The NWLA Tournament has gone through a number of significant changes throughout the years. From Dublin to Morenci to Indianapolis, from Gallaway to the Committee of today, the tournament has seen, and survived, every trial. However, we are now starting a new era for the NWLA Tournament. No, I’m not just talking about the move to Indianapolis (although that plays a factor in the following). I’m talking about a change to the very foundation.
The NWLA Tournament Host Committee is no more.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Host Committee has decided to dissolve itself. The reasons are fairly obvious. As a “closed” group, we had opened ourselves up to immense criticism whenever anything happened. It seemed to not encompass the ideas of every league. Finally, even with 7 people, the workloads seemed imbalanced. Given this, it had become clear that a change was necessary.
I shouldn’t say “dissolved”. That’s a strong word. I should say “reorganized”, with greater reach and spread of work. Essentially, there will be one guy that is the Tournament Head, then two “houses” that act like Congress. The Group of Three is a group where each member represents their region. They can be voted out after two years by members of their league. The Congress of Leagues is going to have a representative from each league that doesn’t already have one. The order is going to look like this, from this moment going forward:
Tournament Head:
Brendan Dudas, CCWB, Job Title – Host
Group of Three:
Sam Skibbe, SWBL, Job Title – League Contact
Justin Tomkins, OCWA, Job Title – Website/Statistician
Jacob Davey, WILL, Job Title – Social Media Director
Congress of Leagues: (Incomplete)
Trent Steffes, HRL or MNWA, On-Site Social Media
Caleb Jonkman, plays in about a million leagues he could rep, Job Title – Fundraiser
Whoever else wants to have a voice
Notice that we only have one member from each league. That’s going to stay. Also notice that everyone has a job title. That’s important. The caveat to being included? You have to earn it.
We have a certain number of “jobs” that are open. We’ve been lacking on certain areas, for sure, and the idea is that if everyone takes ownership of something we’ll be able to make this tournament even better. The reward for your work is a direct voice to the former “Committee”. You could come early to build fields, volunteer to help with scorekeepers our umpires, help with our streaming capabilities, or just offer help.
Do you want a voice? Reach out to literally anybody listed above. We’re accepting anyone who wants to help out.
No more closed doors. No more excuses. If you want in, take ownership over YOUR tournament. It’s in your hands now.