Thursday, November 29, 2012

Wayne Thornton: El Paso adult slow-pitch softball tournament has ...

Adult slow-pitch softball is one of the most popular recreational sports in the city.

On any given Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday, thousands of players -- men and women of all levels-- are playing softball.

Bragging rights will be on the line Dec. 14-16 when the El Paso Parks and Recreation Department puts on its King of the Hill Softball Tournament.

Recreational and competitive divisions are available for men, women and coed teams.

All of the games will be played at various times at Marty Robbins Fields, 11600 Vista Del Sol; Blackie Chesher Fields, 9143 N. Escobar; and Northeast Regional Fields, 11270 McCombs.

This annual event is a slugfest of the "best of the best" in the city.

"This is one of the premier softball tourneys in the city for those that love to play softball or love to watch the game," said Gregory Edmunds, recreation specialist with the El Paso Parks and Recreation Department.

Today is the final day for teams to register for the tournament. The registration fee is $150 per team. Teams can register at www.elpasotexas. gov/parks or in person at Chalio Acosta Sports Center, 4321 Delta.

"My crew of nine will be out in force for the weekend tournament along with doing our daily chores each week of preparing 75 to 80 different fields for various sports," said Dennis Elengold, a recreation sports coordinator, said of his grounds crew. "This tourney is a great way to showcase our city to people that participate

from out of town."

Robert Garza, tournament co-chairman, expects a huge turnout.

"The coed division usually has 30 to 40 teams and the men's division has upwards of 30 teams," he said, noting that the women's division has fallen off in recent years. "The tourney has open registration and is open to any team in El Paso and the surrounding area. Teams come from places such as Portales, New Mexico, and other outlying areas of Texas."

Awards will be given to team champions and runners- up, along with individual T-shirts for the top two teams in each division.

The tournament, now 5 years old, has gathered a great following of softball enthusiasts even though the weather can be quite chilly. Teams seem to love the atmosphere and camaraderie and, of course, being called King of the Hill.

After this tournament, players will take a year-end break before a new league starts in late January.

Registration for those leagues will start in mid-December at the Acosta Sports Center or online at the Parks and Recreation website.

The fee is $380 for men's, coed and women's teams for a 16-game regular season.

The coed division is the most popular as many players bring their families out to watch.

The competition will be tough and exciting to decide this year's King of the Hill as well as later on for the more than 350 teams that participate in El Paso Parks and Recreation leagues.

For more information call 534-0254.

Wayne Thornton may be reached at 373-6708 or wlegend@elp.rr.com. For more, 562-7071 or www.elpasotexas.gov/parks

Source: http://www.elpasotimes.com/sports/ci_22083885?source=rss

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