An Update from USA Softball of Michigan on COVID-19          March 20, 2020

Good day to everyone. I have been contemplating how and when to communicate with all of you during these unprecedented times. We are all challenged, scared, and concerned with any number of personal and professional issues. What I have learned over these past several days is that family is so important, be it your personal family as well as your professional family. It is with that spirit that I am communicating to you, today. USA Softball of Michigan is a tight-knit and strong family, in my opinion. Someway, somehow...we will get through this. For right now, we have decisions that need to be made and/or considered.

The Executive Committee met yesterday, via conference call, to review a variety of issues and scenarios for the present and for the short and long-term future. Part of the decision-making process involves working with and getting information from a variety of partners and resources. They include entities such the NCAA, the MHSAA, and the USA Softball national office. More importantly, it's the information we all receive from the Governor's office and the CDC that we need to be most aware of. As of yesterday, we have the following cancellations/arrangements...

• May 2 Slow Pitch Qualifiers...These were scheduled for Holland and for Davison. The local government and local schools that are involved with these entities have made the decision to keep their respective facilities shut down until further notice. Possible makeup dates to be determined.

• Conference Calls/Video Conferencing...The Executive Committee (and any others) that choose to meet must do so by utilizing remote means. We are members of mParks and that membership includes use of the GoTo meeting options that some of you may be familiar with. If needed, please let us now how we could help with that.

The Executive Committee will also make a decision (with input from directors and local leaders) by mid-April (or sooner) on the following options...

• State Umpire Clinic...Currently scheduled for April 18 in Port Huron. If cancelled, we may look at scheduling another clinic in that area since league and tournament play may be delayed across the board. Details forthcoming.

• All American Games Tryouts...This is the 12u Junior Olympic tryout for the national event in Oklahoma City in August. The tryout is currently scheduled for April 18 in Mt. Pleasant. If cancelled, we will look to reschedule as long as the national event is still in play.

• May 16 Slow Pitch Qualifiers...Decisions will be made on these events when more information is received from the state government and other state-wide organizations. For now, these are still scheduled for Muskegon & Sturgis.

The Executive Committee made a decision on the issue of late fees and deadlines with more specific details forthcoming, if necessary...

• Umpire, and Adult Team Late Fees...We are waiving all late fees throughout the duration of the season. Our intent is to play ball at some point and waiving the late fees for various USA Softball of Michigan options is something we can do right now. As far as potential refunds and/or applying registration fees to future endeavors...we'll cross that bridge if we need to. For now, we hope to play at some point and that is what we'll focus on until we're told otherwise.

• Hall of Fame Applications...Our current deadline date is April 15. We are going to push that back to June 15 to give people more time to submit. Depending on the world situation, that, too, could change. For now, the new deadline for Hall of Fame submission is June 15.

This is where we are at. We will take on any challenge that comes up and do the best we can to deal with it. We will also work hard to make sure we communicate with you on a regular basis so as to keep you in the loop on the latest updates and decisions that have to be made. we will also be communicating with local league directors, teams, and managers with more sport-specific information for them to be aware of. Look for additional e-mails, Facebook posts, and maybe even some future podcasts to help us connect with our USA family and our customers. Please contact us if you have any questions, concerns, and/or anything else you feel the need to share. We will get through this!

Sincerely,

Good morning to our USA Softball of Michigan members. We hope that everyone is handling this situation to the best of your ability and staying healthy.

The following is our policy regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) as of now, and will be reviewed often in the coming days, and possibly weeks. Our main goal is for everyone to stay healthy.

We hope to have an update on the qualifying tournaments within the next few days. At this point, we are moving forward with the 2020 softball season, and will address rescheduling and/or cancellations as needed.

USA Softball of Michigan is doing our part to limit the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus. We want to provide assurance of USA Softball of Michigan’s commitment to ensuring the health and safety of our staff, and customers

Effective, Monday, March 16, 7:30 a.m.:

• The office (located at 3316 Isabella Street in Midland, MI) will be temporarily closed for walk-in service until further notice. The office will continue to operate during this time, as needed. We will fill umpire equipment orders and softball orders that are completed online, and get those out as soon as possible.
• Umpire registrations, adult team registrations, and youth JO registrations will continue via internet registrations, and emails.
• Umpire clinics that are scheduled through April 6th are being cancelled or rescheduled. Please contact your district umpire in chief for more information.
• Face-to-face meetings are now being held through conference calls.
• We are working on the best way to handle tournaments that are scheduled for the end of April. We will keep you updated as we have information.

Please know that these are small changes to our operations as we are well-equipped to handle the majority of our business via emails and phone calls at this time.

This time of year, USA Softball of Michigan’s in-person transactions are very low. We believe that these actions support the social distancing initiatives that are recommended by government health agencies, provide the best protection for our community, and provide a very high level of service to our members. These service changes will be reviewed and assessed daily based on government health recommendations and local risk factors.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Please watch usasoftballmi.org for updates as this situation evolves.

About USA Softball of Michigan

Mission Statement.

USA Softball of Michigan is dedicated to providing its members with quality programs and training opportunities designed to strengthen communities by utilizing the resources of USA Softball...THE National Governing Body for the Sport of Softball.

Vision Statement

To be the recognized leader in the sport of softball through:

• Diverse, expanded participation
• Sustainable programs
• Safety Standards

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Darrin Duistermars, Holland Township, is  named USA Softball of Michigan Commissioner.

Darrin will be following in the footsteps of Matt Urban (Holland), Bill Humphrey (Midland), and Jerry Hanson (Midland). For the complete article, please click on the link below.

https://www.masasoftball.org/news_article/show/1070530