ISSA Announces Details on Championships

The International Senior Softball Association (ISSA) has announced final details on its championships.

ISSA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS -  The largest senior tournament that ISSA conducts is their World Championships at Manassas, Virginia.  Last year the tournament played 100 teams and had to spread out over Prince William and Loudoun Counties.  To supplement the popular 21 year old championship tournament the ISSA organized a parallel event for the Midwest teams at Rockford, IL in 2013.  Again this year the senior teams will have the option to play at Northern Virginia or Rockford on August  14-16.  All teams planning to enter the tournament should submit their online entry form now.  Also, new this year will be the Super World Championships at Rockford.  The Super Division has been established to  return the senior teams rated Major Plus by other organizations to ISSA competition.  The ISSA was asked to find a central location so the Major Plus teams from East and West could meet for their World Championship competition.  Thus Rockford was chosen for the 2015 event.  The Super Division was included in the ISSA Smoky Mountain Senior Classic and was a big success for some age classifications and most teams indicated that they would be playing at Rockford. 

ISSA TEAM RATINGS -  Now that the ISSA has returned to the four skill-level divisions in each age classification, teams will be moved to the highest rating that they play with others (if higher than ISSA’s old Rating).  Team ratings will be more consistent  with others and will only be lower with ISSA if their play on the field in ISSA competition demonstrates the appropriate rating.  Teams that play in higher divisions with others during the year cannot expect to play in a lower division with ISSA under the new rating system.

Registration information and other details are available at www.seniorsoftball.org.

About ISSA: The International Senior Softball Association (ISSA) is a not-for-profit corporation organized in 1994 by experienced softball administrators to provide the senior players a voice in the sport and the opportunity to participate in and experience the highest quality world-class tournaments.  The ISSA is an Allied Member of the Amateur Softball Association or America, the National Governing Body for the sport of softball.  ISSA Executive Director, RB Thomas, Jr. is also the Director of Senior Softball for the International Softball Federation and has annually conducted the ISF Senior World Cup since 2002.  In 2011 the ISSA will expand their tournament program to new and exciting venues thoughout the United States.  The mission of the ISSA is to:

1. establish national and international goals for senior softball activities and encourage the attainment of those goals;

2. coordinate and develop amateur senior softball activity to foster productive working relationships among other senior softball organizations;

3. promote and encourage physical fitness and public participation in senior athletic activities;

4. assist organizations and persons concerned with senior sports in the development of amateur athletic programs and other events that foster the special comradery among seniors;

5. provide for swift resolutions of conflicts and disputes involving amateur athletes, and protect the opportunity of any amateur athlete, coach, trainer, manager, administrator, or official to participate in senior amateur athletic competition;

6. foster the development of amateur athletic facilities for use by amateur athletes and assist in making existing amateur athletic facilities available for use by senior softball.

7. provide and coordinate technical information on physical training, equipment design, coaching, and performance analysis;

8. encourage and support research, development, and dissemination of information in the areas of sports medicine and sports safety.

9. encourage and provide assistance to amateur athletic activities for senior women;

10. provide world class competition for senior softball.