E.T. Colvin

[Dakota]

This isn't a rules post... it is more of an editorial on ASA JO FP.

As an exclusively JO FP umpire, it jumped out at me in the press release on the election of E.T. Colvin as ASA President that his background is exclusively men's slow pitch, and no mention was made in the press release of other programs. I certainly hope he gives JO FP his attention, too.

ASA FP is seeing a lot of competition from other sanctioning bodies and has to deal with the dominance (in talent and numbers) of SoCal and to a lesser extent Tx, which causes those regions to feel like they are owed more berths and less travel and causes other regions to avoid ASA Nationals in favor of the various "avoid California and claim you went to Nationals" bodies.

Girls JO FP must be addressed as a program with unique issues and problems. The imbroglio over bats is a good example of the JO FP program being put into turmoil over what is largely a SP issue.

U-trip and AFA are well run organizations who seem to be attracting a lot of disgruntled former ASA teams. Most of the top teams in this area carry multiple sanctions and will commit to Nationals weeks or even months before the quals for ASA Nats are settled. The state champion teams here at 12U through 16U are eschewing ASA Nationals on a regular basis to accept berths at AFA.

If these and other FP issues are not addressed agressively and effectively, ASA JO FP will no longer be the "given" sanction that all top travel teams will carry.