Fairfield County Fastpitch Softball League: My Site News

Nearly 40 FCFSL coaches voted in the recent survey and here are the two key outcomes: 1) The Brewster Rockets 12u team is part of the FCFSL and 2) the registration process will be through the CT USSSA! http://www.ctusssafastpitch.com/ More detail to follow on this site!

Also, I am reviewing all suggestions from the survey regarding the game cancellations and I will get a summary out to you shortly.

There is an opening for the Valley Fusion Summer Sizzler Tournament at the 16U level.

Tournament to take place July 14/15 in Prospect, CT.  Please contact Mike Giusto at mdg821@yahoo.com if interested.

The website, http://www.ctusssafastpitch.com/ has comprehensive information about the benefits of USSSA. USSSA has already swept through CT last season and this season is even stronger. USSSA already offers more and better tournaments than any other organization in the state. Many FCFSL teams have already played in USSSA tournaments last year at the 7-field complex in East Hartford and in the indoor events at Fastpitch Nation.

Sanctioning with USSSA
So why sanction your league USSSA? USSSA is the world's largest multi-sport sanctioning organization with over 3.2 million total members. Fastpitch alone has more than 255,000 players across 15,000 teams sanctioned nationwide from California to New York and all points in between. Of all the sports that USSSA sanctions, Fastpitch ranks 3rd behind only Baseball and Slow Pitch Softball for the most teams. But Fastpitch is the fastest growing sport in USSSA. Moreover, USSSA has demonstrated its commitment to Fastpitch last season when it purchased the Washington Glory of the National Pro Fastpitch League and renamed them the USSSA Pride <http://www.usssapride.com/> , featuring players such as Jessica Mendoza, Natasha Watley and Cat Osterman. But USSSA offers team so much more!

See this URL for details: http://www.ctusssafastpitch.com/why-play-usssa/  Sanctioning your league with USSSA.

League and Team Insurance and Fees
USSSA provides comprehensive team and league insurance. You are also free to buy your insurance through whatever carrier you use today if you prefer. Registration for your league is just $25/team.

Northern CT Girls Softball League is now with USSSA
The two largest fastpitch  leagues in CT are the FCFSL and the NCGSL. This year the NCGSL has voted to switch to USSSA for all the reasons stated above but also they said they wanted to be with a forward thinking organization and one that is taking fastpitch in a better direction in the state.

State Championships and Tournaments for USSSA "C" teams as well as World Series

My additional and most important desire is to partner with your league as I have done with NCGSL to really develop the C level program in CT. In USSSA softball teams are broken down as A, B and C. A are the elite teams. B are the majority travel teams that populate the regular tournaments and C are what the majority of your teams are. These are the entry level or town based teams. These are the teams yearning for all the tournament experiences including a national tournament but to date can only play in the events with the A and B teams with little hope of success.  These players deserve better and USSSA provides it. This season I have committed to the C program and am running a USSSA "C" State Championship at my outdoor complex in East Hartford for all age groups June 16-17. This will be the first ever tournament in CT for teams like most of yours in which they can compete with team of equal caliber on a state level. I hope to draw from your league, the NCGSL and from other areas such as Little League all-star teams to build the C program in the state. I have also created a C tournament Aug 4-5 in East Hartford. There are more than 30 OPEN tournaments for all classes available now. Next season I want to add additional C tournaments in different parts of CT to give all these teams more options. I already have something in the works in New London, and in West Hartford on top of the C State Championships I will run in East Hartford. We'd also love to do one in Fairfield County. Moreover, any C team wishing to participate in the C World Series in Ocean City Maryland this year will have an open invitation with no berth requirements. USSSA wants you to experience the incredible offerings the USSSA has at both the local and National levels.

David Rocha

CT State Director USSSA Fastpitch

david.rocha@usssa.com

www.ctusssafastpitch.com

860-658-6329 Office

860-883-3729 Cell

The FCFSL will hold its Annual Meeting, January 30th at 7pm! The meeting will be held in the Youth Activity Center at St. Philip Church in Norwalk, CT. The meeting will last about one hour. We will discuss the 2012 season, rules, new teams, schedules, expectations, and tournament dates.

There are three specific items that need your attention:

1) Should the rostering process remain under the current PONY guidelines or should we switch to USSSA?

2) The Brewster Rockets 12u team has requested entry to the FCFSL. As you know, all non-Fairfield County-based teams must be voted in by the majority of teams within that age bracket (12u).

3) In order to curtail the instances where some teams have scheduled games but do not play them, I offer this proposal:that in order to schedule games, each team must first pay their FCFSL tournament fee to the host town. Once it is received, we post the team name to the website which releases them to schedule games. This should mean that only "committed" teams would be scheduling games.

If you need directions, go to "locations" and click on the St. Philip link or click this headline link.

In case of bad weather on the day of the meeting, check with this website for a cancellation notice before you leave!

Any questions? Please email NAASoftball@aol.com

The Team Page has been updated to include new teams for the 2012 season. I'm sure the listing also includes teams that are not returning this year, but that has not been reported to me. If you are entering a team in the FCFSL in 2012, or see a team that no longer plays in the FCFSL, please email Terry at NAASoftball@aol.com. Please provide the team name and age group (10u, 12u, 14u, 16u).

Southbury will host a U10 Pony Tournament on Sat and Sun, May 26
and May 27 of Memorial day weekend. If interested, FCFSL teams 

will receive a $25.00 registration discount.
Contact: John Stanko Stankojs@gmail.com

From The Stratford Brakettes:

We are one of the top women’s amateur fastpitch teams in the world. As a part of our community action program for 2012, we would like to invite your organization to be our guests at a 2012 home game at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field in Stratford, CT. There is no cost for your group to attend. You are our guests.

As a non-profit organization, one of our goals is to inspire, excite, and educate young female athletes.  In 2011, we started a visitation program for local youth groups and were visited by several U-10, U-12 and U-14 fastpitch softball teams. During their visits, these groups got to meet the team before the game, went out onto the field for introductions, threw the first pitch, acted as bat girls, and had a great night at the ballpark. We’re very proud of how our team took the time to talk to each guest and develop personal relationships with many of them. We created a lot of ‘Brakettes Fans’ and hope to make even more in 2012!

In 2011, the Brakettes completed a perfect season, finishing 63-0 and concluded the year with the Women’s Major Fastpitch National Championship. Most of that team is back for 2012, including former All Americans Brandice Balschmiter, Carly Normandin, Alisa Heronema, and Kristyn Sandberg, along with local pitching star Rachele Fico.

If you are interested in bringing your group to a game, just send an e-mail to PatSanders@HYPACK.com. Once our schedule is set for 2012, we’ll get in touch with you and you can pick a date.

Best regards,

Pat Sanders

Pres., Brakettes

You have voted and here are the results!

In 10u, the 4th outfielder had been disallowed. Each team must play with the standard 9 defensive players. However, all teams have the option of batting the entire roster.

10u/12u/14u: Tournaments for these age groups will be strictly "A" / "B" affairs from Day 1 of the tournament. "A" / "B" seeding will be based on your regular schedule. Keep this in mind: If you have scheduled only "B" teams in the regular season and you end up with a great won-loss record, your reward will be to play in the "A" tournament. Moral of the story: PLAY BOTH "A" AND "B" TEAMS IN THE REGULAR SEASON!

The 16u tournament is not "A" / "B". All teams play each other.

And to repeat what you MUST DO NOW:

Contact Information: Check the handout section for the current listing. Information in red has been copied from last year, but not confirmed for 2011.

Post your roster on your team's FCFSL home page: Only first names and uniform numbers are required. This needs to match your PONY roster as well as the players that you use in all FCFSL games & tournaments. Submit your official team roster to the FCFSL tournament town organization by July 1st. This will be your FCFSL tournament roster. If you are not playing in the FCFSL tournament, let the host know.

Post Game Schedule: Each team must post their own accurate game schedule to the FCFSL website. This information will be used to help schedule the FCFSL tournaments. If the schedule is not posted, the game cannot be scored, and you will not qualify for the FCFSL tournament.

Post Game Scores: Post an accurate game score on the website. This information will be used to help schedule the FCFSL tournaments. Scores should be posted within 48 hours of completion of the game.

Game Responsibilities: The home team reserves and prepares the field and pays for the “patched” umpire. The visiting team brings two new leather fastpitch softballs to the game. Both managers confirm game details one week prior to the game date. Use the schedule program within the website to convey directions, GPS addresses, game dates and times.

There are new PONY rules in 2011, so read the rulebook! As in the past, we will also incorporate the Extra Hitter rule. You may choose to use an EH or not, but you must allow the other team to do so if they wish.

10u Modified Rules: Third Base is “Gated.” Runs can only be scored on hits, errors, or bases loaded scenarios where there is a Walk, HBP, catcher’s interference, etc. Runs cannot score on stolen bases, passed balls, delayed steals, or over-throws back to the pitcher.

Minimum # of Games to Participate in FCFSL Tournament: 10u = 7, 12u = 9, 14u = 6, 16u = 6. These games must be played against different teams.

Tournament Dates: The 14u and 16U tournaments are on the weekend of 7/28-31. The 10u and 12u tournaments are held during the weekend of 7/21-24.

All Teams: Pitchers & Corner Infielders (P, 1B, 3B) must wear facemasks. No exceptions.

Pitching Distance: High School pitching distance is 43 feet. As a result, the 16u and 14u teams will pitch from this distance.

PONY & Insurance: All participating FCFSL teams must be PONY registered and insured. No exceptions. Bring proof of both to every game and tournament. On your insurance, please list the Fairfield County Fastpitch Softball League as an “additional insured.” The address is 9 Cliffview Drive, Norwalk, CT 06850. The description is “The Fairfield County Fastpitch Softball League is an additional insured, but only with respect to liability arising out of operations of the named insured. All policy terms and conditions apply.”

1. Login with your ID for first time users (or email addresses for old pros) and password.

2. Click "calendar" in the left-hand menu.

3. Click "games."

4. Find and click on your age group (10u, 12u, 14u, 16u)

5. Once inside your age group site, make sure you see a red tab that says "FCFSL (e.g., 10u) 2011." Right underneath this tab, click "add game."

6. Here are the items you must enter after clicking "add game:" a) select home and away teams; b) game date; c) game time; d) game location; e) under display options at the bottom, make sure that all options are clicked "yes," including "display on home page;" f) at the very bottom of the page, click "add game" when you have entered all of the above info.

7. Repeat ad infinitum...