What 50's team are playing in the Midwest Championships. Just wondering with it being moved up a month how many teams are planning on playing?

Hi Crummy any way we can get you guys to come to either Tidewater or Raleigh?

Heroes 50s AA and Heroes 50s AAA will be there. Plus Heroes 55's AAA Moving it up a month is gonna hurt team participation for sure. www.heroesseniorsoftball.com

Westersizzle,

Midwest we can drive to, with our other travel and can't see us adding another one we fly too. Would like too, but can only get the team to do so much.

Crummy I definately understand. Good luck this season to you and your team

KC Kids new 50+ AAA team has entered.

Scheduling tourneys in areas where the average temp for the 3rd week of March is 35-55 degrees then enforcing the SSUSA only bats that the Manufacturers themselves say no to hit below 60 degrees is stupid. Not shocking

JohnO28. Personally I hope this tournament gets canceled due to lack of teams entering. Lots of pulled muscles and cracked bats will undoubtedly happen. Praying its at least 60 degrees throughout the tournament if it makes but that is asking a lot during the first week of spring in March in northeast Kansas.

Parman,

I honestly hope that NO softball tourney is ever canceled, I can't agree with that truth be told. As a Manager of a team of 55 years olds who aside from 1(retired) all still work full time jobs it takes a lot of planning to pick and choose each tourney we will be playing at each year. Guys have to schedule everything weeks/months in advance just to be able to play and that's the same for virtually every player up and down the roster so hoping something gets canceled to me is just wrong.

I do however wish that SSUSA would consider allowing players to use bats of choice in the earlier colder months to prevent having to use the most fragile bats on the market and aside from one company they're all non warrantied bats. Each and every year bat costs go up for players as well as bat manufacturers and everyone involved in the sales of bats. So for us players to have to choose between playing in a "Championship"(I use quotes for a reason and will explain below) in months that are historically known for being too cold for them to be used sucks. Nothing about playing Senior softball is cheap and it certainly isn't getting any cheaper anytime soon, so to have to either miss out playing or risk a couple hundred dollar investment IMO isn't something we should have to choose between. We just played ISSA Worlds in Tampa a few weeks ago and the air temp was mid to low 40's with windchills in the low 20s on Saturday and I saw multiple bats in the garbage cans in Florida of all places because they were cracked. Was it because it was their time and they were ready to break anyhow or the cold I don't know but there were at least 5 or 6 I saw broken.

For these early tourneys IMO SSUSA should allow the use of ASA/USA, USSSA approved bats to be used when temps are that cold. They're not supposed to be used in those cold temps either but they're more durable than the Senior bats are and are/can still carry a warranty so you're not losing out on your investment(excludes bats past warranty) and still be able to play those early tourneys. It's not like we're going to be using hotter equipment it's just more durable so it would actually be safer and up until I think 2024 they were allowed.

I am sure SSUSA has reasons for scheduling these tourneys that early in the year that we don't know about and more than likely won't be made known to us but we always have the option not to play in them.

The reason for the "Championship" above is I've never understood how you host a Championship at the BEGINNING of the year. IMO a Championship is something teams strive to get to throughout the year to play in at the end of the year. It shouldn't be something you are playing in at the very beginning of the year, maybe it's just wording but when someone tells me they won a Championship and I see it was being played in March in the Midwest I'm far less impressed with that "Championship". IMO it's a poor choice of a name for a tourney that most teams that will be playing it will be they're first tourney of the year, or maybe it's Genius because the name "Championship" might draw more teams. Long post to disagree with you for hoping it's canceled but it is what it is.

This tournament is going to be a crap-shoot on the weather. We've been snowed out at the old CowTown tournies over the years as well as had temps in the 70s, and those dates were in April. Looking at the long-range forecast for KC, AccuWeather projects highs on the 3 days (March 20-22) of 61, 56, and 48, with lows of 35, 31, and 30. We all know SSUSA doesn't cancel anything based on forecasts. Can't blame them. Last week in Omaha we had 74 degree weather on Tuesday and then 8" of snow on Thursday.

Gonna be tough sledding for those 0800 games. How do you hit without breaking your bat when temps are in the 30's? Still, the question begs of how did this tournament get scheduled so early? One of the National Directors is from Kansas City. Wonder if she's a snowbird and doesn't live in KC in March? I understand access to the complex is tough due to all the youth tournaments, so this was probably the only date with a discount price they could get. We'll show up, bundle up, and play. Hope there is a good supply of Ben Gay on hand. But for 2027, please move this to at least April...

Bob21,

I agree, living in the Chicago area my whole life March and April are always crap shoots for weather. I don't have any confirmation on this but I would assume you're correct that in order to host this tourney that was the only time they were able to book the fields. Slowpitch is the redheaded step child of being able to reserve fields for baseball/softball and Seniors are more like the illegitimate step children of those red headed stepchildren. That all being said that is where I think SSUSA should allow the use of non SSUSA approved bats for those cold temp tourneys, if the don't the only way to get your opinions across is to not play. If we continue to play in those temps under those rules nothing will change.

with this tournament 2 weeks after daylight savings time returns and the sun rising in the east 1 hour later than now, will the 8 am games start in the dark?

Crummy- last year 62 teams, this year 37

Heres a novel idea. If you dont want to play in Kansas City......DONT

I did the math. 62 teams last year, actually it is 35 teams this year. 27 teams decided not to play this year. Not exactly 100% positive what that is saying, but it is definitely saying something. And my team is playing.

I never question Midwestern weather. Never a doubt, right SSUSA??

Now the forecast for KCK next week is better than Phoenix! Highs Friday March 20 expected to hit 80. 77 on Saturday and 81 on Sunday. Low temps are expected in the low 50's. Still think it was a crazy decision to schedule this early in the year but looks like it will work out better than anyone expected.

Yes, we're playing.

Bob21. Its crazy. Im 50 minutes from this complex. Monday 41, Tues mid 50's, Thurs mid 60's, then Fri-Sat-Sun 80's every day. 50's, 55's & 60's will luck out if that forecast holds. Mon 80's and then Tues-Wed mid 60's but 40's in morning. Still a ways off but I'll be ok with those temps if they hold up for us older divisions.

Ummm The ISSA TOC in Florida this yer had great weather....said noone ever

Matty507 ... That reminds me of a song lyric from a rather famous former resident of South Florida along Highway A1A ... Applies to the meteorology specialists monitoring the Midwest tournament, too: "..The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful.." ... Good luck everyone, DRAFT schedules and brackets are posted ...

I know it says 'draft' schedule, but come on, someone obviously isn't thinking. Starting on a Friday morning at 830 and making this a 3 day tourney is insane. Just because we are seniors doesn't mean we are retired. This could easily be a 1 day Saturday tournament. People can't always get off work on a Friday this close to a tournament. It's very obvious it's all about money and getting people into hotels as much as possible and getting that kickback. Every team oughta forfeit Friday games.

Movol,

Obviously you've never run a tourney. So tell me how you can get have 25 teams playing on 4 fields starting at 8 30 AM and running until 5 30 or 6 00 PM and get all those games in in one day? That equates to 24 games on Friday and 32 games on Saturday. So you tell me how you can play 56 games just between Friday and Saturday on 4 fields. Then another 15 or so games on Sunday. The simple fact you think upwards of over 70 games can be played using 4 fields in one day is absolutely crazy

Thanks, JohnO28 ... I was going to let it slide and just chalk it up to either nerves over his "rookie post" here or just wanting to be "that guy," but since you mentioned it, maybe some folks are just clueless about calculating tourney games demand ... His unreasonable 1-day suggestion for this 24-team Session #1 would require a shade over 19 games per field in 24 hours of continuous play! ... At 1:30 per game scheduling, that's a 28± hour minimum and doesn't fit ...

In SSUSA's 5-game-guarantee format of 2 RR into 3-Game-Guarantee brackets for divisions of five or more teams, the formula is pretty simple and amazingly accurate: Games = 3.2 X Teams ... The Midwest Champs Session #1 has 24 teams playing a potential 78 games (Formula: 24 x 3.2 = 76.8) ...

By comparison, for a 4-game-guarantee event it's Games = 3 X Teams, Less the # of Championship Divisions ... This Session #1 would would have been: 24 x 3 - 6 = 66 ... That still would have been 16.5 games per field for the 1-day Midnight Madness format, for a full 24 hours ... Have fun everyone! ...

That may be all fine and well with the math. But why only 4 fields? They have 8. They’ve used all of them before. Or at least most of them. Why does SSUSA not play at night? Other orgs do. You’re never gonna convince most players there isn’t an aspect of bracket making that keeps
players in town for hotels and get done by dinner so we can go spend money. And I may be a first time poster but definitely been around the game long enough to recognize wonky brackets. With 830 games on Friday you now have some teams ADDING a hotel night. Or getting up at the butt crack of dawn driving 2 1/2-3 hours. With the world cup coming to KC this year hotels are already getting booked or will be outrageous if u can find one anywhere with an hour or so of KC.

In the order of your observations ...

• The other Quad's four fields were booked by another tourney promoter and are unavailable to us this year ...
• Most senior players prefer to not play at night ... If it's required, I tend to allocate younger players to those slots ... The 60's are playing later on Friday because multiple 60's teams made requests to do so ...
• In scheduling nearly every major event for SSUSA over the past two decades, I have never written a schedule, or any day therein, based on any hotel factors ... One thing is consistent: For nearly that entire time, players who anonymous post here occasionally make that completely ignorant assertion ...
• I'm always open to good-faith suggestions to cure what you call my "wonky" brackets ... Feel free to download the Master Planning Grid, get some fine-point pens and try your hand at how I should do them differently ... I've authored brackets as large as an 86-team three-game-guarantee bracket at the 2017 Worlds, and just about everything less than that one ... My 2025 World's schedule was for 666 teams and had 2,150 or so games ... Most people with any knowledge in this area seem to think I'm reasonably good at what I do ... Ask around if you want ...
• If you are early driving because you are trying to avoid a hotel night, I get it ... Please have your manager let me know before the schedule is drawn ... In two decades of doing this, my batting average on granting "Later Start Requests" is about .998 or so ... I overlooked one about 15 years ago at the Western Nationals, but that's the only one that comes to mind ...

Again, good luck next week ...

OK

It's a tropical 10 degrees with a -7 wind chill here in KCK this morning. If this TOC was today for the 65-80 divisions would we be expected to play?

Parman,

You certainly love to deal in "What Ifs", when the tourney actually starts on Friday the projected temp is 88. Doesn't matter what the temp is today..

Yes its going to warm up this week (thank God) but the point is- what would the SSUSA directors have done if the 65-80 divisions would have played today or tomorrow? There were teams coming in from Minnesota, Colorado & Nebraska. As a player I think we should be told what SSUSAs plans would have been. So a team travels 6-7 hours to play in below wind chill temps. So im askingva "what if" question. Id like to know an answer.

Page 57 of the SSUSA rulebook

TOURNAMENT PLAYED OR MODIFIED
SSWC qualifiers or World Championships may be played in adverse weather conditions, much like a football game. Teams accept these conditions when entering. If it becomes necessary in the judgment of the tournament committee, playing procedures may be modified. If game times must be reduced because of time limitations due to inclement weather, or other acts of God, the following methods may be implemented, in priority order

A. Games may be reduced to 5 innings, with the 5th inning being the "open" inning....

B. In severe time restrictions, the batter may be allowed only one pitch.

SSUSA has a long standing policy on weather-
SSUSA does not cancel based on forecast.

All play / no play decisions are made at the park, at game time.


Sometimes the weather stinks (as predicted), and sometimes the weatherman misses, and the conditions turn out to be fine.

On 2nd thought- how about NOT scheduling tournaments the 1st few days of spring in The northern half of the middle of the country?

FINAL thoughts from here in St. George (where it's going to be 90° to 95° for highs this week) ... The Midwest 2026 dates were dictated by the local officials and the venue, not by SSUSA ... Our two choices were [1] THIS week or [2} NO EVENT until 2027 ... Hopefully, we'll have better options next time ... We're fortunate the weather forecast is so good ... Next Wednesday, with 20-20 hindsight, our decision will likely appear absolutely brilliant ... Good luck!

Drat! ... It's only 67° in Kansas City right now with a forecast high this afternoon of 77°, a high tomorrow of 83° and for Sunday at 87° ... Hopefully that's not too miserably cold! ... Good luck everyone! ...

DD,

Plenty of windburn to go around.. Have to keep an eye out for guys using bat warmers

Dave
SSUSA got really lucky on the weather. and I mean really lucky. Keep in mind though this is not the only complex in the KC area that SSUSA could try to schedule a TOC. Mid America in Shawnee Kansas has 10 turfed diamonds. Frank White complex in Lees Summit MO has 5 turfed diamonds and Hartman Park (5 minutes from Frank White fields also in Lees Summit) has 3 more ag lime diamonds.
Might want to check those venues out. Might even get a better deal. Plus the fields are all 300 feet, not like 330 down the lines and 375 to center like Homefield is.

Parman ... You seem somewhat disappointed by benefitting from a bit of luck with the outstanding weather ... It reminds me of the great golfer Sam Snead when he holed a sand shot and a spectator said, "Gee that was pretty lucky!" ... To which Sam replied, "Yes it was, and for every 100 times I practice that shot, I get luckier and luckier" ... We're a lot like that: We learn something every time we do a tournament ... And that usually refines our odds of success for any given event ... Like this time ... Good luck if you're playing ...

Not disappointed. Just thankful its going to be decent as being in NE Kansas the last 55 years, I can tell you the times in the middle of March where its 80 degrees, let alone 90+ are few & far between. And yes we're playing Mon-Wed.

My goodness Pacman. You have been crying all over this tournament site about the weather. It was an awesome tournament