ISSA Announces Spring and Early Summer Schedule

2016 LESTER LEONARD EARLY BIRD TOURNAMENT - Again this year the ISSA will hold the "Early Bird" at Manassas, VA for those regional senior teams looking to get in some "swings" and work on the team chemistry.  This one is a two-day (Saturday and Sunday) tournament which provides the team with a minimum of three games and sometimes requires competition in mixed divisions.  Teams that participate understand that it is a "practice tournament" to get ready for the ISSA Championship Series as the season progresses.  All games will be played at Valley View Park and entries will be limited accordingly.  The event is named after Lester Leonard who ran the softball programs in the area for almost 40 years.

2016 ISSA SPRING NATIONALS - This year the ISSA will hold their Spring Nationals at two locations;  1) Eastern at Lake Norman (near Charlotte), NC and 2) Western at Temple, TX.  This year the events have been designated ISSA Ring Tournaments where all the players on the 1st Place teams will receive a championship ring at no additional cost.  Participation at each of the venues will be limited to about 40 teams.  The Eastern Spring National had 36 teams last year so it is expected to fill up long before the deadline to enter. The Western Spring National is a first year event so there is no participation history but the early response from the senior teams in the region has raised expectations for a "full house" at this one as well.  The Western will be played on April 8-10 and the Eastern on May 13-15.  Both events will provide senior teams that enjoy the travel to journey out and play some new teams and visit great destinations.

ISSA TOURNAMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - The new ISSA registration/ tournament entry system is now operational online.  SENIOR TEAMS REGISTER WITH ISSA ONLINE FOR NO CHARGE.  If anyone experiences any difficulty registering with ISSA they can call Greg Thomas (571-220-0158) who can assist them with the new software.  New is the option to pay the tournament entry fees online.  All teams are encouraged to submit the online entry forms for each ISSA event they plan to play in 2016.  When entering tournaments teams have the option to pay later online or offline.  What it does is reserve a spot for the team in the tournament and provides planning time for the ISSA staff and host community to create the highest quality event possible for the players and their guests.

About the ISSA: The International Senior Softball Association, founded in 1994, is headquartered in Manassas, VA and is an Allied Member of the Amateur Softball Association of America. The ISSA has become one of the Nation's leading senior softball organizations and its staff provides leadership positions nationally and internationally for the development and administration of the senior division. The ISSA Championship Series has been recognized as one of the outstanding sports series in the United States by Sports Travel Magazine and Sports Destination Management. And recently RB Thomas, Jr. was named the Outstanding Sports Event Organizer for 2014 by the National Association of Sports Commissions. For more information on the ISSA, visit www.seniorsoftball.org and/or telephone the ISSA Office at 703-368-1188.