Quote:
Originally posted by IRISHMAFIA
With all due respect, what the hell are you people talking about? Do you think the president does everything from an ivy tower? ... I don't think you have anything about which to worry.
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I freely admit to being very uninformed as to the inner workings of ASA politics and administration.
However, I disagree that I don't have anything to worry about.
What I do know is that 4 or 5 years ago, "going to Nationals" here meant ASA, nothing else. Now, the only vestage of that left is at 10U (and for them it means the "regional nationals" - e.g. Northern Nationals) and 18U. In between, all of the contending 12U through 16U teams carry double or triple sanctions (ASA, AFA, and U-trip), and this year, if memory serves, NONE of these teams accepted berths at ASA Nationals, even though many qualified.
Why? Well, it is complicated, but a big factor is that they can "earn" a berth at U-trip or AFA early in the season with NQ tournaments held locally playing against regional teams. "Earn" for these bodies doesn't mean the same thing it does for ASA, but nonetheless, they can make their travel plans in June instead of scrambling to find some kind of flop house hotel within 50 miles of the ASA tournament, plus other travel arrangements, in the week to two between the State Tournament and Nationals. Besides, there is no guarantee they will even qualify at State. Other ASA NQs are not a dependable option due to the influx of SoCal teams in those (typically). So, the Northern Region's NQ is usually a mini-National tournament.
Another factor is, frankly, it is much more fun to finish high in a lower quality national than to go 3 and out or 2 and 2 and finish in the bottom half of the ASA A Nationals. Even though progress is being made on the competitiveness of local teams (a local 18U team came in second this year at "A" Nationals - still no Gold teams, yet, but this is progress!), the Snow Belt teams still have distinct disatvantages against Sun Belt teams in practice time and season length. A lot of effort locally is being put into "Dome Ball" seasons, but it is slow going due to the costs involved.
ASA has tried to address many of these issues.
The "regional Nationals" is a good step, but more needs to be done to compete with the "Avoid California and Get a Trophy" national tournaments put on by the likes of AFA. One of our local 16U teams came in fourth at the AFA National this year and did not play a single team from out of the midwest the entire tournament. (Some Sun Belt teams were there, but not very many.) Now, it is fair to argue that that is not a "true national" tournament, but the truth is the truth - that is the competition that ASA is facing with our upper midwest travel teams.
AFA is building, steadily, its local infrastructure. So far, their presence is mostly offering sanctioning and putting on NQ tournaments. Usually these tournaments are ASA sanctioned tournaments (in order to secure umpires), but AFA recognizes the winners and high placement teams as qualifying for their Nationals. This is also the way U-trip tends to operate locally in fast pitch.
In a few years, I look for teams to start dropping their ASA sanction once enough of an infrastrure is in place to allow teams to have a realistic season apart from ASA.
Some of the ASA issues locally are brought about by the state ASA Commissioner, who insists on running the entire program more like a B team system than a true travel team system, and again, the better teams and athletes are straining at the bit of this system, and looking for a way to break free. So far, ASA NHQ has stayed at arms length from this issue, saying it is a local problem, but it will have long term implications (none good) for ASA here if it is not addressed with the next couple of years.
I fully recognize the "minority" status of JO fast pitch for ASA. They would be foolish to not place SP as their highest priority.
However, if ASA does not address the errosion of strength in JO FP, they may find themselves facing a realistic challenge to their "National Governing Body" status (unlike the joke challenge of a year or so ago).