USSSA Tournaments

[FrozenRope]

Have to share this less than desirable experience....

We have a new USSSA sanctioned team.... we are PAE. We registered for a Jan 25th indoor tournament in mid December. The max field was listed at 8. We sent our check in last week, after talking with the local office admin and all seemed OK. I just recently received notification that my team is on the waiting list as the 5th team in what is now a reduced field of 4 tems in the tourney. We were the 1st to register online, but apparently the 5th check to be processed, so we're told we are out. They claim to have sent Multiple, and Several notifications out regarding payment and availability, but I received nothing, and they are unable to reproduce the e-mails, as they claim they are "System Generated". How would you handle it, knowing your team is going to be devastated when you tell them? Climb the Ladder of authority above and beyond the regional director? Just for reference, I exchanged a few e-mails with the local director, and he seems to be unbothered by what I consider to be wrong-doing.

Sorry...need to vent.

 

[cuzmail]

FR - that sucks !

However, is that a USSSA problem or the local tournament host problem?

I ask because we will probably play USSSA here in Texas and go to Orlando this year. I am curious if it is a sanctioning body issue or just some local wad causing this issue.

 

[YOCOACH]

FR...that sucks but it seems to me that there is little you can do other than completely pull out and/or complain to the regional director of USSSA.

 

[JAD]

I would send an email to the tournament director and copy the regional and national directors of USSSA. This sounds like the local tournament director screwed up, but bringing it to the attention of their boss, and their bosses boss might get their attention.

 

[newsoftballdad]

If this is your first experience with Jeff Kittles and USSSA PAE, I hate to say it but get used to it. What he does is throw tournaments out there for almost every weekend. If they sell out that is great, if they don't and only get 3 or 4 teams he will cancel the tournament. Usually giving teams little alternative. What age group are you?

 

[FrozenRope]

FR - that sucks !

However, is that a USSSA problem or the local tournament host problem?

I ask because we will probably play USSSA here in Texas and go to Orlando this year. I am curious if it is a sanctioning body issue or just some local wad causing this issue.

I don't know much about USSSA's policies on making changes mid-stream. I almost sense this is a Business Decision to drop the number of teams. In that instance, they may have policies in place, or maybe it's just the State director's decision. The facility where the tournament will be held has 2 indoor fields, and I'm sure that they pay a certain amount to rent each field for the day. With 4 teams, they only need 1 field, with 5 they would need the second field, and would only benefit by one additional registration fee. The fact that this tournament is still live for registration leads me to believe that if a 6th team were to come along and register late...they would expand the field and include us. I just think this is a lousy way to run a tournament. There is no mention anywhere of a "Due Date" for payment, other than "Must be received Prior to the Event".

I decided to send an e-mail to the VP of Fastpitch for USSSA. If nothing else, I would just like a better explanation, or god forbid...an apology for the change, other than the "We got your check last and changed the number of teams" response.

 

[newsoftballdad]

I decided to send an e-mail to the VP of Fastpitch for USSSA. If nothing else, I would just like a better explanation, or god forbid...an apology for the change, other than the "We got your check last and changed the number of teams" response.

That is exactly how they do it. Last check in gets bumped.

 

[FrozenRope]

If this is your first experience with Jeff Kittles and USSSA PAE, I hate to say it but get used to it. What he does is throw tournaments out there for almost every weekend. If they sell out that is great, if they don't and only get 3 or 4 teams he will cancel the tournament. Usually giving teams little alternative. What age group are you?

Yeah. That's the guy. What a lousy way to run an organization. I guess since we are the ONLY team registered for a tournament on Feb 1 that it's highly likely that this will be cancelled since it's only 3 weeks away. How the heck does he expect teams to be organized? We put our schedule out there for our parents in December, so they could plan accordingly. Now, it's highly likely that we're not going to play in EITHER of the first 2 tournaments we have scheduled.

Oh...and we are 12U.

 

[marriard]

USSSA is generally excellent in South F - but then they are the dominant org here for tournaments. Everything varies massively with all sanctioning bodies from area to area and having traveled around it mostly comes down to who is locally running things

 

[Coach JV]

USSSA often leaves the specifics up to the host and TD. You have to 'roll with the punches'
at the younger ages where USSSA is by far the most popular sanctioning body. Once you
start playing 14U and older, you will find the best tournaments and competition on the ASA circuit.