Ocee Park FAQs page

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WHAT IS NEW FOR SPRING 2009 AT OCEE PARK?
We are entering our third Spring season as a Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth baseball program. For the most part, the same leagues offered in Spring 2008 will again be offered in 2009 with some additional offerings and enhancements or changes as noted below:

A new Tee Ball softball league for girls ages 5 & 6 will be offered in Spring 2009. This league is designed as an introductory softball experience for girls. Players will hit using a combination of coach pitch and hitting tee. Girls no longer have to play Tee Ball baseball in order to participate at the age of 5 or to get an introductory experience to playing ball.

The Tee Ball baseball league, offered for 5 & 6 year olds, is being split into 2 leagues based solely on age. All 5-year old tee ball baseball players will play together and all 6-year old tee ball baseball players will play together. The 5-year old league will continue to focus on an introductory experience for players hitting from a tee while the 6-year old league will use coach pitch and can be oriented toward a slightly more advanced experience than the 5-year old league.

In prior years, all 7 & 8 year old baseball players were split into the Farm and A Leagues based on player assessments. Effective Spring 2009, all 7-year old players will play together in the Farm League and all 8-year old players will play together in the A League. Assessments will not be used to divide the players into leagues but instead the division will be based on playing age.

Effective Spring 2009, baseball players are required to play in their age group. Players will not be permitted to play-up in the next age group or league based on player assessment results. All baseball players are required to attend player assessments based on their current playing age and they will be assigned to a league based on their playing age.

The 11- and 12-year old baseball age group will continue to offer Majors National and Majors American Leagues and players will be assigned to a league based on the results of assessments. The 11- and 12-year old softball age group will continue to offer Majors NGFA and Majors In-Park Leagues and players will be assigned to a league based on the results of assessments. Players that participated in the Majors National or Majors NGFA leagues in Spring 2008 as 10- or 11-year old players are not required to attend assessments and they will be automatically placed onto the same team in Spring 2009.

Aside from the changes noted above, the number of leagues and teams is unchanged. As is customary, league standings are not maintained for Tee Ball (baseball or softball). Standings will be maintained in the Farm baseball and softball leagues after the Spring break for purposes of seeding teams in the end of season tournaments. With the exception of Tee Ball, all leagues will have an in-park or interleague end of season tournament and in some cases both. In-Park All Star Day will feature league specific all-star games for Farm league and above in baseball and softball. Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth tournament teams (for summer play) will be selected in May and they will begin practice on June 1st with an eye toward state and regional play in late-June through mid-July.

What is my child's league age for the Spring 2009 season?
What is the Babe Ruth league age determination date for baseball?
The age of a baseball player as of April 30, 2009 will be that player's league age for the Spring 2009 season.

What is the Babe Ruth league age determination date for softball?
The age of a softball player as of December 31, 2008 will be that player's league age for the Spring 2009 season.

What is my child's league age for the Fall 2009 season?
What is the Babe Ruth league age determination date for baseball?
The age of a baseball player as of April 30, 2010 will be that player's league age for the Fall 2008 season. The league age for the Fall season is based on the league age of that player for the upcoming Spring season (2010).

What is the Babe Ruth league age determination date for softball?
The age of a softball player as of December 31, 2009 will be that player's league age for the Fall 2009 season. The league age for the Fall season is based on the league age of that player for the upcoming Spring season (2010).

Will we have a league for 16-18 baseball for the Spring 2009 season?.
Yes, we plan to offer 3-4 teams of 16-18 baseball again this Spring and the current plan calls for interleague play with Wills Park once again for Spring 2009.

What about playing up in the next league?
Playing up in age group for baseball has been eliminated effective with the Spring 2009 season. All baseball players are required to play in the league appropriate to their playing age. Player assessments will no longer be used to identify players to move up to a higher age group.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PLAYER ASSESSMENTS?
For what seasons are assessments conducted?
Assessments are conducted for the Spring Ball season only. There are no assessments for Fall Ball seasons.

When are assessment conducted for Spring Ball?
Assessments begin in late January with the goal of being completed by the end of January. Most player assessments are conducted on Saturdays, with some assessments conducted on Sunday and during the week.

What do I do if my child can't attend his/her scheduled assessment time for our last name?
Notify the Player Agent to see if it is possible to attend an assessment session in the same age group but in a different time slot. In general, this is discouraged since the sessions are scheduled based on the number of players that can be reasonably evaluated in a single session. If too many players are in one session, this has a ripple effect on all sessions after that one.

What happens if my child misses all assessment sessions?
Your child will be drafted even if he/she fails to attend assessments. If coaches have knowledge of the player's skills, the player will receive an assessment score that will be used in the draft. If coaches have no knowledge of the player's skills, the player will be randomly assigned to a team. Players that do not assess may not play up in the next division. Baseball players that do not attend the required number of Majors Division assessment sessions will not be eligible for the Major League.

My child wants to play up - what session do I attend?
Notify the Player Agent ahead of time if you are interested in playing up. However, the player must attend his/her age group's assessment session. Do not make the mistake of attending the assessment session for the age group you want to play in since you will not be on the roster and this may affect your chances of playing up.

My child is 10-years old and want to play in the Majors?
Only 11- and 12-year old baseball players are eligible to play in the Majors American or National leagues effective this Spring 2009 season.

My child is 9-years old and want to play in the Majors?
See above. Only 11- and 12-year old baseball players are permitted in the Major league. Additionally, 9-year old softball players are not permitted in the Majors NGFA or Majors In-Park leagues.

What about Returning Majors players from 2008 - do they need to attend assessments?
As is customary, any player that is registered for Spring 2009 Majors baseball (11-12) or Majors softball (11-12) who participated in the Spring 2008 program as part of a Majors National team (baseball) or a Majors NGFA softball team is not required to attend player assessments. Those players will automatically be returned to their Spring 2008 teams or drafted to another team in the league in the event their team has been eliminated as part of a league realignment.

TELL ME ABOUT LEAGUES AND REGISTRATION
When can my child play at Ocee Park?
Ocee Park has two separate seasons: Spring Ball and Fall Ball. If your child plays in one season, he/she is not automatically registered for play in the next season.

How do I register my child in Ocee Park?
Spring registration begins in early November and Fall registration begins in mid-May. This web site will update you with our registration schedule. Begin the registration process by clicking on links on this web site's home or registration pages. You will be sent to Active.com to complete the registration process. Fees are charged on credit cards. Click here to go to the registration page.

Is there anything else I need to do to register my child?
Yes. Download the Ocee Park medical waiver form. Print the form, fill it out and give it to your child's coach at the team's first practice. Click here to download the form. You will also need to provide proof of age and residency for each child registered. See the Registration page for more details.

What is Buddy Ball (previously Challenger Division) and who can play in it?
The Buddy Ball program provides boys and girls with special needs the therapeutic and socialization benefits of participating in baseball, improving self-esteem, and learning the important disciplines of sportsmanship, teamwork, character building, and confidence. In Buddy Ball games, buddies from our baseball and softball leagues assist their Buddy Ball partners. The Buddy Ball schedule will include approximately 7 Saturday morning games with most games to be played at Ocee Park. Some games will be played at other Buddy Ball, Miracle League, or Challenger program parks.

(Above FAQs were updated in October 2008.)

HOW OCEE PARK ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION WORKS
Ocee Park Athletic Association sponsors youth baseball and softball programs for boys and girls ages 5 to 18 years old. Since our founding in 1993, OPAA has grown to more than 1,700 participants and over 1,100 families. OPAA leagues play and practice at Ocee Park on Buice Road in Johns Creek, GA. Ocee Park is a City of Johns Creek park.

Chartered under Babe Ruth League�, OPAA follows the rules and regulations established by Babe Ruth League� for both baseball and softball. According to the charter from Babe Ruth�, Ocee Park's league territory is Northeast Fulton County. This territory includes the zip codes of 30005 (the portion in Fulton County), 30022 (in its entirety), 30097 (in its entirety), and a small portion of 30024 (the portion that lies within Fulton County).

PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy of OPAA is to provide a recreational program for the boys and girls in our geographic area. The focus of our program is on teaching skills, promoting good sportsmanship and having fun. OPAA believes there is great value in teaching boys and girls of all ages the values and rewards of competition all within a framework of good sportsmanship. Many youth sports programs today de-emphasize competition but OPAA feels that this does not prepare our youth adequately. The overall competitiveness of the program increases in the older divisions, but the general OPAA philosophy applies to all age groups.

BASEBALL
The OPAA baseball program is organized in five divisions and ten leagues. The divisions and leagues are based on the age and/or skill level of the player.

TEE LEAGUE 5YO (TEE)
The T-Ball program is for 5-year old boys and girls. In this program, players hit the ball off of a tee. Teams are randomly assigned and there is no skill assessment or draft. No standings are kept in this league and there is no end of season tournament.

TEE LEAGUE 6YO (TEE/COACH PITCH)
The T-Ball program is for 6-year old boys and girls. In this program, coaches pitch to players and a hitting tee is used as needed. Teams are randomly assigned and there is no skill assessment or draft. No standings are kept in this league and there is no end of season tournament.

FARM 7YO (MINORS)
The Farm League is for 7-year olds. This division is machine pitch. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted to a specific team. Standings are kept after Spring Break and there is an end of the season tournament.

A 8YO (MINORS)
The A League is for 8-year olds. This division is machine pitch. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted to a specific team. Standings are kept and there is an end of the season tournament.

AA 9YO (Minors)
The AA division is for 9-year olds. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted by a team in this division. Standings are kept and there is an end of the season tournament.

AAA 10YO (Minors)
The AAA division is for 10-year olds. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are be drafted by a team in this division. Standings are kept and there is an end of the season tournament.

MAJORS NATIONAL AND AMERICAN 11/12YO (MAJORS)
The Majors division includes ages 11- to 12-year olds. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted by a team in this division. The Majors Division operates 2 leagues - the Majors National league which plays under the 70/50 program and the Majors American league which plays under the traditional 60/46 program. The Majors National league may also play a Saturday interleague schedule with another park.

13-15YO (JUNIOR)
The Junior League division is for 13-, 14- and 15-year olds. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted to a specific team. This division plays on a regulation-size baseball field (90' base paths and 60'6" mound). Standings are kept and there is an end of the season tournament. This league generally plays an interleague Saturday schedule with another local park.

16-18YO (SENIOR)
The Senior League division is for 16-, 17- and 18-year olds. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted to a specific team. This division plays on a regulation-size baseball field (90' base paths and 60'6" mound). Standings are kept and there is an end of the season tournament. This league generally plays an interleague Saturday schedule with another local park.

SOFTBALL
The OPAA softball program is also organized by divisions and the divisions are based on the age of the player. In some seasons, leagues are formed based on different age classifications than those listed below.

TEE 6U (TEE)
The Tee League (softball) is for 5- and 6-year old girls and uses a combination of a hitting tee and coach pitch. This league is new for Spring 2009 and offers an introductory experience to softball for girls. Player assessments are not performed and teams are assigned by league officials. No standings are kept and there is no end of the season tournament.

FARM 8U (MINORS)
The Farm League is for 7- and 8-year old girls and uses a softball pitching machine. Only 8-year old players participate in a pre-season skill assessment (not 7-year olds) and all players are drafted or assigned to a specific team. Standings are kept after Spring Break and there is an end of season tournament.

AA 10U (MINORS)
The AA League is a fast-pitch league for 9- and 10-year old girls. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted to a specific team. Standings are kept and there is an end of the season tournament.

AAA (or Majors In-Park) 12U (MAJOR)
The AAA League, which is referred to as the Majors In-Park League, is a fast-pitch league for 11- and 12-year old girls primarily and highly qualified 10-year olds. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted to a specific team. Standings are kept and there is an end of the season tournament. This league plays by the Babe Ruth Majors Division rules identical to the Majors NGFA League.

MAJORS NGFA 12U (MAJOR)
The Major League is a fast-pitch league for 11- and 12-year old girls and highly qualified 10-year olds. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted to a specific team. Standings are kept and there is an end of the season tournament. This league is the most competitive of the 11-12 softball age group and it participates in an interleague schedule as part of the North Atlanta NGFA league with other 12U softball programs in our area.

Senior (SENIOR 16U)
The Senior League is a fast-pitch league for 13-, 14-, 15-, and 16-year old girls. Players participate in a pre-season skill assessment and are drafted to a specific team in their division. Standings are kept and there is an end of the season tournament.