WILLIAMSPORT, Pa (April 14, 2008) – For the past seven years, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have invited Little League Tee Ball teams to the White House for games on the South Lawn. President Bush, the first U.S. President to have played Little League, uses the games as a way to highlight the fun and camaraderie that children and their families can have by participating in the sports of baseball and softball.

This July at one of the Tee Ball games, President and Mrs. Bush will host the first Tee Ball on the South Lawn “All-Star” game, it was announced last week at the White House. The specific date has not been determined.

A player takes a cut at the ball during a Tee Ball on the South Lawn game. Each player gets to bat once and play one inning in the field.

President Bush welcomes the players, families and fans to a Tee Ball on the South Lawn game. President Bush has attended all 17 Tee Ball games on the South Lawn over the past seven years.

A selection panel at Little League International will review all the entries, and will select one player from each U.S. state. Participants must be Tee Ball players, league age 5 or 6 only.

The entry form, available online here, or tbasg_entryform_08.pdf, must be filled out by the President of the local league, as well as the player’s parent or legal guardian. Note: If the link does not work, try right-clicking on it and selecting properties, then highlight and paste the full URL into your browser. Alternatively, just right-click the link and choose "save-as," and save it somewhere on your computer. Entries submitted otherwise will not be considered. There is no limit to the number of submissions a local league President can send on behalf of Tee Ball players in that local league. (The 300-word recommendation can be created by the local league President, a coach, or any other league volunteer, provided that volunteer is not the parent of the player whose name is on the application.)

In addition, the President of the local league must commit his/her local league to providing the necessary funding for travel expenses for the Tee Ball player, plus up to two guests (to be selected by the player – see guidelines). The funding may come from the local league’s treasury, or through donations from businesses and individuals in the community.

Expenses include specific travel expenses (coach class airfare, rail, bus and/or car, plus local transportation in the Washington area), plus lodging if necessary. Meals are the responsibility of the attendees, but the local league may also provide a per diem if it wishes.

For those players and guests whose travel time will require overnight accommodations in the Washington, D.C., area, the first day would be the travel day, the second day would include the game at the White House, and the third day would be a travel day. In these cases, two nights in a hotel would be required. Generally, hotel accommodations in the Washington, D.C., area are $90 and up, per night, per room.

Travel costs will obviously vary by the distance and mode of travel used. More information on the specific date of the game, what to wear, what to bring, etc., will be made available to those chosen, once the selections are made.

If a local league President (through the Board of Directors of the local league) is interested in nominating a Tee Ball player who qualifies, he or she would download the application, fill it out, and send a hard copy (no electronic submissions) to:

Little League International
Att: Lance Van Auken
P.O. Box 3485
539 US Route 15 Hwy
Williamsport, PA 17701-0485

Entries must be postmarked no later than May 19, 2008. Entries postmarked after that date will not be considered.