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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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A. In the Spring, the 4 year old through 14 and under begin their seasons around April 1st and conclude before the last day of school. The 16u and older leagues wait until the high school softball season is over to start their season usually around June 1st and they finish by the end of July. All Fall leagues begin about mid-September and conclude around mid November. Q. What does 6u, 8u, 10u, 12u, 14u, 16u, 18u mean? A. The abbreviation 6u is the 6 & under league, 14u is the 14 & under league, etc. A player's age as of January 1st determines the age in which the player is eligible to play the following year. For example, if a girl turns 13 years old on or after January 1st, she is not eligible to play in the 12 and under age group for that year. A girl can however, "play up" which means she can play in an older age group. Q. On what days are league games played? A. With exception to the Fall 18u and 16u leagues, we try to schedule all of our games on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, but we cannot guarantee that the schedule won't include Wednesdays or Saturdays. As long as fields are available, all league have access to play 7 days a week. Q. My daughter will be 13 in January. What league will she be in? A. A player's ASA age, for the entire year, will be determined as of January 1st of that year. Q. What is a double elimination tournament? A. Quite simply this means, when you receive a second loss, you are eliminated from the tournament. All teams begin in the winners bracket. When a team receives their first loss, they are moved to the losers bracket. If you lose while in the losers bracket you have just earned your second loss and thus eliminated. Q. Where can I find a practice field for my team? A. We have a field reservation telephone number and the fields can be reserved on Thursday after 5:00 pm for the following week. Q. What is a Contract Team? A. Typically, a Contract Team is one that plays at strong competitive levels. In addition to, or instead of, league play they may enter many tournaments playing well over a hundred games in a year. The players must be dedicated to the team, willing to place the team above all of their other activities. They look for quality in all of their equipment. Parents must be willing to pay more for their daughters to play on a contract team. They may be asked to participate in team fund raisers with their daughters. They must be willing to allow their daughters to travel short and long distances to participate in tournaments. In different parts of the country, these teams are called Travel Teams. The Contract Team gets it name from the contracts entered into between coaches and players. The contract may provide a variety of guarantees to the coach and to the player and most assure the coach that the player won't quit to play for another team. In GGSA, contract coaches are given the freedom to control their own roster. They may conduct try-outs and recruit players from beyond the bounds of the Garland area. They choose to play or not to play certain players. The Contract Team coaches may set their own playing fees as this is a contract entered into between them and parents of their players. The coach must remember though that the ASA Code must be adhered to, as well as local tournament rules. Q. How do I get my daughter on a contract team? A. You can watch for announcements of try-outs in the newspaper and on the Internet. Some teams have their own website. You can also contact the coaches directly. Your league´s commissioner will be happy to help you contact the coaches. If you register for the recreation league, you may be approached by a Contract Team coach during a game to invite you to try-out for his/her team. Q. How does a recreation team differ from a contract team? A. This league is for those who are in it for the exercise and for the fun of it. The teams are made up of girls who go to school together or otherwise know each other through other activities such as Girl Scouts or church. They will typically play only 12 games in a year, unless they play both Spring and Fall leagues. About the only other fee they will pay to their team will be for a team jersey. Q. How do I register my daughter for a team in the recreation league? A. Watch this website or the newspaper for registration announcements. We will also mail a newsletter to our players and coaches. If you are not currently on one of our rosters and want to receive this mailing, you may send E-mail containing your mailing address along with the players name and date of birth to be placed on the list. We do not allow anyone access to our mailing list for purposes other than official GGSA business. Q. Where can I get a copy of the ASA Official Rules of Softball? A. If you are an GGSA team manager or you are planning to become one, rule books will be distributed at the February Coaches Meeting. Your commissioner will help you locate a rule book at other times. If you are not one of our managers you may visit the official ASA website for information about whom to contact to obtain a copy of the rules. Q. Do I have to supply my own team equipment? A. No. You may provide your own equipment if you wish, but GGSA has equipment to loan to teams who register for league play. Managers are required to leave a check on deposit to insure that the equipment will be returned at the end of the season. Each team will be provided with game balls, practice balls, bats, batting helmets, catchers gear and a batting tee if they're in the t-ball league. You may want to purchase a water jug and first aid kit unless you already have them because we cannot provide these at this time. Q. Is that all of the equipment that is available? A. No. We also have pitching machines. These are available at Winters Park and must not leave the complex. |