Upcoming tourney, new TD just curious of any ins & outs....

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We are having our 1st ever tourney for our youth league here in southern Ohio.
So far we have seven 10U, four 12U & five 14U teams entered.
I have umpired tourneys for several years, co-president of our youth league, hs umpire, ect....But have never been a TD, confident that we will have a really nice tourney. Was just curious of any small ins & outs that maybe need to be aware of as a TD.

Thanks!

 

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1-People love double elimination as opposed to single-but single elimination is easier and cheaper.
2-Plan for rain and have back-up schedule ready
3-1 call system helps if it rains
4-Web updates helps,communication is key!
5-Have signs to remind people to return foul balls and that they are not souveniers-cost effective
6-I like worth Drean Seam balls-cheap balls with no pop will draw negative comments
7-Don't use baseball pitching rubbers
8-Erase "drop dead and revert back" from vocabulary
9-If a non-qualifier,many like roster batting even in elimination
10-Don't take the max teams-nice to have room to play with if it rains
11-Don't make teams play 1st and last game,keep thier games close without huge breaks
12-Add extra 30 minutes around 2:00 if playing all day so to keep up on time.15-20 minutes between games works
13-Pool play can end in a tie to keep up on time
14-Have field dry on hand
15-Every hour of rain may need 1 hour to dry before working fields
16-Lining field between games is nice
17-Have a plan and state it if rain occurs and Championship games don't get played
18-If porta potties,have them serviced before sunday
19-Dump trash every night,clean out dugouts frequently
20-For future scheduling-it will rain July 4th weekend!If playing that weekend,plan for rain,tornado,outfield fences blown over,porta potties blown over and power outages!

 

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Rrrrruuuuunnnnnn

 

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18-If porta potties,have them serviced before sunday
-may I might add have somebody restock them several times a day with TP and hand sanitizer.
-Don't charge $16.00 for ice.
-Walking Tacos is always a good choice in the concession stand.
-The girls like MVP ribbons for pool play games. Like to see that they are noticed.

 

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I would ask StingraysSBT for the advice as he runs Bar None the best tournament in the State of Ohio.

 

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The single most important thing...........Communication.

Make sure all teams are aware of the rules, the schedule, and any changes. Then be available and approachable.

After this, then everything else will fall into line.

Best wishes for your success.

 

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Great & very helpfull info.
Very very much appreciated!

 

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I agree with all these tips!

My personal faves are:

"Drop dead and revert back" absolutely stinks. Love the xMinutes + finish the inning + one more inning format. I think last week's tournament for us was 60 minutes + + in pool play and 75 + + in bracket play.

Clean the portalets!

MVP ribbons.

1 call for rain events that even the parents can sign up for....

......... and ideally have recycle trash for plastic and glass as well as regular trash.