(1/29/2010)     Certificates of Insurance         Print     Top Coaches, As of Tuesday, 2/2/2010, Proof of Liability Insurance Certificates will be available from your login menu. This certificate can theoretically now be attained from any computer connected to the Internet, anytime. Coaches can logon to the secure area of our website using the ID and Password assigned to your team. A new menu option has been added, “Certificate of Liability Insurance”. This selection should produce your team’s certificate in .pdf format. Coaches can then simply print their certificates anytime they need them. These certificates will no longer be included in your team’s packet at the annual spring meeting. MMFL (1/11/2010)     2010 Registration - Final         Print     Top Once again the MMFL has reached its limits for the 2010 summer season. We have accepted 90 teams for 2010, 5 more than we had in 2009. Unfortunately 10 teams that registered did not get in. If for any reason any one or more of those 90 teams that were accepted cannot meet our further requirements for 2010 registration, one or more those 10 teams on our waiting list will be asked to join. It is the goal of the MMFL to provide opportunity to any and all girls in southeastern Wisconsin. We sincerely regret not being able to accept all of the teams that registered. We want to wish everyone the best of luck in 2010. MMFL Board of Directors (11/16/2009)     Metal Spikes/Cleats (Updated)         Print     Top Metal spikes or cleats previously not allowed, WILL BE ALLOWED in the 16U & 18U age group games in 2010. They will still be banned in all other age groups. (11/14/2009)     2010 Pitching Distances         Print     Top In 2010 MMFL and ASA Championship games for 16U and 18U will use a 43' pitching distance. All other age groups will remain at 40' except 10U which also remains at 35'. WIAA hign school pitching distances will also be moved to 43'.   2010 ASA Rules Update (11/4/2009)     Full League Meeting *UPDATED         Print     Top A meeting date has been set for the Fall 2009 Full League Meeting. Visit our Meetings Page, use the link below. The date has changed from the Wednesday the 18th to THURSDAY the 19th. A location has also been established. Sorry about the confusion.   MMFL Full League Meeting (10/30/2009)     ACE Certification Update         Print     Top Achieve, Certify, Educate Again in 2010, one coach per team will be required to be certified......read on. Certifications can be be taken on-line, see below. Like everything else in these days, the cost of insurance for softball players is rapidly on the increase. The MMFL experienced a raise per individual in 2009. Fortunately the ASA has negotiated, through Bollinger, to keep this rate increase at a minimum. Unfortunately there is a catch; the ASA is now demanding that at least ONE coach from each team be certified through ACE. There's a good possibility in future years, all coaches will have to be certified. ONLY CERTIFICATION LEVEL ONE (1) NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED THIS YEAR. Although all the details to describe it perfectly have not been clearly defined, what we do know is listed below.. It is a certification to the ASA that a coach knows how to handle youth individuals. While training, practice and discipline is something we all take for granted, many of us often overlook specific elements of coaching that should always insure the safety and well being of the kids. This certification will provide the information you need to know and demonstrate as a coach. It will also allow officials of the ASA to do BACKGROUND CHECKS of individual coaches working with our youth players. The certification will cost $25.00 for the first year, $20.00 for subsequent years. If certification is done on-line, you must pay via credit card. The certification tests can be taken on-line at the following site: http://ace.usasoftball.com/ace/home.asp OR If there are sufficient requests, Dale Ferron, Wisconsin’s ASA J.O. Softball Commissioner will hold a certification class at a specific location here in southeastern Wisconsin. The date, time and location would be announced later when necessary. If certification is obtained in this manner, Dale Ferron will accept checks (no credit cards) on site the day of the testing. This will be mandatory for one coach of each MMFL team. A field on your individual registration roster will be designated for ACE Certification, watch for it. Certifications will be verified. There will be more information regarding the ACE certification as time moves on. If any of our MMFL coaches have further questions regarding this 2010 requirement, please contact either: Dale Ferron, Wisconsin ASA J.O. Commissioner (608) 838-3202 ferron.softball@charter.net OR Larry Pinkowski, President, MMFL (920) 625-3382 president@mmfl.org   On-Line Certification (10/30/2009)     Official League Ball         Print     Top The MMFL changed its support for a new official league ball in 2009. The same ball will be used again in 2010. The Worth company in conjunction with the Wisconsin ASA will be supplying these balls at a substantial discount to the league. We do not expect any sacrifice in quality. This will be a good opportunity for our teams to test these balls and report any problems. They have a COR of .47 and a compression of 375 lbs. They are certified by the ASA and NFHS and again are optic yellow. C12RYLAH - 12" Dream Seam C11RYLA - 11" Dream Seam (10/16/2009)     2010 ASA State Tournaments         Print     Top Last week the Wisconsin ASA had their annual Fall meeting. At that meeting the 2010 ASA state tournaments were announced. These will be the ASA Class A, B and C tournaments. Below is a brief description of these classifications and their dates and locations for 2010. CLASS A – This level of the ASA State Tournament is open to any team that wants to play at the most competitive level in all age groups. These teams can be all-star teams, league teams, playground teams or any team for that matter. Winners here could advance to National Championships. 7/9/2010 – 7/11/2010 in Watertown, WI CLASS B – In order to play in this level of the ASA State Tournament, team members must be part of an ASA league. However, these team members could be all-star players from the league in a specific age group. They do not all have to be members of the same league team. Winners in this classification will be invited to participate in Northern National competition. 7/9/2010 – 7/11/2010 in Seymour (Eau Claire, WI) CLASS C – This is a new classification created in 2009. To play in this tournament, your team members must be the same players that play together as a team in an ASA league throughout the summer. Typically, this classification was created to provide a lower level of tournament competition for recreation league teams. There is no advancement from this tournament. 8/6/2010 – 8/8/2010 in Baraboo, WI Visit the WASA website for more information, Click the link below.. Teams and individuals can participate in one, and only one, of these tournaments. Contact Dale Ferron, ASA J.O. Commissioner, or the specific tournament director for more information.   Tournament Classifications (10/1/2009)     Make-up Game Requests         Print     Top Coaches can now create their own makeup game requests on-line. This should be a far more efficient and quicker method of submitting makeup game requests than typing an e-mail and sending it to the Board. Coaches and their opposing coaches for a scheduled rainout MUST still agree on an AVAILABLE DATE and FIELD from the Scheduling page of our website. Either coach can then logon to the secure area of our website and select "Report Scores, Umpires & Request Makeup Games". A team's MMFL schedule will appear as it has in the past however a new column has been added on the right side, "Request Makeup". Only those games that were rained out AND REPORTED AS "RO" or "S*" will have a pencil icon there that will link to the new request form. Once the selected the date and field has been chosen for the makeup games(s), SUBMIT the form. The league will then review the request and approve it as necessary. Once approved, both coaches will be notified via an auto-response e-mail. Be sure to verify your schedule to verify the scheduling change has been processed. That's it, that's all there is to it. It is a very complex part of our on-line system, it may not be perfect yet. If you have any questions or run into problems, don't hesitate to contact me personally. Larry Pinkowski President, MMFL (9/3/2009)     2010 New MMFL Cutoff Dates         Print     Top In previous years the MMFL has used March 31st/April 1st as a secondary deadline for registration requirements. In 2010 that deadline has been moved up to March 1st for certain items required by the league. Once your team has been accepted into the MMFL, there are a few additional items required before your team will be scheduled for summer competition. Due to popular demand by the membership for timely divisional alignment and scheduling, the MMFL Board of Directors need the following information sooner than in the past. Once your team is accepted into the league, you will be sent an ID and Password to enter the secure area of our website. Within this secure area you will be able to complete the following items of registration. PRELIMINARY ROSTERS – You will need to enter the players that have already signed on to your team. This official roster can be maintained throughout the season. Upon adding or removing players, this roster must be printed and signed by both the players and parents, then mailed to the MMFL address as listed on our Contacts Page. UNPLAYABLE/PLAYABLE DATES (Continued Registration Part 2) – In 2010 the web page for giving us your unplayable dates has changed dramatically. The MMFL will accept three (3) unplayable dates throughout the summer season. We will do everything possible to not schedule your team on these dates. We also ask that you provide three Friday dates that your team would be available to play. QUESTIONNAIRES (Continued Registration Part 3) – These questionnaires are a critical part of placing your team in a division of similar teams to enhance competition. Without this information, scheduling cannot be started. If you have only sent a registration deposit to the MMFL, FINAL PAYMENT will still be due on or before April 1st. Teams will not be accepted into the league without a deposit or full payment at initial registration time. The Join Page, About Us Page and our League Bylaws have all been updated to reflect this new secondary cutoff date. Please read them carefully for more details. MMFL Board of Directors (7/20/2009)     State and National Tournaments         Print     Top If your team has participated in a state or National tournament, the MMFL is interested in knowing how you placed. Please send an e-mail to the MMFL President, president@mmfl.org, and let us know. Click the link below.   MMFL President (12/31/2008)     New MMFL Fax Number         Print     Top The official MMFL fax number has changed. If you have our fax number documented, please update your records. NEW #: 425-642-0437 (11/14/2008)     ASA Classification Update         Print     Top Within the past few years our State ASA (WASA) has subdivided each age group into classifications for the ASA State and subsequent tournaments. The intent here is to create a more competitive tournament for all teams regardless of skill level. In concept, this is the same technique we use here in the MMFL. We use the term divisions within an age group to improve the competitive environment. Newer teams coming into the MMFL, and fast pitch softball in general, are not always aware of this terminology and how it applies to tournaments and/or league play. Previously each age group was subdivided into an “A” or “B” classification. In 2009, the WASA will be adding another classification, class “C”. Each classification is described in a document prepared by the MMFL as a guide for our teams. You can view this guide from the link below, ASA Age Group Classifications.   ASA Age Group Classifications (8/4/2008)     Classified Ad Policy Update         Print     Top The MMFL Board of Directors have found it necessary to revise its position and policy for advertising on our Classified Ad Page. The ad categories for "Team Tryouts" and "Teams Looking for Players" will be restricted to current MMFL teams only. Please be sure to include your team name, coaches name and the coaches e-mail address when submitting the ad form. All other MMFL ad categories will remain unchanged and open to anyone to utilize.   MMFL Classifieds Page (12/30/2007)     Pitching Distances         Print     Top Just recently the MMFL has received word that the ASA is changing the pitching distance for 18U Class A tournament play. The distance for this classification is going from 40 feet to 43 feet. Below is an e-mail sent to all of our 16U and 18U teams that better describes how this change will affect our league and their teams. "The ASA has decided that the 18U Class A pitching distance will be increased to 43 feet in 2008. Wisconsin ASA Junior Olympic Commissioner Dale Ferron has confirmed that the 18U Class A state tournament and the 18U Class A National Qualifier, both in Watertown, will use the new 43 foot pitching distance. This change will be in place for 18U ASA Northern Nationals and 18U Class A Nationals this summer. In response, the MMFL has also decided that the 16U/18U Gold Division pitching distance will be 43 feet to prepare these “A” level teams for tournament competition. All other 16U and 18U divisions will remain at a 40 foot pitching distance. If you wish to be a part of the Gold Division in order to play at the new pitching distance, please email the MMFL President, Larry Pinkowski. If you previously applied during initial registration to play in the Gold Division but do not now wish to pitch at that distance, please email Larry as well. Some thoughts: 1) If your team is a Gold 16U/18U team you will be pitching league games at 43 feet. Then if your team is 16U and you want to play in the 16U State Tournament, A or B, you will be pitching at 40 feet. 2) If your team is an 18U team and you will play league in another division other than Gold, you'll be pitching at 40 feet. Then if you decide to play in the A level State Tournament or the 18U National Qualifier because of its location, in Watertown, you'll be pitching at 43 feet." (9/26/2006)     MMFL's Survey System         Print     Top The MMFL introduces another tool to help decide the direction of the league. Current MMFL members now have the ability to respond to various concerns from the Board of Directors. You must login to the secure area of our website and select the SURVEYS option from your menu. Typically, you will be presented with survey questions. Read the Survey Description for complete details and SUBMIT your response. (9/26/2006)     10U Pitching Plates         Print     Top As usual, when a new season starts there are fields that have a problem understanding how we use their facilities and what our requirements are. It is strongly suggested that coaches of our 10U teams carry a portable pitching plate to their league games. It would also be advisable to carry a tape measure to ensure proper placement of these plates thus guaranteeing a consistent pitching distance.