EVENT DETAILS

Contest Rules

Contest Rules and Information:

During the Halloween Hitfest we will be bringing some special activities. These activities are designed to create an atmosphere of fun and camaraderie among the players who compete week-in and week-out.  The umpires and staff will also join in the fun to make for a festive, fun, event.

Registration: Registration is not required for the contests, with the exception of the dance competition. Our judges will be scheduled to come to every team to judge your work or at a designated time scheduled by the coach.  Please schedule your dance competition!  A judge must be present during the routine in order to be eligible for the contest. Please take team photos of your costumes, canopy and pumpkins and tag Lori Strode on Facebook.

!!!Judging will start on Saturday unless scheduled on Friday, by the coach!!!

Canopy/Dugout Decorating Contest: 

Rules/Information: Teams are invited to decorate a canopy or their dugout with a theme.  A judge will evaluate on the following criteria: Originality, Use of props, and Consistency of theme.  The only limitation should be your imagination.

Costume Contest:

Rules/Information: Teams are invited to “dress up” during the event.  The only stipulation is; each member of the team must have a number displayed on their costume while playing.  A judge will evaluate on the following criteria: Originality, Consistency of theme and full participation of coach.  If a coach is not in costume, the team will not be considered for the contest.  

Dance Off Contest:

Each team will select their own song and create a choreographed dance routine.  Please be prepared with your song and bring a Bluetooth speaker to play it.  Judging will take into consideration your costume, choreography, originality of dance, and of course: BONUS POINTS FOR COACH INVOLVEMENT. The Dance-off can be done anytime on Saturday but must be scheduled so a judge is present during the routine.

No Carve Pumpkin Contest:

Rules/Information: Teams design a creative pumpkin without carving it.  You can paint or attach decorations but will not carve in the traditional sense. A judge will evaluate on the following criteria: Originality, and Consistency of theme.  Please bring your pumpkin to the sales tent so it can be displayed and voted on by your peers.  All pumpkins in the contest must be delivered to the sales tent by 4pm on Saturday.  We may even put them on Facebook for the public to vote on them.

Spirit Contest:

Rules/Information: This contest involves everyone associated with your team. This will include involvement in the Awning/Dugout Decorating, Costumes, No Carve Pumpkin Contest and overall Spirit.  It will also include Costumes by players, coaches, and fans. Also taken into consideration is the "atmosphere" created by teams and their members. Teams must participate in all events to be considered for this award.

Competition Divisions: Competitions will be divided into divisions as shown below:

16U        14U & 13O           12U        10U

Placement: Each competition will be awarded the below placements per the above competition divisions

               Canopy/Dugout Competition, Costume Contest, Spirit Contest, and No Carve Pumpkin: 1st and 2nd Place

               Dance Off, and Best Coach Costume: 1st Place

Prizes: Winners will receive, fun prizes, awards, merchandise, tournament/gate credits OR equipment.

Award Presentation: Winners will be announced Sunday at 11am. We will announce on Facebook live and present to the teams as they are available.  Meaning, if a team is playing we will present after their game.

Event Info

Thank you for choosing Play It Forward Sportz and USSSA.  Below you will find a series of information that will assist you in preparing for your upcoming tournament.  There is a significant amount of information but please read through it to answer all your questions about your tournament.  We pride ourselves on communication and hope that you find everything you need in this document.  If, after reading through the information, you still have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

This document contains a list of general information rules for each USSSA Play it Forward Sportz tournament hosted by Lori Strode.  This information will apply to most of the tournaments and should be a guide for preparing for the event.  A copy of tournament rules and information, Pool Schedule, Bracket, for your specific tournament, will be emailed to your coach and players and be posted the USSSA tournament site NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY before your tournament.  Please look them over and share with your parents and spectators.

Please reference the Event Info tab for complex maps & our Zero Tolerance Policy

PAYMENT:

Only teams who are registered and paid will show as approved. If your team is in a pending status, you are not guaranteed a spot. 

• Payment deadline is the “last day to enter” date on the public website.
• If a team on the waiting list pays before a team in the actual event, the team on the waiting list will be moved into the actual event.  The last, unpaid, team to enter the event will be moved to the waiting list.
• Only the payment of the entry fee is required to hold your spot.  Gate fees can be paid as late as the day of the event. 

Accepted forms of payment are listed below:

1. Pay online via manager page on USSSA website

2. VENMO - @Lori-Strode24 – Indicate team name and event you are paying for

3. PayPal – [email protected] – Indicate team name and event you are paying for 

4. Check – must be received 1 week prior to the event. – Indicate team name and event you are paying for

Make Payable to: Play It Forward Sportz

Mail to: 587 Pebble Brook Lane, Shiloh, IL 62221

WHAT INFO TO EXPECT AND WHAT INFO YOU NEED TO SUBMIT:

COACHES NEED TO SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING

• PAYMENT OF TOURNAMENT FEES – your spot is not secure until payment is received!
• EMAIL A COPY OF YOUR INSURANCE (only required for NON USSSA insurance holders)
• ENTER ROSTER ONLINE 

• USSSA rules will apply. Copies of birth certificates must be available for inspection, in the event a player on your team is protested.
• Teams must be ready to play 20 minutes prior to their scheduled game time.  The first game of the day will not begin more than 5 minutes prior to game time but can begin when both coaches are ready.
• Divisions and/or classes may be combined if there are not enough teams to fill up a division.  Example 9U and 10U or 12A and 12B
• Pool games will be 7 innings or 70 minutes -Finish the Inning and can end in a tie. Bracket Play will be 75 minutes – Finish the Inning – International Tie Breaker (ITB). If ITB goes to a second inning, there will be runners on 2nd and 3rd, no outs.  This will continue until there is a winner.
• Bracket Play will be seeded by pool games.  Unless otherwise stated on the event page, events are 3 pool, Single Elimination.
• The umpires will be instructed to keep the games moving, please do not delay or get upset with them.  If you have an issue, please bring it to the Tournament/Site Director or UIC.

All Teams must be warmed up and ready to play 20 minutes prior to game time. Failure to do so can result in a forfeit.

RULES:

• USSSA rules will apply.  If you do not have a hard copy of the USSSA rule book, please ask one of our staff to assist you and provide you one.  There is a digital copy on the USSSA website
• Teams can bat their roster in pool play or bracket play. It is the coach’s responsibility to submit a lineup card to the home plate umpire prior to each game. Lineup cards MUST have first name, last name, uniform number, and position. 
• If a team chooses to bat their roster and a player is injured, they will be required to take an out every time the injured player’s spot comes up in the batting order.

• Courtesy Runners can be used at every at bat for the Pitcher and Catcher.
• Courtesy Runners are not tied to a player (pitcher or catcher)
• Courtesy Runners must be a substitute first. If the team doesn't have a substitute, then the runner will be the last completed at bat.
• To determine the last completed at bat, go up the line up until you find a player who is not a pitcher, not a catcher, not on base and has not already been used in the half inning for the opposite position you are courtesy running for.
• For example: If your pitcher gets on base and she is batting 7th then ask yourself where is number 6? If number 6 is on base, then where is number 5? Number 5 is the catcher. Where is number 4? Number 4 is in the dugout. Number 4 in the batting order is your courtesy runner.
• The same Courtesy Runner cannot be used for both the pitcher and the catcher in the same half inning.
• If an incorrect courtesy runner is discovered on base, the runner will be out and the Head coach will be issued a warning.

• Teams must use the official USSSA softball. Play It Forward Sportz will supply all softballs for your event.
• Teams must have the USSSA “thumbprint” on all bats.  BLUE GHOST  AND SUNCOAST BACKLASH bats are not allowed in USSSA If the batter enters the batter’s box with either of these bats or any other illegal bat, the player will be ejected from the game.  In addition, the Head coach will be ejected for the remainder of that game and the next game.
• Protest fee is $100 cash and is refundable only if the protest is upheld by the Tournament Director. All protests must be communicated to the Homeplate Umpire by the Head Coach.
• Please reference our ZERO TOLERACE POLICY in the Event Info Tab on the tournament website and share with your fans.  Be advised, the umpires are in charge of controlling the game, coaches are in charge of controlling themselves, their players and their fans.  Coaches can receive a warning, a bench restriction and even an ejection if their fans are disrespectful, disruptive or display unsportsmanlike conduct.

TIES: If teams are tied going into bracket play teams will be seeded in the bracket or awarded placement by the following: (Once past a tie breaker do not return to previous tie breaker)

1. Winning Percentage – Descending

2. Tied Teams (vs. each other) Winning Pct - Descending (Not valid if all tied teams have not played each other)

3. Average Runs Allowed - Ascending

4. Average Run Differential with a maximum of 8 - Descending

5. Ranking Points - Descending

6. Date Team Entered USSSA Database

Ties in bracket games will be decided by using the international tie breaker (after time limit or in the eighth inning). See “Game Times” above.

ROSTERS: 

• Please understand that we do not require (OR ACCEPT) hard copy rosters
• Your roster must be online and that roster is your official roster!
• If at any time during the tournament a player on your team is called into question and the player is not on your online roster, your team will be ejected from the tournament.   
• Other teams can see if your roster is online and which players are online, this is intentional for the purpose of transparency for all teams.  For this reason, there is no negotiating this policy.  I will not make exceptions for any team.  If your roster is not posted online, your team will be forced to forfeit. 
• When you are looking at a team’s roster, make sure you are looking at their roster for the tournament you are playing in.  When you look at a team roster online, you are more than likely looking at their permanent roster.  In order to see guest players, you must click the drop-down menu at the top of the roster and select the tournament you are playing in to see their official roster for the event. Guest players will appear at the bottom of the roster.

GUEST PLAYERS:

Please see the attached link for guest player info.  All guest players must be entered no later than 4 hours prior to the start of the tournament (the first game of the event, NOT YOUR FIRST GAME).  I cannot fix, override, or adjust your roster or this process after that time, so please make sure the deadline is met.  

Some things to keep in mind: 

• Players can only be on one USSSA PERMANENT ROSTER
• There is no limit to the number of times a player can be used as a GUEST PLAYER.
• To add a player as a Guest Player, they must be on a USSSA roster.
• If you are using a Guest Player from a team who is playing in a USSSA tournament the same weekend you are using their player, they must deactivate the player from their roster in order for the other team to pick her up.

For Example: Sally is on Heat’s permanent roster but is being used as a guest player for Fire.  Heat is playing in a USSSA event in Springfield and Fire is playing in a USSSA event in O’Fallon.  Heat must deactivate Sally for the weekend so Fire can add her as a guest player for the weekend.

• In order to see your Guest Players, you must pull up your roster for the specific tournament you are adding the guest player.  There is a drop-down menu at the top of your roster that allows you to select specific events. 

WEATHER:

• In the event of a weather delay the Tournament Director will post updates as well as send text/email to all users subscribed to the USSSA App.  Ultimately it is the responsibility of the Head Coach to stay in contact with the Tournament Director during a delay.
• Lightning delays will be 30 minutes from the last known/seen strike and updates will be provided via the USSSA App.  Please exit the complex to your vehicles or find appropriate shelter under a pavilion.  Players are not allowed to remain on the field, in dugouts or in batting cages during a lightning delay.

REFUNDS:

REFUND POLICY: No refunds will be issued after the tournament deadline. Any team who drops after the tournament deadline or after the schedule is published (whichever comes first) will not receive a refund for their registration fee. The payment deadline, when looking at the tournament website, is the same day as “last day to enter.”   

There may be occasions when deadlines are moved up (if the event is full).  This information will be communicated to the team representative via email. If a tournament is cancelled prior to the start date (not due to weather), by Play it Forward Sportz, a full refund will be issued.

There are events (7 in the Spring and Battle for the Bling) that, due to the size of the event, have much earlier deadlines established.

• In the event of a weather cancelled game, games will be deemed complete based on the USSSA Rulebook (Rule 4, Sect 6, C, 1 &2).  Basically, games can be deemed official after 2 1/2 innings of play (with home team winning) or 45 minutes of elapsed game time. 
• Teams will receive a prorated refund based on the number of games played less than the game guarantee. The only exception to this is 7 in the Spring.  If a team plays 6 games in the 7 in the Spring event, there will not be a refund issued.
• Gate fees will only be refunded if a team plays less than 3 games, regardless of the game guarantee. Gate fees will be prorated based on the number of games played.

GENERAL TOURNAMENT INFORMATION:

• Our events ARE NOT Stay to Play Events
• Addresses to the parks can be found in the Venue tab on the tournament page.  If, you are entered in an event with multiple complexes, this page will typically identify where each division is playing.  If divisions are not specifically annotated, it is because the registration is not complete, and venues have not been determined.  Check back periodically, but venues will be decided no later than 30 days prior to an event to provide time to make hotel reservations.
• Edwardsville and O’Fallon complexes are TURF – No METAL cleats.  Molded cleats, turf or tennis shoes are allowed
• Please reference the Park’s website for their policy on overnight parking for RV’s
• Please reference the Park’s website for their policy on pets on the property.
• Edwardsville, O’Fallon, Affton, and Columbia do not allow pets.
• Cape Girardeau, Perryville, Mascoutah, Murphysboro, and Sesser are very pet friendly. 
• Most complexes allow one team drink cooler.
• Cape Girardeau and Freeburg strictly prohibit outside food.
• I will do my best to accommodate your requests, please understand if you enter an event scheduled for Friday-Sunday, you can expect to play on Friday.  If you are unable to play on Friday you may be required to forfeit a pool game.

T-SHIRTS:

• Pre-order t-shirts to receive a discount: https://www.playitforwardsportz.com/shop
• $1 of every t-shirt purchase will be donated to the charity associated to the tournament.
• After t-shirts are purchased, refunds will only be granted if your team's division doesn't make.  All other sales are final. If the tournament is rained out prior to the start date, shirts will be mailed to your head coach for distribution.  All T-shirts will be picked up at the event.  Any t-shirt not picked up can be mailed to the customer; however, shipping cost will be at the expense of the customer.