JoeA1010 said:
Mike:
You are to be commended in what had to be a very difficult decision. ?You put personal integrity above all else and I am sure that will be taken into account by everyone in the fastpitch community. ?
And I have been wondering one thing for the last 24 hours: ?How can anyone with a stake in fastpitch in Ohio not read OFC? ?
I was wondering the same thing?!? If you are truly interested in the "pulse" of news, sentiment, ideas, feelings about fastpitch in Ohio, where else could you possibly get more information?? How many other states even have a tool like this for communication & organization? Not many, do the research .... amazing ...
Moreover, ... and in "theory" .......
I don't fancy myself a genius or anything, however, if I were anyone "important to the growth" of a different sanctioning body (ASA for example ?
) I would be planning a LARGE move and effort in Ohio right about now, and probably utilizing the best known channel (OFC) for communicating, marketing, organizing, charming, and herding the coaches, players, parents, sponsors, etc.
In war, this would be akin to "controlling the air" ... Ohio is a very ripe piece of fruit right now for ASA. The timing is good, and the communications access & channels are possibly the best in the country, given OFC.
Given that Ohio has competitive talent, and a desire to compete with the elite around the country, the Ohio ASA "opportunity" is SCREAMING for attention. Additionally, what would capturing a midwest state like Ohio do for ASA nationally? So many teams from neighboring states (PA, MI, IN, IL, NY) intereact in each others' tournaments as well? Ohio could be key to ?"regional" transition - Blitzkrieg? Ohio (and Midwest) could fall to ASA nearly as fast than the French did to the Germans in WWII.
For the loyalists & the nostalgic, why would you have to change past tournament relationships? Why couldn't some of the more popular and well run NSA tournaments simply switch affiliations if they knew that the Ohio fastpitch Coaching & Player "communities" supported such a transition?
In the end, Ohio would be more aligned with pushing towards the nation's elite competitive levels also. Not a bad thing considering the top end talent that Ohio could (and does) produce, plus Title IX and the growing college opportunities & exposures as well.
For as long as I have had a daughter in fastpitch (5 years) I have heard that you can buy your way in to NSA Nationals, but you MUST play your way in to ASA Nationals. I have experienced both of these now, and the ASA experience was much more satisfying. Wonder where Bigtrain would come down on this issue? ?:-? ?
?A transition in Ohio like this would make him "complete" (no offense to Mrs. Bigtrain) ...
No bone to pick with NSA here, just surmising the situation, and seeing the opportunity for NSA's competitors. NSA wouldn't go away, but ASA would have an opportunity to dig in and take a much stronger position in Ohio. This is what happens to companies who forget that it is about their customers though, or allow the quality of their product to slip .....