2012 national Beep Ball games to be held in Ames

Logo courtesy of the National Beep Ball Association

By Shawne Ungs
Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau

(Aug. 18, 2011)   The National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) has officially announced that the 2012 World Series of Beep Baseball, presented by the Iowa Lions Foundation, will be held at Iowa State University in Ames, IA, July 22-28, 2012. Beep Baseball is the adaptive version of the traditional game of baseball for the blind and visually impaired.

“We are looking forward to hosting a great 2012 NBBA World Series in Ames, IA,” said Jan Traphagan, First Vice President, National Beep Baseball Association. “This event will give all our athletes the experience to play baseball with a talented group of their peers, while providing great entertainment for spectators of all ages. It will also help us continue to inspire future beep baseball players.”

The 2012 National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA) World Series will include 16 teams from around the United States, plus one team from Taiwan. The NBBA World Series, an annual tradition since 1976, is the most important event of the beep baseball season. Each team is comprised of 15-20 adult players, including both male and female athletes. The five-day tournament will include a round robin to determine the brackets and then double elimination format to determine the champions. The July 2012 event will be the first time the World Series has come to Iowa. For more information, visit www.amesbeepbaseball.com. 

“The Iowa Lions Foundation is excited to be the presenting sponsor for the 2012 World Series of Beep Baseball in Ames, IA,” said Gary Fry, State Administrator, Lions Clubs of Iowa, which is headquartered in Ames.

“This event complements the current work of Lions Clubs around the state. Each day, our members volunteer their time and resources to a variety of programs focused on blindness-prevention and helping those who are visually impaired, including Iowa Kidsight vision screening, the Iowa Lions Eye Bank and the Braille Challenge.”

“Ames and Iowa State University are honored to be the host for the 2012 World Series,” said Julie Weeks, executive director, Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau and Iowa State University Conference Planning & Management. “We are already working to make the 2012 event a huge success and look forward to welcoming all the athletes, families and guests to our community and central Iowa next July.”

The NBBA was formed in 1975 to offer the blind and visually impaired population an opportunity to participate in competitive sports once limited only to the sighted public. The game is modified with the use of a ball that emits a rapid beep and bases that sound a buzz after the ball is hit.  Team members are blindfolded to keep the playing field level.  The object is to maximize the opportunities of putting the ball in play.  For more information about the NBBA, visit www.nbba.org.