Blue Sox Announce Advocacy Award Winners
            The South Bend Blue Sox Women’s Baseball, Inc. announces the inaugural winners of its “Decade of Girls Baseball Advocacy” awards.  Justine Siegal (Springfield, MA), Anna Cella (Chicago, IL) and the Pawtucket Slaterettes (Pawtucket, RI) are the first recipients of this award. According to Blue Sox president John Kovach, the awards recognize those who have played a major role on the grassroots level in creating opportunities for girls in baseball during the first decade of the 2000’s.
            Justine Siegal--It’s nearly impossible to list Siegal’s contributions to girls who want to play baseball. As the founder and president of Baseball For All, she has organized baseball clinics and academies nationally and internationally; served as a coach for the World Children’s Baseball Fair; fielded the first-ever all girls teams (WBL Sparks) to play in a nationally baseball tourney at Dreams Park in Cooperstown, NY beginning in 2002. The Sparks have competed every year since making it the most well-known 12U girls baseball in North American (and perhaps the world). The Sparks can even boast a documentary film about the team competing at Dreams Park.  Siegal has also been the leader in organizing additional all girls tourney teams for age groups 10U to 17U.  If that were not enough, Siegal further serves as an inspiration to girls who may also want to coach baseball on high levels based on her time as a coach on the Springfield College (MA) baseball staff and this past summer as professional baseball first female coach with the Brockton Rox of the Can-Am League. With her organizational background, playing and coaching experience, many feel that Siegal is the most qualified to lead USA Baseball’s National Women’s Team in the 2010 Women’s World Cup.
            Anna Cella--When a young female baseball player like Anna Cella, gets inspired, great things have a way of happening. Cella, often found herself as one, if not the only girl on the baseball teams she was playing on in the Chicago area. However, after getting an opportunity to play on Justine Siegal’s 12U WBL Sparks at Cooperstown Dreams Park in 2004, Cella was on a mission! Over the next two years, she became a one-person Chicago girls baseball promoter. Her dream of a Chicago girl’s baseball team was realized in 2006 with the founding of Chicago Pioneers. Although a number of parents helped with the program organization, there should be no doubt that the Pioneers program would not exist today without a young woman who worked and believed in her dream.
            Pawtucket Slaterettes--Perhaps no one organization over time says girls baseball like the Pawtucket Slaterettes. Organized in 1973 at a time when girls were not allowed to play baseball in national programs such as Little League, Inc., their program today remains strong today on both the local and national level. The Slaterettes are still the only all-girls baseball league (with several divisions of play) in the United States. In recent years, the Slaterettes have also participated in regional and national tourneys. The organization is always encouraging to its players to take advantage of any baseball tourney opportunities whether it’s with a Slaterettes team or not. It’s an organization which truly has the best interest of the players in mind.
      

CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION TO LEAGUE: GIRLS MUST BE ALLOWED TO PLAY BASEBALL

(New Carlisle, Indiana) For the first time in its 56 year history, a historic change is in order for northern Indiana’s Kankakee Valley Baseball and Softball Association (KVA) as they must allow females to participate in their baseball programs.

            The change comes as a result of a 2007 discrimination complaint filed with the Indiana Civil Rights Commission against the Rolling Prairie Baseball Association (RPBA) and the KVA. In January of 2007, 12 year old Irina Kovach registered to play in the RPBA Intermediate Baseball program, but was told she could not participate because she was a female and females were not allowed to play baseball. On December 18, 2009 the Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) ruled in favor of the Final Order, stating that the organizations had violated the Indiana Public Accommodation law by not allowing her participation in the baseball program.

            According to John Kovach, president of the advocacy group, South Bend Blue Sox Women’s Baseball, Inc., the ruling holds importance not only for the girls in the community served by the KVA, but for girls on a national basis as well. “The issue should not have taken this long to resolve“ said Kovach, “Unfortunately, some incorrect information from a local high school athletic director led the league officials to believe that because they offered softball,  the league did not have to let her play baseball. The ICRC ruling re-affirms a decision made over three decades ago that opened the doors for girls to play baseball in Little League, a national organization. The Indiana decision will have an impact for girls in community leagues who do not have that national tie,” he went on to add.

            However, one player who won’t benefit from the decision is Irina. She is now too old for that division of play. Now, almost three years later, she has moved on and does not like to talk about the issue, but has released this statement as her only commentary on the ICRC decision:

I’m happy that girls will now be allowed to play baseball if they want. It was very embarrassing for me when people asked me how my season < in 2007> was going and I had to tell them that the league wouldn’t let me play baseball because I was a girl. While I’m happy that this is now finally over, I’d still like to think that someone from the KVA and RPBA could at least apologize for what they put me through. But, maybe because they are grown-ups, they don’t feel they have to apologize for what they did."

     Girls' International Baseball Academy

    Do you love playing baseball? Then Baseball For All's Girls' International Baseball Academy is for you! Combining fun with hard work and expert instruction the Academy is for all girls, ages 9-17, who love baseball. Academy is July 2-5, 2010 in Hinsdale, Massachusetts. Overnight and day options are available.

    Days are filled with tournament play, instructional sessions, and inspiring activities. The coaching staff is filled with women who have played baseball and know what it takes to continue playing baseball with the boys. So whether it is to play for your national baseball team or your middle school team, the Academy will help you on your dream path to baseball glory.

   For additional information/registration visit:

www.baseballglory.com/Girls_Baseball_Academy/Home.html