Association Policies

General Policies

1. The Policy that covers all business of the association is: Any business brought to the board either from the membership or from a committee, requires a majority vote of the board to determine policy.

3. We must follow Roberts rules, only board members vote on motions.

4. The President shall appoint a Tri-County Rep to attend Tri-County meetings.

5. All committees should have at least 3 members

Fees & Funding Policies

1. Pull Tab money will go directly to the General Fund of the Association and should be used to improve facilities and assets of the association and not be considered only for reduction in player fees.

2. Membership fees should be received from all players regardless of their commitment to WBAFSA or their interest in competing in all games or tournaments and No uniforms should be given out until player fees are paid, and A late fee of $5.00 will be charged to those who do not register before tryouts. Coaches must provide an accounting of all funds over registration fees.

3. All team fundraising must first be approved by the board, all fundraiser money must go directly to the general fund, and be dispersed to the team for softball purposes. Additional funds from the team sponsor may go to the team.

4. Each year the Executive Board will determine a dollar amount that will be used for tournament participation based on the average cost of three local tournaments. Any monies not spent for tournament participation is required to be returned to the general fund.

5. Teams that attend out of state national tournaments can be refunded their registration fees to offset expenses.

1. White Bear teams will fill out a standard roster form.

2. It is a policy of The Association to have an annual tournament. All association parents of players who play in our tournament are required to help with the tournament or they can pay a fee not to work if they choose.

3. All Association teams are required to do field cleanup in the spring and following games/practices.

4. Pitching machines and balls do not leave designated facilities. Practice time will be split equally between coaches of teams present at each facility.

5. Player commitment - All players at all levels of the WBAFSA are required to commit to every team practice/league game, tournament, or association activity from the end of school year to the end of the softball season. The coach will determine level of commitment and consequences.

6. The association will purchase Jerseys and socks, but the players will purchase additional personal equipment i.e. pants, shorts, helmets, sliding pads, etc. Some jerseys because of their value can be required to be returned at the end of the season.

7. Roster Changes. It is the policy of the WBAFSA that players remain on the teams for which they have been selected. However the following exception may apply:
Post-State Tournament. The Executive Board may, if it so desires, authorize a coach to add players to the roster of a team that is advancing beyond the State Tournament if the post-season addition of players is permitted by applicable rules.

Player Assessment Policies

1. Objective Provide an opportunity for each individual player to showcase her fastpitch softball skills in the key areas of:

We will provide an environment that allows for fair and consistent evaluation of the key skill areas. This will enable each girl to be placed on a team that can utilize her skills and offer a reasonable opportunity for success during the season for the individual and her teammates.

2. Registration and Set-up

· Registration will be held in advance of our assessment to limit confusion and keep focus on the evaluation process. A copy of assessment criteria and drills will be provided to allow all girls an opportunity to understand what they will be rated on and how scores will be assessed.

· Registration will be held a minimum of two to three weeks in advance of the assessment dates via a mail-in registration to the Association Secretary. The Association Secretary shall set the final date each year. Registrations accepted after the final registration date and up to the assessment date shall be assessed an additional $5.00 processing fee, this fee may be waived by the board. An in-person registration on the dates of the scheduled assessment times will also be utilized for convenience of the players.

· Identify and schedule evaluators early. During the evaluation, evaluators should be separated geographically to provide for independent evaluation. All selected coaches must be available to assist with general assessment evaluations. However in whenever possible no parent shall be allowed to judge his/her own daughter.

· Timing:

General/Pitching/Catching/Hitting:

These dates will be set annually by the board, a guideline of third or fourth week in March would best be used to not compete with other team sports that utilize Gym space.

Make-up: The board will determine a date so as not to interfere with team selection.

Pitcher/Catcher: Two mid-week dates in a gym with enough space to handle "throws to second base" (i.e. 90-100 feet).

· Each girl is given a number upon registration (start with the lowest numbers first based on when girls register, except for saved numbers):

· Verify player information, attendance and answer questions at appropriate time/date of the scheduled assessment date. An injured player should be noted on the scoring recap. The Board will determine exceptions to player assessments in the case of injury.

· The top three to five girls (numbers 100-105, 200-205, etc.) will start each drill. These Individuals will be recognized prior to assessments as expected top performers that will Establish a standard for evaluators. "Saved numbers" will be given to returning Tier I players within each age group.

· Players will be given a time for hitting assessments. Schedule will be twelve players in a group, spaced 45 minutes apart.

A) Throwing/Fielding

· Need three evaluators located along the "1st base line"
· One site coordinator will act as the infield batting coach for drills
· Lay out bases in 60-foot intervals for home plate, first base and second base. Place tape/or bases on the floor for second base and shortstop positions so that the players know where to stand. After 15-20 players have been through the drill, take a break and let the next group warm up their arms.

Drill

· Four starting positions (catcher, first base, second base, shortstop)
· Players are hit three balls at each position and then rotate to the next position (catcher to first, first to second, etc.
· Balls will be hit at a moderate speed and to either side of the player, with the throws made according to the following:

Throwing Criteria:

· Arm strength - Throws on a line with no loop
· Accuracy - On-target to each position
· Mechanics - Overhand and smooth, with feet properly positioned

Fielding Criteria:

· Position/mechanics - Knees bent, hands in proper position, body in front of ball and not just reaching glove to the side
· Range - Reacts to ground ball, can go left or right

B) Running speed

· Two evaluators record the times, one positioned at 60 feet (first base) and the other positioned at 120 feet (second base)
· Site coordinator will work from home plate, explaining the drill and recording time for participants
· Each player can run the drill a maximum of two times with their best
· The player starts in their batting stance with bat in hand at home plate. When the player swings and drops the bat, timers start their watches. Players run from home plate to first base and on to second base. First evaluator stops clock when the player touches first base (60 feet). Second evaluator stops clock when the players reaches second base (120 feet).

Three evaluators utilized for assessing all players - average score Still areas to assess include:

· Mechanics - Bat held in proper position, loose hands and smooth, level swing
· Power - Strong, powerful contact with good follow through. "Ability to pull the pitch"
· Bat Speed - quickness through the hitting zone and does not stop impact
· Ability to make contact - Consistently puts the bat on the ball, along with solid swing fundamentals
· Bunting - Head, hands and feet properly positioned. Able to drop a bunt in a specific location and be able "deaden it"

Drill

· Allow each player to warm up in a second cage or hit off a tee into a net
· Speed on pitching machine should be set at between "Tier I and II" level:

· players will be placed in groups of four. They will have two rounds of hitting 10 pitches each time.
· The first two pitches will be for bunting, with the next eight full-contact swings allowing evaluators to assess key areas.
· 10 and Under and 12 and Under will be held North Campus
· 14,16&18 and Under should be held in a batting cage (i.e. Triple Crown in North St. Paul) with better lighting facility, and warm-up areas. White Bear Area Fastpitch Softball Association Policy Manual Page 5

· Completed at the same time utilizing separate evaluators for pitching and catching (3 evaluators for each, with one site coordinator). Pitching evaluators score pitchers only; catching evaluators score catchers only.
· Coordinator should attempt to match skill levels of pitcher and catcher whenever possible, so that a fair assessment can be made of both players.
· Need a warm-up area along with evaluation area.

· Will catch for all pitchers with every fourth pitch "thrown down to second base"
· Skill areas to assess include:

· After five to seven warm-up pitches on the "mound", pitcher throws 15 fastballs. The Catcher for evaluation purposes of the catching position will throw every third pitch down to second base. Remind pitcher to get out of the way when this occurs! Scoring of fastball will result in a maximum of 21 points with a score of 1 worst to 7 best in the follow three areas.

· Mechanics - 3 aspects to Mechanics

· Velocity - Assess velocity with speed of ball being scored, if at all possible a radar gun will be used to accurately determine speed, otherwise evaluators will use best judgment.
· Accuracy - Determine by how well the pitcher hits the target that the catcher gives, catchers will be instructed to move the target to various areas of the strike zone.
Maximum points for a fastball will be 21.

After finishing the fastball segment of the evaluation, the player will be asked to demonstrate any additional pitches she has. The player will be required to throw 5 pitches for each type of pitch.

· 0-7 points for overall performance for type of pitch.
· 0 did not demonstrate ability to throw pitch up to 7 points for highly effective pitch.

There are 3 main categories of pitches that the player can be graded on:

Total Maximum points for a pitcher will be 42.

1. Coaches selection committee shall have up to 5 members as follows: President (chair), Past Head Coach of association team, member of the City Recreation Department, up to two members of the High School coaching staff

2. Head coaches will be selected for the top two or three teams at each age level if at all possible prior to assessments.

3. Coaches will be selected after an interview process that recaps their abilities based on but not limited to the following criteria:

· Responses to the questions on the coaches' application form. The Coaches Recruitment and Selection Committee shall review this form annually.
· Coaching philosophies (That most closely adhere to that of the Association.)
· Coaching Experience (First and foremost softball, but other sports will be considered).
· Past parent evaluations (if available through the association).
· Ability to meet time commitment and to coordinate a team's many activities

.
The Association's selection committee may take into account the coach's daughters past performance and skill level. We do not want to assign a coach to a top team if his/her daughter is not likely to be able to compete at that level. All coaches are required to assist in player assessment.

4. The board will review the slate of applicants for coach and forward those that are approved to the coaches selection committee.

1. The board must vote to approve the player selections made by the coaches.

2. After the assessments are completed, all players' scores are recorded and totaled on the master report by a person or persons designated by the Board.

3. Players are ranked for their General Skills (hitting, throwing, speed and fielding combined for one score). Pitchers and catchers are also ranked within their age group.

4. Each team may only take two pitchers and two catchers from the assessed group, any pitcher or catcher placing in the top three must be placed on one of the first two teams. If more than two pitchers or catchers are available at any age group, the board with input from the coaches will determine placement of those additional players.

5. Additional teams will be filled based on available coaches and selected based on coach's discretion with approval from the Board.

6. All requests to not participate in assessment process will be addressed by the Vice President and one other board member, who have the power to request documentation (including notes 7. from doctors) of the stated reason for being unable to participate in assessment process. The Vice President with the concurrence of the other board member may require the player to participate in individual assessment at a later date. When deciding a request to be excused from regular assessment process, the Vice President with the concurrence of the other board member will balance the reasons offered for the request with the best interests of the program as a whole. If a player does not participate in the assessment process, the Executive Board can place the player in whatever team it deems appropriate. If the player had played for WBFSA the previous year the scores that the player had may be used to rank the player.

7. Play and be assessed at your own age group.

8. Once selected to a team, players may not defer or request changes unless their requests are made in advance of the player assessments (i.e. perhaps player's wants to play on a second or third team because of other obligations.

9. Tier I players must finish in the top half of all assessed players if more than two teams at an age group. This will insure that players at this highly competitive level of play will be able to be effective.

10. Coaches will be provided with the previous year's player evaluations, as well as assessment scores to assist in selection of their teams.

11. A majority of the Board will be present at team selections to insure the teams are selected using the Team Selection Policies, and will be available to answer any questions that arise during team selection. Player scores will only be made available to board members present and coaches for their age group - these scores are to be otherwise confidential.

Elections

Any WBAFSA member who is interested in running for a board position must inform the President of his/her intentions in writing, at least 2 weeks in advance of the Annual Members meeting held in October or November, to be considered a nominee. (Modified 10/20/08).