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Dawson County Parks & Recreation Adult Softball Team Registration Team Name: Primary Contact Name: Home Phone: Cell Phone: Work Phone: Email: Address: Secondary Contact Name: Home Phone: Cell Phone: Work Phone: Email: Address: Any activity cancelled by DCPR will be refunded in full or credit given towards another available sport, activity, event or facility rental. Classes, Camps, and other Activities – Refunds for classes, camps, and other activities require a written request be made 2 full business days prior to the start date of the activity in order to receive a refund. A $10 administrative fee will be assessed on the refunded amount. Eligible refunds may be granted in the form of a credit for future classes, facility rentals and/or registration fees. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE TO THIS REFUND POLICY! REFUND REQUEST FORMS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR OFFICE OR BY EMAILING [EMAIL REDACTED]. I hereby acknowledge that I am familiar with all risks and hazards incidental to participation, and I further hereby assume all risks and hazards incidental to such participation including, but not limited, transportation to and from the activities. In exchange for the valuable consideration participating in such activity, I hereby release, absolve, and agree to hold harmless Dawson County, the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Board, sponsors, supervisors, coaches, participants, persons transporting the participant, and all other persons and legal entities acting on behalf of Dawson County and the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Board in connection with such activity from any act of negligence associated with the activity except and to the extent and the amount covered by accident or liability insurance. I hereby agree to furnish a legal birth certificate for the participants if requested. By signing below, I understand that payment is due at time of registration unless other arrangements have been made and approved through management. I also acknowledge that I have received a copy of, and read and understand, the Dawson County Parks & Recreation rules, Zero Tolerance Policy, and Refund Policy. Registration Fee: $ Total Amount Paid: $ Paid in full □ Roster □ Cash Receipt Check Credit/Debit Auth. Employee Name (please print): Employee Signature: Date: Signature: Office Use ONLY Season & Year: League: ---PAGE BREAK--- Adult Softball Roster Team Name: Season/Year/League: Player Name Address 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Signature Date All players must complete the information below, in full, in order to be eligible to participate in the Adult Softball league offered thru Dawson County Parks & Recreation. By signing this roster, I agree to the terms and conditions of the Dawson County Parks & Recreation Department’s Hold Harmless Waiver, stated below: I hereby acknowledge that I am familiar with all risks and hazards incidental to participation, and I further hereby assume all risks and hazards incidental to such participation including, but not limited, transportation to and from the activities. In exchange for the valuable consideration participating in such activity, I hereby release, absolve, and agree to hold harmless Dawson County, the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Board, sponsors, supervisors, coaches, participants, persons transporting the participant, and all other persons and legal entities acting on behalf of Dawson County and the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Board in connection with such activity from any act of negligence associated with the activity except and to the extent and the amount covered by accident or liability insurance. I hereby agree to furnish a legal birth certificate for the participants if requested. I understand that payment is due at time of registration unless other arrangements have been made and approved through management. I also acknowledge that I have received a copy of, and read and understand, the Dawson County Parks & Recreation rules, Zero Tolerance Policy, and Refund Policy. ---PAGE BREAK--- REVISED 2/7/23 Dawson County Parks & Recreation Zero Tolerance & Conduct Policy ~By Resolution of the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Board we hereby adopt the following policies, effective February 6th, 2023~ Georgia Recreation and Parks Association Sportsmanship and Conduct Policy: Positive cheering by players, coaches and spectators is encouraged. Any negative cheering/yelling may result in a warning or removal from the site, whether it is for or against your team. In addition, negative comments to or about officials/referees may also result in a warning or ejection. Any coach or spectator ejected from a park event will receive a 2-game suspension and a $100.00 fine. This penalty must be served before returning to a park sponsored event. Players ejected will receive a 1 game suspension. With exception of adult sports, who will serve a 2-game suspension and pay a $100.00 fine. Dawson County Parks and Recreation ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY: ~This policy is implemented for the purpose of upholding a safe, healthy and enjoyable recreation environment for all the citizens of Dawson County, our visitors and most of all, our youth. ~ Coaches, parents or any spectator ejected from a park sponsored event will be placed on probation for one year and receive a 2-game suspension and a $100.00 fine. Depending on the severity of the ejection, coaches, parents or spectators may be banned from participating in park activities for a period of time to be determined by the recreation board of Dawson County. Players ejected from a park sponsored event will receive a 1 game suspension. Depending on the severity of the ejection, players may be banned from participating in park activities for a period of time to be determined by the recreation board of Dawson County. Anyone guilty of making gestures, using profanity or threats towards players, coaches, spectators, officials, staff or any visitor will receive a 2-game suspension and a $100.00 fine. Players at fault will receive a 1 game suspension. Anyone guilty of fighting, pushing, striking or other negative physical contact, while on park property, will be ejected from the premises. Physical altercations will result in a suspension for the remainder of the season as well as a $100.00 fine. In addition, depending on the severity of the incident, persons involved may receive additional suspensions, probation, fines and penalties upon review by the recreation board. Any behavior by a coach, spectator or visitor which serves to incite others to become disorderly will constitute a 2-game suspension and a $100.00 fine. Players at fault will receive a 1 game suspension. Absolutely no use of drugs or alcohol will be tolerated while on park property. Use of tobacco products is restricted to designated smoking areas and will not be allowed in dugouts, playing areas or bleachers. Violations of the above policy will be handled in accordance with penalties set forth. However, Dawson County Parks and Recreation and the Dawson County Recreation Board reserve the right to impose penalties greater than those outlined if a situation dictates, based on severity. We further reserve the right to suspend coaching, player and spectator privileges where appropriate. Zero tolerance will apply to out of county games as well. Appeals may be filed, in writing, with Dawson County Parks athletic or administrative staff. Hearings will be conducted at the next park board meeting. ---PAGE BREAK--- Dawson County Parks & Recreation Park Rules 1. NO alcoholic beverages allowed in park. Violators will be removed from premises by the proper authorities. 2. NO profanity allowed. 3. NO glass containers allowed. Please use paper or plastic for safety reasons. 4. NO cleats allowed in the lobby or the gym. 5. Anyone found destroying park property will be fined for restitution. Violators will be prosecuted. 6. Anyone in the park 12 years old or younger must have adult supervision at all times while on park premises. Adult supervision includes parent, grandparent, legal guardian, or other responsible adult that has agreed to assume responsibility for the child. 7. NO smoking allowed inside buildings or in dug-outs. 8. Speed limits will be strictly enforced. All pedestrians have the right of way. Parking is permitted in designated areas only. Violators will be issued a citation by the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office. 9. Anyone ejected from the park or a game for any reason will pay a $50.00 fine, will receive a 2-game suspension, and must leave the premises immediately. The fine must be paid and suspension served before he/she may participate in any future park activities. This includes spectators. 10. All complaints must be in writing. ---PAGE BREAK--- Revised 8/17/2022 Adult Softball Local League Rules and Regulations This document has been designed to provide all participants in the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Department’s Adult Softball programs with a comprehensive understanding of all “COUNTY” rules. Anything not specifically covered in this document, will be covered by the governing National Body. (ie. USA Softball) This rule book is the governing authority for the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Department’s local leagues. Final decisions concerning “interpretations” of any rule shall be made by the Athletic Staff. Administration Office: (706) 344-3646 (706) 344-3647 (fax) dawsoncounty.org/parksrec Caleb Randolph, Athletic Coordinator (706) 344-3646 Ext. 44604 [EMAIL REDACTED] Matt Payne, Director (706) 344-3646 Ext. 44606 [EMAIL REDACTED] ---PAGE BREAK--- Revised 8/17/2022 I. GOVERNING AUTHORITY A. The governing authority of this league shall be the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Department B. Final decisions concerning the operation of this league shall be made by the Dawson County Parks and Recreation Department Administration. II. ENTRY INTO LEAGUE A. Entry fee must be paid with cash, check or money order made payable to or credit card (Mastercard or Visa). B. All teams must pay full entry fee and turn in a completed registration form by entry deadline. C. There will be no refunds unless cancels league. III. ELIGIBILITY A. Age: All participants must be 16 years of age prior to January 1, current year. B. Open League Requirements: Leagues are open to anyone that meets the age requirements. C. Church League Requirements: Church team rosters must meet requirements of pastor of church. *NOTE: Players eligible for more than one church must choose, prior to the start of the season, only one team to play with for the entire season and post season. D. may, at its own discretion, investigate any team or individual without a corresponding protest. IV. THE SEASON A. The season will consist of a minimum 10 game schedule for each team. B. Forfeits: 1. Three forfeits per team during the season will result in an automatic suspension of the team and its players for the remainder of that season. 2. Once a team forfeits a game and the opposing team has been contacted with the notification of the forfeit and resulting win, the forfeit stands. NO EXCEPTIONS. In the event that a previously forfeited game is cancelled due to inclement weather, the forfeit stands and the opposing team receives the win. C. There will be no change in the original schedule unless deemed necessary by the recreation department. D. Rainout games and playoffs will be scheduled according to day and field availability and not according to specific days of the week the league played on during the season. E. If a team is unable to be present for a rescheduled game; and therefore, forfeits the game, and said rescheduled game is rained-out, the forfeit will stand. ---PAGE BREAK--- Revised 8/17/2022 F. At the conclusion of the regular season, if there is a tie in the league standings, the tiebreak will be as follows: 1. Head-to-head record during the regular season 2. Coin Toss –Both Head Coaches must have the opportunity to be present V. THE GAME A. Play will be governed by USA SOFTBALL rules and regulations except where Dawson County League Rules apply. B. The Home team will keep the official scorebook and the Guest team will keep the scoreboard. C. The pitching distance will be 50 feet from home plate. D. A pitching box will extend four feet wide and ten (10) feet long. 1. The forward line is the front of the pitching box. 2. The second line is the pitching line (at 50 feet from home plate). 3. See Image Below E. The pitcher must pitch with at least one foot inside the pitcher’s box and behind the pitching line of the pitcher’s box. F. The pitch must be released with an underhand motion. G. Any batted ball that crosses the plane of the pitcher’s box as a safety concern, knee to glove high of the current pitcher, will be considered an out, dead ball and no runners advance. 1. This rule is in effect only in the presence of the pitcher within the box. a. If a pitcher completely exits the box and then re-enters the box, then is hit by a batted ball, it is considered a live ball. 2. Any pitcher hit by a batted ball while in the pitcher’s box, in any capacity, is considered an out, dead ball and no runners advance. 3. Any pitcher hit by a batted ball while fully outside of the pitcher’s box is considered a live ball. H. Bases will be 70 feet. I. Stealing is prohibited. J. Each batter will start with a 1 ball/1strike count. G. THE OFFICIAL BALL: The official game balls will be provided by the Park. Balls must meet all of the following conditions: a. Core .52 or lower b. 300 maximum compression c. 12 inch ---PAGE BREAK--- Revised 8/17/2022 H. THE OFFICIAL BAT: Must be a softball bat. a. Bat restrictions apply; see USA Softball Non-approved Bat List at www.usasoftball.com. I. OFFICIAL GAME TIME AND LIMITS: a. Each game will be played with a one hour time limit. Official time is determined by head official. No new inning can begin after the time limit has expired. The ONLY exception is that a tie game will continue until a winner is decided. b. An official game constitutes seven complete innings or one hour time limit. In the event of inclement weather, lighting failure, etc., five complete innings will constitute an official game. c. According to Home team scorebook, a game that fails to go five innings or one hour shall be treated as a suspended game and will resume later at the exact point stopped. Games that do not complete one inning shall be treated as no game and will be restarted later. J. There will not be a grace period. At game time, both teams must be on the field and ready to play; if not, the team(s) will forfeit. K. A team must have at least nine players on the field and in uniform in order to begin a game. For COED, 5 of those players must be female. Teams will not have to take an out in the 10th spot in the order. If the 10th player comes in late, he/she may enter the game upon notification of the umpire and bat in the 10th spot of his/her team's batting order. L. UNIFORM RULE: Teams are required to wear jerseys of alike color with a manufactured, permanently affixed number on front or back (preferred). ALIKE COLOR refers to the base color of the jersey. The park staff shall make any decision regarding the legality of a jersey. This rule may not be used to protest a game. If a team needs to borrow a pull-over jersey, there will be a limit of per team. M. Shoes are mandatory. Rubber cleats or tennis shoes only. No steel cleats. N. RUN RULE: A game will be considered completed if a team has the following leads: 20 runs after three complete innings, 15 runs after four complete innings, or 12 after five complete innings. Teams may use a courtesy runner provided the park staff and/or the umpires are notified before the game and approve the request. (A pre-game approved courtesy runner may not advance past 1st base. Any batter/runner that advances past 1st base must remain as a runner.) If a player becomes injured during the game, a courtesy runner may be used provided the umpires AND the opposing team approve the request. The courtesy runner shall be the player who recorded the last out for that team, provided he/she is not currently on base or on deck. O. A team that begins with 10 or 11 players may finish the game as long as they have 9 legal players participating. The team will receive outs in those spots unless it is due to an injury. P. LEAGUE HOMERUN LIMITS (all leagues) a. 3 homerun limit per team per game. b. Once a team has hit their number of homeruns per game, the team will receive an out for any additional homeruns. ---PAGE BREAK--- Revised 8/17/2022 c. Homeruns are defined as over-the-fence, untouched homeruns only. Inside- the-park homeruns do not count towards limit. d. When a batter hits a Homerun (untouched over-the-fence) with-in allowed league homerun limits, the batter and all base runners may go directly to the dugout. They do not have to touch any base(s). Q. Any batter who hits directly at the pitcher will first receive a warning. Second offense is an automatic out and no runners may advance. This will be enforced as a safety rule under the judgment and discretion of the umpire. R. The NO CONTACT rule is in effect for base runners. A runner must do everything possible to avoid contact. Runners do not have to slide but must make an attempt to avoid contact. Fielders are not entitled to block a base without “having a play" on the runner. Runners that initiate contact will be called out, and may be ejected from the game at the umpire’s discretion. In the event of contact, it is an "Umpire's Judgment" call, as to which player caused the contact. S. Third strike foul is an out. VI. PLAYING ROSTERS A. Team rosters must completely be filled out and turned into league supervisor prior to or at the first game. No team will be allowed to play without a completed roster. B. Teams may add or delete players from their roster up to noon of the game day. C. A player may appear on only one roster per league. A player may be on different roster in multiple leagues. (i.e. A player can play on a church coed team and a men’s league team) D. All players must meet all eligibility requirements before being put on a roster. VII. CO-ED All Dawson County Adult Softball League rules and regulations apply, except in the following exceptions: A. BALLS: Same core as regular league rules. Men and Women will hit the 12 inch ball. B. PLAYERS: Teams must have at least 5 women to start a game. a. If an EH is used, team must have both male and female EH. b. If a team is playing with 9 players, the team will not have to take an out in the 10th spot. c. Batting order must alternate genders. C. DEFENSIVE POSITIONING: 2 males and 2 females in the outfield, 2 males and 2 females in the infield. 1 male and 1 female as pitcher/catcher. Teams do not have to alternate genders in positions in the field. D. Out fielders must remain behind a 180 foot line while female is batting, until she makes contact with the ball. PENALTY: Automatic double to the batter. E. When any male batter draws a walk (intentional or not), he is awarded both 1st and 2nd base. The next batter (a female) will bat. EXCEPTION: With two outs, the female batter has the option to walk or bat. ---PAGE BREAK--- Revised 8/17/2022 VIII. PROTESTS AND PENALTIES A. Definition of ILLEGAL PLAYER: A player that is in violation of substitution rules or is not listed on playing roster, not of legal playing age, or does not meet church requirements. B. Protest a. The only legal protest shall be one which involves a violation of the playing rules or the use of an illegal player. b. The manager/coach raising a protest of a play situation shall inform the umpire he/she is protesting before the next legal pitch. The manager/coach must also submit a written protest with a $50.00 protest fee to the Main Office by 5:00pm the next working day following the game in question. C. Penalties a. The use of an illegal player shall result in the forfeiture of the game in question and any prior game in which the illegal player participated. b. A player who is guilty of playing on more than one team in the same league will be suspended for the remainder of the season. c. Any team that allows a player from another team to play for them will forfeit the game in question plus their next scheduled game. d. All protest fees will be refunded if protest is upheld. Games protested on rules interpretation will be replayed from point of protest. e. The penalties for violating the restricted bat rule are as follows: 1. First offense is an automatic out on the batter. 2. Second offense is a 2-game team suspension and $50 team fine. All fines and fees must be paid before the team is allowed to participate in any program. 3. Third offense will result in a 1-year suspension for the team and all players. IX. ELIGIBLE LEAGUES FOR LOCAL PLAY A. WOMEN’S OPEN B. MEN’S OPEN C. COED OPEN D. COED CHURCH X. PLAYER CONDUCT A. Any player or coach ejected from a game for ANY reason will be suspended at the discretion of the league supervisor as follows: 1st offense 2 games + a $50.00 fine 2nd offense 2 games + a $50.00 fine 3rd offense suspension for 1 calendar year Ejections do not carry over season to season; however fines must be paid prior to further participation. ---PAGE BREAK--- Revised 8/17/2022 *NOTE: Players and coaches who are ejected may appeal the resulting suspension. A 3rd ejection in one season may not be appealed. A written appeal and a $25.00 appeal fee must be turned in to the league supervisor by 5:00pm the next working day. If the appeal is upheld, the fee will be returned. B. Team manager/coach is responsible for the conduct of his/her players and spectators. C. Team manager/coach is the only person authorized to discuss a play situation with the officials. D. Drinking of alcoholic beverages at any park facility will not be tolerated. Any player or spectator under the influence of intoxicants will be immediately removed from the facility and subject to suspension. E. Smoking is only allowed in the designated smoking areas. F. Profanity, unsportsmanlike conduct, verbal and/or physical abuse of officials, scorekeepers, or staff by players, managers/coaches, or spectators will not be tolerated. Offenders will be suspended. G. may suspend without probation, any participant or spectator who, in judgment, creates or is involved in creating a disturbance that endangers the health and safety of players, officials, park staff or spectators. H. Fines and suspensions are subject to review by a appeal board. I. All fines and fees must be paid before a player or team is allowed to participate in any program. XI. AWARDS A. A team award of 50% off a future Adult Softball team registration will be given to the league champion. B. A team award of 25% off a future Adult Softball team registration will be given to the End of Season Tournament Champion. C. At the conclusion of the regular season, if there is a tie in the league standings, the tiebreak will be as follows: a. Head-to-head record during the regular season b. Coin Toss –Both Head Coaches must have the opportunity to be present XII. OTHER POLICIES/RULES A. Park Rules B. Refund Policy C. Zero Tolerance Policy All above rules and policies will be strictly enforced.