RENO — ASA/USA Softball Council members from across the country are heading to Reno, Nev. November 8-15 as the National Governing Body of Softball in the U.S. hosts its 83rd Annual Meeting at the Nugget Hotel the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball announced today. During the weeklong event, administrators, players and tournament hosts from around the country participate in a series of meetings to evaluate the needs of the association along with proposed rule and code changes for all divisions of ASA/USA Softball. In addition to the business side of the organization, ASA/USA Softball also presents several awards during the Annual Meeting, including the Complex of the Year, presented by Stabilizer Solutions, the Bright Light Award presented by ASA and Musco Lighting, Years of Service, the James Farrell Certificates and Awards of Excellence for excellence in conducting ASA/USA National Championships. Seven members will also be enshrined into the National Softball Hall of Fame while ASA/USA Softball will also induct one member into the International Softball Federation (ISF) Hall of Fame.
Click here for more information on the ASA/USA Softball Council Meeting.
While the majority of the council meeting will consist of breakout sessions for the different committees and regions, several special events will be held throughout the week. On Saturday, the “Swing for a Cause” golf series kicks off the Annual Meeting at Red Hawk Golf and Resort. All funds collected will benefit the Special Olympics National Games and ASA/USA Special Programs.
Later in the evening, seven individuals will forever be enshrined into the National Softball Hall of Fame while RB Thomas (Manassas, Va.) will be inducted into the ISF Hall of Fame as the 34th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet takes place. Members of the 2014 ASA Hall of Fame class include: Darryl Day (Hilton Head, S.C.) – Fast Pitch Player, Craig Elliott (Wadley, Ala.) – Slow Pitch Player, Ted Germain (Mayville, Mich.) – Umpire, Stacey Nuveman (La Verne, Calif.) – Fast Pitch Player, Tommy Orndorff (Vienna, Va.) – Manager, Ron Radigonda (Edmond, Okla.) – Meritorious Service and Bruce Tanski (Clifton Park, N.Y.) – Sponsor. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be streamed live and links will be available on Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m. PDT at USASoftball.com.
Sunday, November 9 marks the first General Council Session, where the 2014 Bright Light Award recipients will be presented with their respective accolades in front of over 300 Council Members and guests. The Council will also have the opportunity to go over all Rule and Code Proposals before voting takes place on Thursday, November 13.
The Wilson Sporting Goods Awards Luncheon, which honors Council Members for their Years of Service and ASA/USA Softball National Championship sites, will be held on Wednesday, November 12. The annual ASA/USA Trade Show will be held Wednesday evening in Pavilion A, B & C. More than 70 exhibitors from throughout the United States are expected to attend members the Trade Show, which features exhibits from cities bidding on the ASA National Championships, equipment manufacturers, softball suppliers and the ASA/USA Softball National Office staff. More than 800 council, association delegates and visitors will be in attendance.
The 7th annual “Fun Walk”, organized by Missouri ASA Commissioner Joey Rich, will be on Thursday morning and features a walk around the Nugget Hotel. Later that day, the final general council session will take place as all code and rule changes will be announced. The ASA/USA Softball Council Members will also decide which cities will host the 2016 ASA/USA National Championships, which is one of the most anticipated decisions made by the council as each ASA National Championship has the potential to have thousands of dollars in economic impact for the host city. In addition, the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 will be announced following the Hall of Fame Selection Committee meeting on Tuesday, November 11. The deadline to submit nominations for the 2015 Hall of Fame class was September 1.
For further information on the 2014 ASA/USA Softball Annual Meeting, please visit USASoftball.com. Photos and live updates from Reno will be posted on the ASA/USA Softball Facebook and Twitter pages.
The 2015 ASA/USA Softball Council Meeting will take place in Louisville, Ky.
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 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 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 nine World Championship titles as well as claimed seven World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com.