Moose Jaw and District Minor Girls Fastball are one of those groups, announcing Wednesday that a registration deadline of April 15 had been set, with the goal of putting the organization in the best position possible should the season suddenly begin.
“What we for sure know is that last word from Softball Saskatchewan was no sanctioned events, practice or anything, until May 1 at the earliest and until we hear some more after April 15,” said MJMGF president Craig Hemingway .”I’m not terribly optimistic given everything that has gone on and we need to continue to operate as if there will be some softball and that is our hope and you never know, right? So we need to prepare for that to happen.”
The idea is that if by some miracle the crisis were to suddenly abate, minor girls fastball would be able to quickly put together teams, assign coaches and draw up a schedule with a minimum of difficulty.
Whether or not a full season would be played would be determined by the calendar and when the bans and restrictions are lifted.
“We’ve had rough discussions, but so much depends on Softball Saskatchewan,” Hemingway said. “A typical end of the season would be mid-June, the playoffs go until early and mid-July at the latest, and then there are provincials as well.
“What we don’t know is what the timeline will be. What if we can’t start until June, is there the willingness to go farther into summer? There’s a sense out there that more people will be around and fewer leaving on summer holidays given what has transpired. We just have to wait for Softball Sask and what they’re going to sanction, so it’s hard to plan definitively.”
The organization has also lifted the requirement for all head coaches in their leagues to have at least Level 1 certification, a move made out of necessity given how it’s now impossible for new coaches to be certified before any start date.
“With COVID-19, all the clinics themselves were cancelled so we weren’t even sure if there would be a process to get coaches certified this year,” Hemingway said. “It’s not a requirement of Softball Saskatchewan to have your Level 1, that’s something Moose Jaw minor girls fastball made a requirement a few years ago. We want to ensure that coaches have some background and have the opportunity for the best development for our players, so that’s why that was instituted.
“But understanding the circumstances, if it was going to make it easier, we felt it would be a good move for this year.”
For more information and to register, be sure to visit www.mjfastball.ca.
