Louisville, Ken.---The Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) announced today its 2007 ASA Complex of the Year presented by Stabilizer Solutions Ballyard Products. The Freedom Ridge Park Complex in Ridgeland, MS is the winner of this award which will be presented during the General Session of the ASA Council Meeting being held in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to being named as the 2007 ASA Complex of the Year, the Freedom Ridge Softball complex will receive approximately $2,000 in field maintenance products from Stabilizer Solutions.
Freedom Ridge Park has played host to many ASA events including hosting a tour stop during the 2004 Aiming for Athens Tour. It is also on the schedule for the 2008 Bound 4 Beijing Tour. In addition to these events, the facility hosts between 20-25 events a season plus league play. Their league play includes youth softball as well as over 60 teams who compete in the adult softball league.
Its a great honor and something that we will take great pride. We will use this honor to market our facility for years to come. I have a great maintenance staff who works hard to maintain the facility and provide a great experience to all who come to Freedom Ridge, said Director of Recreation and Parks Chris Chance. They take great pride in everything they do and I think that shows. We want people to leave here saying its the best facility they have ever played in and we do whatever can to make that happen. We are also very lucky to be backed by a board who gives us the budget to accomplish this. This is a good reward for all the hard work that everyone puts in to making this a top-notch facility.
Another thing that sets Freedom Ridge apart is the extensive landscaping surrounding the bricked facility. The parking lot can hold 500 cars but is landscaped with grassed islands and flowers so its not just a sea of concrete. The flowers around the facility are changed out 3-4 times a year always offering a fresh look.
"Ridgeland Parks & Recreation deserves this honor. They support Mississippi ASA by registering all their teams and umpires and require all tournaments played in this great facility to be ASA sanctioned, said Mississippi ASA Commissioner E.T. Colvin. Chris Chance and his staff do a great job hosting ASA Nationals and will again host the Women's National Team in 2008. We are proud of this facility and very happy for them to receive this award"
Chances staff includes Maintenance Superintendent Steve Tillman, Senior Crew leaders Steven Donaldson, Tim Taylor, Claude Tharp and Athletic Coordinator John Sidney North as well as the dedicated grounds crew.
Along with the softball families, Freedom Ridge Park, a fifty acre athletic facility, has four lighted regulation soccer fields, four picnic pavilions, two playgrounds, two concession/restroom buildings, a lighted walking trail, and a maintenance facility. During softball tournaments, the large multi-purpose field and the four soccer fields are available for teams to warm-up and practice prior to games.
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 nations largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 84 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Mens, Womens, 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 Womens National Team is one of the only two womens 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 eight World Championship titles including the last six consecutive. For more information about USA Softball, please visit www.usasoftball.com
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