OYAA Fastpitch FAQ
OYAA Fastpitch FAQ Why is OYAA Fastpitch changing from grade-based grouping to age-based grouping? This is a very good question. Please understand that we feel this method is in the best interests of the girls and the league. 5 years ago softball was grouped by age. To align the registration in several sports, it was changed to grade-based. Many of these sports have since switched to age-based again The decision to move back to age-based grouping was made for several reasons: ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
There is a smaller range of size, which increases players’ safety. There is a smaller range of maturity level. This is a standard method across the country for softball and is used by most local leagues as well. In relation to the above point, players who move into or out of the OYAA family will have consistency from old league to new league. If at some point in the future we align with a sanctioning body such as Little League or Pony or Babe Ruth, we will already be in compliance (or very nearly so) with their age groups. If/when a player moves up from recreational to community select or travel play, the transition will be straightforward regarding age eligibility.
In short, using grade-based grouping set us apart from the greater fastpitch softball world. This change brings back into the fold, so to speak. How do I determine my child’s ‘Playing Age’? Your child’s ‘Playing Age’ is his/her age on April 30 of the current calendar year. A convenient ‘Playing Age’ chart can be found on the OYAA Fastpitch web page. There is an exception to the April 30 cutoff date for our youngest softball superstars. How old must my child be to play Tee-Ball? We allow 4 year olds to play if their 5th birthday is on or before July 31 of the current year. So if the player turns 5 on or before July 31, 2016, she can play this season. What’s included in my fees? Besides the practices, games themselves, and umpires, each player receives a team uniform. OYAA provides all field and team equipment needed to play the game – bases, bats, helmets, balls, batting tee (tee-ball) and catcher’s gear (coach-pitch leagues and older). Each player must supply a fielder’s glove, shoes/cleats. Why are softball fees higher than some other youth sports? Simply put, it costs more to operate. Infields have to be dragged and maintained daily, grass has to be mowed, fences and backstops need to be painted and repaired. Infield clay and soil conditioner have to be purchased annually, equipment is purchased and stored, umpires are paid, etc. How does my child get assigned to a team? In all divisions, the first players to be assigned to teams are: 1. 2.
Sons/Daughters of Head and Assistant Coaches (1 assistant coach per team). Returning players in the same division for the same coach as last spring/summer are assigned to the same team/coach unless they ask to be reassigned or the coach is no longer available. “Play with a friend” and coach requests may be considered at this time. a. Siblings in the same division are automatically placed on the same team, unless otherwise requested. After these steps, the remaining players are placed. In Emerald 6U, Sapphire 8U, and Ruby 10U divisions players will be placed according to school and neighborhood/zip. “Play with a friend” requests may be considered at this time. League policies provide for even distribution of Playing Ages but no continuing team is penalized because all potential returning players wish to return to their team (if a team returns all players from the previous season within the same division, it will not be broken up). Any girl who played for a specific coach last season will play for that coach this season unless she requests not to, or the coach opts out of coaching (leaves the league, moves to a
different age group). What this means is that you will not have to request a coach. If your daughter played for him/her last season she will be automatically assigned to that coach unless you opt out or that coach is no longer available. This is for ALL divisions. If the player has moved up a division, she will be placed according to school and neighborhood by the Player Agent and Commissioner. Although we attempt to honor parent requests, a key goal is to group players together by school and neighborhood if possible. What if our favorite coach moves up a division? If Coach Andy coached Anne in 8U last season and both move up to 10U this season, there is no guarantee that Anne will be on Coach Andy’s team. Given the need to age balance the teams and to eliminate “pre-made” teams, we cannot say for certain that players can follow their old coaches to a new division. Parent requests may be considered when team building begins. How are team assignments handled for the Diamond 12U and Jade 15U divisions? In Diamond 12U and Jade 15U divisions, players are assigned to teams by the Player Agent and Commissioner based upon evaluation clinic assessments, “play with a friend” requests and age balancing. Evaluation clinics are NOT tryouts. As above, any girl who played for a specific coach last season will play for that coach this season unless she requests not to, or the coach opts out of coaching (leaves the league, moves to a different age group).If your daughter played for Coach Andy last season she will be automatically assigned to him this season unless you opt out or that coach is no longer available. 1. 2. 3.
Any girl who played for a specific coach last season will play for that coach this season unless she requests not to, or the coach is no longer available. All girls in the 12U and 15U divisions will be evaluated and rated at the clinic. All girls will pitch at evaluation clinics, even if they're not pitchers. Coaches will confer on player ratings. We will hold a blind draft, with the following guidelines a. Coaches’ daughters are placed first. Whatever they were rated at evaluations will be the draft picks that team loses (see below for an example). b. Pitchers and catchers will be drafted next (essentially any girl who shows a bit of talent for the position will be placed here, we will help to coach them up and develop them). c. Based on the number of girls returning to that coach (see #1), if they’re a coach’s daughter (see 3a), if they’re a pitcher or catcher (see #3b), and their respective ratings (see #2), that team will lose that many draft picks of girls rated at those levels. d. Whatever holes exist in each team will be filled by the draft in order of rating (e.g. a team has returning 2's 3's and 4's but no 1's will draft 1's; a team with lots of 1's and 2's will draft 3's and 4's). i. Example: Team 1 has 5 players returning from last season: 2 daughters and 3 who want to play for Coach Andy again (did not opt out). Of those players, 2 are rated #1 and 1 is a pitcher, 2 are #2, 1 is #4. Team 1 will have 13 players, and so will need to draft in 8 rounds (5 existing plus 8 drafted to make 13). Based on the existing roster, Team 1 will lose 1 pitcher pick, 1 pick of #1 players, 2 picks of #2 players, and 1 pick of #4 players. Team 1 will select a catcher first. e.
Siblings will go to the same team. Coach loses second draft pick based on sib's rating. i. Example: Amy and Betty both play 12U. Both are evaluated: Amy is rated #2, Betty #3. Team 1 drafts Amy and automatically receives Betty while also losing 1 pick of #3 players.
I want to emphasize that this is NOT a tryout. The idea is to spread the talent a little more evenly than we've had in the past (last season we had 3 teams lose 3 games total and 3 other teams win 3 games total).
What are ‘evaluation clinics’? An evaluation clinic is NOT a tryout. The evaluation clinic for 12U and 15U players is an assessment of skills that allows OYAA Fastpitch to try to evenly distribute player talent to each team in a division. Again, it is NOT a tryout. It is an appraisal that will be used by OYAA to place players with teams such that there is a reasonably even distribution of talent throughout the division. So evaluation clinics are not tryouts? No. What does an ‘evaluation clinic’ session consist of? Each player will field a few ground balls, pop-ups and fly balls. They will also throw to bases and home plate to show accuracy and range, ‘run the bases,’ take some swings at bat, and pitch a few balls. Will my child be on the same team every year? Players generally stay on the same team for the years that the players are in the same age division – unless a player chooses to be on a different team the next season. For example, if a player was on a 10U team as a nine year old last year, she generally will stay on the same team as a ten year old – unless the player asks to be on a different team or that coach is no longer available. Players moving up into an older division will likely be placed on a new team. Does OYAA honor ‘carpooling’ or ‘ride-share’ requests? Unfortunately we cannot. However, you can list any request on the ‘Comments’ line of the Registration form and it may be taken into consideration as teams are formed. Does OYAA honor requests for specific coaches? If your child is playing in 10U or below you can list any request on the ‘Comments’ line of the Registration form and it may be taken into consideration as teams are formed. OYAA Fastpitch is honored to have around 70 head coaches and 140 assistant coaches each year, all of whom are volunteers and most of whom work hard to help children learn, improve their skills, and have fun. OYAA will provide coaching clinics to help improve our level of instruction, and will review coaches after each season to make sure that our high standards are being met in order to ensure your child has a positive experience regardless of who her coach is. How can my player “play up?” We allow players to play up by one year of playing age (which may not necessarily mean up one division). We only allow the one year advancement in order to keep the maturity and size differences to a minimum in the interests of player safety. Here’s how it works:
▪ ▪
Anne’s playing age is 6 and she would be place in the Emerald (6U) Division, but she wants to “play up.” Her parents request that she play up, and so 1 year is added to her playing age. Anne will now have a playing age of 7 and be placed in the Sapphire (8U) Division. Beth’s playing age is 5 and she would be placed in the Emerald (6U) Division, but she wants to play up. 1 year is added to her playing age, making her playing age 6. Beth will be placed in the Emerald (6U) Division
Playing up must be requested before registering your player by emailing the Commissioner. Can my player ‘play-down’ to a younger league? No. We’ve registered, but won’t be able to play. How do we get a refund? Although we expect every registered child to play in OYAA Fastpitch, we know that some unforeseen circumstances do arise that might cause a player to withdraw from the League. In order to request a refund, a parent or guardian must send an e-mail message to the Commissioner. Please use the word “Refund” in the subject line and report the: 1. Date 2. Player’s Name
3. 4.
Player’s Division Reason for withdrawal
All refunds will be credited to the credit card used at registration. The refund policy is stated below. OYAA Softball Refund Policy: No refunds without a doctor's note citing a season-ending injury/condition: U6 - U12
May 1
U15
May 15
Eligible refunds prorated and reduced by $20 admin fee. No refunds after May 31. Players found to be registered outside their true age group without prior approval will be canceled with no refund. OYAA does not guarantee a minimum number of games and refunds will not be given for events canceled due to weather, field conditions, or other unforeseen circumstances.
There is a smaller range of size, which increases players’ safety. There is a smaller range of maturity level. This is a standard method across the country for softball and is used by most local leagues as well. In relation to the above point, players who move into or out of the OYAA family will have consistency from old league to new league. If at some point in the future we align with a sanctioning body such as Little League or Pony or Babe Ruth, we will already be in compliance (or very nearly so) with their age groups. If/when a player moves up from recreational to community select or travel play, the transition will be straightforward regarding age eligibility.
In short, using grade-based grouping set us apart from the greater fastpitch softball world. This change brings back into the fold, so to speak. How do I determine my child’s ‘Playing Age’? Your child’s ‘Playing Age’ is his/her age on April 30 of the current calendar year. A convenient ‘Playing Age’ chart can be found on the OYAA Fastpitch web page. There is an exception to the April 30 cutoff date for our youngest softball superstars. How old must my child be to play Tee-Ball? We allow 4 year olds to play if their 5th birthday is on or before July 31 of the current year. So if the player turns 5 on or before July 31, 2016, she can play this season. What’s included in my fees? Besides the practices, games themselves, and umpires, each player receives a team uniform. OYAA provides all field and team equipment needed to play the game – bases, bats, helmets, balls, batting tee (tee-ball) and catcher’s gear (coach-pitch leagues and older). Each player must supply a fielder’s glove, shoes/cleats. Why are softball fees higher than some other youth sports? Simply put, it costs more to operate. Infields have to be dragged and maintained daily, grass has to be mowed, fences and backstops need to be painted and repaired. Infield clay and soil conditioner have to be purchased annually, equipment is purchased and stored, umpires are paid, etc. How does my child get assigned to a team? In all divisions, the first players to be assigned to teams are: 1. 2.
Sons/Daughters of Head and Assistant Coaches (1 assistant coach per team). Returning players in the same division for the same coach as last spring/summer are assigned to the same team/coach unless they ask to be reassigned or the coach is no longer available. “Play with a friend” and coach requests may be considered at this time. a. Siblings in the same division are automatically placed on the same team, unless otherwise requested. After these steps, the remaining players are placed. In Emerald 6U, Sapphire 8U, and Ruby 10U divisions players will be placed according to school and neighborhood/zip. “Play with a friend” requests may be considered at this time. League policies provide for even distribution of Playing Ages but no continuing team is penalized because all potential returning players wish to return to their team (if a team returns all players from the previous season within the same division, it will not be broken up). Any girl who played for a specific coach last season will play for that coach this season unless she requests not to, or the coach opts out of coaching (leaves the league, moves to a
different age group). What this means is that you will not have to request a coach. If your daughter played for him/her last season she will be automatically assigned to that coach unless you opt out or that coach is no longer available. This is for ALL divisions. If the player has moved up a division, she will be placed according to school and neighborhood by the Player Agent and Commissioner. Although we attempt to honor parent requests, a key goal is to group players together by school and neighborhood if possible. What if our favorite coach moves up a division? If Coach Andy coached Anne in 8U last season and both move up to 10U this season, there is no guarantee that Anne will be on Coach Andy’s team. Given the need to age balance the teams and to eliminate “pre-made” teams, we cannot say for certain that players can follow their old coaches to a new division. Parent requests may be considered when team building begins. How are team assignments handled for the Diamond 12U and Jade 15U divisions? In Diamond 12U and Jade 15U divisions, players are assigned to teams by the Player Agent and Commissioner based upon evaluation clinic assessments, “play with a friend” requests and age balancing. Evaluation clinics are NOT tryouts. As above, any girl who played for a specific coach last season will play for that coach this season unless she requests not to, or the coach opts out of coaching (leaves the league, moves to a different age group).If your daughter played for Coach Andy last season she will be automatically assigned to him this season unless you opt out or that coach is no longer available. 1. 2. 3.
Any girl who played for a specific coach last season will play for that coach this season unless she requests not to, or the coach is no longer available. All girls in the 12U and 15U divisions will be evaluated and rated at the clinic. All girls will pitch at evaluation clinics, even if they're not pitchers. Coaches will confer on player ratings. We will hold a blind draft, with the following guidelines a. Coaches’ daughters are placed first. Whatever they were rated at evaluations will be the draft picks that team loses (see below for an example). b. Pitchers and catchers will be drafted next (essentially any girl who shows a bit of talent for the position will be placed here, we will help to coach them up and develop them). c. Based on the number of girls returning to that coach (see #1), if they’re a coach’s daughter (see 3a), if they’re a pitcher or catcher (see #3b), and their respective ratings (see #2), that team will lose that many draft picks of girls rated at those levels. d. Whatever holes exist in each team will be filled by the draft in order of rating (e.g. a team has returning 2's 3's and 4's but no 1's will draft 1's; a team with lots of 1's and 2's will draft 3's and 4's). i. Example: Team 1 has 5 players returning from last season: 2 daughters and 3 who want to play for Coach Andy again (did not opt out). Of those players, 2 are rated #1 and 1 is a pitcher, 2 are #2, 1 is #4. Team 1 will have 13 players, and so will need to draft in 8 rounds (5 existing plus 8 drafted to make 13). Based on the existing roster, Team 1 will lose 1 pitcher pick, 1 pick of #1 players, 2 picks of #2 players, and 1 pick of #4 players. Team 1 will select a catcher first. e.
Siblings will go to the same team. Coach loses second draft pick based on sib's rating. i. Example: Amy and Betty both play 12U. Both are evaluated: Amy is rated #2, Betty #3. Team 1 drafts Amy and automatically receives Betty while also losing 1 pick of #3 players.
I want to emphasize that this is NOT a tryout. The idea is to spread the talent a little more evenly than we've had in the past (last season we had 3 teams lose 3 games total and 3 other teams win 3 games total).
What are ‘evaluation clinics’? An evaluation clinic is NOT a tryout. The evaluation clinic for 12U and 15U players is an assessment of skills that allows OYAA Fastpitch to try to evenly distribute player talent to each team in a division. Again, it is NOT a tryout. It is an appraisal that will be used by OYAA to place players with teams such that there is a reasonably even distribution of talent throughout the division. So evaluation clinics are not tryouts? No. What does an ‘evaluation clinic’ session consist of? Each player will field a few ground balls, pop-ups and fly balls. They will also throw to bases and home plate to show accuracy and range, ‘run the bases,’ take some swings at bat, and pitch a few balls. Will my child be on the same team every year? Players generally stay on the same team for the years that the players are in the same age division – unless a player chooses to be on a different team the next season. For example, if a player was on a 10U team as a nine year old last year, she generally will stay on the same team as a ten year old – unless the player asks to be on a different team or that coach is no longer available. Players moving up into an older division will likely be placed on a new team. Does OYAA honor ‘carpooling’ or ‘ride-share’ requests? Unfortunately we cannot. However, you can list any request on the ‘Comments’ line of the Registration form and it may be taken into consideration as teams are formed. Does OYAA honor requests for specific coaches? If your child is playing in 10U or below you can list any request on the ‘Comments’ line of the Registration form and it may be taken into consideration as teams are formed. OYAA Fastpitch is honored to have around 70 head coaches and 140 assistant coaches each year, all of whom are volunteers and most of whom work hard to help children learn, improve their skills, and have fun. OYAA will provide coaching clinics to help improve our level of instruction, and will review coaches after each season to make sure that our high standards are being met in order to ensure your child has a positive experience regardless of who her coach is. How can my player “play up?” We allow players to play up by one year of playing age (which may not necessarily mean up one division). We only allow the one year advancement in order to keep the maturity and size differences to a minimum in the interests of player safety. Here’s how it works:
▪ ▪
Anne’s playing age is 6 and she would be place in the Emerald (6U) Division, but she wants to “play up.” Her parents request that she play up, and so 1 year is added to her playing age. Anne will now have a playing age of 7 and be placed in the Sapphire (8U) Division. Beth’s playing age is 5 and she would be placed in the Emerald (6U) Division, but she wants to play up. 1 year is added to her playing age, making her playing age 6. Beth will be placed in the Emerald (6U) Division
Playing up must be requested before registering your player by emailing the Commissioner. Can my player ‘play-down’ to a younger league? No. We’ve registered, but won’t be able to play. How do we get a refund? Although we expect every registered child to play in OYAA Fastpitch, we know that some unforeseen circumstances do arise that might cause a player to withdraw from the League. In order to request a refund, a parent or guardian must send an e-mail message to the Commissioner. Please use the word “Refund” in the subject line and report the: 1. Date 2. Player’s Name
3. 4.
Player’s Division Reason for withdrawal
All refunds will be credited to the credit card used at registration. The refund policy is stated below. OYAA Softball Refund Policy: No refunds without a doctor's note citing a season-ending injury/condition: U6 - U12
May 1
U15
May 15
Eligible refunds prorated and reduced by $20 admin fee. No refunds after May 31. Players found to be registered outside their true age group without prior approval will be canceled with no refund. OYAA does not guarantee a minimum number of games and refunds will not be given for events canceled due to weather, field conditions, or other unforeseen circumstances.
