnes attended the luncheon at Sun Towers and watched the filming at the Sun City Center South Sports Complex.

"I thought the girls did really well," Barnes said. "They handled themselves and represented Sun City Center very well. We have had a fair number of national media come here and a number of foreign visitors interested in our lifestyle and how the Community Association works."
Nancy Williams of Sun City Center, a volunteer for the Hillsborough Correctional Institution, said the NBC Today Show was filmed at the correctional facility as well as the sports complex. The program aired March 19.

Williams, who was interviewed for the program, served as the announcer during the game. She has also coordinated seven games with the inmates and the Vintage Babes.

Williams said Menounos, a correspondent for NBC, noticed the Vintage Babes while filming the Super Bowl in Tampa. The Vintage Babes were dancing as part of the half time show with Bruce Springsteen.

"Maria watched these senior ladies have some terrific twist moves and interviewed one of them," Williams said. "That led to her interest in a story. That led to a conference call with me concerning the prison."

Williams said she was pleased the faith-based, character-building prison program received national exposure.

Paula Lipski of Sun City Center, who started the Vintage Babes team 14 months ago, said the original intent of the team was to introduce softball to Sun City Center. Many of the women have used the team as an outreach and made a positive impact on others, Lipski said.

"It's been great," Lipski said. "The morale at the prison is great. They are pumped up. We are pumped up. They look forward to us coming out and we look forward to being there."

She said the women have donated gloves, bats and chalk to line the field at the correctional facility.

Lipski credited Williams and Sharlene Peter of Kings Point, who was interviewed for the Today Show, for making Sun City Center's day in the national spotlight a success.

Editor Laura Cone may be reached at lcone@mediageneral.com.

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