PlayNSA

2008 Convention Highlights and News

Thanks to everyone for attending and participating in the 26th Annual NSA Convention held November 1 – 6 in Panama City Beach, Florida.

The 2009 NSA Rulebook will be available after January 1st. For all new rule changes, please go to the Rulebook section on www.playnsa.com.

Please note that the Umpire Manual will be updated and published only on the website at www.playnsa.com. Hard copies will not be available.

The Dolphin Cruise and Wine Tasting Outing on Monday afternoon was a delight to all who attended! We started off the afternoon with a cruise aboard the Southern Star Glass Bottom Boat. While on the cruise we were able to see several families of dolphin at play out in the bay area of Destin. We then traveled to Beyond the Grape Winery where we treated to a wine tasting of wines made from Florida fruits and vegetables.

The weather during the Cystic Fibrosis Golf outing on Monday afternoon was an absolutely gorgeous fall afternoon! Congratulations to the winning team: David Butler – East Zone VP, Rickey Sox – Carolina NSA Guest, Mike Anderson – Visit Charlotte and John McClelland – Mecklenburg County Parks & Rec!

The Cystic Fibrosis / NSA Hall of Fame Auction on Tuesday night was a great success! We would like to thank all of the donors and buyers for their support of this event! NSA raised $6,300 during the auction for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and NSA Hall of Fame! A special thanks to Gerry Gund who presented Hugh Cantrell with a check in the amount of $2,500 for donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Gerry raised the money at the 5th Annual “The Howling” Fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis held in Kankakee, Illinois.

We would like to congratulate the 2008 NSA Hall of Fame Inductees: Richard Sanders, FL – Meritorious Category; Paul Armstrong, AL and Mike Latoszkiewicz, MI – Umpire Category; Red Moore, KY – Coach Category; and Howard Edwards, NC – Director Category. All inductees were presented with a Hall of Fame trophy and Hall of Fame ring during the ceremony held on Thursday afternoon. A plaque for each inductee will be hung in the Hall of Fame building.

The 2009 Hall of Fame Candidates are: Bill and Janie Bryant, KY – Meritorious Category; William (Bill) VanAlstine, IN – Umpire Category, Bob Wesling, MO – Coach Category.

We would also like to congratulate the following 2008 NSA Award Winners that were recognized and given a plaque during the awards ceremony on Thursday afternoon:

Presidential Award of Excellence – Mike Snyder, SC
110% Award – Mark and Lyn Balven, MO
State Director of the Year – John Lynch, FL
Eddie Caillouett Award (FP Umpire of the Year) – Ed Clark, TN
Mike Coppinger UIC of the Year – Ron Bryant, WA
Newcomer of the Year – Frank Crook, NC
Mary Conner Youth FastPitch Outstanding Achievement Award – Howard Edwards, NC
NSA State Registration Award – Indiana – Jim Kimmel, Richard Foltz, Shirley Minnick
NSA World Series Participation Award – Gerry Gund, IL
State Team Registration Improvement Award – John Lynch, FL
State Fast Pitch Registration Award – Bob Biehl, IL

Again, a big thank you to everyone who helped to make this year’s 26th Annual Convention an exceptional one! We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2009 Annual Convention on October 31 - November 5 at Edgewater Beach Resort in Panama City Beach, Florida!