Inaugural Hawai‘i Island Senior Softball Mayor’s Cup

June 1, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

May 14, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hawai‘i County’s Department of Parks and Recreation is partnering with Senior Softball-USA to host the inaugural Hawai‘i Island Senior Softball Mayor’s Cup to be played Jan. 14-18, 2013, at Maka’eo Park in sunny Kailua-Kona.

All-Star teams from the mainland will join Hawai‘i’s best senior softball players for the five-day recreational tournament that will serve as a fundraiser for the Hawai‘i Island United Way, a nonprofit agency that runs 53 programs and helps 39 agencies island-wide.

“We’re delighted at the opportunity to assist such a distinguished organization in bringing this exciting tournament to Kailua-Kona,” said Parks Director Bob Fitzgerald. “This is a wonderful chance to welcome mainland visitors to our beautiful island, display aloha and provide worthy competition for our kupuna teams. Also, this is a great way to boost tourism while supporting the Hawai‘i Island United Way.”

Men and women athletes will compete in one of two age groups: 60 to 69 years old; and 70 years old and older. The double-elimination tournament will have teams playing a minimum of five games each. All play will adhere to Senior Softball-USA rules that include 70-minute games during the elimination rounds, a five-run limit per inning except for the final inning of the game, preference for a 12-inch ball, and batters starting with a 0-0 count.

The registration fee is $350 per team, with the net proceeds going to the Hawai‘i Island United Way. Registration should be made through www.seniorsoftball.com. Check-in will be conducted on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013, with play to start the following day.

Maka’eo Park, also known as Old Airport Park, has six natural-grass baseball fields and one multi-use field. Three of the fields, Simmons, A and C or middle field, will be used for the tournament.

“We believe it is a perfect date on a perfect site for the tournament,” said Terry Hennessy, CEO for Senior Softball-USA, a nonprofit organization founded in Sacramento, Calif., in 1988. As the world’s largest organization of softball players, Senior Softball-USA has members on 1,500 teams in every state and Canada. It also sanctions numerous tournaments and championships annually while promoting senior softball throughout the world.

A former fishing village that served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, Kailua-Kona has an extensive history that is on display at nearby Kaloko-Honokāhau National Historical Park. It now serves as the center of tourism and commerce for West Hawai‘i with a resident population of about 12,000. Although Kailua-Kona’s coldest month is January, average temperatures range from a low of 66 degrees to a high of 81.9 degrees.

For more information, please contact Jason Armstrong, Public Information Officer, at (808)-345-9105, or jarmstrong@co.hawaii.hi.us.



The County of Hawaii does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admissions, access, or treatment, or employment in its programs or activities. Should you require any special needs, please call the Elderly Activities Division office at 961-8710/323-4340 at least two weeks prior to the event. If you are unable to provide the advance notice, the EAD staff will attempt to make reasonable accommodations to satisfy the request as long as it does not impose an undue hardship.

The County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.