OKLAHOMA CITY --- In exactly one week, 33 teams from across the United States as well as teams from Canada, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico will descend on the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City for the 2012 Special Olympics North America Softball Invitational Tournament. With over 400 athletes in attendance, competition will kick off at both the ASA Hall of Fame Complex and Bickham Park in Edmond, Okla. On Friday, September 21 with the medal rounds concluding at ASA on Sunday, September 23.
The Opening Ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex. A special parade of athletes is planned, as well as a series of special guests including Master of Ceremonies and USA Softball’s Olympic Gold Medalist Amanda Freed (Cypress, Calif.), and Gymnastics legend and Olympics Gold Medalist Bart Conner (Norman, Okla.). Conner, who serves as Vice-Chair of Special Olympics’ global Board of Directors, will pay special tribute to Special Olympics Founder, the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, in honor of September 22 being global Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day. The passing of the Special Olympics torch, lighting of the cauldron and a firework celebration will conclude the evening.
Qualified teams represent 16 states including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Vermont and three countries as mentioned above.
Both traditional Special Olympics teams and Unified Sports teams (people with and without intellectual disabilities playing on the same team) will be represented throughout the weekend and medals will be awarded for each division. Each of the 33 competing teams qualified for the September event through a series of tournaments throughout the summer. The Tournament is made possible by Special Olympics Oklahoma, Moose International, ASA Softball, the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Coca-Cola.
Scores, updates, and photos from the Special Olympics North America Softball Invitational Tournament will be available through www.asasoftball.com. The Opening Ceremony as well all games throughout the weekend are free and open to the public.
About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives through the power of sport by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to more than 4 million athletes in over 170 countries in all regions of the world, providing year-round sports training, athletic competition and other related programs. Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy and friendship. Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org.
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/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed six World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.
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