Good luck to all of you who are headed to World and National tournaments this month and next. Fastpitchwest invites you to tell the world how you’re doing (or how you did) by posting information to our “World and Nationals” section of the Fastpitchwest Forum.
Please use the year and tournament as your subject line of the post so people know where to post. E.g. “2006 ISC II Tournament of Champions”, or ‘2006 NAFA “AA” World Series”, or “2006 ASA “B” Nationals”. (please post under the tournament name)
We’re happy to post information that you send to us, but you don’t have to wait for us — you can do it yourself. If you’re not a member of the forum yet, the sign up is quick and easy–just a login name and password. We’ve put the activation for new members on “manual” due to spammers. (After you sign up, I suggest sending an email to jim (at) fastpitchwest.com with your log in name, and say “activate me”.)
Post a note today and tell us your team name, and which tournament(s) you’re going to!
[KITCHENER, ON] -The activity and storms around the ball parks these days are impressive. Copious, rainfall has the turf in the best condition itÂ’s been in for a long time and it was good before. Parking lots have been graded, grass cut, the lighting has been improved, and the enhanced dugouts are getting great reviews. The permanent bleachers behind home plate are now in place and look great. Many sponsors have stepped forward and signs, advertising and talk among players, fans are helping to build excitement. The present heat wave in Ontario is set to break and the tournament forecast is sunshine and low 70Â’s so the weather and facilities are ready and in excellent shape. (more…)
[Kitchener, ON]-All Open and Invitational Tournament Directors are encouraged to attend a meeting in Kitchener, ON on Saturday August 12th. It will be held in the Viking C room on the 2nd floor at the Delta Kitchener(ISC Host Hotel) at 2PM E.S.T. If you can not attend please send the information for your 2007 Open/Invitational Tournaments to me so I can have Al post them on the ISC website. Please include:
Dates
Level
Entry Fee
Format
Location
Any other useful information
Vancouver, BC
The 5th Annual Vancouver Challenge Mens FP tournament concluded just prior to 6:00 pm local time on Sunday evening. The large crowd of fastpitch enthusiasts were once again treated to some high quality team and individual performances. Unfortunately mother nature was not so kind to the event on Sunday as a 75 minute rain delay during the first games in the morning, set things back somewhat in terms of the scheduling. Thanks to the teams and umpires cooperation, coupled with the grounds crew efforts, along with clearing skies and pleasant weather the rest of the day the event went off without any further delays.
Sunday’s playoff matchup results were as follows:
From the desk of Gordon Wise, ISC information director, via Al’s Fastball:
In mid-August, the International Softball Congress will holds its 60th annual ISC World Championship for Men’s fastball club teams, in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. As the “Grand-Daddy” of all softball tournaments held anywhere on the planet, the ISC will be celebrating this 2006 milestone in style.
Continuing the five year old tradition of streaming live audio to fastball fans around the world, the ISC will be taking a great leap forward at this yearÂ’s World Tournament. In continuing the commitment to providing live streaming media, the ISC has designed, tested, and acquired, itÂ’s own customized, 4 camera live wireless video production system, optimized for global webcasting of World Tournament action.
The 5th Annual Vancouver Challenge Mens FP tournament commenced this evening under sunny skies and warm temperatures at South Memorial Park in Vancouver. The results from tonight’s opening round robin games were as follows:
Vancouver Grey Sox 9 – Richmond Linus Software Stealers 5
WP – Sean Whitten – relief from Rick Smith (5)
LP – Darren Strang – relief from John Bishop (2)
Short stop Kevin Schellenberg powered the Grey Sox offense with a 4 for 4 performance at the plate, which included 2 triples. Brian Powell lead the Richmond attack with a 2 run homerun.
Saskatoon Diamondbacks 4 – Squamish Wizards 0
WP – Jeff Farion
LP – Jim Peers
Adam Schnarr an addition for the tournament from the Victoria Central Nine Senior B squad, lead the D’ Backs offense with a 2 run homerun.
Ball Park Tidbits – A very large opening night crowd turned out for the start (more…)
[Vancouver, BC]- The South Hill Sports Association has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming Vancouver Challenge. The fields and stands have been spruced up, and the inside of the clubhouse repainted. The walk-in cooler is well stocked for the beverage garden. And there are some new food items on the menu this year, including a breakfast special of blueberry pancakes along with bacon, ham or sausages, for $4.95, and a dinner special on Saturday and Sunday of a barbequed half of a chicken, corn on the cob, and potato salad for $7.95. The weather is expected to be perfect – mostly sunny and a comfortable 20-25 degrees. This year we have also been fortunate to add Canadian Springs as a sponsor to supply large bottles of water for the dugouts. There should be some great ball games and the refreshments and hospitality will be first class. We encourage all fastpitch fans in the area to come on out and support the event. First pitch goes at 6:45 p.m. on Friday night when the Vancouver Grey Sox take on local stalwarts Richmond BC Linus Software Stealers, followed by Squamish BC v. Saskatoon Diamondbacks. SoCal Bombers, Portland C/R, and Prince George Black Bears join the action on Saturday morning Games continue all day Saturday and Sunday starting at 9:00 a.m. with the final slated to go at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information and updates during the event please check out the Vancouver Challenge webpage linked to www.vancouvergreysox.com
Cheers,
Conrad Margolis
Vancouver Grey Sox conradmargolis(at)telus.net
ISC to Provide Live Streaming Video of Twenty-One (21) Games from 2006 World Tournament
During the summer of 2001, I was invited by David Blackburn to come to Palmdale, California, to the Best of the West tournament, to see and try “something new” for men’s fastball — live streaming audio, broadcast over the internet. It was the dress rehearsal for a project that David had been developing for the ISC, live streaming audio broadcasts of the ISC World Tournament. I was fortunate to be able to sit in on some of those broadcasts, and see first hand, the new technology that David proposed for use in men’s fastball.
David Blackburn was named to head up the ISC’s “Streaming Media & Broadcast” program, which has become a roaring success, with tens of thousands of listeners now tuned in, via “internet radio” to listen to dozens of games from the ISC World Tournament. More than 100 games have been broadcast during the last 5 ISC World Tournaments. With David’s help, the ISC’s broadcast program was expanded to include the ISC II Tournament of Champions, under the leadership of ISC II commissioner, Blair Setford, starting in 2004. At last year’s tournaments in Eau Claire/Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, more than 50 games were carried to some 25,000 listeners worldwide. Emails came in from listeners from as far away as Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and even a ship stationed off the coast halfway around the world.
For the past two ISC World Tournaments, David has been dabbling, testing, experimenting with the use of live streaming video. The tests included a multi-camera local ABC television broadcast of the championship game at Fargo, ND in 2004, and a single camera feed from the Press Box at the 2005 tournament in Eau Claire, WI. During these early broadcasts, streaming videotechnology was still in its infancy stages. But David was not deterred. Buoyed by the early tests, David continued to work on the project in the off season, enlisting the backing of the ISC, and the technical know-how of people like Greg Panos, a technical wizard from Boeing’s space program.
The other night, David invited me to his meeting with Greg for a sneak preview of the next big leap for men’s fastball — LIVE STREAMING VIDEO, with production capability to rival a TV production truck. Thanks to improved technology, the ability to stream video has grown in leaps and bounds, not to mention portability. The gear, purchased by the ISC, includes a four (4) camera, wireless set up with a master console to control the feed being streamed on line to any of four cameras. If you ever saw the production truck on the NFL’s Monday night football with the producer pointing to which camera he wanted shown on TV, you get the idea. Only here, instead of a gigantic truck full of equipment, with miles of cables running everywhere, David can control the video feed with his mouse, sittting in front of one computer. Cables? There are none. Each of the wireless cameras is a self contained, self powered (lithium batteries) unit, which communicates with David’s computer via a wireless connection. The control panel also gives David the ability to mix in clips, logos, lettering, akin to a production you might see on ESPN. The result will be something closer to TV production quality broadcast.
The video equipment, and David’s vision for its application in the world of men’s fastball is as cutting edge as the audio equipment was back in 2001 when David invited me along to those early test broadcasts. I recall chatting with David back then, while we mused about having streaming TV “someday”. Well, that “someday” has arrived, and ISC World Tournament fans are in for a real treat this year from Kitchener.
The good news for fans, is that we’re not just talking about streaming video for the championship game. David’s crew and the ISC has gotten behind the project in a big way, and plan to televise (live streaming video) 21 games, including the championship games for both the ISC World Tournament and ISC II Tournament of Champions.
Stay tuned. Literally. The schedule is due out any day now.
(Editor’s note: Be sure to visit the Best of the West website by clicking here, and view the recaps and photos from past Best of the West tournaments)
16th Annual
Best of The West
Men’s Fastpitch Softball Tournament
Fields 1 & 2 at Pershing Park
Santa Barbara, CA
July 29 – 30, 2006
6 Participating Teams
