ORIGINAL ARTICLE by Christine Rivet
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KITCHENER — Some swore they'd never be back. And yet here they come.
The International Softball Congress's caravan pulls into Peter Hallman Ball Yard and Budd Park next week for the 2014 World Tournament.
The event — including a main bracket and two other divisions for juniors and masters — runs Aug. 9-16.
It is expected to pump up to $5-million into the local economy through spinoff spending, organizers estimate.
A few things have changed since the last time the ISC rolled through these parts seven years ago to crown the world's club team fastpitch champions.
For starters, this men's tournament has slimmed down to a lean and mean field of 48 clubs in the main division.
Gone are the invincible, big-budget U.S. outfits like County Materials of Marathon, Wis., and the Farm Tavern of Madison, Wis.
In their place, Canadian teams have won six straight world titles, much to the chagrin of the American-based ISC.
"Canada has a nice advantage — a functional youth program in fastpitch," explained ISC executive director Larry Fisher, of Findlay, Ohio.
"We have this thing called baseball. And there's no fighting baseball (in the U.S.)," he said with a chuckle.
Canada now boasts four of the event's top five ranked teams, including defending ISC champs, the No. 1-ranked Hill United of Six Nations, and the hometown Kitchener Hallman Twins, ranked third.
The ISC and local organizers patched up their differences since a nasty dispute in 2010 over tournament fees resulted in the local committee abruptly withdrawing its pledge to hold the 2011 event.
"We probably won't ever see an ISC tournament here again," local tourney chair Duncan Matheson said in 2010.
"I'm glad I was wrong," Matheson, the 2014 event's co-chair, said Tuesday.
This year's field also includes local entries like the Kitchener Diamond Jaxx, Kitchener Outlaws, Elmira Expos and Kitchener Cubs.
The Jack Fireman-sponsored Toronto Gators return to Kitchener as do other outfits from yesteryear like the New York Gremlins, ranked No. 2 here, and No. 8 Circle Tap from Denmark, Wis.
Scattered among the North American teams here will be 20 players from each of Australia and Argentina, 17 from New Zealand, one from the Czech Republic and two from Denmark, including outfielder Fred Terkelsen of the Kitchener Twins.
A hiccup with visas prevented two Venezuelan teams from attending, Fisher said.
The tournament's new format, adopted in 2010, will see each team guaranteed four games.
Should a club suffer a loss in the main bracket, it moves to the losers' bracket. Another loss sends a team to the ISC II division which will also declare a champion.
The demise of the fat-cat U.S. teams and rules limiting the number of all-world players each team can carry have led to improved competition on the field, said Kitchener Twins sponsor Jim Hallman.
"You hardly ever see blowouts anymore," said Hallman, whose Twins won the event in 2008 and 2009.
"And in previous years, there might have been a couple of teams who could win it. Now, there's probably a half-dozen with a legitimate shot."
The tourney, previously held in Kitchener in 2002, 2006 and 2007, attracted some of the largest ISC crowds in history.
Organizers said each of those events in Kitchener drew about 50,000 spectators and raised close to $100,000 for local charities.
"The people in Kitchener are very professional. They run a great tournament. They are fastpitch people," said Fisher, adding the ISC is elated to make its return.
"It's a great venue for fans."
"We are grateful the ISC came back," said Matheson. "And eager to show them how good of a job we can do again."
Proceeds from this year's event go to K-W Minor Boys Softball, Kitchener Girls Softball, Children's Wish and K-W Habilitation.
Next year's ISC tournament is destined for South Bend, Ind.
The Kitchener Twins' first game is 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 10 at the Hallman Ball Yard when they face the winner of the Elkland (Pa.) Thunderbellies vs. the Ponsonby Sting.
For the complete tournament draw, visit www.iscfastpitch.com
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