NFCA 2004 ANNUAL MEETING
December 6: SPY reports were delayed over the weekend when our server crashed
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association opened its largest meeting ever – more than 1,000 delegates – in the Las Vegas Hilton on Friday (December 3).
After 2.5 days of well-attended clinics for coaches (which SPY found very informative), the first business meeting Friday night generated some news.
USA Softball. National teams director Ronnie Isham previewed the 2005 national team schedule, which begins with an invitation-only training camp in Chula Vista the first week in January. As part of an agreement between USOC and China, a Pacific Rim Sports Summit will be held in Seattle the second week in June (after the Women’s College World Series). Softball will be one of nine venues, and will feature a round robin among the USA, Australia, China and Chinese Taipei. The USA will also play in the Canada Cup, the Champions Cup, the 6-team World Cup in July, the Japan Cup, and the Pan Am qualifier in Guatemala.
Isham said no final decisions have been made on coaches, and he said ASA is taking applications from coaches who want to be part of the national team pool. Isham said ASA wants to expand the number of coaches in the pool and to give more coaches opportunities to participate.
An announcement will be made next week on the players invited to camp.
International Softball Federation. ISF President Don Porter congratulated the USA Olympic team for winning its third consecutive Gold medal, noting coaches Mike Candrea, John Rittman, and Ken Ericksen. Porter also congratulated the USA Elite Team – and coaches Jay Miller, Kirk Walker, and Michelle Gromacki – which won the first-ever World University games in Plant City in October. The World University games will be played in 2006 in Taipei. The International Women’s Tournament will be in Beijing in 2006, with the Olympics in Beijing in 2008. The Junior World tournament will be played in 2007, but the site will not be determined until ISF’s annual meeting next year in Singapore.
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Porter also thanked Linda Wells and Diane Ninemire, who coached the Greek Olympic team, and Shan McDonald who coached the Chinese team. The ISF goal, Porter said, is to train more national coaches in the 120 countries where softball is played, so that they don’t have to draw on American coaches. To that end, Porter said ISF is in talks with NFCA and its coaching clinics program about an international collaboration.
Porter, as always, is upbeat about softball remaining an Olympic sport after 2008 but he was very serious about the challenges, with other sports competing for Olympic berths – and the work needed to keep softball on the list.
National Pro Fastpitch. Agreement was reached Friday on a process which ends the control of NPF by a private family and its initial president, Rick Levine, and gives that control to the owners of the franchises. Bill Conroy of the Chicago Bandits is the new president.
After meetings this weekend among current and new owners, NPF has seven franchises: New York, New England, Akron, Chicago, Houston, Arizona and California. An anticipated eighth franchise in Omaha did not materialize.
NPF’s former managers had scheduled a draft for Sunday night, but, given the question of how many teams would participate, the new directors postponed the draft until February. NPF did hold tryouts; SPY was told that about 60 players came, all reportedly quality players, but NPF sources said only 6-8 of this group were likely to be on NPF rosters when the season begins.
NPF’s season will consist of 48 games, 32 in each home park. Another 16 games which do not count in the standings are being negotiated. The Brakettes, the long-time champions of women’s majors, have agreed to play games in 2005, and become a formal part of NPF in 2006. There are also possible games against USA national teams, and with foreign teams.
The Bandits advised that Mickey Dean, who has been an assistant coach at Indiana and Akron, will be a co-coach with Eugene Lenti. A media day is planned for December 28 in Chicago.
NPF issued the following release:
Denver — Owners of the individual National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) teams announced today a plan intended to transition operations of the women’s professional fastpitch league from the founding Cowles family to an operating group consisting of team owners. The Cowles family which has championed women’s professional fastpitch efforts for over 15 years, are reviewing the proposal designed to maintain NPF league play and operations. Spearheading the ownership transition is new team owner Bill Conroy of the Chicago Bandits. Conroy will assume the role of league president under the new structure. The ownership team is comprised of Rabitt Blake, principal owner of the Texas Thunder; Joey Arrietta, of the Akron Racers Foundation; Joe and Lauri Adlman, owners of the New England Riptide; and Glenn Wolff, principal owner of the California Sunbirds. “The owners of this league are committed to the vision the Cowles laid out 15 years ago,” said Conroy. “The Cowles family built a first-rate brand in NPF and we want to continue their efforts to provide professional fastpitch opportunities for women and to give fans exciting games to watch. As owners, we are already invested in the success of this league and committed to making it thrive going forward.” After an 11-city exhibition tour in 2003, NPF launched its first season of league play in 2004 with six teams in: Akron, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Lowell, Mass.; Montclair, N.J.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Stockton, Calif., each playing a 60-game schedule. Having managed and supported the league financially since its inception, the Cowles decided that the league in its current state no longer fits their business model. “We’re proud of what we’ve created and the positive impact NPF has had on women’s professional sports. The NPF staff, led by Richard Levine, has built a remarkable record of accomplishments and partnerships. But at some point every professional sports league evolves to team owner leadership, and it’s time for us to step aside,” said Chairman Jay Cowles. “Looking to the future, we are very encouraged by the proposal of the new ownership group to continue our vision of a women’s professional fastpitch league.” The efforts of the new ownership group will center around solidifying broadcast agreements locally and nationally, soliciting sponsorship support, and aligning with national softball associations to bring clinics and competition to various grassroots events across the country. With a planned schedule of 48 games per team in 2005, the group will continue to recruit new teams and strengthen team ownership in each market. The team owners group is currently working with the Cowles on an agreement that would transfer ownership starting in early 2005. An official announcement on the specific details of the transition will be announced in late-December. Player tryouts at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association convention in Las Vegas will still take place, but the draft has been postponed until an ownership agreement and 2005 teams have been finalized. The Cowles family started the early iteration of NPF in 1989, when daughter and fastpitch college star Jane Cowles envisioned a sports league in which women could pursue their fastpitch career on a professional level. After several years of touring teams in the 1990’s, the first fastpitch league started up in 1997 as Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and changed its name to Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL) in 1999. After regrouping in 2002, the league re-emerged in 2003 as National Pro Fastpitch, and became the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women’s fastpitch softball. NPF and its predecessor organizations have played nearly 1,000 games in dozens of markets nationwide, employed more than 400 players and coaches in league and exhibition play, and produced national broadcasts of more than 40 games distributed on ESPN and ESPN2 channels. National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Colorado and can be reached at 303-679-9831 or online at www.profastpitch.com. -NPF- Contacts:Rich Levine, NPF: 303-679-9831Bill Conroy, Chicago Bandits: 630-575-3903Steve Sander, GBSM: 303-825-6100
Ladies Fastpitch Tour. Sharron Backus spoke optimistically about the tour, which has also scheduled open tryouts for the coming week., as one more option, but offered few specifics. LPFA had tryouts scheduled but SPY was not given information on them.
NFCA’s convention press release
NFCA
National Convention Continues in Las Vegas
12/05/04 - NFCA Release
The
National Fastpitch Coaches Association continued its 2004 national convention
Sunday at the Las Vegas Hilton, where the day was highlighted by a pair of gold
medal speakers and the individual group caucuses.
Three-time gold medalist Lisa Fernandez spoke to convention attendees on
building mental toughness in practice. Her teammate at the 2004 Olympic Games,
Jessica Mendoza presented a seminar entitled "Advanced Outfield Play."
UCLA head coach Sue Enquist shared some of her secrets to success, speaking
about the digital breakdown of the swing. The LSU coaching staff spoke on
relating competitive success in practice, while Performance Training Specialist
Jackie Ansley delivered a seminar on strength and conditioning for softball.
Convention attendees were given a look inside the popular National Fastpitch
Coaches College, as NFCC director Sharon Drysdale, St. Thomas head coach John
Tschida and Arizona State coach Linda Wells delivered a 50-minute NFCC preview
-- "Advanced Tips Relative To Team Defense, Hitting and Pitching."
The individual group caucuses met to discuss issues relative to their respective
division. NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA, NWAACC, Cal JC, High School
and Travel Ball met following the adidas caucus lunch.
Many conferences held meetings in the afternoon and early evening, and the night
was capped off with Diamond Sports hosting its Vegas Style hospitality following
the speaker sessions. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes hosted a fellowship
session, and with the early finish, convention attendees were given an
opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of Las Vegas.
The convention concludes on Monday with the roundtable sessions, the Easton
Victory Club Awards Luncheon and the General Business Meeting.
end