Softball Development Conference Call Minutes

[Meely Yim]

Softball Development Conference Call Notes

Sunday May 12, 2012

1. Welcome Overview
Community Representatives: Brampton, Brockville, Burlington, Durham
West, Milton, Newmarket, Renfrew, Region 6, Welland

2. Sport Development
Topic: Addressing athlete or multiple teams in programs with limited
coach resources
- Coaches do one on one drills, if they have the coach resources.
- Group athletes with the same ability levels.

Program Capacity: Ratio 5:1(Athlete:Coach)
- Newmarket - 28 players; waiting list of 15;
- Club 2 - 40 players; 2 diamonds
- Brockville - 22 players; waiting list of 5-6
- Club 4 - 50 athletes; 4 diamonds

Discussion, Ideas & Issues:
- Accepting athletes that come out of the school system (10-16). This
has been addressed to the appropriate Community Council.
- Coach education for volunteers who are not softball savvy.
Discussion: Need to build program.
- Comment: Coaching courses that need to fulfill the needs of a
Special Olympics Athletes.
Special Olympics NCCP Coaching Course - We are reviewing to make some
improvements.

3. Sport Technical
Rules - The Special Olympics Ontario 2008 Softball Rules were
discontinued in 2009. We are using The Special Olympics Canada rules
which are the official rules of Softball. To purchase the Softball
Rulebook please visit Softball Ontario at www.softballontario.ca The
official rules of softball in Canada for fast pitch, slo-pitch and
orthodox for 2011 and 2012 softball season. Also includes Softball
Canada’s By-Laws and Operating Rules.
Major Rule Change - Mats are no longer used in a competition unless
permission is granted from the Special Olympics Ontario Competition
Developer(Juli Prokopchuk-Brattan ju...@specialolympicsontario.com
1-888-333-5515/416-447-8326 ext 245) and the Sport and Coach
Education Developer (Dia Sue-Wah-Sing di...@specialolympicsontario.com
1-888-333-5515/416-447-8326 ext 234).

Discussion, Ideas & Concerns:
Competition Coach packages - Competition Coach Packages will released
this coming week.
Competition/Tournaments still using mats and the concerns - The back
catcher who is capable of catching have never used the strike
zone.Change in trajectory of the ball through the strike zone.
Classification - Special Olympics Ontario is moving away from alpha
letters of abilities(A,B,C,D) and encouraging competition host to use
skill assessment forms to pre-divisioning teams into a appropriate
ability classification. Pre-assessment sheets will be posted soon.
The application of our divisioning process to ensure a positive
competition experience. This warrants further discussion. Those
interested in being part of this discussion to contact Dia Sue-Wah-
Sing at di...@specialolympicsontario.com

Q: Why are Competitions not enforcing the no mat rule? Should I refuse
to play if I attend a competition that is using mats?
A: As some Competition Hosts may have requested the use of the mat,
Regional Competition Management Teams(RCMT) have gone through training
to address inconsistencies, such as the no mat rule applicatin at
competitions.

Q: Why was the rule not communicated regarding the mats?
A: Special Olympics Ontario sent a memo to all Softball Head Coaches
in 2009 and 2010 to enforce the rule change.

Discussion:
At the Provincial Qualifier skill assessment will be used to pre-
division. An evaluation has to be done before the competition. We
are asking Coaches, before PQ’s/Competition to submit their Athletes
assessment to Competition Organizers. With the possibility of getting
re-divisioned.

Other Questions/Concerns
Q: Can any level go to Ontario Games?
A: Yes, every level has an opportunity to competition except T-Ball
which is based on your point total in your qualifier.

4. Coach Education
Discussion, Ideas & Concerns:
Sport Specific Certification - There are two courses available for
sport specific certification on the Softball Ontario website. Please
visit http://www.softballontario.ca/content/view/517/215/ to view the
details of the courses.

Special Olympics Online Courses - Special Olympics Canada through
partnership with Jolera Inc and Learning 4 Excellence has developed an
Online Coaching Course. Courses will be broken into two sections; the
first being an online component that takes coaches through 3 modules
and then an in-class session where coaches will demonstrate competency-
based learning in a gym setting. It is estimated that the online
portion of the course will take approximately 2-4 hours. Once coaches
have completed the online modules and the 4-hour in-class session they
will be entered into the CAC database as “Special Olympics - Community/
Competition - Trained” For up to date course listings and details
please visit http://events.specialolympicsontario.com/index.php/registration/coaching-courses

Compeition/Provincial Qualifiers - For a full listing of competition
and Provincial Qualifier Dates please visit our events calendar at
http://events.specialolympicsontario.com You will be able to your
sport by typing in your sport in the search menu.