Hurricane Ian blows Winter Nationals and Convention out of Ft. Myers

Nov. 1, 2022

     Hurricane Ian devastated many lives in the Ft. Myers area and it also forced the moving of the Winter Nationals north to Winter Haven, Fla., and the canceling of the SSUSA National Convention – which was also scheduled in Ft. Myers – in December.

     While we are disappointed, we realize that the Ft. Myers area has many more important issues to deal with at this time and we offer our best wishes for a complete recovery from this major hurricane.

     We’d also like to thank Polk County for helping us find fields in Winter Haven and Lakeland to move the Winter Nationals.

     While we had to cancel the National Convention, the National Rules Committee will be meeting on rule change recommendations for 2023 in December. The three Hall of Fame inductions that had been scheduled for the Convention Banquet will take place at major tournaments.

     John Fournier (Hall of Famer player) and Rocco Combareri (Hall of Fame manager) will be inducted at the Tournament of Champions in Winter Haven in February. Carl Gustafson (Lifetime Hall of Fame) will be inducted at the World Championships in Las Vegas in September 2023.