The International Senior Softball Association (ISSA) has announced its tournament season. All information is available on the website, located here.
ISSA GULF COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS - the ISSA will be holding the 2015 Gulf Coast Championships at Panama City Beach on March 6-8 to provide the senior teams another early “warm-weather” tournament at an excellent coastal resort destination. The tournament will begin on Friday with the exception of the 50+ and 55+ Divisions who will begin play on Saturday morning. Some favorable hotel rates are available so contact the Tournament Director or check the ISSA Website. The online entry form is available and should be submitted now.
2015 ISSA TEAM REGISTRATIONS - The ISSA has an online Team Registration process. All teams playing in the ISSA program should submit the Team Registration Form annually with current manager contact information. The team registration is part of the ISSA Team Rating process and needs to be on file to participate in any ISSA tournaments. There is NO CHARGE to register your team with ISSA. Also, player identification is confirmed with a drivers license and NO special ID card is required to play ISSA.
ISSA 2015 TOURNAMENT ENTRY PROCESS - The 2015 ISSA Tournament Schedule is now available on the Website and so is the online entry forms for teams to use when they plan to participate in one or more of the scheduled events. Several new tournaments have been added for 2015 and at least one more is in the works. Submitting the online entry form does not require the entry fee payment at that time, payments can be made later and closer to the tournament date per the instructions on the Tournament Fact Sheet. Team managers are encouraged and requested to submit the entry forms when their preliminary tournament schedule is set for the year. The advance notice simply helps the ISSA staff plan for the best possible tournament experience for the teams, the sooner we can identify our staffing requirement, field use needs and award/souvenir orders the better the event we can provide. If conditions change after submitting the online entry form, simply send us an email requesting removal from the tournament. Payment of the entry fee is a teams final entry requirement and that should be mailed to the ISSA Office approximately 30 days before the tournament starts (or the posted entry deadline). The online entry form is accessed for each tournament by clicking on the specific tournament.
CAROLINA SPRING TRAIL - Again this year the ISSA will offer the senior teams some early events in the Carolinas by holding three exciting tournaments in March, April and early May. The three tournaments on the "Carolina Trail" include The Myrtle Beach Tournament in March, the Burlington National Invitational on April 10-12 and the 2015 ISSA Spring Nationals at Huntersville, a Charlotte suburb on Lake Norman on May 1-3. Teams that participate in all three of these tournaments will be given a berth in the 14th ISF Senior World Cup with a $200 discount on the entry fee for the Salem event. Teams are already submitting their entry materials (entry form, roster and fee) for the March tournament at Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach, a world-class resort city is a popular destination for a senior softball tournament and the facilities at Grand Park with the seven artificial turf fields are some of the best in the United States. The Host Hotel, the Sand Dunes Resort will again be hosting a Player Reception for the players and their guests. Hotel information is available on the ISSA Website and when registering identify that you are coming for the ISSA Senior Softball event.
ISSA MEMORIAL DAY SENIOR CLASSIC - New for 2015 will be the Memorial Day Senior Classic at Jacksonville, NC, home of the Marine Corps Camp Lejeune. The event will be a special way to honor our military veterans who form an important part of senior softball. The City of Jacksonville is looking forward to hosting the event and welcoming the seniors. The tournament will be played over Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24 and if necessary some divisions could conclude on Memorial Day, Monday morning. Space is limited this year so all teams planning on playing in this one should submit their online entry form now (it is expected to close out based on expressed interest so far.)
MIDWEST ISSA TOURNAMENTS - The ISSA has added new 2015 events to the list of available tournaments in the Midwest to better serve the senior teams in the region:
June 12-14 ISSA Heart of America Senior Classic, Sioux Falls, SD
July 24-26 ISSA South Shore Championships, Crown Point, IN
August 14-16 ISSA World Championships, Rockford, IL
September 18-20 ISSA Midwest Championships, Independence, MO
September 18-20 ISSA Northern Championships, Cincinnati, OH
The ISSA looks forward to hosting many new senior teams that will now have the opportunity to participate in their region. Some Midwest teams have been traveling to ISSA tournaments primarily in the East for 20 years and in 2015 will be able to also play closer to their hometown. The first Midwest event will get underway in June at Sioux Falls, SD. The tournament will take place at the new eight-field softball complex at Harmadon Park and has already created much excitement among the senior players in that area. The championship quality playing conditions and dedicated City/Park staff who are committed to the challenge of being known as a favorite senior softball host community will be appreciated by the ISSA senior teams. In July the new tournament at Crown Point also has the full support of the City which wants to show off their town, their recently renovated playing facilities and their commitment to servicing the needs of the visiting players and their guests. Crown Point is located near the south shore of Lake Michigan and is less than one hour from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Both new events already have teams entered online and should be quality senior tournaments for all the participants. Both cities are excited about the opportunity to provide our players and fans an exceptional senior tournament experience.
ISSA SUPER SENIOR SERIES - In November the ISSA Staff was asked to consider holding competition for the senior teams that have been rated Major Plus by other organizations by including them in the central location at Rockford, IL in the ISSA World Championships. We agreed to do that and the word spread quickly and we were asked to consider holding some other events as well, thus we created the Super Senior Series which will have “super divisions” at the ISSA Smoky Mountain Senior Classic on June 5-7, the ISSA World Championships-Rockford on August 14-16 and the ISSA US Open National Championships at Myrtle Beach on October 23-25. The ISSA Super Divisions will allow senior teams to use players on their roster from either east or west of the Mississippi River (with exceptions for Midwest teams). Other rules such as maximum homeruns, time limits, etc. are modified from the ISSA Major rules. Participation on a team in the Super Division will not be a factor in determining player eligibility for participation on a AAA or Major ISSA Team. The goal is to allow managers to bring the very best team that they can put together and come play for all the bragging rights. Teams planning on playing in these events are urged to submit the entry forms now so the ISSA can let the teams know the division will play. Competition will be held in 50+, 55+, 60+ and 65+ division if four or more teams are entered.
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:
establish national and international goals for senior softball activities and encourage the attainment of those goals;
coordinate and develop amateur senior softball activity to foster productive working relationships among other senior softball organizations;
promote and encourage physical fitness and public participation in senior athletic activities;
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;
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;
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.
provide and coordinate technical information on physical training, equipment design, coaching, and performance analysis;
encourage and support research, development, and dissemination of information in the areas of sports medicine and sports safety.
encourage and provide assistance to amateur athletic activities for senior women;
provide world class competition for senior softball.
The ISSA website is available here.
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