Age isn’t a factor in sports.
Just ask any of the participants in this weekend’s International Softball Federation/International Senior Softball Association World Tournament of Champions.
The event will be held this weekend, at Plant City Stadium and the Randy Larson Softball Complex, along with other facilities throughout the Tampa Bay area. The tournament will feature 53 teams in age divisions ranging from 50 to 75.
“This tournament is just another example that the game of softball is for anyone,” said ISF president Don Porter. “And don’t let their ages fool you, this is always a competitive tournament.”
The field of teams comes from across the country and the globe, representing 13 states, as well as teams from Canada and Colombia.
All domestic entries had to qualify through previous events held across the United States, including winners of ISSA tournaments and national champions from all major softball associations.
The tournament will be from Jan. 25 to 27, in Plant City. Admission is free.
PREMIER VENUE
The event continues a long history of bringing prestigious softball events to Plant City since the ISF moved its headquarters here in 2000.
The ISF is the official governing international federation for softball in the world. The ISF hosts tournaments all over the globe, but Porter hopes to continue to bring quality events to the place the ISF calls home.
“Our goal is to have several international tournaments held here each year,” Porter said. “Unfortunately, we have limited facilities here, which makes it hard to have large tournaments. We’re trying to expand international events here as much as possible, but it depends on the number of teams and participants.”
Currently the ISF has access to Plant City Stadium — the former spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds — and the Randy Larson Fourplex, bringing the amount of useable fields to five.
Plant City Stadium was converted into a baseball stadium after the Reds left town, making it a great fit for the ISF when it moved its from Oklahoma City.
In 2001, the Plant City facilities hosted the first Junior Girls World Cup, and the Slow Pitch World Cup was held in June 2002. That same year, the facilities were used for North American tryouts for the 2004 Greek Olympic Team.
The ISF headquarters also hosts umpire certification seminars, coaching clinics and various meetings.
Although no concrete plans are in place, Porter hopes the facilities can expand to bring more tournaments, thus bringing in more money for the local economy.
“We have interest to maximize the use of the facilities we have,” he said. “One of the prime reasons we came here was to work with the city to expand participation and the use of the facilities.”
The World Tournament of Champions is the only ISF event planned in Plant City this year, but the Girls International Youth World Cup and the ISF Coed and ISF/ISSA Masters/Seniors International Tournament of Champions plan to come here in 2014.
The ISF recently held another in-state tournament when the Men’s Fast Pitch International Tournament came to Altamonte Springs (Orlando) earlier this month. That tournament featured 28 teams from the United States, Panama, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, U.S. Virgin Islands, Bahamas and Venezuela, as well as players representing New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.
FUTURE PLANS
In December, the ISF partnered with the International Baseball Federation to form the World Baseball Softball Confederation, to get both men’s baseball and women’s fast-pitch softball back on the Olympic Programme, beginning in 2020.
Both sports are former Olympic sports, but after they were voted not to be included by the International Olympic Committee, the two federations decided to team up and run as one ticket.
Porter will continue to stay busy with international presentations through May to promote the bid. The final decision will be made in September in Buenos Aires.
Porter has several potential plans for tournaments he would like to see come to the area, including one that could tie in with the Florida Strawberry Festival.
“I’ve been working with the College Coaches Association, discussing what might be possible,” he said. “We would love to do a tie-in with the festival and have the ‘Strawberry Festival Cup’ or ‘Strawberry Festival Tournament.’”“>http://myxpresscams.com/kreditnaya-karta-renessans-kredit-gold.php
