Golf Tournament to Benefit Florida Fire 98 Fast-Pitch

Grab your clubs and head on out to Bloomingdale Golfers Club, 4113 Great Golfers Place, Valrico, Friday, May 24 for a golf tournament to benefit Florida Fire fast-pitch softball team.

There will be a shotgun start at 1 p.m. The cost is $75 per golfer or $300 per foursome, which includes green fees, range balls, cart and lunch. 

Hole sponsorships are also available starting at $150.

Florida Fire 98 fastpitch softball was formed as a nonprofit organization to provide girls age 8 to 18 an opportunity to play softball at a competitive level with focus on academics and civic/charitable involvement. 

The organization is committed to ensuring the girls excel as a softball players while teaching diversity, teamwork, fitness, critical thinking, goal setting and time management.

The Florida Fire 98 team was one of only a few Florida 12U teams to qualify to play in the American Softball Association National tournament in 2011 in Montgomery, Ala. 

Additionally, the team succeeded in qualifying as a first-year 14U team in 2012 and competed in Sioux Falls, S.D., last July. 

The girls have already qualified for the 2013 tournament this summer to be held in Normal, Ill. To qualify for nationals, the team must win first place at one of the qualifying tournaments.  

The team will also compete in the prestigious Legacy Showcase in Atlanta.

This girls accomplished this through many hours of practice as a team, weekly conditioning and individual hitting and pitching lessons. 

Team member Hannah Pridemore said all the extra practice time is well worth it.

"I absolutely love the game and I hope to continue on to play college softball after high school," said the ninth-grader. “It is a lot of work and a lot of time, but we have the greatest girls on our team and we all love being together both on and off the field. We placed 33^rd as a first-year 14U team last year and our goal is first place this year in Illinois.”

In addition to practicing, the girls are traveling to tournaments most weekends between April and mid-July to qualify for the ASA Nationals.

"Our girls are aspiring to play softball at the highest level that they can and ASA Gold Nationals is the pinnacle of softball in the country," said team manager Coach Ed Davis. “It is a great experience for our girls to play against the best competition in the country.” 

Proceeds from the tournament will offset the cost of the team's trip to Illinois. 

To reserve a spot, contact Rick Shave at 813-477-4436 or send an email to rick@packvp.com.