Registration forms for the 2013 RECREATIONAL season (click here), are due by February 28th, 2013. Completed forms can be mailed in or dropped off at any one of our registration locations on the dates specified below. Registration dates for participation in the 2013 Recreational Program season are:
• Feb. 10th, 10 AM to 3 PM
• Feb. 24th, 10 AM to 3 PM
Registration Locations are:
• Arcata, Arcata Community Center• Eureka, Big 5 Sporting Goods
• Fortuna, Sport & Cycle
• McKinleyville, Ray’s Food Place
• Hoopa applications can be given to Rowdy Robbins or Wendy George
• Garberville/Redway applications can be given to Rick Todd
RECREATION DIVISION softball skill assessments are scheduled for Sunday, March 3rd at Fortuna High School and Sunday, March 10th at Arcata High School and will run from 9 am to 1 pm. Please note players 8 years old and under do not need to attend. If an 8-year old wishes to play up, however, they must attend one of the skills assessments. Specific times for assessments for each age group are as follows: Age 10 and under at 9:30, Age 12 and under at 10:30, and Age 14/18 and under at 11:30. Please plan to arrive prior to your specific assessment time to allow time to warm up! We need to stress the importance of player attendance at assessments as player evaluations will allow effective distribution of players to teams
We are also receiving many questions about the MAD River Girls Fastpitch Softball - Humboldt Fastpitch RECREATION Program, mostly relating to confusion with our Travel Division and/or merger with local Little League Organizations. For an overview of the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association - Humboldt Fastpitch and its RECREATION and TRAVEL Divisions, check out our fact sheet posted on this blog and browse our facebook site! Here's a few of the more common Q & A's we have received recently!
Question: “I know of Little League, mostly from kids baseball, but what is ASA?”
Answer: ASA in an acronym for the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), which is a volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization founded in 1933 that has evolved into the strongest softball organization in our country. The growth and development of the association led the United States Olympic Committee to name ASA as “the National Governing Body of Softball”, pursuant to the Amateur Sports Act of 1978. The ASA youth program, also known as the Junior Olympic Program, is among the largest youth sports organizations in the United States, hosting over 80,000 teams, 1.3 million players and 300,000 coaches annually.
Question: “My daughter just wants to play softball locally for fun, not on competitive travel team… Isn’t that what ASA offers?”
Answer: There is a misconception that ASA is an exclusive “competitive travel softball” organization. It is not. ASA hosts recreation and travel programs, both of which are offered under separate divisions of the Mad River - Humboldt Fastpitch Organization. Our Recreation Program is indeed local… local youth playing on local fields in our local communities.
Question: “Why are Little League organizations in Humboldt and Trinity Counties going Little League for baseball and ASA for softball? What does ASA offer that Little League does not?”
Answer: ASA is not limited to geographic boundaries and more importantly, ASA fastpitch rules and regulations are aligned with those of NCAA college and High School softball and are consistent between locations, whereas Little League softball rules and regulations are not. Here are a few examples:
- ASA players can participate in multiple games in a single day so in the case of tournaments, players can play 2-3 games in a single day.
- ASA pitching rules are consistent with NCAA and High School whereas in Little League, they are not. For example, ASA does not require rest periods based on innings pitched, does require that both feet must be touching the pitchers plate when starting the pitch, and no step back is allowed - all of which are consistent with NCAA and High School play but not of Little League.
Answer: The Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association was founded in Arcata in 2005. In fall 2011, the Board of Directors for the Organization turned over entirely, with a goal of establishing a TRAVEL DIVISION and to build momentum in the Association’s existing RECREATION DIVISION. At the same time, Little League softball registrations were down and discussions began among ASA and Little League organization leaders to join together rather than compete with each other for players... that collaboration would provide a better playing experience for our youth because more players means more teams, which minimizes teams having to play each other over and over during the season. Feedback from parents and players indicated that Mad River’s 2012 RECREATION season was a great success, which we attribute to the enthusiasm of the young players, the input and involvement of parents, and a strong group of volunteer coaches.
Question: “Little League offered an All Stars competition at the end of the regular season. Is this possible in ASA?"
Answer: Following the regular Recreation Program season, ASA does offer post-season (B-level recreation tournament play) that can advance to competitive tournaments outside our local area, similar to Little League “All Stars”. In fact, ASA offers whatever level of competition is desired, ranging from local recreational league play, to B level local and tournament play (akin to LL All Stars) to A level travel ball (our Travel Division's Mad River Mist), to the premier Gold Level National Competition Teams.
Question: “Will there be a tournament at the end of the season like last year? That was fun!"
Answer: Absolutely!!! In the 2012 season finale tournament, all teams had the opportunity to play 4-6 games in a single weekend! This year’s event will be even more exciting with more teams in each age bracket. Also, we're going to provide our umpires with special awards to hand out during each of the games to acknowledge "great sportsmanship", "awesome plays", and "team players"!
Question: “What’s with the Mad River – Humboldt Fastpitch name this year?”
Answer: Change is indeed happening within the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association! Through a collaborative merger with former Little League Softball programs, Mad River’s RECREATIONAL DIVISION has expanded greatly. This merger brought with it a dramatic increase in players as well as a wealth of recreation program experience provided by the leadership of the Little League organizations that have joined with us. In addition, participants and interest in the Association’s TRAVEL DIVISION has also increased since its formation in summer 2011. To better reflect this expanded county-wide youth fastpitch softball program and its goal of “Bridging, Blending, and Building Softball Communities” within Humboldt County, we have initiated making a formal change in our organization’s name to HUMBOLDT FASTPITCH.
Please note that much of our communication is done electronically so please become familiar with our blog and facebook sites. Thank you and we look forward to getting to know you and your players! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Board of Directors
MRGFSA—Humboldt Fastpitch
humboldtfastpitch@gmail.com
