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Around The Diamond Spotlight on Seattle: Bigger and Better Than Ever From the Emerald City Softball Association Tucked away in the beautiful northwest, the Emerald City Softball Association has found that Seattle’s gay community just can’t get enough softball. (With the rainy winter weather, choosing a summer activity can be a big decision.) As little as four years ago the league was struggling to maintain a consistent 10 teams with a large emphasis focused on the upper divisions of play. However, in 1999 a new Commissioner, Mike Farris, with an outlook of growing from the bottom up, took the reigns of the league. Since then, the membership and the level of play have not stopped growing. Along with the assistance of a new Membership Director, Dug Wehage, the league started out to re-think the philosophy that you had to have extensive experience or natural athletic ability to play the game. The idea was if you could find a person who has never played before and teach him how to play, he would most likely be one of your best forms of advertising. In 1999, the league marketed heavily (flyers, bar tours, mass e-mails) for a softball skills clinic and emphasized that there was “No Experience Necessary”. The coaches of the upper division teams agreed to run the clinic and help out new players. A few even decided that they would help mentor and coach teams for the entire season. The success of that campaign, along with continual communication through a mass e-group, produced a 50% increase in teams in one year. The following year, in addition to following the same ideas, the league created a series of information pieces intended to shed some light on many of questions and concerns new, as well as veteran, members had. The included:
While some of the documents were obvious to many, they provided an excellent way for people to begin conversations with their teams – and eventually the ability to split and merge on to teams with more like skills. With the continued growth of the league, came a new responsibility; keeping the interest alive. Wehage was instrumental in developing systems to maintaining the initial interest. He kept track of every potential player and followed up with each one until they either found a team or decided this was not the summer sport for them. He also sent individual e-mails to coaches and managers to introduce new players to coaches and helped them get out to practices or to the skills clinic. The 2000 season found the ECSA at 20 teams; a 100% increase within 2 years. Currently, for the 2003 season, Seattle has 22 teams. There was actually enough interest to field several additional teams, but a cap due to field availability and the length of the season needed to be implemented. The amazing organizational abilities of this league and its growth were featured in a Seattle Times article as one of the only leagues in the city or state that was not declining in numbers. Along with the increase in teams – came an increase in of competitiveness as well. Seattle sent six teams to the Gay Softball World Series in 2002 and all six placed in the Top 10 of their respective divisions, including a 4th place finish with the Thunder Thumpers (D Division) and a 2nd place finish from the RPlace Monarchs (B Division). According to Wehage, “The 2003 season was the most competitive year this league has ever seen, there were no runaway teams, and every division’s winner was decided in the last few days of the regular season.” Current league standings, upcoming events and more information on the Emerald City Softball Association Open Division can be found at www.emeraldcitysoftball.org . We would love to include news from your league or team. Please send all items to Marc Gofstein June 20, 2003 |