Winter knows the score
Staff writer
Ruth Winter, a long time Hillsboro resident, has been keeping score at baseball tournaments for more than 10 years. In fact, she kept score at 17 games the weekend before last.
Winter started keeping score when her oldest daughter, now 30, was playing T-ball, then coached her two daughters for a while. Now, she keeps score for tournament baseball. In the beginning, "Somebody just plopped a book in front of me," said Winter. She learned how the tournaments wanted the score kept as she went along.
Besides keeping score, Winter works full time at Central Plains Credit Union, and part time as a shift manager at McDonalds.
"I keep busy because I don't want to get old," said Winter.
"I enjoy it," said Winter about her score keeping. "I just enjoy watching baseball."
Winter doesn't accept pay for the tournaments sponsored by the charitable and religious organizations.
"The Lions pays, but they're supported by the community, so I refuse to take the money. I don't take pay from the youth groups either," Winter said.
According to Winter, score keeping is a very diligent job.
"If you have the official book, and the umpire has a question, he comes to you, and you have to know what you're doing," she said. "You have to stay focused all the time. You have to be able to see where the last ball went, you have to pay attention."
