Someone to Know: NAFA’s Robert Hernandez

Written by Bob Otto on April 5th, 2010

ANAHEIM, CA – In 1990 Robert Hernandez was asked if he wanted to play a little fastpitch softball in the Burbank City League. He was about 30 at the time. A bit of a late start, he admits. But once he had a taste of fastpitch, he was hooked for good.

In the ensuing 20 years, Hernandez has advanced from playing and managing, and running a local Burbank tournament to becoming one of the North American Fastpitch Association’s (NAFA) top directors.

“Robert is one of the most well respected directors in men’s fastpitch,” said Benji Hedgecock, Executive Director of NAFA since 2003. “His intelligence and passion is unmatched and he is one of the best people in our sport.”

Hernandez joined NAFA in 2007 after nine years as an Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Southern California Adult Commissioner overseeing all adult programs. He now holds the titles of NAFA Pacific Coast Vice President, NAFA World Series Tournament Director, and NAFA Southern California State Commissioner.

Joining NAFA – which offers men’s fastpitch leagues and World Series national tournaments in nine divisions – (age 18-Under, 23-Under, A, A-Major, AA, AA-Major, AAA, Open, and Master’s) has been a most satisfying move on his part.

“Working with the folks in NAFA has been great,” Hernandez said. “These are people who really care about the men’s (fastpitch) program.”

Let’s learn more about Hernandez and his involvement with NAFA.

Why did you decide to join NAFA? In 2007 I was asked to join the newly formed Southern California Independent Fastpitch League (SCIFL) as the tournament director and president of the league. When the SCIFL voted to adopt the NAFA playing rules in their tournaments, Benjie Hedgecock asked me to be the tournament director at the NAFA World Series. He had asked me for a few years, but I was already with the ASA. Once those ties were cut, I accepted his offer.

NAFA offers several World Series. What do you like best about that? At the World Series, teams play against other teams and pitchers that they should be playing against and not some stacked team that a commissioner blindly assigns (to a certain division of play). One or two guys may slip by, but not whole teams.

What are your goals for NAFA in California? We want a place that new players can find out about the game, grow the program, keep teams playing fastpitch, and get teams to the championship events. Preferably the NAFA World Series as teams will have their best chance to play against other teams of the same caliber.

Where do you see the greatest need in growing the game? Working up from the lower levels is what I’ve always tried to do…jumping right to the top doesn’t seem to last for most teams because money dictates that level too much and teams come and go too quickly.

What exciting things have happened with the Southern California Independent Fastpitch League (SCIFL). The SCIFL received its 501c 3 status (non-profit organization) in 2009 and is actively looking for sponsors for the league. The league is run in such a way that all the funds go back into the league and not to any individual team…”

What is happening with NAFA in some of the neighboring states? I have been working with my New Mexico State Commissioner, Gary Galindo, to unite the tournaments there and bring them under NAFA also. This includes teams from Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and El Paso.

How has that progressed so far? In 2010, the tournaments will all run NAFA and Gary was a big part in getting this accomplished. We hope to have 16-20 teams play in each of the five events there. Once New Mexico is up and running, I’ll start looking for the next program that may be looking for a change.

What NAFA leagues are operating in Southern California? There are currently two tournament leagues in California – the SCIFL in Southern California, and in Northern California the West Coast Fastpitch Association (WCFA) run by NAFA Northern California Director, Bob Chapel. Bob and I have always had a good relationship since our days on the (ASA) Region 14 classification committee. So it was great that he came on board when I asked him if he would run the northern league.

What about leagues on a local level? There are a few recreational leagues run by various parks and recreation departments. Artesia, Burbank, and San Diego still provide a place to play, but the leagues keep getting smaller each year.

You’ve been busy getting ready for the Las Vegas Road Trip III tournament (April 9-11). How has the response been? We have a wide range of teams coming from seven states representing two countries, the U.S. and Mexico. We are still waiting for a team from Canada to enter. CPI from New York is coming this year and so far it’s the team that has ventured the farthest to play. Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and California are the other states represented.

How many teams and in what divisions can fans see some great fastpitch action in Las Vegas? We have 27 teams entered; seven in AA-Major / AA division; seven in A-Major, and 13 in the A division. While we still grew this year, the economy really hit hard as some of the teams that played in the past just couldn’t afford to come.

For more information about the SCIFL and NAFA, visit the following websites:
SCIFL: www.scifastpitch.com
NAFA: www.nafafastpitch.info

To learn how your team can become involved with NAFA and the SCIFA, contact Robert Hernandez at: rmh323 (at) roadrunner.com.

Editor’s note: Some well deserved recognition for the driving force behind the So Cal leagues for the better part of a decade. His latest work? 27 teams headed to Las Vegas for the (SCIFL) Las Vegas Road Trip III

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