The 2024 National Softball Association (NSA) Fastpitch World Series is underway and thousands of athletes, coaches, and parents celebrated with an Opening Ceremony parade and block party in downtown Crown Point.
Hosted by the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA), the NSA Fastpitch World Series features over 100 teams from across the Midwest battling it out on softball fields across the Region. The event, which has decades of history, is steeped in tradition – including the parade, which sees participating teams dress up in costumes – from cops and robbers to Minions and tropical vacationers. Plenty of other activities packed Bulldog Park as well, such as food trucks, bounce houses, hair braiding, face painting, and more.
“Even though I’m the one lucky enough to be standing up here on stage welcoming you, believe me when I say there are 35,000 Crown Point residents on this stage behind me giving you a collective ‘Welcome to Crown Point!’" said Crown Point Mayor Pete Land to the gathered crowd. “This parade is probably my favorite part. I’ve learned over the years how high-energy girls’ softball is. The boys have their chants but it’s nothing like girls softball. It’s been a fantastic experience for me to see all this awesome stuff.”
Crown Point, thanks to facilities such as the Crown Point Sportsplex, serves as the hub for the World Series – which will be hosted in the Region for the next four years.
“This is one of our premiere events, probably the biggest one we have,” Nikki Lopez, chief operating officer of the South Shore CVA, said. “I think we have seven different states represented here, and about 8,000 people visiting Lake County.”
Lopez and other members of the South Shore CVA helped coordinate the parade – making sure that the hundreds of athletes got their opportunities to pose in front of the crowd.
“The parade going on is one of our favorite parts each year,” Lopez said. “You see so much creativity in the costumes.”
One of those athletes was Makenzie Sanders of the Knox K Sox. She and the rest of her team color coordinated, making a strong impact as they paraded through Bulldog Park.
“I like it, I’m having a lot of fun,” Sanders said. “This is our first year as a team, and we’ve never had a chance to do this together yet. I’m really excited!”
The Opening Ceremony, and the World Series as a whole, also offer the teams chances to explore the Region’s many restaurants and other attractions.
“We love having the NSA here calling the South Shore home,” Lopez said. “We love seeing people enjoy everything we have to offer, and we got to see that tourism in action earlier. We got lunch at Culinary Misfits on the Square earlier, and one of the teams was there eating. That shows that what we’re doing really spreads into our towns and cities.”
After the parade, a special guest took the stage – two-time Softball College World Series Champion Kierston Deal of the Oklahoma Sooners.
“I just wanted to come out here and say welcome,” Deal said. “I grew up playing in NSA tournaments just like this. The best advice I could give you guys is to continue to work hard and to develop great friendships on your team.”
To learn more about the South Shore CVA, visit southshorecva.com. For more information on the National Softball Association, visit playnsa.com.
