State Softball Tournament – Everything You Need to Know

Join us as nearly 200 Special Olympics athletes and Unified Sports® partners go for gold in Unified Sports® slow pitch and individual skills competition on September 28, 2019. All the information you need for the State Softball Tournament can be found below:

GENERAL INFORMATION

Sports Rules

Please take a moment to review the Rules to have a better understanding of the sport.

Information for Local Programs

The State Softball Tournament will offer competition in Unified Slow Pitch and Individual Skills.  The Unified Slow Pitch competition will consist of a round-robin assessment followed by a medal round tournament.  The Individual Skills competition will consist of performance measures in fielding, throwing, batting, and base running.

To register for the State Softball Games, you will use Agon. Please make sure you are familiar with the timeline below.

Contact

If you need help or have any questions about registration, which includes compliance and the registration process through Agon including intent to participate, registration and scratch, please contact Kelsey Sullivan at KelseyS@sonh.org or by phone at (603) 624-1250 x31.

If you have questions about the season or event, which includes preseason conference call, coaches conference call, final information and day of questions, please contact Brandon Metevier at BrandonM@sonh.org or by phone at (603) 624-1250 x43.

EVENT INFORMATION

General Schedule

• 8:00am: Local Program Check-In
•  8:30am: Assessment Games
• 10:15am: Assessment Games conclude
• 10:30am: Medal Round begin
• 10:45am – 2pm: Lunch (ongoing, play does not stop)  
• 11:30am: Individual Skills Check-in
• 12:00pm: Individual Skills Competition
•  4:00pm: Conclusion of Tournament (approximate time)

General Event Information

• Lunch will be provided.
• Divisions for the Medal Round may be altered following the assessment games.
• Training is an important part of athlete growth in both skill development and overall physical fitness. Special Olympics New Hampshire expects teams to train twice a week for 10 weeks prior to the State Tournament, with one practice focusing on sport specific training and one practice focusing on fitness (cross-training, etc.) to allow for optimal performance and readiness at the State Tournament.
• If the event is canceled, it will not be rescheduled.  Head coaches will be notified via phone or email by 6am on the day of the event.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Pre-Season Call

Wednesday, June 26^th, 2019 at 7:30 pm
To access the call please dial (712) 775-7031 and at the prompt please dial 363090#

We will discuss:

• The season
• Events that will take place
• Rules
• High-level overview of the event

Intent to participate

Friday, November 30^th, 2018 to Thursday, August 15^th

• During the Intent to Participate phase of registration, users must enter all athletes with their sport(s) and LPVs with their role and sport in Agon.
• No athlete or LPV may be added to the Tournament after intent closes and registration opens.
• All athletes, Unified partners and LPVs must be compliant by the end of intent.
• Local Programs shall provide for adequate supervision and coaching for all athletes.  For competition activities, a minimum ratio of four athletes-to-one LPV and/or coach (4:1 athlete-to-LPV/Coach ratio) is expected.  Please note, for Unified Events, (i.e. basketball/softball, etc. partners do not count toward this ratio, volunteer should be a non-playing LPV).

First Practice

Saturday, July 20^th

•  Training is an important part of athlete growth in both skill development and overall physical fitness. Special Olympics New Hampshire expects teams to train twice a week for 10 weeks prior to the State Tournament.

Registration

Friday, August 16^th to Thursday, August 29^th

During the Registration phase, users may update teams and enter meals information in Agon.

• Athletes & Partners may compete on one team only.
• If you have more than one team registered, please record how many meals each of your teams will need separately in the notes.
• Meals information may not be updated after registration closes.
• Athletes may compete in one event.
• Each Local Program must have at least one head coach for each team registered for the Tournament.

Scratch

Friday, August 30^st to Thursday, September 12^th

• During the Scratch phase of registration, users may remove athletes, LPVs, and/or their events in Agon.
• Local Programs will not be assessed for their participation in the Tournament.

Coaches’ Conference Call

Wednesday, September 18^th

Coaches’ conference call will take place from 7-8pm. Please join this conference call to discuss plans for the softball tournament. To access the call, please dial 712-775-7031 and at the prompt dial 363090#.

On the call, we will discuss:

•  Final Schedule
• Lunch menu
• Assessment process
• Between game activities
• Bad weather
• Award process

Final Information

Monday, September 23^rd  

• Final schedule and event information will be emailed to Local Program Coordinators and registered head coaches.