The more things change the more they stay the same.
Hello Fastpitch fans,
Today is Saturday. We’re only two weeks removed from crowning WIAA state champions in four divisions of high school fastpitch softball. For some it seems like the season just ended yesterday while for others it seems almost like ancient history.
That’s a natural thing since the revelers should still be reveling. They should be reveling forever in a championship season. To them, June 14th really does feel like yesterday. For nearly half of the high school teams in Wisconsin, however, the season ended more than a month ago, on May 22nd in the quarter finals at the regional level.
With those thoughts in mind, that many have been done for more than a month, and others only two weeks, it is certainly time here at the Fastpitch Chronicle computer desk to tie all the loose ends together and move on. Some examples of loose ends include getting the coaches honor roll pages up to date, state records pages up to date and more.
Another loose end that everyone needs to be aware of is one that has been a loose end in this sport forever. It’s the area of public awareness. I’ve always tried to figure out why people who love this game as much as they claim to fail miserably at public awareness.
One example is the many summer tournaments throughout the state and for that matter the country. Everyone wants pre-event publicity from the media, this website included. Everyone wants a free listing for late summer or fall tryouts for their summer teams. Everyone wants but few give back in the world of public awareness.
This website gets dozens of requests to publicize their tryouts but seldom, if ever do we ever get the final roster for any of those summer teams. This website gets requests to post or list their tournaments in an effort to procure more teams but seldom if ever do the requesters bother to send a report of their event. It happens at all levels of play. High school coaches who suddenly find themselves short a team in an invitational tournament or event ask to have a notice published but few if any of them ever take the time to send us the list of games, teams, or even the scores. They obviously must figure that we all have time to peruse all the newspapers in the state to find out who won and what the scores were. A list of scores seldom finds its way into my inbox.
Who suffers when the things listed above take place?
It’s really not a matter of who suffers. Nope. The game itself suffers and as long as the game itself suffers we will continue to have uninformed people and will continue to have the general public thinking and believing that fastpitch softball is just a recreational activity like a round of golf or a social get together for a game of horseshoes or darts.
It’s not just girls and women’s fastpitch. The men’s game has always been and continues to be just as bad.
Alas, that’s my diatribe for this morning, one that will later find me headed out to watch some fastpitch softball out of town. However, if even one person who claims to love this game as much as the rest of us sends some results my way, the diatribe will have started to work.
So, get those coaching wins information to me and all the other things that need updating on the site.
Have a great weekend at whatever recreational activity you engage in. If it’s fastpitch softball please keep in mind that there are a few of us that view the game as much more than that.
Keep it Rising!
Bob
