Owen Sound Bid For National Junior Hits Snag
September 18, 2009
Owen Sound, ON
by Fred Wallace
Bayshore Broadcasting
Owen Sound, Ontario
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The bid by the Owen Sound Brick Brothers Volkswagen Junior Selects to host a third straight Canadian Junior Men's Fastball Championship tournament appears to have hit a roadblock.
As Bayshore Broadcasting reported earlier this month, the Selects confirmed they made a formal application to Softball Canada, and Softball Canada in turn confirmed they received the paperwork required from the Selects.
Because no other Canadian center had issued a bid, the Owen Sound group was under the impression that if no other bid was received within a 2 week span, they would be awarded the hosting duties again.
The complication in the scenario arose this week when the Selects were informed that the Ontario Amateur Softball Association ( OASA ) was withdrawing their letter of support for the Owen Sound bid.
As part of the paperwork required by Softball Canada, the provincial governing body must approve a bid from within their province.
Owen Sound claims they had the letter of support, and now the O.A.S.A. has withdrawn that letter.
Softball Canada's Manager of Canadian Championships & Domestic Services, Mike Branchaud, confirms the situation saying the Owen Sound bid is not considered " official " unless it has O.A.S.A approval.
Branchaud stresses the O.A.S.A. must approve any bid before Softball Canada can consider it.
O.A.S.A. President Larry Sherwin states currently there are 3 other bids, along with the Owen Sound bid, to consider.
Sherwin says the O.A.S.A. Board will meet next weekend, and at that time letters of support will be forwarded to Softball Ontario and Softball Canada for consideration.
Napanee, St Thomas and Fingal are reportedly interested, and a potential bid from Nova Scotia was also said to be pending at the time the Selects made their bid two weeks ago.
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Audio comments from Mike Branchaud & Selects President Bill Simpson are posted at
www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca. Click on Sports & scroll down to " Latest Sports Stories "
