Registration is open!

Please review our softball plans below, before registering. Please do register ASAP so we can get a good headcount.

T-ball:

We will bring you a safe and fun program. It is a difficult age to set boundaries, but by reducing the size of the teams we can control the environment and follow the necessary precautions.

Weekly games and practices will be held. Below are the details:

Small teams (5-6 players). We will run back to back 30-45 minute practices for the expected 2 teams (with a gap in between time slots for social distancing)
Players must have their own equipment - we can loan out equipment for the season that will be the responsibility of the family to bring to/from games and practices, and return at the end of the season
No catchers will be utilized this fall
Players must have their own water for practices and games - no after game snacks provided to team. All personal equipment, including water bottles, should be clearly marked with the kid’s first and last names
With small teams we can limit exposure to the players to two coaches at practice. If additional help is needed then parents would work with their child only at practice - masks required for adults at practice when within 10 feet of the players
At games, players would sit with their families at least 10 feet apart from the next family. On deck batter can be on the bench, 10 feet distance to be maintained, to help speed up the games
Adhere to CYA guidance as posted on the website
Temperature checks before practice; gauge, wipes and hand sanitizer will be provided by CYA in our new “safety bucket”. Request each team have a couple of parents manage this process – the coach should not have to do everything but is the designated CYA representative
Masks required to and from the field, and for adults in the dugouts. No kids should be in the dugout except the on-deck batter during games
Social distancing – coaches must wear masks when within 10 feet of anyone, players to stay at least 10 feet apart at all times except where during games it can’t be avoided. Player bags should be hung on the fences (or on the ground by their chairs) no less than 10 feet apart
Practices - stations will be utilized. Groups of players will be kept together as they move through the stations, and where practicable the bucket of balls will follow them, players to remain no less than 10 feet apart during drills
Bats – we will supply multiple bats for teams so they can be wiped down in between at bats and mitigate sharing where possible. We encourage players to bring their own bats
Balls – will be disinfected after every practice

8U:

Same as 10U and older, but we will not utilize catchers.

10U and older:

We will form teams and play CYA vs. CYA games.

Practices:

Adhere to CYA guidance as posted on the website
Temperature checks before practice; gauge, wipes and hand sanitizer will be provided by CYA in our new “safety bucket”. Request each team have a couple of parents manage this process – the coach should not have to do everything but is the designated CYA representative
Masks required to and from the field, and whenever players will be within 10 feet of each other. We will avoid using dugouts during practice. These will not be provided by CYA
Social distancing – coaches must wear masks when within 10 feet of anyone, players to stay at least 10 feet apart at all times. Player bags should be hung on the fences (or on the ground by their chairs) no less than 10 feet apart
Stations will be utilized. Groups of players will be kept together as they move through the stations, and where practicable the bucket of balls will follow them, players to remain no less than 10 feet apart during drills
Bats – we will supply multiple bats for teams so they can be wiped down in between at bats and mitigate sharing where possible. We encourage players to bring their own bats
Catchers gear – limit # of kids who catch at an event to 2. Recommend not rotating catchers this fall season beyond two players
Balls – will be disinfected after every practice. Coaches will set aside a few balls at the beginning of practice for pitchers to use for practice

Games:

Adhere to CYA guidance as posted on the website
Restrict to CYA vs CYA to minimize risks. We will revisit for 12U and above later in the season if Virginia’s COVID numbers improve but would have “opt out” opportunity for the players
Temperature checks (see above under Practice)
Normal game rules
Social Distancing – players will sit 10 feet apart behind the fences down the foul lines, or as the coach decides based on the field layout with player safety being paramount. Dugouts will only be used by the “on deck” and “in the hole” batters who must remain 10 feet from each other. Where players can’t maintain 10 foot distance, they must wear a mask. Coaches who are within 10 feet of players must wear a mask and always in the dugout. Spectators will need to be 10 feet from each other and the players. Members of the same family can sit together but must remain 10 feet from everyone else
Masks - required for adults when in dugout or within 10 feet of players. Everyone should wear a mask to/from the field and keep socially distanced. These will not be provided by CYA
No sharing of equipment unless it is disinfected for at least 5 minutes, however it is recommended to not share any equipment. Please ask your coach about borrowing a helmet for the season if your kid doesn’t have their own
Bats – we will supply multiple bats for teams so they can be wiped down in between at bats and mitigate sharing where possible. We encourage players to bring their own bats
Catchers gear – limit # of kids who catch at an event to 2. We have two sets of equipment and will wipe down if a third catcher needs to use it for an emergency substitution. Games will be stopped if a catcher needs to be replaced due to injury or heat fatigue to allow for a safe transition – either put in the other equipped catcher, or disinfect the equipment for a third catcher. It takes 5 minutes to properly disinfect equipment
Game balls – will be rotated every inning and be disinfected before being rotated back into the game

We will do the following to keep our athletes safe:

CYA requires parents to read and follow the Return to Play Guidelines. Please share with your kids as well
Parents – if your daughter is sick or not feeling well, keep her home
Temperature taking – players and coaches to be checked before every practice/game
No sharing of equipment unless it is disinfected for 5 minutes. It is best to not share any equipment
Bats – We encourage players to bring their own bats as that is the safest. We will supply multiple bats for teams so they can be wiped down in between at bats and mitigate sharing where possible

Fall 2020

CYA Softball Update:

Safety is our number one priority. As you can imagine, the Corona virus has caused us to take a pause and do some serious, in depth analysis and planning to see how we can provide a safe program for the kids
We have reviewed the guidlines issues by the CDC, Virginia Governor and some Softball Associations. We are able to extract some best practices from those sources.
We are committed to bringing you a fall softball season, but it will be modified to mitigate risks with player safety as the highest priority.
National (NCAA), State and Local organizations have declared diamond sports as the least risky of our sports.
CYA softball program details were email out to the registrants of the past few seasons.

Informational Links:

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/youth-sports.html

Virginia Safer at Home Phase Three: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/Forward-Virginia-Phase-Three-Guidelines.pdf

NCAA Information: http://www.ncaa.org/sport-science-institute/resocialization-collegiate-sport-developing-standards-practice-and-competition

USSSA (softball association): https://usssa.com/docs/2020/Covid19-ReturnToPlay-v2.pdf