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THE SENIOR SOFTBALL CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

MANASSAS, VIRGINIA - Teams going to the 14th ISSA World Championships at Manassas, Virginia this year will be part of a milestone event. The tournament will be the 20th world-class senior softball event held in Prince William County which gave rise to the area becoming known internationally as the Senior Softball Capital of the World. Teams from throughout the United States (and sometimes international locations) find this event to be a preferred destination to compete in senior softball. With excellent softball facilities surrounded by many historical sites that were significant to the growth and development of the Country, some players schedule in additional days to visit area attractions including our Nation's Capitol. So why not explore our nation's heritage and learn more about the people, the times and the decisions that made America while in Manassas for the ISSA World Championships this year.

Competition has been programmed for senior women beginning at age 40 and senior men at age 50. Again this year the World Championships will also include Masters Divisions for 35+, 40+ and 45+ men's teams. The Prince William County/Manassas CVB has mailed tournament packets to all teams that have previously expressed an interest in participating. Others may request a tournament packet from the ISSA Office or copy the needed forms and information from the ISSA website.

ASA SENIOR NATIONALS RETURN TO BURLINGTON, NC

BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA - Twenty years ago in nearby Greensboro, the first senior softball national tournament was held for players exclusively over the age of fifty and up. The event was organized by Ken Maas who was joined by Bob Mitchell from the west coast to create a true National Tournament which they called the Senior Softball World Series. This year as they have for the previous three years, the Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body for the sport, will invite the senior players to return to their roots and compete for the Senior National Championship in North Carolina.

Tony Laws and his staff look forward to serving as the "official host" for the tournament again this year The Burlington Recreation & Parks Department is proud to be hosting the 2008 ASA Men's Senior Nationals Softball Tournament August 29- Sept.1. As the previous host in 2005, 2006 and 2007, this event has a proven track record with the senior teams who enjoy the North Carolina hospitality. Mark Cryan, City Athletic Director will serve as Tournament Director and is very excited to have the seniors coming back to Burlington and looks forward to a great senior tournament.

Teams will find the tournament information for this event on the Burlington website at www.burlingtonnc.gov, "Tournament Information.". There will be no charge for spectators this year and souvenirs and food concessions will be available at each venue. Also, the format will be the same as last year; two pool games on Friday with double elimination starting on Saturday. Tournament officials plan to finish on Sunday and only use Monday as a make-up day for bad weather or overflow of teams.

Hotel reservations may be made through the Alamance County Convention & Visitors Bureau web site at www.burlington-area-nc.org or by calling1-800-637-3804. Teams should make their reservations early since nearby Elon University has an early start this year and the tournament weekend overlaps with the University's move-in day!

The Amateur Softball Association which sanctions this event was founded in 1933, and is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 83 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. The ISSA has been an Allied Member of ASA since 1996. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.

THE ISSA WINTER NATIONALS

VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA - Interest is building within the softball community for a first time event. Many players on Masters and Senior teams got the chance to experience playing softball at the beach in their younger days. This October these players will get to Experience the Fun at Virginia Beach, on and off the field again. City officials, the ASA Tidewater District staff and the ISSA staff have teamed up to host the first ISSA Winter National event which is planned for October 3-5. This world-class resort city recently completed a new 8-field state-of-the-art softball complex which will supplement other nearby quality fields to accommodate the Senior and Masters teams expected to participate.

Competition will be held for Senior women's teams from 40 and Over to 65 and Over. All age classifications and skill level divisions will be included for the Senior men's teams. Men's Masters competition will be scheduled for 35 and Over, 40 and Over and 45 and Over. And a new division of play for ISSA will be a 35+ Coed Division. The Winter Nationals will permit players who are eligible for an age division in 2009 to compete in this October tournament. Teams can use this tournament to begin the process of putting their tournament team together for 2009, a concept that many senior teams find helpful.

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ASA SENIOR TOURNAMENTS AT MANASSAS

MANASSAS, VIRGINIA - Local ASA officials will be including senior divisions in their remaining tournaments for the 2008 season and beyond. The concept is an alternative to the current "regional qualifying tournaments" now being offered by others. "Based on numerous recent experiences, several senior teams have expressed a desire to have a lower cost, weekend tournament (one or two days) and we believe that we can provide that," offered RB Thomas, Jr. "We are very flexible in the format, our response from teams indicate a need for some one-day tournaments on the weekend, although most teams did not have a strong opinion on one or two day events as long as it was on the weekend only. We thought we would begin with an open roster concept since we will obviously not have enough teams to create 20 divisions of play based on the ISSA Ratings. Teams will email their list of players with age and current team info. We will place them in divisions accordingly with the aim of creating some parity. Obviously, the more teams that we get, the better job we can do in addressing age and skill levels. We do not want to exclude any players but we do not want teams loading up with Major players either. The goal for managers should be to try to form a team at a good 50AAA competitive level. No expensive special ID card required, a drivers license will do. A one-day three-game minimum tournament will be $150 and a two-day five-game minimum tournament will be $250. We can provide the fields, umpires and awards for seniors to have a nice experience in a good softball atmosphere." The following are the senior tournament dates: June 7 & 8 2nd Annual Capital Classic July 5 & 6 Fourth of July Firecracker August 2 & 3 35th Battle of Manassas August 23 & 24 Northern Virginia Championships Anyone wishing to enter a team in these tournaments or would like more information or provide additional feedback can contact Thomas at 703-368-1188 or email to issa94@aol.com.

BULLETS SHOOT FOR A THIRD IN A ROW

When the third annual Villages Masters Athlete Softball Championships wraps up on Oct. 26, 2008, in The Villages, Fla., the Southern Trace Chiropractic Center Silver Bullets hope to walk away with the gold once again.

"Last year was our second win and this year will be our third," said Penny Zielinksi, the 55-year-old captain of the 50+ women's team, which has won the tournament two years in a row. "We got a heck of a team." Zielinksi and a friend founded the Silver Bullets three years ago, whenthey discovered their hometown of The Villages, an active adult retirement community of 70,000 in central Florida, didn't have a 50+ team they could join. The team has been winning ever since.

The squad recently won the Senior Softball World Championship Spring Nationals inWinter Haven, Fla., in April. "They've got some talent," affirmed Avis Vaught, manager of theVillage Vixens, who won their 50 + division at the Florida Senior Games State Championships in 2006 but surrendered to the Silver Bullets in the finals of Villages Masters Athlete Softball Championships in both 2006 and 2007.

The Bullets' are successful despite rarely practicing together. While most players live in The Villages, others live in Clearwater, on Florida's west coast and several fly in from New York for bigtournaments. The teammates play in local leagues on other teams and practice as the Silver Bullets only about once a month. "Most of the girls play by instinct so everybody really knows whatthey're supposed to be doing when we do get together," said Zielinski who works out with a neighborhood league on weekends and Wednesdays. "The skill level is so high, that team practice isn't crucial to their performance."

Softball is exploding in the senior market and in The Villages in particular, said Villages Masters Athlete Softball Championships tournament director Joe Bouthillette. "Seven years ago we had onefield," Bouthillette said. "Now, we have nine fields and organized play is run six days a week."At last count, The Villages was home to 3,000 softball players, many of whom once played professionally, including Ray Knight, former third basemen for the New York Mets and MVP of the 1986 World Series. At last year's Villages Masters Athlete Softball Championships, Knight threwout the first ball and acted as master of ceremonies.

Just like the spread of softball in The Villages, the tournament has expanded each year since its inception. In 2006, 12 teams and two divisions - a women's 50 + and a men's 50 + -- participated in the Championships. Last year, the number of teams increased to 24 with theaddition of 60+ men's and women's divisions. This year, the organizers expect 32 teams with the addition of 70+ brackets for men and women's divisions.While 40 percent of the teams participating in the tournament hail from The Villages, a city that which sprawls over three Florida counties, teams across the United States and Canada come to play, and softball fansturn out in droves to watch them. Last year hundreds of spectators packed the bleachers all three days of the tournament.

"They come here to The Villages because of our first-rate facilities," said Bouthillette. "You're not going to get a barebones softball tournament - you're going to get a festive atmosphere. When you come to The Villages for a softball tournament you're getting a mini vacationas well." Shelby Simmons, 65, whose Orlando, Fla.-area team, Mandolin's SeniorMoments, won the championship's 60+ division last year, outplaying the Villages Merchants White, agreed. "They're a great host, with great facilities," said Simmons, an infielder who manages the team. "There's another national tournament going on in Orlando that same weekend but we choose to go the Villages."

Simmons attributed last year's 12-10 win in the final to the team's defensive play, which culminated in pitcher Jerome "Killer" McCoy's game-ending double play. With the addition of several younger players, his team hopes to contend for the championship again this year, Simmons said."By younger players I mean people who are just turning 60," Simmonssaid, laughing. "That's young for us." (Story by Meghan Deerin)

THE SOFTBALL TODAY SHOW ON THE INTERNET

PLANT CITY, FLORIDA - Softball Fans are now tuning in to the newest Internet Radio show as West Central Florida ASA's Softball Today Show is coming to you every Sunday evening at 7 pm Eastern Time. Go to www.playasa.org and then click on Webcast on the top right hand corner and then Today's Broadcast. They will be giving you the updates in the Softball World including the Senior Division. If you would like to be a part of the show send in an email of what's happening in your softball world. If you miss a show you can listen to the archive broadcast later.

Tune in you might like it, if you do let Carlton Benton know at cb@playasa.org

THE POWER HITTING DUTCHMAN

LAUREL, MARYLAND - Today most senior players know where Valley View Park is located just outside of Manassas in a rural community called Bristow. Few people probably know that just a couple miles away lies another little ball field on the grounds of the Linton Hall Military Academy. It was there in 1952 that young Harry Detwiler began swinging the bat. Today Dutch as he is known to everyone is one of the most prolific long ball hitters in the 60+ division of senior softball.

Dutch attended the Catholic boarding school for grades 1 to 8 and then high school in Hyattsville, Maryland where he loved the game of baseball. He began playing fast pitch softball in 1968 while in the Coast Guard stationed at Curtis Bay, MD where his team won the first of many softball championships to follow. Shortly after being honorably discharged for the Coast guard, Dutch went to work for the White House Police and then the US Secret Service Uniformed Division where he protected Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush before retiring in 1989. After retirement he went to work at The Baseball Store in Laurel, MD which just happens to have a 12 cage batting range.

Dutch played and coached numerous slowpitch softball teams in the Northern Virginia Police League and other local leagues and tournaments. Then in 1996 he began his senior softball career when he turned 50 years old.. He began playing on senior league teams such as Sypinski Insurance, Joe B's AC, Ted's and Conlons and came over to the ISSA World Championships with Taylors. After playing for the Maryland Express, Maryland Masters and REKCO he joined the Thomas Engineering 55 team in 2002 where he won his first National Championship, NSA in Gadsden, AL. When Thomas Engineering moved up to the 60s he played with Damons Grill/Angle Inn until he turned 60 in 2006 when he rejoined Thomas and the team won the NSA, ISSA, ASA and SSWS National/World Championships. Last year he was named to the ASA All-American Team in the 60 Major Plus Division at Burlington.

Today Dutch is most proud of having played on 10 National Championship teams and been inducted in the Anne Arundel Softball Hall of Fame and the Washington Metro Slow Pitch Hall of Fame. If you are ever passing through Laurel, MD stop by and see Dutch and Carol at The Baseball Store, one of the friendliest couples in senior softball and bat experts as well. And if you had not read it here, you would have never guessed that he spent most of his life in military schools and police uniforms. So stop by and take a few swings with Dutch and talk some softball.

THE SOFTBALL SHOW.....RICK LILLY AND THE ANGLE INN TEAM

GLEN BURNIE, MARYLAND - As the world turns, interesting individuals turn up in a softball uniform at most tournaments. America's number one adult team sport is made up with individuals from all walks of life. Some are really unique and bring a special dedication to the sport. One such player is Rick Lilly. Rick started playing slow pitch softball right out of high school in 1983. He started with a local bar team called Pennington's Pub. Pennington's Pub was a league team that would launch a softball career for Rick that is still going strong today. Rick has played with such teams as Pattans Auto Body, ACI Express, TJ Lite, Lynch Mob, Trojans and now he is currently the player/ manager for Angle Inn Easton. Angle Inn is a strong sponsor in Maryland having over 15 teams in different classes of play for the 2008 season.Rick has won several state championships and has been part of 6 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS. As a player for Pattans Auto Body, Rick won the 1993 national batting title in Midland Texas at the ASA World Championship where his team finished in 5th place. He has been on numerous ALL WORLD TEAMS and winning the MVP in 1998 with the LYNCH MOB and ALL OFFENSIVE in 2001 with TROJANS.Rick is very heavily involved with the community as he does fund raisers all year long to help children and families across Maryland. Rick donates over 200 toys from a fund raiser to the Kennedy Kreiger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland every Christmas and has donated to our troops serving our Country with sporting equipment and DVD's. He has one of the most popular Websites on the East Coast for softball, THE SOFTBALL SHOW at www.softballshow.com. Rick is currently still active in the sport as a player/ manager for the ANGLE INN EASTON TEAM which is playing in the USSSA CONFERENCE series this year and is classified in the B Division out of Baltimore, Maryland. Rick and the Angle Inn team look forward to returning to the 2008 ISSA World Championships to defend their 35+ MASTERS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

GET BACK IN THE GAME

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. - Most senior players in the southeastern part of the United States got to know Terry Leiden years ago as the smiling attorney at Augusta who worked hard at making his city known for more than just a Masters golf tournament but also a nice senior softball event. There was something special about playing softball at Augusta the week after the golf tournament. Few people knew of the serious medical difficulties that faced Terry back then, he kept the smile and warmly greeted the teams to his place. Today Terry is a cancer survivor and in addition to his law practice has found the time to write a wonderful first-time novel which recently received the following review, "Augusta attorney Terry Leiden speaks to the never say die attitude in a humorous and heartwarming tale of life after prostate cancer and communal activity in the healing process. In "Get Back in the Game: An Inspirational Story of Cancer Survivors," Leiden fictionalizes the lives of five men who lose everything upon diagnosis only to find strength and meaning with each other on the softball field. Terry Leiden is best known in the Augusta area for the numerous daytime commercials his law firm has run over the years, and he has been a practicing attorney focused on bankruptcy and consumer issues in the Augusta area since 1973. A survivor of prostate cancer himself, Leiden is a husband and father as well as a player and coach on the Triumphs 65 senior softball team. In his first work as a fictional writer, Leiden sticks to subject matter he knows well, and in so doing, provides a realistic portrayal of the frustration and struggles that come along with a cancer diagnosis. A practicing attorney for over three decades, he also manages to involve the law in a collection of court appearances and humor laced arrests of his main characters. By using familiar material, he provides a realistic backdrop to a fascinating story of connection and interaction among men from divergent backgrounds. With the common experience of prostate cancer as his tool, Leiden unites the lives of a construction worker, a schoolteacher, a corporate executive, an accountant, and an inner-city reverend. Within the framework of these distinct personalities, Leiden weaves a thread of perseverance in the face of horrid odds, and in so doing, fosters the bonds of communal experience within the covers of this work. Supplemented by a collection of hilarious, trouble-making, practical joke playing wives and the ins and outs of organized softball, the stories of these five men and other survivors who join the team along the way lead the reader on a fascinating journey through the turmoil of medical concerns into the blinding light of happy trails traveled with good friends and a pre-mixed margarita or two. Laced with comic episodes like a group of old men and women joining hands in a fornication prayer, Leiden's work brims with confidence and hilarity sure to please the tastes of a wide variety of readers. Available at major booksellers and on the online designations of chain stores, this work is a wonderful example of the joy that can be found at the end of a dark tunnel. With precise wording and wonderfully realistic characters, Leiden avoids the common pitfalls of the usual first novel, and provides a tale that will warm hearts, inspire chuckles, and provide a reason to hold on in the hardest of times." Leiden, Terry. "Get Back in the Game: An Inspirational Story of Cancer Survivors." Augusta, Georgia: Savannah River Press (An Imprint of Harbor House Books). 2008. 251pp. $16.95 Paper. ISBN: 9781891799457.