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Last Updated: Oct 22nd, 2008 - 06:09:32 |
TORTOLA—One of the International Softball Federation’s top officials has been invited to witness two BVI Softball Association upcoming functions next month.
Secretary General Andrew Loechner, will be on hand for the launching of the BVI Jr. League and the association’s red carpet dinner on Nov 22. Loechner will represent ISF president Don Porter.
BVI Softball Association president Neville “Sheep” Smith, said it’s important to have the ISF official in the territory. “We would like him to see the effort we are putting into getting softball back into the schools, communities and getting junior girls and boys involvement and what we are trying to accomplish as a new committee,” he said. “I’d also like him to meet with BVI Olympic Committee and government officials while here.”
The kick off for the Jr. League which precedes the dinner, targets male and female players 12-20. It will be played in communities throughout Tortola, Anegada and Virgin Gorda. Smith said the Jr. league is targeting 300 persons and they need the rosters in and so far, the association has only 30 registered players.
“We know a lot of the teams are there and players have signed up, but just that the mangers and coaches have not submitted rosters as yet and we want them to do that now,” he said. “Rosters can be submitted to Mark Chapman at Deloite or myself at Harneys. That will be a great help and that’s the key.”
Jr. league teams have been grouped in zones targeting all areas of Tortola and also include Virgin Gorda and Anegada.
The awards banquet, Smith said, will be held at the Moorings starting at 6:30 p.m., where awards for the 2007 and 2008 leagues will be presented, as well as passing out honors. This event is a fundraiser for the association and tickets cost $50 per person.
“This will be a formal event—an event for players, fans and anyone interested in softball,” Smith said. “I think this will be one of the first red carpet events for a sporting organization in the BVI. This should be a night to remember. We are setting a trend and we hope other associations would try to do the same.”
Following the start of the Jr. league and the awards banquet, the association has also established a series of other deadlines. Rosters for the 2009 season are due on Dec 1. The 2009 league will open on Feb 8. “We are definitely planning on opening the league then,” Smith said. “We want the Jr. league to run into the opening of the senior league. We don’t want to push things back—we want the senior league to start early.”
Reflecting on the past eight months since taking office, Smith said his team has accomplished most of the goals they set and they are trying to do even more now. “I look at it as a good year, though it could have been better,” he said. “Some things were slow in getting off, we kind of fell off towards the end of the softball season, but we’ve done our jobs and learnt from our mistakes.”
(Dean "The Sportsman" Greenaway is a freelance journalist and this article is not subjected to the approval of the BVIOC)
© Copyright 2008-9 BVI Olympic Committee
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