ASA/USA Softball a recipient of the Women's Sports Foundation's Travel and Training Fund grant

November 25, 2014

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 25, 2014

 

ASA/USA Softball a recipient of the Women's Sports Foundation's Travel and Training Fund grant

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America and USA Softball was recently announced as a recipient of the Women's Sports Foundation's (WSF) 2014 Travel and Training Fund grant.  The Women’s Sports Foundation has announced that the USA Softball Women's National Team (WNT) is one of twenty-three grant recipients—and more than 80 athletes—of its 2014 Travel & Training Fund fueled by partner Gatorade^®.  The USA Softball WNT will receive $7,500 to support its travel and training for the 2015 season.

 

"On behalf of ASA/USA Softball, we want to thank the Women's Sports Foundation for their support of our great sport," said ASA/USA Softball Executive Director Craig Cress.  "To be a recipient of the Travel and Training Fund grant is a great honor and will certainly assistour Women's National Team program in their training for the 2015 season."

 

The USA Softball WNT is slated to compete in two international competitions in the 2015 season, including the General Tire World Cup of Softball X in Southern California and the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Under the leadership of Head Coach Ken Eriksen (Tampa, Fla./Head Coach at USF), the WNT most recently competed at the International Softball Federation (ISF) Women's World Championship in Haarlem, Netherlands in August, 2014 where Team USA claimed the silver medal.  Also joining Eriksen on the coaching staff for a second-consecutive season are Laura Berg (Corvallis, Ore./head coach at Oregon State), Howard Dobson (Orange, Texas/assistant coach at LSU) and Lisa Dodd (San Diego, Calif./head coach at UNLV).

 

"As an athlete, having the opportunity to represent your country is a surrealistic feeling," said Women's National Team athlete Taylor Hoagland.  "It is such an honor to be a part of something that is much bigger than yourself while donning the Red, White and Blue.  Thank you to the Women's Sports Foundation for providing us this grant, which will allow our team to train and compete at the most elite level in our sport.  With this gift, our team will not only be able to achieve our goal of winning games but achieve our goal of winning hearts."

 

The Travel & Training Fund helps aspiring athletes and teams with significant potential to achieve even higher performance levels and rankings by providing direct financial assistance. Grants are used to offset the costs involved with coaching, specialized training, equipment, athletic attire and travel, thereby giving them the opportunity to attain their next great achievement in sport and preparing them for leadership roles now and in the future. 

 

“Playing ice hockey in high school, college and on the USA Women’s Ice Hockey Team was a huge expense for me and my family, as is the pursuit of big dreams for so many athletes and their families,” said Angela Ruggiero, WSF President and a four-time Olympian. “There is so much untapped greatness in women’s sports today: the Women’s Sports Foundation and Gatorade are proud to fuel the dreams of more than 80 female athletes with this year’s grant.”

 

The Women’s Sports Foundation was the first organization to offer grants to female athletes with elite potential. Since 1984, WSF has awarded nearly 1,400 grants to individual athletes and teams, many of whom went on capture national, world and Olympic titles. Past recipients include figure skater Michelle Kwan, ski jumper Alissa Johnson, swimmer Mallory Weggemann and the US National Water Polo Team.

 

This year, the Women’s Sports Foundation awarded $100,000 in grants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 to 23 applicants across 20 sports. For more information about how to apply for 2015 Travel & Training funding, please visit: http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/home/programs/travel-and-training-fund/how-to-apply.

 

For updates on the USA Softball Women’s National Team and events throughout the 2015 season visit www.USASoftball.com.

 

About The Women’s Sports Foundation
The Women’s Sports Foundation — the leading authority on the participation of women and girls in sports — is dedicated to creating leaders by ensuring girls access to sports. Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, our work shapes public attitude about women’s sports and athletes, builds capacities for organizations that get girls active, ensures equal opportunities for girls and women, and supports physically and emotionally healthy lifestyles. The Women’s Sports Foundation is has relationships with more than 1,000 of the world’s elite female athletes and is recognized globally for its leadership, vision, strength, expertise and influence. For more information, visit www.WomensSportsFoundation.org. Follow the Foundation at www.Facebook.com/WomensSportsFoundation or on Twitter (@WomensSportsFdn).

 

About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 75 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.

About USA Softball 
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles as well as claimed seven World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com.  

 

 

Codi Warren

 

Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications

Amateur Softball Association of America/USA Softball

Office 405.425.3431 | Cell 405. 420. 2817