OKLAHOMA CITY ? Twenty-eight Special Olympics softball teams from 14 states and Canada will be descending on Elgin and Mooseheart, Ill., Aug. 26-28, for the 2011 Special Olympics National Invitational Softball Championship, sponsored by the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and Moose fraternal organization. Special Olympics Softball programs participating include those from Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and Canada.
In addition to providing the tournament?s umpires, ASA is sending President Andy Dooley, administrator of the Loyal Order of the Moose, Bedford Lodge #1897 since 1988, among other leaders to assist with tournament management. Three-time USA Softball Men?s Slow Pitch National Team member Brian Wegman and other ASA slow pitch athletes will also provide a clinic to participants.
Opening ceremonies and the trademark ceremonial torch lighting will take place at Mooseheart?s football stadium, at halftime of the Mooseheart and Alden-Hebron football game, which is set to kick off at 7 p.m. Aug. 26. Then, softball tournament play will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 27-28, at the Elgin Sports Complex, 709 Sports Way, Elgin. The entrance is on McLean Boulevard, three blocks south of the McLean exit from U.S. Rte. 20. Special Olympics play will occupy five of the complex?s 10 softball fields; the other fields will be occupied by the 2011 International Moose Softball Tournament, simultaneously. Admission to both tournaments is free.
Attending the tournament on Sunday will be both Miss Illinois 2011 Hannah Smith and Elgin Mayor David Kaptain. Medal ceremonies will take place at the complex on Sunday evening following the conclusion of play.
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 210,000 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 nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed five World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.
Source: http://msf1.org/?p=3721
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