Team ratings
50+ age division
55+ age division
60+ age division
65+ age division
70+ age division
75+ age division
Appeals Forms
2007 national tournaments
Winning teams moving up in 2008
2007 Snowbirds
Snowbird application (pdf)
Advisory Board
Members
Recommendations: Men | Women
Summit minutes
Archives
Senior Rules Comparison of the different organizations
Women's Council
Summit Organizations
The national senior softball organizations in America:
ASA
ISA
Huntsman Games
ISSA
LVSSA
NASCS
NSA
SPA
SSUSA
These ratings are posted as teams play in tournaments sanctions by any of the supporting organizations. If your team's ratings have not appeared within 30 days of playing, please contact the organization that sanctioned the tournament in which your team competed (managers only). If managers have a question about their team or other teams, please contact the organization in which you competed or call the Ratings Coordinator at (916) 326-5303.
If team managers have a question regarding the ratings, or information concerning a team's ratings, you can contact any of the nine organizations listed on the home page, or call this website's adminstrator at (916) 326-5303.
Web site design by
Scott Flodin
Privacy policy
Summit Meeting Minutes, January 15-16, 2005
| Councilmembers | Rep. | Primary/Alt. | |
| Pat Blackmon | East | Primary | pat@seniorcycling.com |
| Layla Bryan | SPA | Primary | laylab@attglobal.net |
| Connie Byro | LVSSA | Primary | grannysoftball@aol.com |
| Betti Garnett | Florida | Primary | softball2eag@aol.com |
| Wanda Lanham | Media | Primary | wanda@sandbagger.com |
| Pat Lawlis | SSWC | Primary | lawlis@aol.com |
| Sylvia Mergl | Canada | Primary | sylviarm@earthlink.net |
| Randy Moses | ISF/ISSA | Primary | apple.moses@netzero.net |
| Colleen Needham | Northeast | Primary | canjld@fuse.net |
| Vicki Oltean | SSWS | Primary | vickio@ci.palm-springs.ca.us |
| Judy Lee Schreiber | USSSA | Primary | usssajl@msn.com |
| Cyndi Winslow | Masters Div | Primary | cyndi1@cox.net |
| Del Bowyer | Florida | Alternate | dbowyer55@verizon.net |
| Karen Charette | SSWS | Alternate | kcnlathrup@aol.com |
| Patty Cox | Northeast | Alternate |
Connie Byro, Betti Garnett, Pat Lawlis, Sylvia Mergl, Randy Moses, Colleen Needham, Karen Charette, and Cyndi Winslow were present at the meeting. Randy Moses, Cyndi Winslow, and Karen Charette were welcomed as new members to the SSWAC. Connie Squires was named the official SSWAC photographer and was present to take pictures. The minutes of the September meeting were distributed and approved without change.
All action items from the previous meeting have been completed. Pat Lawlis informed the council that the Summit committee for studying championship playoffs, to which she was named a member, as of this date has not met.
Connie Byro, newly appointed Tournament Coordinator, led a discussion of tournament issues. The combined tournament schedule for 2005 was discussed and updated with inputs from several members. Connie needs to be informed of any further tournament changes immediately so they can be posted on the web sites that we use. Pat L keeps the Summit women's web page www.softballrating.com/women.php up to date, and Connie B keeps the site at www.womensseniorsoftball.com up to date. Cyndi Winslow asked that the tournament list on the Summit women's web page somehow distinguish the different types of tournaments (qualifier, city, state, championship, etc.). Pat will continue to coordinate this web page and will make this addition of tournament type within the constraints of the format provided.
Sylvia Mergl wants to keep stats on results from all tournaments with women's divisions, including team names and their age groups, results per age division, number of teams, and names of all-tournament players. All members representing organizations should forward this information to Sylvia for each tournament sponsored by their respective organizations.
The council discussed the new age rules for 2005, and everyone was pleased with the commitment made by every organization except USSSA. At their recent convention, USSSA turned down the proposal to transition to true age divisions for women. The council will address this by ensuring that we have representation at the next USSSA convention. Sylvia will also send a letter to key USSSA members and ask for their support for this important change.
The council recommends that organizations provide Master's Level (40s) divisions at senior tournaments. This is a key way to make the senior program expand. Providing 40+ and 45+ divisions will keep more women playing softball as they get past the point of wanting to play with the youngsters. Then there will be more active women ready to transition into the senior divisions as they reach 50. This will feed the senior program.
Connie Byro suggested that SSWAC members should be prepared to assist tournament directors with women's issues at tournaments. This would be strictly an advisory role. Members would introduce themselves to the tournament director ahead of time and be prepared with written copies of women's rules so they can answer questions as necessary. The council agreed that this is a good idea. Randy suggested that it would also be a good idea to prepare ID cards for council members as a means of helping to identify and introduce us. He volunteered to prepare the ID cards if Connie S will email him copies of the individual pictures of the SSWAC members. Connie agreed to provide the pictures, and the members agreed that the ID cards are a good idea.
Ridge Hooks visited the meeting to discuss promoting women for nomination into the Hall of Fame. In addition to Vicki Oltean, Layla Bryan is now on the Hall of Fame committee. The council urged that Ruby Wise and Kay Ray be nominated, and we need to consider what other pioneers are deserving. The council also recommended that organizations distribute Hall of Fame info at all tournaments, emphasizing the importance of all-tourney selections.
Pat Lawlis presented the SSWAC historical notebook that she has prepared, and she will continue to keep it updated. She also presented written descriptions for the offices of Chair, Vice Chair, and Tournament Coordinator. These were accepted without change.
The council discussed the issue of using 10 or 11 defensive players in the 50+ division. After some discussion, the council members unanimously agreed that it would be better for the game to use 11 defensive players. The senior pitcher is at increased risk without the 11th player, and 11 players also allow for more senior player participation. The council recommended that organizations that need to change to the 11 player rule do so by April 1st. This will provide coaches with ample time to prepare their teams for a new defensive alignment, and it will also provide the entire summer for teams to adjust to this new rule before the championship tournaments begin.
Connie B introduced a proposal to change the equalizer rule currently in use. In the unusual case where teams playing each other from different age divisions are separated by more than one age division (for example, a 65+ team playing a 55+ team) it is too much for the younger team to have to spot the older team 10 runs. The council agreed with the proposal to continue to use 5 runs for the difference of one age division, and to add 2 runs for each age division difference after that. In the example, the 55+ team would spot the 65+ team 7 runs (5 + 2). The council recommended immediate implementation of this new rule.
The council also considered feedback from teams and made two additional recommendations. The .47 core ball should be used for women in all tournaments, and there should be 2 umpires in the championship games in all tournaments.
Sylvia Mergl was installed as the new SSWAC Chair and Pat Lawlis became the Vice Chair. Sylvia will serve for the next 2 years, according to the council procedures. Next January the SSWAC will elect a new Chair-elect who will take over as Vice Chair for one year before assuming the position of Chair the following year.
Sylvia presented all SSWAC recommendations to the meeting of the Summit, and all were supported by the Summit.
The next meeting will be on Thursday September 15th in Gallatin, TN at the USSSA Women's World Tournament. Agenda items will include consideration of time limits and mercy rules.
Action items:
Members will inform Connie B of any changes to the tournament schedule and Connie will keep Pat L informed.
Pat L will continue to update the 2005 schedule on the Summit web page and will add tournament type to the entries. Connie B will continue to update the womensseniorsoftball.com web site.
Members representing organizations will send Sylvia tournament results within 30 days of completion of a tournament sponsored by their organization.
Sylvia will collect and organize information on tournament results.
Sylvia will send the letter adopted by the council to the USSSA concerning the importance of approving the transition to true age divisions.
Connie B will update the 2005 SSWAC Women's Rules with the new council recommendations (11 defensive players for 50+ division and new equalizer rule).
Representatives will work to disseminate the 2005 rules as widely as possible, with flyers in player packets, posters at tournaments, etc. Organization representatives will work to use these as much as possible within their organizations.
Connie S will send pictures of individual council members to Randy.
Randy will prepare ID cards for council members.
Sylvia will coordinate nominations for Ruby Wise and Kay Ray for the Hall of Fame Pat L will prepare meeting minutes and send to the council members.
The National Senior Softball Summit approved a National Combined Senior Softball Rating System in its annual meeting in Marietta, Georgia, in February 2000.
This website represents the combined ratings that are supported by all nine national softball organizations.
If you have a question regarding the ratings, changes in team names, disbanded teams, or teams that have moved up in age group, or information concerning a team's ratings, you can contact any of the three members of the Ratings Committee listed on the appeals form.
The national senior softball organizations in America:
ASA
ISA
Huntsman Games
ISSA
LVSSA
NASCS
NSA
SPA
SSUSA
National Senior Softball Hall of Fame
