The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN long-time executive Burkett Dorsett continues to move up the international softball ladder, this time as one of the commissioners for the World Baseball Softball Confederation of Americas Competition.

At the WBSC’s executive board meeting last week in Panama, Dorsett had to relinquish his position as president of the English Caribbean Amateur Softball Confederation (ECASC) to accept his new position on the committee, over the next four years with Kevin Quinn of Canada serving as the president.

The other commissioners are Roberto Perez of Peru and Santos Valesquez of Puerto Rico. Two more commissioners are expected to be appointed to complete the makeup of the committee board.

The committee board will be responsible for the oversight of all federation and confederation competition in the Americas, inclusive of the United States of America, Canada, South American, the Caribbean and the English-speaking region, which consists of a total of 38 countries.

“It’s going to be a challenging position because we will have to go overseas to the various countries to ensure that they play under the rules of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation,” Dorsett said.

“We have to make sure that they are playing on the regular-sized fields and everybody is playing under the same rules and regulations to make sure everybody is on the same page as mandated by the WBSC.”

Dorsett is a former commissioner and president of both the Bahamas Government Departmental Softball Association and the New Providence Softball Association.

He is also the immediate past president of the Bahamas Softball Federation, and will be replaced by Godfrey Bain out of the Turks and Caicos Islands as the acting president of ECASC until elections are held.

The WBSC also held its election of officers with Tommy Velazquez and his entire slate of officers being re-elected for the next four years.

During the meeting, it was decided slow-pitch softball would now be upgraded from a recreational sport to a competitive one as fastpitch softball with qualifying rounds for the World Cup and championships such as the Central American and Caribbean Games.

As it pertains to the CAC Games, Dorsett said it was agreed that the next version will take place in 2023 in San Salvador, El Salvador, which means that the Bahamas will now have to prepare its men and women teams to participate in the ECASC qualifying tournament in 2022.

With only seven teams each making up the package for the men and women divisions, Dorsett noted that ECASC was given one of the spots, which means that only the championship teams will advance to the CAC Games.

While El Salvador will be granted an automatic berth as the host country, the other five teams will come from qualifying tournaments staged in the Central American and Caribbean region. Those teams that miss the window to qualify from ECASC will have the opportunity to do so in the latter events.

“With me being on the board, the Bahamas will have the chance to be one of the countries in the forefront of the competition,” Dorsett said. “Once we collaborate at the executive board, I would be able to inform the Bahamas on what they need to do to be in a better position to take advantage of the opportunities that will be available to them.”

Dorsett was expected to travel to the meeting with BSF president Ted Miller. But after Miller took sick, international certified umpire Thomas Sears went in his place. It was agreed at the meeting that Sears would be allowed to sit around the table to represent the BSF in the absence of Miller.

As for the return of softball competition in the Bahamas, Dorsett said the WBSC understands the challenges being faced worldwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with no major competition taking place except for the qualifying tournaments that were held for the teams to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

He said WBSC has recommended that the various countries look at whatever restrictions are in place in their country and to seek the permission from the relevant authorities as it relates to the restart of competition.

But he said that WBSC has recommended that coaching and officiating clinics take place to bring persons up to speed with any new rules expected to be implemented for the sport.

He said it was suggested that such clinics could take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where it is more accessible for persons from the various countries in the region.