By Randy R. Ralston
Recently, Bloomington played host to the 1988 A.S.A. Men's Major Fastpitch National Softball Tournament. "The Granddaddy of them all" is what softball competitors and fans call this tournament, considered the most prestigious of all amateur softball tournaments. Excitement was in the air when the City of Bloomington was awarded the tournament at the A.S.A. Annual Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii in November of 1986. Bloomington had been successful hosting many tournaments in the past, but had never coordinated a tournament of this magnitude. Many local citizens had doubts that this undertaking would have much chance for success.

The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, paying no attention to the doubters, immediately sprang into action. In December of 1986, a search for dedicated volunteers to serve on the National Tournament Committee was in progress. The National Tournament Committee consisted of ten individual committees that included: Ticket Sales, Concessions, Grounds/Equipment, Hospitality, Publicity/Media Relations, Transportation, Housing, Program, Parking and Opening Ceremonies/Nightly Entertainment. Each committee had a chairperson who directed all individual committee business. Beginning in March of 1987, the committees met on a monthly basis to prepare for the tournament.

Many of Bloomington's citizens had doubts that an undertaking of this magnitude would have much chance for success.

Each committee member set out to accomplish their desired objectives. Contacts had to be made with local hotels to secure room blocks and the lowest possible rates for team housing. Committee members approached corporations and businesses about purchasing tickets or advertising in the tournament program. An entertainment schedule was prepared and different groups were contacted concerning their availability. A transportation plan was developed to coordinate transportation needs for teams and A.S.A. Council Members. Electricity needs for the many concessionaires were determined and installed. Tournament workers were contacted and schedules prepared. The Hospitality Committee secured a host and hostess for each team to make their stay as enjoyable as possible. The above tasks were a few of the many involved in putting on the tournament. The tournament had an operating budget of $139,606. This budget included such expenses as: $20,000 for team travel; $36,000 for team housing; $6,000 for A.S.A. guarantees; $15,000 for personnel and $10,000 for facilities. The committee hoped to break even, but did not really think it was possible. To break even, the nine day tournament would

need the following: (1) nice weather, (2) Bloomington's two local teams (Hearts and Beer Nuts) to keep winning in the tournament, (3) concession/beer sales to do a good business and (4) high attendance.

As you can imagine, we were hopeful but we were also realistic. The committee understood that the true softball fan would attend the tournament because they enjoy the sport. It would give them an opportunity to witness the highest caliber of softball in the nation. Our marketing was targeted toward the non-softball fan who might be curious about what was happening at the old ball park. We decided to try and create a festive atmosphere where people could come out and witness nightly entertainment, cheer their local teams to victory, sample different types of food and drink and enjoy some good, wholesome family fun.

The Tournament Committee was very fortunate in securing Anheuser-Busch and B & J Sales as the main sponsors of the tournament. They would be instrumental in the development and construction of our landscaped beer garden and arranging three appearances of the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales at the tournament. Trees, flowers, T.V.'s and a jukebox were situated in the beer garden and beer tent to help promote a festive atmosphere. What ball game would be complete without a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game?" An organ player was hired to play a variety of songs between innings to, again, add to the festive atmosphere. Free drawings, fireworks and surprise guests contributed to the overall feeling we were trying to create.

Opening night consisted of gala opening ceremonies with St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson throwing out the first pitch. A local baseball card store was approached to see if they would be interested in sponsoring a sports personality at opening ceremonies. They agreed and Bob made an appearance at no cost to the tournament. Skydivers, fireworks, balloons and music were all a part of the Opening Ceremonies extravaganza. Each night was a special night with special entertainment; evening events included College Appreciation Night, Senior Citizens Night, Special Olympics Night, Youth Sports Night and Spirit of McLean County Night. A special ceremony honoring these groups preceded each evening's session of the tournament.

The World-Famous Budweiser Clydesdales, representatives of Anheuser-Busch for more than 50 years, make 300 appearances annually, logging more than 90,000 miles. The Clydesdales made three appearances at the National Tournament. (Anheuser-Busch provided this photograph for Tournament publicity.)

The Budweiser Clydesdales' three appearances had to be one of the many highlights of the tournament. We were fortunate to have the Clydesdales appear, since they receive over 4,000 requests annually for personal appearances. New gates were installed to allow the Clydesdales to parade around main diamond to the crowds' delight. The word soon spread that something special was happening at the old ball park. Non-softball fans began attending the tournament to see what the talk was all about! Many of these people watched some fantastic fast-pitch action and are now avid fans. Our marketing approach had worked!

The final word on the tournament is that it was a resounding success. The doubters and local officials were thrilled that the tournament broke even. 72,300 people attended the nine day tournament. We were blessed with nine days of almost perfect weather. Bloomington, Illinois was the only town in America that had two teams finish in the top thirteen.

Money is not the ONLY measure of success. This tournament brought the City of Bloomington and the Parks and Recreation Department national exposure.

The local teams battled in the tournament a long time, insuring large crowds each evening. The Bloomington-Normal Convention and Visitors Bureau has estimated that the economic impact on the area was 3 to 3.5 million dollars. Money is not the only measure of success. This tournament brought the City of Bloomington and the Parks and Recreation Department national exposure. The hospitality the City of Bloomington offered to out-of-towners may make them want to return for a visit. They will spread the word that Bloomington-Normal is a nice place. Also, residents will benefit for years to come from improvements made to the main diamond to accommodate tournament play. The National Tournament Committee and the Parks and Recreation Department agreed the preparation and planning of the tournament was a lot of hard work but well worth the effort.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Randy Ralston is Athletic Director for the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department. He is in charge of all Athletic and Aquatic programs for the Department. Randy also served as Tournament Director of the 1988 A.S.A. Men's Major Fastpitch National Tournament.