A Message From the Executive Director …

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As the 50^th state softball tournament field is set this week ahead of next week’s tournament in Fort Dodge, I wanted to address some of the changes made in the past few years to Harlan and Hazel Rogers Park, host of the tournament since 1971, as well as look at how we evaluate the sites for state championship events.

When I became executive director in 2002, the Athletic Union did not have a contract with the city of Fort Dodge to serve as host of the state softball tournament.  We merely operated on a handshake agreement – which had worked well for over three decades.  But, at that time, Fort Dodge was in the midst of a five-year makeover of the complex, spending well over $1 million to enhance the venue.  The city made a great commitment not only to our tournament with these upgrades, but also to its constituents and the thousands of Iowans who use the complex for other events throughout the year.  The Athletic Union wanted to show its commitment to Fort Dodge, and guarantee the city their time and money were well spent.  As a result, we now have a formal agreement through 2015 for the city of Fort Dodge to host the state softball tournament at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Park.

Priority number one in determining the city and venue for any state championship is the facility.  We believe it is the obligation of the Athletic Union to ensure we are playing our championships in the best facilities available.  Determining the “best” isn’t always easy.  Everyone has provincial thoughts about what makes a venue the “best”.  But, just because the diamond is in nice shape does not ensure a facility is the best for a championship.  Can the venue accommodate the spectators?  Is there adequate parking?  Is the staff committed to making the tournament a great event?  In the case of softball, are there adequate warm-up areas?

In the past five years, the complex in Fort Dodge has new lighting.  Televising the tournament was never an option because the old lights were not strong enough for use in a live telecast.  The surface was changed from dirt (mud) to crushed brick, making the field more playable in adverse weather conditions.  The fields were irrigated.  New seating was added.  Most importantly, new, permanent restrooms debuted.  New cement walkways though the park were added.  This year, a new concession stand and umpire dressing area will be available, as well as a new public address system.  Parking areas were paved and expanded.  There is little doubt the facility is more than adequate.  In fact, other than the ASA complex in Oklahoma City that hosts the NCAA College World Series, you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere in the Midwest on par with the amenities offered by Harlan and Hazel Rogers Park.

But assessing a host site goes well beyond the playing facility evaluation.  It doesn’t matter how nice the facility is if there is no way to accommodate the teams and spectators attending the tournament.  Fort Dodge offers Iowa Central Community College, which, quite honestly, defines the ability of Fort Dodge to serve as host of the tournament equally with the impressive facility offerings. 

The state softball tournament is our only team tournament that keeps its teams around for multiple days to play out all eight places.  It is a great, unique tradition that will continue in part because the tournament is in the summer when there are no school conflicts, and, in part, because we can house the teams at Iowa Central. 

With 32 teams and 30,000 fans expected through the course of the week, few cities in Iowa have the hotel infrastructure which makes them capable of holding such an event.  Fort Dodge, while adding several new hotels in the past few years, would not have adequate hotel space for our format without Iowa Central Community College.

Each participating team in the tournament that travels in excess of 125 miles (usually around 20 of the 32) to get to Fort Dodge is provided housing in dorm rooms at Iowa Central.  And, these are not the “dorm rooms” we slept in during our college days.  Each room is 1,100 square feet with cable television, refrigerator, stove, two bedrooms and a private bathroom.  Each school is allotted four of these rooms, essentially giving a team its own floor, as there are four rooms on each floor of the three-story buildings.  Each room can sleep 6 (7 with a pullout) so not only are the 18 players and managers comfortable, but the coaching staff has a private room as well.

The Athletic Union foots the total housing bill for these teams, meaning the traveling teams have no housing expense.  In addition, the ICCC food service is available for the teams during the week, with three meals per day.  Again, the Athletic Union foots the entire charge for meals, meaning a school’s expense to participate in the tournament does not include food or lodging, which makes the state softball tournament by far the most economical tournament for our member schools.

Schools under 125 miles from Fort Dodge are also given access to the housing and meal service.  The only difference is that the housing charges for those teams are the responsibility of the school as it is reasonable enough that 125 miles or less travel to Fort Dodge would not require overnight stay.  The Athletic Union does pick up all meal costs at the dorm facilities for those schools, however.  At $45 per room, per night, it is still very economical for our membership – maybe more economical than driving back and forth.

The use of the Iowa Central facilities not only opens up hotel rooms in Fort Dodge for the fans, but it gives a great opportunity for the students to get their first look at living a college life in the dorms and food service.

Even with great facilities and a wonderful housing arrangement, there are other factors that impacted our decision to be in Fort Dodge.  The community embraces the tournament.  From our teams and their fans, to our Board and staff, the city treats this tournament as if it is their most important week of the year.  The park staff, headed by Lori Branderhorst, is proud to show off their facilities and works many 16-hour days to ensure those facilities meet state championship standards.  The city hosts a bar-b-que for the participating teams on Thursday afternoon.  The newspaper devotes a special section to the tournament, along with several pages of tournament stories even when no local team is involved in the tournament.

While a number of factors help determine the “best” place, there are a couple of factors that don’t get any consideration, much to some people’s surprise…geography and money. 

If we insisted on a central location for our tournaments, the best softball field in the state wouldn’t be an option.  The best venue for state volleyball, the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids wouldn’t be an option.  The best soccer pitch in the state, Muscatine Soccer Complex, wouldn’t be an option.  The feeling of the Board of Directors is to focus on the best venue in the best city for the event.   There is no doubt that the seemingly annual travel North Scott has to Fort Doge, or Western Christian has to Cedar Rapids or Sioux City North has to Muscatine may be tougher than going to Des Moines for those tournaments, but as long as the best venue awaits, that extra travel is warranted. 

While Des Moines does host the majority of our championships, and has the facilities and infrastructure to host each championship, there is no so-called “competitive advantage” of a centrally located geographic site.

Money.  While there are business decisions that must be made every day, there are times we leave money on the table in order to ensure our core values and objectives are met.   The Athletic Union will not accept any cash offer from a venue or city to ensure its selection as a host site.  To do so would be to compromise the rationale for picking a site…the quality of the facility and the infrastructure available in the host community.  While we do negotiate the best available facility rental at all venues, it is understood facilities are an expense item.

Putting all of these considerations together made it quite evident to our Board of Directors and Administrative Staff that Fort Dodge is best suited to remain the host of the state softball tournament as we begin our second half-century.

REMEMBERING OUR PURPOSE:  A play situation occurred during a regional softball game that gives cause to remembering what interscholastic athletics are here for….to provide educational opportunities outside the classroom and to prepare students to be successful in their adult lives.

The play involved an erroneous interpretation of a playing rule by an umpire.  As a result of the play, a game-tying run was wiped off the board late in a 2-1 game.  The next day upon discovering the correct ruling, the players and fans of the school which lost the game were understandably upset that 1) the call was missed and 2) that our office would not reverse the erroneous call and resume the game from that point.  While their concerns were understandable, this situation demonstrates the very lessons educational athletics are meant to teach.

1) The call was missed.  Each day in the rest of our lives, there will be decisions made by persons in a position of authority that impact us.   Sometimes that impact is adverse, and is direct and stinging, like this game situation.  Educators call this situation a teachable moment.  Do you react emotionally and let that decision ruin you and impact others negatively as well, or do you refocus your efforts as a result of the decision to ensure you can help prevent or overcome such a decision in the future.  In this case, that may be as simple as knowing the rules of the game even better than the official, so when the wrong call is made, you can provide (professionally) the correct answer before play resumes.  In real life, it may make the difference in your job status.  While the timing of this lesson – a regional softball game – is tough, we don’t get to pick and choose when those adverse decisions occur in our adult lives, either.

2) We didn’t reverse the call.  If the rule book allowed us to reverse the call, we would have done so.  But, good or bad, right or wrong, we all have a set of rules to follow.  In softball, the National Federation playing rules don’t allow for the call to be overturned after the next pitch has been thrown.  While there was one error inadvertently made in enforcement of those rules, compounding that by intentionally ignoring the playing rules is not tolerable.    If one attempts to justify intentionally compromising the rules in sport – IN A GAME - then you are setting yourself up for failure in life.  Our society has rules that are essential for ensuring we don’t exist in chaos and anarchy.  Those rules protect us, and sometime impact us negatively.  But we all live by a set of rules, just as we play our games with a set of rules.  Our games are preparing us for life as adults.