A record 24 teams from 11 states and Canada will participate Oct. 9-11 in the Show-Me Showdown Softball Tournament in Kansas City. It’s the premier LGBT softball tournament in the Midwest, and Kansas City’s own LGBT softball organization, the Heart of America Softball League, will host.
HASL was established in 1977 in Kansas City, and since then, it has provided a place for LGBT people and their allies to come together to experience team sports in a safe and diverse atmosphere.
Kansas City has a rich history in LGBT athletics, especially softball. The city hosted the 1999 North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance Softball World Series and has hosted several weekend tournaments since then. This is the third consecutive year of the Show-Me Showdown since it was brought back off hiatus in October 2013.
Participating teams will compete in two divisions over Columbus Day weekend. The fun gets started Friday, Oct. 9, as Missie B’s hosts the registration party. Players, coaches and fans from participating teams will register, pick up their coveted tournament wristbands and, of course, party!
The games will get started around 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. All games will be played at the Frank White Softball Complex in Longview Lake Park in Lee’s Summit, Mo. At the fields, players will be treated to the Miller Lite Party Porch with a DJ, beer sales, live tournament scores/bracketing, and a place to hang out and have a good time. After the games are done for the day, the Broadway Bar Crawl will commence, as a shuttle from the host hotel will take players back to Midtown Kansas City for more fun. The bar crawl will feature stops at Hamburger Mary’s, Industry Video Bar, and Woody’s Classic Sports Pub. All three venues are within a few blocks of one another.
Sunday, Oct. 11, will feature the last games of the tournament, along with divisional championship games that will end around 5:30 p.m. After the games are done, Sidekicks Saloon will host the tournament’s closing party.
Participants will be treated to a real Kansas City barbecue feast at the bar, and trophies and awards will be handed out around 8 p.m.
Several bar sponsors -- Missie B’s, Hamburger Mary’s, Industry Video Bar, Woody’s Classic Sports Pub and Sidekicks Saloon -- have stepped up to make the weekend memorable. In addition, Miller Lite is back again as a sponsor, alongside Louisville Slugger and RSB Leasing, which will provide shuttle buses from the host hotel to the nightlife spots on Friday and Saturday nights to make sure that everyone gets to the events easily and safely.
The Show-Me Showdown tournament committee, including outgoing HASL commissioner Mitch Simmons, HASL recruitment coordinator Jeff Sloan, Michael Carlton and Scott Switzer, wants to welcome all of the out-of-town teams to our great city! Here’s wishing trophies, medals and championships to the participating teams.