USFA - Will it work in Ohio

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Member

• Oct 25, 2009

• #1

I writing this in regards to a two hour conversation with a gentleman who is VP of USFA.

He has asked me to come on board as an Ohio State Director. I would not give him an answer immediately and asked for a week.

Funny things are happening all around us here in Ohio.

Tonya Perkins... longtime USSSA Indiana State Director has left USSSA and has join on with the USFA. She gave them my name here in Ohio... which kind of flatters me somewhat as she is a great tournament director out of Columbus, Indiana. She will now be based out of Shelbyville at the new complex there.

I hear teams talk about Panama City and their National events and how much fun they have there.

I'd love to hear some comments from the OFC people and their thought on USFA.

There is one thing I don't like about it all and if they would change that... I'd think about it.

That is the fact of being qualified somewhere... and you get points for the WS drawing and placement... you get triple points by playing in the state tournament. I don't like the manadory state tournament appearence.... Reminds me of the Association everyone loves to hate. I don't want to be hated obviously. The policy is put in place so the State Director gets his piece of the pie for being the state director, I guess.

Right now, the girls get to go to Panama City on an "at large berth" because of no qualifiers here in Ohio. Which probally works well for them...lol I realy don't want to screw that up for them by holding qualifiers and maybe them not winning a berth.

I like what I am doing now. I love to umpire.. been a passion of mine since I was 10 years old. I love the idea that I am helping out my community and the kids of my community by talking teams into bringing their events to Goshen. Love helping them and just hope that they want to hire my crew of good umpires for their events.

I guess the next question to myself is... Can I make a difference for the girls here in Ohio.

 

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Member

• Oct 26, 2009

• #2

Oh my God not again. Wasn't last year enough?????

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #3

Did USFA have tournaments in Ohio last year ?

 

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Member

• Oct 26, 2009

• #4

Actually, they want to make my Savannah Shootout into their Winter World Series.

From my understanding with the teams from here... they loved Panama City versus Disney (USSSA).

 

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Member

• Oct 26, 2009

• #5

Benbudda--please enlighten us newbies. We schedule for all of next year in two weeks, and would love all the info on good/bad we can get before we commit ourselves (and our money)!

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #6

Looking at the wrong person for that...lol

 

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Member

• Oct 26, 2009

• #7

Well... it's "pick your softball vacation" time again!!

 

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Member

• Oct 26, 2009

• #8

lol.. I agree. Christmas vacation is in Savannah, Georgia for the Savannah Shootout...lol

Better than playing inside.

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #9

Do I hear the rumblings of a "Jesus and the Flake" reunion tour?

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #10

TheRinger said:

Do I hear the rumblings of a "Jesus and the Flake" reunion tour?

Click to expand...

:lmao:

 

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Member

• Oct 26, 2009

• #11

We (Cincy Static) sent 3 teams to he USFA WS last year. It was an incredible event & we are going back this year!!!! Great ran tournament as well as fantastic competition - oh yeah, location pretty nice to There were no USFA events in Ohio last year because the year prior was a total disaster w/ tournament cancellations at the last minute for no reason. It cost my team 2 tourneys that year & USFA got a bad wrap & deservingly so given the action, or lack there of, of the State Director at that time. Some teams never got a refund either from these cancellations!

I was also actually asked to become the Ohio State Director while we were in Panama this summer but I declined, not because of anything to do w/ USFA but given I don't have a spare minute open in my schedule given my Static committments.

The USFA is really growing in the South & a lot of the teams who used to play primarily ASA, have no switched to USFA mainly. This was thw word I heard this summer by most of the southern teams we played or talked to.

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #12

The guys name was Rich Walker and he ran some in Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan a couple years back... he was not an Ohio Director. He was swinging around in three or four states. I asked the President about that situation and he said it cost USFA about $5000.00 in refunds or free WS tournament fees.

Did you get yours ?

My biggest thing was hearing that Tonya Perkins out of Columbus, IN left USSSA two weeks ago and is the state director for Indiana USFA.

I've been researching the whole thing actually and it is appealing in a way.. and she is holding the USFA Northern Nationals this year in Shelbyville and matching up with USSSA dates.. as she has a wonderful following of teams. The use of her database.. and mine.. would probally get this Indiana/Ohio team tournaments going back on.. where teams in Ohio.. I would think... are tired of playing the same ole teams weekend and weekend out.

Obviously, Goshen and Shelbyville would be good meeting grounds to grab some Kentucky teams as well as USFA is in Owensboro and Bowling Green (ASA strongholds in Kentucky).

I just don't like the requirement of attending the state event... or making the state event a "triple points" thing in the determination of where you are placed in the WS bracket.

So, understand Kavin, there wouldn't be anymore free passes to WS on an "at-large berth" because of no qualifiers are in Ohio.

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #13

Another thing would be beneficial is the fact that they want to make my Savannah Shootout out into the USFA Winter World Series and willing to contract that idea for 10 years. Big, big plus for me actually. See the amount of hits I've been getting within the last 72 hrs?


They asked me why I picked Savannah... I told him I wanted a vacation and he laughed. Then he said, you sure have ruffled some feathers in GA with that tournament...lol I seem to ruffle them wherever I go....lol

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #14

Kavin: If I take the job and you haven't got your refund... I won't take the job until it is taken care of. I promise you that fact. That goes for any other Ohio team as well.

 

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Member

• Oct 26, 2009

• #15

what the girls need is a group of sanctioning directors that stay with their organization through the good and bad.

You know anyone like that?

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #16

Our 16 TOOLS OF THE GAME team wanted to play the USFA last year but Mr Walker cancelled our tourny due to scheduling he said.
Later to find out after speaking with the national director that he was nothing but a thief
our team lost our entry money and I have never heard back from any one.

As far as the world series is was A great time with some very good teams.
we finished 5th out of 52 and played some great teams at the end.

 

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Member

• Oct 26, 2009

• #17

Here is the addy for the guy I spoke to last night. jeffstrode@usfastpitch.com

Get your money back or free WS entry . I was told that last night.

 

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Member

• Oct 26, 2009

• #18

NAFA: Fight almost broke out at National Meeting in Kansas City between two guys over the yearly location of the 18u/16u Nationals in Texas.

IFA: Well, you see where they are right now and now they are fighting in house. over where the 18u/16u National are held. Eastern Regional guy left them, etc....

See a pattern..lol


I told Jeff that I wouldn't take the job until this mess was cleared up.....period.

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #19

ohioquakerman said:

Here is the addy for the guy I spoke to last night. jeffstrode@usfastpitch.com

Get your money back or free WS entry . I was told that last night.

Click to expand...

Yes Mr Strode is who I spoke with last year at length about the problems with Mr Walker.
Thanks for the info

 

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• Oct 26, 2009

• #20

I got a chance to talk w/ Jeff along w/ Meghan at the WS this year, very stand-up people & straight forward. Last year, the closest tourney to our area was about 250-300 miles away. No one wants a free WS pass which is why we were already scheduling a few USFA events in the south for our 2010 season.

We used the USFA WS last year to get my mostly 11U team ready for the ASA nationals that followed two weeks later & to give them more experience in playing in these type of high profile events. The competition was stiff but did prepare us for ASA. Because we did not have any USFA pts built up, our seeding was low, which is should have been, so our draw was tougher than it might have been if we actually could have played in some events & gained points.

As far as the 2 events that were cancelled by Walker in 2008 that we were supposed to play in, I only received a refund for one & just noted the other tourney fee as a lesson learned.