Tournament wrapup

Champions North & South - Top teams in Mobile, Winnipeg celebrate

Nov. 20, 2003 – Senior Softball-USA

Senior teams traveled to Alabama in the Deep South and Winnipeg in the far north to compete in several divisions of the Senior Softball World Championships for 2003.

Alongside some of the best competition of the year, teams playing in Mobile took home stories of Southern Hospitality, snake-infested forests behind the fields, pretty girls in old-fashioned hoop skirts and international competition with Japanese teams.

In the AA Championships in Winnipeg, there were bagpipes and Mounties, good cheer at the local Armed Forces Club and a hearty welcome from more than 100 volunteers.

A record 5 teams in Mobile, Alabama, and 3 teams in Winnipeg won the Triple Grand Slam of Senior Softball for 2003. Only 4 teams in the past two years have won the top honor in Senior Softball.

World Championships were well split among states this year. Teams from 12 states and Canada won their divisions of the World Championships. States with multiple winners included California, Florida, and Michigan with three teams winning the World Championships. Illinois, Washington State and Virginia had two teams winning World Championship titles and Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, and Arizona each produced one Champion.

Winners of US National Championships were about evenly split between the East and West. Nine Eastern National Champions won the US National contests, and eight Western National Champions won US titles.

"We were happy with the turnout in Mobile and Winnipeg," said Terry Hennessy, CEO of Senior Softball-USA. "The World Championships produced extensive publicity and coverage in Canada and in Alabama, helping us to make more seniors aware of the program and grow the sport throughout those regions."