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Post-season tournament draws fans, attention to parks
By Ronald Kubicki It was Monday, August 20, 1984. The location was the number one soft-ball field at the Pleasant Dale Park District in Burr Ridge. It was the championship game of the third annual Life Area Men's 16-Inch Softball Tournament. At the bottom of the eighth inning, the Longshots from the Riverside Recreation Department trailed the Lyons Recreation Department's Angels 8 to 9. The bases were loaded with no outs when the Longshots' cleanup hitter came to bat. More than 100 onlookers had all but conceded the victory to the Longshots, but a funny thing happened on the way to the victory circle. The ball was bounced back to the Angels' pitcher, who fired it to the catcher for a force at home plate. The ball was then thrown to third base to complete an incredible game-saving double play. The game ended when the Longshots' next hitter grounded out to short center field. The Angels became the new Life Area Classic Softball champions. "Big Deal!" you say? Yes, it was a big deal for the Angels, the city of Lyons and all the teams that participated in the 1984 tournament. It could be a "big deal" for you and your softball program, too. How it all began There are many softball tournaments — locals, metres and nationals — throughout the year for a variety of teams. However, park personnel in the LaGrange, Hodgkins and Western Springs communities felt that most of the teams participating in those tournaments were stacked with great players. Therefore, a local team's chance for success was slim. In the summer of 1982, the park directors from each of the three communities met to design a post-season tournament that allowed area teams of similar caliber to compete against each other. It was also hoped that the tournament would help determine which community had the best team. The teams had to compete in one of the three softball leagues to qualify for tournament play. They were prohibited from adding any new players to their post-season roster. A tournament board of directors was established and a director was Illinois Parks and Recreation 26 May/June 1985 appointed. It was our intention to make the tournament an annual event. The first order of business was to set rules acceptable to the three leagues so the tournament would run smoothly. This became quite a task. To satisfy all parties, we decided to use the ASA Rule Book for the basic rules. Special rules were decided by majority vote. It was ultimately decided that a double elimination tournament would best suit our needs. This would allow teams to participate in at least two games. Because we had an eight-team tournament and only three participating communities, we had to decide how to fill the slots. The first year we had three teams each from LaGrange and Hodgkins and two teams from Western Springs. The first place teams from each community were given the home field advantage. The second and third place teams traveled to a neighboring community.
This format rewarded the first place teams for winning their respective league. It also gave each community an opportunity to host some games and give its league exposure. Other concerns Another major concern was funding the tournament's expenses. It was decided that a $45 per team entry fee would pay the bills. Naming the tournament was also a challenge. The name Tri-Town was suggested because of the three communities participating in the tournament. For the first year the event was known as the Tri-Town Men's Softball Tournament. The tournament received a large amount of publicity in the local newspapers. (It helped to have Larry Randa, managing editor of the Suburban Life newspaper, represent the Western Springs Recreation Department!) The publicity helped establish the tournament's credibility and opened the door for a sponsor during the second year. A new season In 1983 the tournament was sponsored by the Suburban Life newspaper. The addition of the Pleasant Dale Park District rounded out the tournament field to four communities. The format was expanded to have the top two teams in each league participate in the tournament. The search was also on for a new name to reflect the expanded number of teams. The tournament was eventually renamed the Life Area Softball Classic to reflect both the newspaper's sponsorship and circulation area.
The tournament received even more recognition during its second season and we received requests to include more communities in it. During our third year the softball leagues from Riverside, Lyons, Brookfield and LaGrange Park were included to expand the tournament field to eight communities and 16 teams. The double elimination format was not changed. Although the newspaper sponsored the tournament, we felt participating districts should still pay a $50 tournament entry fee. This helped ensure that each district's teams played their scheduled games. The $400 was donated to a local charity. How could this tournament help our park districts? It gave us an unbelievable amount of publicity, helped fill our softball leagues and got more local residents involved in our programs.
Approximately 120 spectators watched the 1984 championship game. This crowd was larger than any
Illinois Parks and Recreation 27 May/June 1985 of the districts could have assembled for an individual local tournament. By getting people into the parks, we are also helping to implement the "Life ... Be In It." philosophy. Planning for the 1985 Life Area Classic has already begun. The tournament will expand to 16 communities and have 32 teams competing for the title of "Life Area Classic Softball Champs." The future looks very bright for this tournament and the participating communities. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ronald Kubicki is the director of parks and recreation at the Hodgkins Park District. He has been director of the Life Area Classic Tournament for four years. In addition, he is co-chairman of the Sports and Activities Committee of the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA). Capitol visitors
USTA sets awards program The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announces the fifth annual Tennis Facility Awards Program. The purpose of these awards is to honor outstanding public tennis facilities and to encourage excellence in future construction and/or renovation of tennis facilities. To qualify, facilities must be under the jurisdiction of (1) a parks and recreation department, (2) an educational institution or (3) an industrial complex. Four categories of awards have been established: • small tennis centers (4-10 courts), • large tennis centers (11 or more courts), • large tennis centers with spectator capacity (permanent and/or temporary) of at least 1,000 and • tournament tennis centers with permanent stadium seating (minimum capacity of 3,000) and outer courts The deadline for all applications is June 28. In addition to national recognition, facilities winning awards will be presented with a plaque and a complimentary one-year USTA membership. Also, certificates of awards will be made available to park and recreation departments, schools or corporations as well as to professionals responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of the facility.
Applications are available through all USTA section and district offices or by writing to Facility Awards Committee, USTA Education and Research Center, 729 Alexander Rd., Princeton, NJ 08540.
Illinois Parks and Recreation 28 May/June 1985 |
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