From the Dugout: Protocols are Effective

Aug. 1, 2020

By Terry Hennessy
SSUSA CEO

Earlier this week, a Bucks Run Farms 60 AA player from Nebraska came down with what he thought was hay fever.  It turned out he had contracted COVID-19.

The player competed last weekend in the 10,000 Lakes Qualifier in Rochester, Minnesota.

As soon as the Bucks Run Farm manager found out his player had contracted COVID-19, he emailed us and we immediately sent a notice to all players who participated in the 10,000 Lakes Qualifier.  We let the players know about the COVID-19 case and strongly recommended they get tested as soon as possible.

We haven’t heard back from the players yet and hope that the pandemic prevention measures we use at qualifiers will result in no new cases.

That’s the third case we have heard about this season after a tournament; which is frankly surprisingly few considering we’ve held about 20 national qualifiers all over the country with thousands of players competing.

The first case was in July, when a Pittsburgh North 40 Major player became ill after the Bert Bennett Memorial tournament in Maryland in July.  The Tournament Director immediately sent out a notice to all teams to be aware and recommended immediate testing.

Fortunately, we heard of no other cases and the player has recovered and is back on the field.

In the third case, an Area 51 (Michigan) 50 AAA player became ill after the ISA Senior World Series in Indiana in early August.  The team wanted to play a few weeks later in the Northern Championships, so we required the team – and the teams that played Area 51 -- to be tested. All tested Negative.

Here’s the point: Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and washing your hands before you touch your face are all simple procedures that work.

These protocols are not foolproof, but they are very effective… and they help ensure we will all be playing another season.

Take care and I look forward to seeing you on the field!

Terry Hennessy is chief executive officer of Senior Softball USA and can be reached at terryh@seniorsoftball.com.