Slammin' Slo-Pitch News
The Slammin' Mens Masters +40 team will attending the Slo-Pitch
National Championships at Softball City in White Rock BC July 30-August
3, 2009
Slo-Pitch National 2009 National Championship Host Locations
The following sites will host the 2009 National Championships
Mens B - Softball City, White Rock, BC
Mens C - Kelowna, BC
Mens D - Niagara Falls, ON
Mens E - St John's, NL
Mens 40 Comp - Softball City, White Rock, BC
Mens 40 Int -St John's,NL
Mens 50 Comp - Niagara Falls,ON
Mens 50 Int - Niagara Falls, ON
Mens 55 - Niagara Falls, ON
Mens 60 - Niagara Falls, ON
Mens 65 - Niagara Falls, ON
Womens B - Saskatoon,SK
Womens C - Kelowna, BC
Womens D - Niagara Falls,ON
Womens 35 C - St John's, NL
Slammin' +35 Team
We welcome Moose and the boys aboard to the Slammin' family for 2009.
We greatly look forward to working with them in the upcoming season.
It will be great to have two teams on the diamond showing the colours!
Here is to a successful 2009 season for the +35 team.
2nd Annual Higgins/ProTeam/Combat North Carolina Spring Training Weekend
Here it is, guys and girls...the 2nd Annual Higgins/ProTeam/Combat North Carolina Spring Training Weekend With The Pro's!!
Rub shoulders with, and receive instruction from, some of the greatest
Softball Players to have ever played the game...PLUS play in a local
USSSA Tournament.
April 1 - April 5, 2009.
Confirmed Instructors; 2008 Major World Series MVP - John McCraw, 2008
Long Haul Bomber - Rusty Bumgardner, 2007 Long Haul Bomber Champion -
Brett Helmer, 2008 Long Haul Bomber - BJ Fulk and 2008 Dan Smith/Combat
Coach - Bobby Nifong.
Itinerary
- Leave Mississauga on Wednesday, April 1 at roughly 9 am.
Arrive at the hotel at roughly 11pm that night.
- Thursday, April 2 - Break into groups of 10 - 15 and have all day
instruction and practice from 10 am - 5 pm, with 1 hour lunch in the
middle.
- Friday, April 3 - Resume instruction and practice from 10 am - 5 pm with 1 hour lunch in the middle.
- Saturday, April 4 - Form teams of 12 out of the attendees and play in
a local USSSA, 1 day tournament. (There would be 6 - 8 local, NC teams
playing in this as well.)
- Saturday, April 4, Evening - Night out at a local Sports Bar.
- Sunday, April 5 - Bus departs hotel for return trip at 10 am, with ETA in Mississauga at 12 midnight.
- Duration of trip - 5 days/4 nights.
The Pay-One-Price Softball Passport will include:
- Travel there and back on a luxury Coach Bus with DVD/TV, reclining
seats and a toilet on board. (Bus will pick up and drop off at a TBD
location in Mississauga)
- 4 nights accommodations (Based on double occupancy)
- 2 x Personal, one-on-one hitting instruction with some of the
greatest Softball Players in the World PLUS play in a local USSSA
Tournament.
- Prize giveaways on the bus.
- Experience of a lifetime!!
- Something to tell all of your jealous Softball Playing friends about.
- fun, fun, fun.
There will only be room for 45 passengers, so first come, first served.
Act quick and reserve your spot for what will surely be a must-attend
Softball event of 2009!!
We have done this before and it really is a not only a great time but
an invaluable opportunity to learn from some of the best Softball
Players in the World.
Dont miss this opportunity for one on one, hand on hand, hitting
instruction from some of the best Softball Players in the World!
Payment Options
Option 1: 4 Payments; Dec 1 - $150, Jan 1 - $150, Feb 1 - $150 and Mar 1 - $200. Total of $650
Option 2: 2 equal payments; Dec 1 - $300 and Jan 1 - $300. Total of $600
Option 3: 1 payment; Dec 1 $600. Total of $600.
BONUS - Those who choose Option 2 or 3 for their payment will have
their name entered into a draw to possibly win a Combat Prize Pack.
Option 2 will get your name entered once. Option 3 will get your name
entered twice!!
Please EMT payment to teeger@sympatico.ca
(Legal Disclaimer The organizer of this tour and Higgins/ProTeam/Combat
Softball Team do not warrant nor accept any liability for injuries or
death occurring while on this trip. Passengers are responsible for
their own out of country health and life insurance coverage. Passengers
are responsible for any items of identification required to enter the
United States or re-enter Canada, ie. Passport, Birth Certificate,
Drivers License. Passengers attend this trip at their own risk.
Instructors are paid participants and as such do not offer any
warranties or guarantees for this trip. The organizer of this trip
reserves the right to modify the itinerary and/or individuals
attendance as required. The organizer does not warrant or guarantee
good weather.)
__________________
www.combatbaseball.com www.higginsproteam.com
Border Battle Announced
11/5/2008
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- The Amateur Softball Association of America
(ASA) and Softball Canada announced today it is planning to organize
its first ever men’s slow pitch national team that will compete in the
inaugural ‘Border Battle’ men’s slow pitch exhibition game featuring
Team USA against a Canadian Men’s Slow Pitch National team. Slated for
July 18, 2009 during the tentatively scheduled 4th World Cup of
Softball at ASA’s Hall of Fame Complex, this special event will offer
fans a rare occasion to see two of the primary disciplines of the sport
represented at the highest level in front of thousands of fans and a
national TV audience through ASA’s television partner, ESPN.
“The U.S./Canada “Border Battle” exhibition is currently in the
developmental stages of planning but we feel it is a great way to gain
national attention for upper level slow pitch softball and make sure
sports fans across America get a chance to see the type of superior
athletes currently playing this aspect of the sport,” said Ron
Radigonda, ASA’s Executive Director. “We are anxious to explore the
sponsorship opportunities for this type of event and also promote the
upper levels of ASA slow pitch softball. Millions of adults play slow
pitch softball every year but rarely do they get a chance to see the
game played at the upper level and witness the combination of defensive
gems and extraordinary home runs hit by the top players in the game.”
“On behalf of Softball Canada, we are pleased to participate in this
inaugural event being organized by ASA and feel it has a chance to
bring a new level of excitement to the slow pitch softball community in
Canada”, said Kevin Quinn, Softball Canada’s President. “I know the
players in Canada look forward to showing off their skills to our
friends from the States and recognize this is a unique opportunity to
participate in an international competition.”
This special exhibition will also include slow pitch and fast pitch
clinics featuring members of both the USA Softball Women’s National
Team and the Slow Pitch National Team, a home run exhibition, and
practice games all held in conjunction with the planned 4th World Cup
of Softball scheduled for July 16-20.
Further announcements surrounding player, coach and umpire selections
along with playing rules, marketing agreements and other event details
will be announced at a later date.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, 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. For more
information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that
links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National
Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training,
equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in
international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s
National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the
Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the
Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won eight World
Championship titles including the last six consecutive as well as
claimed two World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about
USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.
About Softball Canada
Softball Canada is recognized by the International Softball Federation
and the Government of Canada as the exclusive national sport governing
body for softball in Canada. An 8 member Board of Directors, elected by
the 13 Provincial/Territorial softball associations, governs the work
of the association. They are supported by 7 staff members in the
national office in Ottawa. For more information about Softball Canada,
please visit http://www.softball.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Julie Bartel
Director of Communications
ASA/USA Softball
SPO Launches Masters Circuit
Slo-Pitch
Ontario has made a commitment to their Masters program with the birth
of a Masters series. At a round table discussion late last year SPO met
with a number of Masters teams to discuss the Masters program in
general. Out of these discussions came the basic format of a Masters
Circuit that will play once a month.
The dates and locations of these tournaments are as follows:
May 30 & 31 Slo-Pitch City - Dorchester
June 27 & 28 - Windsor
July 18 & 19 - Barrie
Aug 28, 29 & 30 - SPC - Provincials
The Masters Committee will meet again in February to work on all of the policies and procedures of the program.
Program Guidelines will be announced the first week of March.
For Immediate Release
Slo-Pitch
Ontario is proud to announce that the Association has entered into a
partnership/agreement with the United States Specialty Sports
Association (USSSA). This agreement will provide Slo-Pitch Ontario
teams the opportunity to participate in tournaments throughout the
United States and World Series Events, most of which are hosted in
Florida at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. The agreement will
also give Slo-Pitch Ontario the opportunity to branch out into other
sports if the market warrants it.
"This is great news for Slo-Pitch teams in Ontario!" declares Tom Buchan, CEO of Slo-Pitch Ontario. "It
will provide our teams the opportunity to play at an international
level in all divisions. The USSSA are definitely leaders in the game
and have proved that with their tremendous success. The leadership and
expertise of Mr. DeDonatis and the USSSA in the sport of slo-pitch
softball, as well as other sports, will do nothing but improve our
programs and services." says Buchan.
"It
is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we welcome Tom Buchan and
Slo-Pitch Ontario as the exclusive representative of the USSSA in
Canada for slo-pitch softball and all of our other sports." stated Don DeDonatis, CEO of the USSSA. "We
are excited to have the opportunity to host the Ontario and Canadian
teams into the USSSA events. We are also looking forward to bringing
some of our events into Ontario."
Although
2009 will be a transition year in many ways, it is the hope of
Slo-Pitch Ontario and the USSSA that a number of teams will participate
in the 2009 USSSA World Series Events.
After
months of discussion and research, SPO has decided to follow the lead
of the USSSA and adopt their bat policy. As well, after months of
research and development with Worth and discussions with the USSSA, SPO
has developed a new softball program for our Association that will be
launched mid-summer 2009.
"We
are extremely excited about this arrangement which will provide the
players within the SPO program the ability to compete internationally,
plus the unique combination of USSSA bats and the new Worth softball
line up will provide players enhanced performance on a level playing
field. We look forward to 2009 and beyond as this arrangement will
bring a new enthusiasm to the sport of Slo-Pitch in Ontario." says Randy Beatty, GM of Worth Canada.
With the changes to the bats and balls, as well as our affiliation with the USSSA, it should be an exciting year for SPO!
MIKEN SPORTS SIGNS LEO BERTOLIN as Official Miken Advisory Staff Member
Brantford
(Canada) Feb 2009 Miken Sports Canada is pleased to announce the
signing of Leo Bertolin to be the first member of the Miken Canada
Advisory Staff and will be a Major Brand Advisor on Slo-Pitch diamonds
across Canada.
"I have known Leo for a few years and know him to
be #1 a great guy but also a great player. The Miken brand represents
Elite Equipment for the elite players and Leo is a great example of
what we look for in a Miken player. Leo will be a big asset to not only
represent our brand but also test our products with his intense swings
and leave it on the field attitude. says Jason Shipley, Marketing
Co-ordinator Miken Canada
Miken will be looking for more
advisory staff members in 2009 & 2010. Stay tuned for more
information during the upcoming season.
For more information on Miken Products check out www.mikensports.com
If you have any News you would like to post, please let us know through
the contact page. We look forward to seeing you on the diamond.
Regards,
Bruce Bradley
Slammin' Slo-Pitch
