Quad Cities Prepares For an ASA Invasion

Posted 07/27/06

The first pitch in the ASA 10-and-under Girls Fastpitch National Tournament won't be thrown until Tuesday morning, but the Quad-Cities is preparing for an ASA invasion. A total of 52 youth softball teams from coast to coast which will be competing for national championship on diamonds in Moline and Rock Island next week will begin arriving in the Quad-Cities this weekend, filling hotel rooms and bringing thousands of fans with them to cheer on their teams.

The field features teams from as far away as Maine and California to Florida and Oregon as well as from softball hotbeds elsewhere in the United States. Teams from 14 states are in the tournament field. California programs which produced two of the top four finishers at the 2005 national tournament -- the defending champion Corona Angels from Corona, Calif., and fourth-place finisher American Athletics from Los Flores, Calif. -- will be among the teams hoping to work their way toward the championship game on the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 6 at the Greenvalley Sports Complex in Moline.

The tournament will have a local flavor as well. There are 13 Illinois teams entered, a group headed by the tournament co-hosts, the Quad-City Firebirds of Colona and the Heartland team from Moline. Other Quad-City area entries include the Illinois Force of Silvis, Quad-City Demon Dreamers of Moline, Quad-City Blaze of Milan, Quad-City Shockers of Hampton, Rocket Fire of Andalusia, the Galesburg Wildcats and the Sterling Steam. Two of the four Iowa entries also call the Quad-City area home. The Pleasant Valley Spartans Blue are based in Bettendorf, while the Tri-County Hurricanes are from Durant.

Before they take the field, all of the teams will be welcomed to the Quad-Cities in style. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday at The MARK of the Quad-Cities and each of the teams will parade onto the arena floor, where they will be officially welcomed to the national tournament.

A players picnic will follow from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Bass Street Landing in Moline and a swap meet where players will trade everything from team pins to shirts, visors and other trinkets will be held from 6-9 p.m. at the adjacent Stoney Creek Inn.

Competition in the week-long tournament begins Tuesday morning, with pool play scheduled for both the Greenvalley Sports Complex in Moline and at the Campbell Complex in Rock Island. Brackets for pool play will be determined at a manager's luncheon to be held Monday and the draw for the bracketed portion of the tournament will be held once pool play concludes.

Tickets for the tournament can be purchased at the gate. Prices for an all-session pass are $40 for adults, $25 for seniors and $20 for children ages 5-12. The adult and senior passes include a tournament program and souvenir pin. Single-day ticket prices are $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 5-12 and seniors age 60 and over. For more information, visit the tournament website at www.molineasa.com.

MEDIA ADVISORY
The ASA 10-and-under National Championships is a credentialed event. Media packets will be available for pick-up on Monday afternoon at The Mark of the Quad-Cities prior to the 4 p.m. opening ceremonies.
Credentials will be required to access the press areas at the Greenvalley Sports Complex throughout the week.