OKLAHOMA CITY – The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America announced today that the organization is now accepting applications for the 2012 Bright Light Award presented by ASA and Musco Lighting. Created in 2011, the award honors an ASA registered Junior Olympic (JO) team that has shown a commitment to its community through service and volunteerism.
To download the application, click here.
The Bright Light Award winning team will receive $2,000 towards registration fees for any 2013 ASA sanctioned tournament in the United States. The winners will also be honored with 20 “Bright Light” T-shirts for their roster and staff as well as a banner for display. The award presentation will take place on Sunday, November 11, 2012 in Dallas, Texas, at the ASA Annual Meeting Opening Session. (Winning team will receive one hotel room for two nights; must pay own travel costs.)
The Carmichael, Calif., Yard Sharks 18-Under A team coached by Joe Price won the inaugural Bright Light Award presented by ASA and Musco Lighting in 2011. The Yard Sharks participated in many philanthropic events last year including volunteering with Special Olympics Northern California and fundraising for Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Sacramento Valley.
“We are very proud to be the first recipients of the Bright Light Award and to be acknowledged for what we feel is important to us and our community,” Price said. “It is what being part of the Yard Shark organization is all about. We have and will always schedule out our community events just as we do any other part of our season. Thank you to Musco Lighting and ASA for recognizing us with this award. And by the way, we don't plan on giving it up for the 2012 season either.”
In January and February 2011, the team worked with the Carmichael Softball League and the Ron Engle “K” Club Academy instructing young athletes and providing demonstrations on base running, catching, hitting, pitching and throwing. The Yard Sharks also facilitated an ice cream social for the Carmichael Softball League to help athletes, coaches and parents bond.
“On behalf of Musco, it is an honor to partner with the ASA again for Bright Light Award to recognize a team’s effort off the field in the community. We cannot wait to see who will join the Yard Sharks 18-Under A team as a recipient of this great award,” said Musco representative and two-time Olympic gold medalist Michele Smith. “Musco values team building and fun atmospheres that help develop strong relationships with youth, families and communities. This Bright Light program should encourage teams to do more off the field to develop well rounded individuals, with the communities- as well as the athletes being the beneficiaries.”
The winning team will be selected by a panel of administrators from ASA and Musco, using the following criteria for evaluation:
- Service must be 100% volunteer in nature (no payment)
- Service must be performed as a team with 75% of the roster in attendance
- Team must be ASA Registered by August 31, 2012
- Service must take place from January 1, 2012 to August 31, 2012
- Panel will take into consideration the following: Positive effect on community, number of people affected, impact of service to the team, total number of hours and participants
The application can also be found at asasoftball.com/youth/.
The deadline for submission is August 31, 2012, and the winning team will be announced on September 14. Applications must be submitted via email or mail to Julie Bartel at jbartel@softball.org or ASA National Office, 2801 N.E. 50th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73111, and must be received by August 31, 2012.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 210,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
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