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Traveling Program Information

Teams & Coach Contacts

Directions to Woodbury Traveling Fields

Traveling Practice & Game Field Schedule

Winter Clinic
Pitching Clinic
Batting Cages

Tryouts, Team & Coach Selection

Traveling Refund Policy

Volunteer Opportunities

Read About Traveling Teams Achievements In:
2002
2001
2000

  Teams & Coach Contacts

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  Directions to Woodbury Traveling Fields

Bailey Elementary School 3 & 4 - 4125 Woodlane Drive

Take I-494 to Woodbury.  Exit at Lake Road.  Turn right onto Lake Road (right is correct from either northbound or southbound I-494).
Follow Lake Road 1 mile to the traffic light for Woodlane Drive.  Turn right.
Follow Woodland Drive 1 mile to the stop sign for Bailey Road.  
Bailey Elementary School is on the south-east corner of Woodlane Drive and Bailey Road.
Games are generally on fields 3 or 4 on south side of school.

Ojibway Park 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 - 2695 Ojibway Park Drive

Take I-494 to Woodbury.  Exit at Lake Road.  Turn right onto Lake Road (right is correct from either northbound or southbound I-494).
Turn left at the traffic light for Courtly Road 2/10 mile after the northbound I-494 exit.
Follow Courtly Road 8/10 mile.  Turn right onto Ojibway Drive.
Ojibway Drive is the first right after the first stop sign.  
Follow Ojibway Drive into Ojibway Park.
Games are generally on fields 1, 2 or 3.

Bielenberg Sports Center 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8 - 4125 Tower Drive

Take I-494 to Woodbury.  Exit at Lake Road.  Turn right onto Lake Road (right is correct from either northbound or southbound I-494).
Follow Lake Road 1 mile to the traffic light for Woodlane Drive.  Turn right.
Follow Woodland Drive 1 mile to the stop sign for Bailey Road.  Turn left.  
Follow Bailey Road 1 mile to the stop sign for Tower Drive.  
Bielenberg Sports Center is on the south-east corner of Bailey Road and Tower Drive.
Park on the east end of the complex.
Games are generally on fields 7 or 8 which are along the Bailey Road side of the complex.

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  Winter Clinic

General Clinic

The 2005 winter clinic will be held on Monday evenings in the Bielenberg fieldhouse from February 7th through March 14th.

Schedule:

5:45 - 7:05 PM - 8th grade and over
7:10 - 8:30 PM - 7th grade and under

Advance registrations will be taken at along with regular summer registrations and walk-in registrations will be taken the first two evenings of the clinic.

Pitching Clinic

2005 Pitching clinic information sheet and registration form HERE.

Batting Cages

The batting cages at Bielenberg are available for use by those who want to get in some extra off season BP for their girls.  WAA Softball may use the cages when it does not conflict with events scheduled in the dome.  There is no charge for WAA members.  

Call the Bielenberg office (651-458-3301) to schedule batting cage time.

Please put away all equipment when you are finished.

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  Tryouts, Team & Coach Selection

Tryout Schedule

The 2005 tryouts will be held April 2nd & 3rd at the Bielenberg Dome.

Age:	10U	12U	14U	16U
Pre-Tryout Practice:	3/28& 4/1 5:30-6:50	3/28& 4/1 5:30-6:50	3/28& 4/1 6:50-8:10	3/28& 4/1 8:10-9:30
General Tryouts: Players must  attend both days	4/2 8:40 AM 4/3 3:00 PM	4/2 11:20 AM 4/3 1:20 PM	4/2 10:00 AM 4/3 Noon	4/2 1:30 PM 4/3 10:40 AM
Pitcher Tryouts:	4/3 Noon	4/3 Noon	4/3 2:00 PM	4/3 2:00 PM
Catcher Tryouts:	4/3 12:40 AM	4/3 12:40 AM	4/3 1:20 PM	4/3 1:20 PM
Warm-ups:  1/2 hour before General Tryouts.

Read about the tryout scoring process.

AGE RULE

Woodbury forms teams by USA-ASA age rule.
The USA-ASA age brackets for the 2005 season are:

10U: Girls born in 1994 and 1995.
12U: Girls born in 1992 and 1993.
14U: Girls born in 1990 and 1991.
16U: Girls born in 1988 and 1989.
18U: Girls born in 1986 and 1987.

Players may tryout for an age bracket older than their birth year if they choose.
Players are cautioned that it may be a harder making an A team in an older age bracket.

TEAM FORMATION

10U teams will be formed on a balanced basis.

12U, 14U, 16U & 18U teams will be formed A/B.

In order to form the most competitive team possible, Woodbury will form the top A team from the pool of all players trying out within an age bracket regardless of school grade.  Depending on enrollment numbers, multiple balanced B teams or B and C teams will be formed.

“A” TEAMS

1. The top pitcher and catcher from Pitcher/Catcher Tryout are placed on the team.  If only one pitcher or catcher tries out, this step is skipped.
2. The highest scoring 5 players from the General Tryout are placed on the team.
3. The head coach selects the final 5 players for the team.

BALANCED TEAMS

1. Pitchers and catchers are distributed among the teams according to their Pitcher/Catcher Tryout scores. The 1st pitcher is paired with the 2nd catcher and the 2nd pitcher is paired with the 1st catcher and so forth.
2. The head coaches alternately pick players working down a list of players organized from highest to lowest General Tryout score.

The WAA reserves the right to not place players on an A team who have too many conflicts with the team schedule.

Players may request to play down to a lower team. Though this practice does dilute a higher team, it provides much desired individual choice. To avoid mistakes, at tryouts players will be asked to write out their reason for the request (ie. Playing time at a favorite position). It can’t be guaranteed that all requests can be satisfied.

TRYOUT PROCESS

WAA Softball selects players for traveling teams based on tryouts.  Tryouts are waived if enrollment at a particular level is less than or equal to the number of players needed for a team.  From time to time WAA Softball will accept special purpose teams such as a tournament-only team.  Such teams must be open to enrollment of any WAA member and must hold tryouts if any players are to be cut.

Within the limits of a volunteer organization, WAA Softball strives to make the tryout process as impartial as possible.  Every year the process is evaluated and improved.  Time permitting, each softball skill is tested four times, twice each day. Two judges grade each skill test.  Scores are tabulated and cross checked by two separate individuals.  Volunteer judges may not judge the level they have a player in.  Tryout helpers should not help in the age level they have a player in.  Due to lack of volunteers, this is not always possible.  Regardless, tryout helpers may not make adjustments to the tryout tests.  Only tryout judges may authorize adjustments.

WAA Softball’s goal is to recruit umpires to judge the pitcher and catcher tryouts. If umpires are unavailable, experienced pitching coaches from another age group within the organization are substituted.

View the tryout scoring process.

TRYOUT ATTENDANCE

Players are required to attend the full tryout process.  Illness, injury or extraordinary personal circumstances may cause players to request an exemption from tryouts.  Requests must be made prior to the start of tryouts unless an illness or injury occurs during tryouts.  Sick or injured players are required to submit a doctor's written statement within 48 hours after tryouts end.

The WAA Softball Board will review the request for exemption and decide the appropriate course of action based upon the best interest of the program.

RESIDENCY

WAA Softball is governed by the rules and regulations of the Minnesota Sports Federation, the Tri-County League, the City of Woodbury, and the Woodbury Athletic Association.  As a result, WAA Softball only accepts waived non-resident traveling players when there are not enough resident players available to fill out a team.  A resident player is defined to be one who lives or attends school in Woodbury.

TRAVELING COACH SELECTION

When more that one candidate volunteers to coach a team, the head coach is selected via an interview process.  Information assessed in the interview includes:

• Making the time commit necessary to coaching a team?
• Reasons for wanting to coach a traveling team?
• Playing and/or coaching experience?
• Non-sports management experience?
• Experience working with children?
• If not selected, how will they support the "Head Coach?"
• Position on winning?
• How they will develop, motivate, and when necessary discipline players?
• Views on: playing time? practice attendance? good sportsmanship? the opponent? officials?
• Dealing with pressures from parents?

SUSPEND OR MODIFY?

The WAA Softball Board reserves the right to suspend or modify policies when extenuating circumstances cause the Board to deem it to be in the best interest of the players or the program.

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