21st Annual Hurricane Showdown

November 27-29, 2015

Quite a few people in the LGBT community love softball — after all, it’s been played for decades in the Sunshine State and around the country. After a very successful 20th anniversary run, the South Florida Amateur Athletic Association (SFAAA) is ready to welcome back hundreds of players from around the nation for this year’s 21st annual Hurricane Showdown. It will start on Friday, November 27, and will go on through Sunday, November 29. Which team will be the best? We’ll find out very shortly!

A record fifty-six teams across three experience categories (B-, C-, and D-Division) have registered to play in the 21st annual Hurricane Showdown tournament. Broward County is well-represented: twenty-one teams call Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding areas home. But before you think the local teams have the upper-hand here, they have to play some strong teams from as far away as Boston, New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Atlanta. Central Florida is also well-represented, fielding teams from Tampa and Orlando.

The fields that are being used for play this year are Mills Pond Park (2201 NW 9th Ave., Fort Lauderdale), which has hosted games since the very beginning, and Brian Piccolo Sports Park (9501 Sheridan St., Cooper City). B and D-division teams will play at Mills Pond and C-division teams will play at Brian Piccolo park. Altogether, these parks offer eleven softball fields, each 300 feet in diameter. Games will start on Friday, November 27. Each team is guaranteed five rounds of play regardless of division. The final rounds and the awarding of trophies will occur on Sunday, November 29.

There will be a number of social events going on as well: one on Thursday, November 26 (at Village Pub), one on Friday, November 27 (at Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar), one on Saturday, November 28 (at Scandals Saloon), and one on Sunday, November 29 (at Progress Bar South Florida).

The host hotel for this year’s Hurricane Showdown is the Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Beach (440 Seabreeze Blvd., Fort Lauderdale). There is currently a group rate being offered for players ($139 a night). You must mention Hurricane Showdown when booking. Call (954) 524-8733 to reserve your room.

For a full list of events and times, visit hurricaneshowdown.net. Follow the baseball scores in real time on the Hurricane Showdown website and on Facebook at facebook.com/HurricaneShowdown.