MANASSAS, VIRGINIA USA - Senior teams are busy entering the ISSA/ISF World Tournament of Champions scheduled for January 27-29, 2012 at Plant City, FL and other venues in the Tampa Region. Teams from 14 States plus Germany and Colombia have already entered and others are in the works. Competition will be held in AA, AAA and Major Divisions for the senior men's teams. Competitions will also be held for Masters teams in the 35+ and 40+ divisions. Senior Women's teams are encouraged to enter as well. The event will bring together the champions from all associations in the United States as well as other tournament winners in 2011. International teams will be there to represent their Country as the tournament will establish the "best of the best" in the World. Late entries are still being accepted in most divisions. Any team interested in playing in the WTOC should contact the ISSA Office at 703-368-1188 or email [email protected].
MYRTLE BEACH, SOUTH CAROLINA - The 80th Annual ASA National Council Meeting was held this past week at Myrtle Beach and a couple playing rules and code changes will be of interest to the senior division. First, the Council approved the use of senior bats for ASA Championship play in the Senior Division beginning January 1, 2012. Next year the senior players will be allowed to use the senior bats bearing the BPF 1.21 (or less) certification mark in Championship play. Also, the ASA Code was changed to eliminate the Major Plus Division at the Senior National Championships. In 2012 competition will be held in the Class AA, AAA and Major Divisions at the Nationals on Labor Day Weekend. The Eastern National will return to Burlington, NC and the Western National will be held at Fort Collins, CO.
ISSA SPRING TRAINING TRAIL - Next year the ISSA has planned an exciting new opportunity for senior teams, the Spring Training Trail. Many teams that play in the ISSA senior tournament program have been looking for quality playing opportunities early in the year for their players. In response the ISSA has created "The Trail," three exciting senior tournaments in April and May that will provide an excellent playing experience to get the teams going for the new season. These "early bird" tournaments will include Myrtle Beach, SC, N. Charleston, SC and Columbus, GA to bring some warm weather venues for the senior teams playing in the ISSA program. The Myrtle Beach tournament will utilize the six synthetic turf fields all three days of the event. The April's Finest Senior Classic at North Charleston has been a long time favorite for many teams and the ISSA will again work with Cindy Dambaugh and her staff to provide a quality event. The new ISSA Spring National at Columbus will provide the teams a new destination and will use the fields built to acommodate the 1996 Olympic softball. To encourage teams to play in all three tournaments the ISSA will provide a PAID berth in the ISF Senior World Cup to all teams that participate in all three. The ISSA Tournament Schedule is posted on the ISSA Website at www.seniorsoftball.org.
MARYVILLE, TENNESSEE - Most softball players know of the Smoky Mountain Classic which annually attracts the top rated teams in the Country. Next year the senior players will have the opportunity to play in the Smoky Mountain Senior Classic at Maryville. The ISSA will work with the Maryville officials to hold a special event for the senior teams on June 1-3, 2012. Teams should mark their calendars now and plan the trip to Maryville, a suburb of Knoxville, TN. (Maryville is near the Knoxville Airport.)
2012 ISSA TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE - The 2012 ISSA Tournament Schedule has been posted on the ISSA Website. Several additional tournaments are being planned and will be posted as soon as the details and commitments are finalized with the Host communities. The ISSA Staff is looking forward to locating exciting new venues for the senior teams so we can continue to provide quality tournament experiences for all teams. Anyone with questions about the ISSA and our tournament program can call RB Thomas (571-436-9704) or Greg Thomas (571-220-0158) or the ISSA Office at 703-368-1188 or email [email protected].
