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Sunday, Nov 22, 2009
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| THANK YOU, FRANK PICHININI What more could you ask from a guy that has already logged a multitude of tournament wins (including a national championship), coached, managed or played in every division, former commissioner of the league, member of the Hall of Fame and mentor to hundreds entering the sport of softball in Seattle? How about "Would you mind being the director of a Softball World Series in Seattle?" Anyone with that kind of impressive softball resume and history could have very easily rested on their laurels and politely declined. Not Frank Pichinini. He not only rose to the challenge, but created history along the way. As the director of an event that has occurred for more than 25 years, with a format in place and established standards, you wouldn't think that new, fresh and historic things would even be a thought. But the 2008 Gay Softball World Series (Northwest Quest 2008) was historic in a number of different ways: o It raised the third-most money for local non-profits in the history of the event. (Not to mention the revenue it brought to the city and community. o It was the last time that the Women's Division and Open Division will play in the same venue on the same week. o It was the first World Series for the newly formed ASANA association. o It was the largest NAGAAA World Series ever. o It had carnival games on championship Saturday. o It had skydivers delivering flags to be passed on to the hosts of the following years events. o It had a kickball tournament, a pool party and a "Legends Game" (that, for the first time ever, was played on Championship Saturday). o It had regular newsletters that were sent out nationally to highlight the upcoming tournament progress and its events. o It introduced a "Gem Club/Donation/Fundraising" module that should/will be used in future GSWS. Beyond the historic markers that were set, Frank (along with his assembled committee/directors) raised the bar with their organization and innovation including amazing web presence and a group of volunteers that wowed the national softball community. Every last detail was thought about and acted upon. So, that was how impressive Frank Pichinini was "by the numbers." However, there is another side of this that we need to address: the "passion" and "compassion" that Frank put into this Series, from the thoughtful way he formed the committee, assuring each and every one of us that "we could accomplish the assigned tasks," to the diligent follow-up to make sure that all of the members were on the same page. Organizing any group is hard. Organizing a volunteer group comprised of individuals from different backgrounds, divisions, personalities, leagues and professional skills, to all work to the same goal, that is a challenge that very few could ever hope to accomplish. For two solid years (from the bid process to the last day of the tournament) he has encouraged us, he has mentored us, he has frustrated us, he has cooked for us and, most importantly, he has treated us like friends. A perfect example of his amazing thoughtfulness is that he not only thanked us for our time, but he also made sure that he thanked our partners, boyfriends, wives and husbands every chance he got as well. He even went so far as to send some of them cards in the mail to remind them that the time that was being spent on this tournament was very appreciated and their support of each of us was greatly admired. It is certainly one thing to have a director that is "task-oriented" and that will make sure that all the parts of an event are completed, but, it is a very different thing to have someone lead you as a group of friends and make you feel just as successful as he does when the affair is complete and the last player goes home. It is because of all of this, and a million other reasons, from the bottom of our hearts, we THANK YOU, Frank. Thank you for being such an amazing ambassador to our city, to our local league and to our organization. Even more importantly, THANK you for being such a fantastic mentor, person and friend. Sincerely, The Northwest Quest 2008 Committee, Directors and Volunteers Denny Krantz, Mike Samples, Dan Cross, Susan Michaels, Dug Wehage, Ron Taylor, Melissa French, Dan Haugen & Rick Hale SGN RESCUED FROM CLUTCHES OF homophobe Vashon Island Library receives weekly copies of the Seattle Gay News, but the copies were being tossed in the trash by an unknown homophobe. The Gay-friendly librarians would have none of this, so they watched the site and caught an elderly woman in the act. When confronted, she was furious (that she was caught) but laid claim to her 12th-century beliefs. She was advised that, should she continue, she would be arrested and charged with destroying public property. Don Paulson |
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