2009 Florida State Championships

[Volunteer Registration]

TOURNAMENT SPONSORS

15 S. Roscoe Blvd.

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL  32082

(904) 280-7522

On the Intracoastal Waterway

5 miles from Davis Park

We need your help...

Volunteers are the lifeblood of a successfully hosted softball tournament.  They are needed to staff:

• Gates for ticket sales
• Run the concession stand
• Keep the official scorebook
• Provide representation of protest committee and field maintenance
• Make sure umpires, coaches, players, and fans are all comfortable.  This is especially important during a summer event. 

As you can see, there are lots of jobs to be done.  This presentation is meant to illustrate the scope during the 2009 Florida State Championships.

This is a double-elimination softball tournament, to be held Wednesday, July 1st thru Sunday, July 5th.  That's five (5) days of games.  It is expected that 72 teams will participate in five (5) age-divisions.  This number won't be finalized until mid-June, but past experience indicates that these are numbers to be expected.

There are lots of games...

Here is a summary of teams by age-division and the number of games needed for a double-elimination tournament:

• 08U - 25 teams - 49 games
• 10U - 17 teams - 33 games
• 12U - 15 teams - 29 games
• 14U - 11 teams - 21 games
• 16U -   9 teams - 17 games

That adds up to 149 games.  It's been reported by Babe Ruth Softball that this number of games will be the largest Babe Ruth State tournament of all time.  So, we really need your help!

It's a five day event...

149 games... in five days.  However, it isn't really five full days of play.  The tournament kicks off Wednesday morning with the Managers Meeting.  The first games of the tournament will be played at 2:00 PM.  The Opening Ceremonies will be held Thursday evening, so no games will start after 4:00 PM.  Babe Ruth tournament rules dictate that no team may play more than three (3) games in one day, so only three games can be scheduled for the last day in each division.  Here is a summary of game days and times:

• WED - 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, and 8:00 PM (4 game/time slots)
• THU - 8:00 AM, 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, and 4:00 PM (5 game/time slots)
• FRI - 8:00 AM, 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, and 8:00 PM (7 game/time slots)
• SAT - 8:00 AM, 10:00, 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, and 8:00 PM (7 game/time slots)
• SUN - 9:00 AM, 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00 PM (4 game slots)

That's 27 game slots on 6 fields... Whew, that's a lot of games...

We're using three venues...

The plan is to play all 149 games at Davis Park.  The 8U games will be held at the Baseball Complex, and all other divisions at the Softball Complex.  However, if there are weather problems, we may need to use the two fields at Ponte Vedra High School, which is adjacent to Davis Park.  If that occurs, we'll need to staff those fields as well.

Here is a break down of those fields:

• Davis Park Softball Complex - 4 fields
• Davis Park Baseball Complex - 2 fields
• Ponte Vedra High School - 2 fields

Each of the three complexes will require staff to man the gate for ticket sales 90 minutes before the first game until 30 minutes after the start of the last game at each complex.  Each game will require scorekeepers and protest committee representatives.  The Softball Complex concession stand will require five (5) volunteers 90 minutes before the first Softball Complex games thru the completion of play of all games.  If the fields at PVHS are used, the concession stand there will need to be staffed.  The Baseball Concessionaire will be providing concessions for the 8U games at the Baseball Complex.

After all jobs and times have been added up, it has been determined that 400 volunteer shifts need to be filled during the five day event.  Depending upon the job, a shift is anywhere between two (2) to four (4) hours long.  The Volunteer Registration form will give you the opportunity to identify the days and times you are able to help, which will greatly assist volunteer coordination.

So, if you'd like to volunteer...

Please take a few moments to fill out our Volunteer Registration form.  Your contact information is needed to keep you abreast of all events leading up to and including the tournament.  Also, volunteers will be receive either a t-shirt or polo shirt, so we'll need to know your size.

2009-05-11-0010 - 7