With the welcomed announcement that the Little League Baseball World Series, with all its trappings, will be returning to our area this August, the annual proclamation of “Williamsport Welcomes the World” will once again ring true. What may not be as well-known this week, from June 10-13, is that an even broader representation of Little League’s worldwide community will be descending upon Billtown as the organization will be conducting its International Congress right here, where the program was born.
Little League’s Congress, attended by more than a thousand volunteers from around the globe, is held every four years to chart the course of the world’s largest organized youth baseball and softball program.
Chosen to oversee the coordination and execution of this year’s Congress is Williamsport native Tim Hughes. Hughes has extensive Little League experience beginning as an employee from 1975-88. He was elected as a member of the Little League International Board of Directors in 1996 and later served as the Board’s Chairman from 2004-07. He has also held the responsibility as past Congress Chairman in 1989, 92, 95 & 97.
Kiddingly, referencing his duties as “ceremonial,” Hughes has worked closely with Little League staff members and community leaders to bring the event to Williamsport and meet some logistical challenges.
“We think there is great value in bringing these Little League key volunteers to Williamsport, the home of Little League Baseball,” Hughes explained. “Of course, many of these volunteers have made the pilgrimage to Williamsport for the World Series in previous years, but there are so many others that have never had the opportunity to come here. We had held one other Congress in Williamsport in 1989, but that was 33 years ago, so we thought it would be a good time to bring it back.
“Obviously, this is a different experience than most of the Congresses we have held. Most of the time, the Congress is held in a big city (four years ago in New Orleans), and typically everyone is housed under one roof in a large hotel. Periodically, I think it is a good idea to bring the people here, let them see the Headquarters, see the town, and experience first-hand the birthplace of the program they are giving their time and energy to support.”
While in Williamsport, the Congress participants will be housed in eight hotels around the area, with meetings being held at various locations, including the opening ceremonies at the Community Arts Center.
“This year’s Congress was going to be held in Anaheim, California. Two years ago, we had to cancel the World Series and realized that was a big economic hit to Lycoming County. We then had a meeting with a number of hotels in the area and have since worked closely with them to make this a reality. A lot of things have changed, and facilities have improved since that 1989 Congress that these volunteers have not seen. Probably, not many of those who were here in 1989 will be here this year.”
Due to the current lack of commercial airline service locally, getting the attendees to Williamsport will be done by shuttling people in from various airports.
“Flights from around the United States will be arriving at airports in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Harrisburg, and State College. International flights will be arriving in Newark and Baltimore. We know all the arrival times and will be using shuttle bus service to bring the people to Williamsport from those various airports,” noted Hughes.
While at the Congress, the volunteers will participate in round-table discussions and make their recommendations to the Little League International Board of Directors regarding potential rule changes.
Hughes offered his observations pertaining to challenges Little League will be discussing.
“One of the challenges Little League faces is Travel Ball. Travel Ball is sucking some of the best talents out of the local leagues, which often makes it tough for leagues to come up with a sufficient number of kids to have a program. There is also the reality of so many alternative activities available to kids today. It also seems like people are traveling and vacationing more than they used to. The bottom line is that there is an awful lot more going on in the world today that offers competition to playing Little League Baseball and softball.”
Among the various topics to be discussed, perhaps none will have a bigger impact on the current operation of local Little Leagues than a proposed boundary change revision.
Local League Boundaries were established to create a community-based program while maintaining competitive balance. Over time, the definition of a community has changed. During the past two years, the International Charter Committee has processed more than 4,083 out-of-boundary waiver requests, proving families desire more flexibility to select a program they feel is best for their family. Consequently, the following proposal will be presented and reviewed by the Congress attendees:
“Proposal – Any player, regardless of age, that is registering in the Little League program for the first time is eligible to register in any Little League program. The player registration system would require:
– All players will register through a central registration system, confirming league participation.
– Players will not be required to provide proof of residency or school enrollment.
– League will be responsible for verifying league age.
Any player that elects to switch leagues will require a release from the league they last participated. Once released, the player will be eligible to participate in a new league with redshirt eligibility, followed by full eligibility for the duration of the player’s career with Charter Committee approval.”
For long-time Little League volunteers, that is a whole new can of worms possibly being opened. But as any fisherman knows, you can’t catch many fish without baiting the hook.
