Free softball equipment for summer fun.The National Recreation and Park Association has partnered with the Amateur Softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' Association (ASA Asa (ā`sə), in the Bible, king of Judah, son and successor of Abijah. He was a good king, zealous in his extirpation of idols. When Baasha of Israel took Ramah (a few miles N of Jerusalem), Asa bought the help of Benhadad of Damascus and ) and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) is a trade association that represents sporting goods manufacturers, retailers, and marketers. Founded in 1906, as of 2007 it had more than 1,000 members representing over 3,000 business locations and employing more than 375,000 (SGMA SGMA Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association SGMA Southern Gospel Music Association SGMA Sierpinski Gasket Monopole Antenna ) International, to bring Summer Fun Softball to youth across the nation. This is the second year of the partnership program, which tries to encourage youth to go outside during their summer vacations instead of opting for passive recreation such as television viewing or video game playing. "When I was growing up, I played flag football in the fall, basketball in the winter, softball in the spring and baseball in the summer," says ASA Executive Director Ron Radigonda, adding that his father played in an industrial softball league at the local city park. "But as cities we've lost the program, lost the fabric of young adult softball." As a tradeoff for NRPA NRPA National Recreation and Park Association NRPA Natural Resources Protective Association (Staten Island, NY) NRPA Niagara Regional Police Association (Canada) NRPA National Rifle and Pistol Association publicizing the program, the SGMA will provide instructional manuals and rules for each age group as well as a "starter kit" consisting of three bats, three dozen balls, and an equipment bag. ASA will provide rulebooks, umpire manuals and scorebooks. More than 3,000 people participated in the Summer Fun Softball program last year. Most of these people did not pay anything for the softball experience, nor did the 10 parks and recreation departments who hosted the program. A library of Summer Fun Softball material can be accessed via the Web site, www.sgma.com/sports_development/bbsb/bbsb_index.html |
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