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From the Dugout: This is Your Game
June 1, 2020
By Terry Hennessy
SSUSA CEO
SSUSA CEO
Yuma will be the first Tournament of Champions event that Senior Softball USA will hold since the pandemic shut Senior Softball down – and we are all very excited about launching the sport again in the West.
I’ll be at the fields along with two of our National Directors – Don Reddig and Doug Robbins – and Jerry Smith, SSUSA regional director.
We will be instituting the Pandemic Safety measures developed by Senior Softball USA and are hoping to showcase these measures to demonstrate to cities throughout the country that the sport can be re-opened within the guidelines recommended by the CDC and the World Health Organization.
This is a learning curve for all of us. While we need to temporarily alter some of the features of the sport we love – including maintaining social distancing and using the tip of a cap rather than high-fives – it will allow us to continue to get on the field and play.
The recent tournament in Missouri helped work out some of the kinks in the new regulations, and we hope SoCal Championships and tournaments in Oklahoma and Florida show that we are ready to play during this pandemic.
There have been upticks in COVID-19 cases in several states – including Arizona and Florida – and so we want to be especially vigilant to ensure the safety of players, spectators and officials.
And I’d like to remind players that if they are uncomfortable with playing, or with the new regulations, that is OK. We only ask that you refrain from playing until you are comfortable with it – or the pandemic subsides and we are able to go back to our normal rules.
This is your game. We are only here to provide the opportunity to play it.
Thanks and good luck!
Terry Hennessy is chief executive officer of Senior Softball USA and can be reached at terryh@seniorsoftball.com.