Glen Ridge Athletic Association Softball - Commissioner Leigh Eskenasi
2024 Spring Registration
Registration is now open for 2024 GRAA spring softball!
The last day to register for is February 23, 2024.
The GRAA softball program starts at 1st grade. We encourage Pre-K and K players to participate in tee ball with the GR Baseball program as part of Bloomfield Little League. Please visit the GRAA baseball page for additional information on registration.
1st Graders: we will be having an in-town clinic that meets once per week. It will be fun, constructive and focus on the fundamentals.
Grades 2 and up: GRAA softball teams will travel outside of Glen Ridge for approximately half of the games (but most towns are in close proximity). We will enter different leagues to accommodate our multiple teams at different age group combinations. For 3rd Grade and up, our Spring season will start with indoor sessions on March 19th and March 26th at Montclair Center Court. 1st and 2nd Graders will begin their seasons shortly after. The season will conclude at the end of May or early June.
Fees:
1st Grade (Clinic) = $150, which includes a t-shirt, weekly sessions, necessary insurance and supplies for the season.
2nd-8th grades = $235 which covers our expenses for the leagues, umpires, insurance and supplies for the season.
Team Placement:
For Grades 2 - 8: Our intent is to place every player on a team and to maximize participation, skill development and competition.
We will have an Evaluation Session(s) with independent evaluators on March 5th and/or March 6th at Extra Innings in East Hanover to assist in sorting players at age/grade levels where we can field more than one team. Please hold these dates and we will reach out with more information to any players in the age ranges that require additional team sorting.
UNIFORMS
Additional information regarding purchasing a uniform will be provided shortly after registration. Uniforms for grades 2-8 are purchased separately at an additional cost.
Clinic players will be given a T-shirt to keep as part of their registration fees. They will not need an additional uniform.
REGISTER NOW
GRAA SOFTBALL - PLAYING TIME POLICY
Rec / In-Town Programs
GRAA In-town (recreational) programs are focused on developing knowledge of the sport and introducing playtime and positioning during games for all kids who wish to play. Play time and positions are based on an equal rotational basis to allow kids the chance to learn all aspects of the sport. Our rec program is intended to give the kids a fun learning experience, and either an introduction to the sport, or to build upon the skills they already have.
Travel Programs
The GRAA Travel program is geared toward further developing and honing the skills, awareness and fitness level of players on travel teams. Our mission for the travel program is to properly equip players for high school level sports. This means our coaches follow two main guidelines:
- GRAA coaches work to build a strong competitive team. As compared with rec teams, there is a greater emphasis by coaches to field a winning team similar to the high school atmosphere, and grouping kids with greater skill sets together on a team accelerates their learning by elevating their expectations.
- Of equal importance, our coaches give each player fair and substantial playing time during games and throughout the season, which is a critical component to continual skill evaluation and development.
All players will be provided a fair and unbiased opportunity to develop their skills (specifically during game play), and coached through the areas where they need development. We recognize that these are still young players learning and developing the skill sets they will need to succeed. Travel players will develop skills to play across multiple positions, which will prove valuable to both the team and the individual players as they move into high school. Coaching staff evaluates throughout the season with an emphasis on optimizing them for success.
If you have concerns about your daughter’s playing time, please approach the coach(es) outside of the game environment to discuss this confidentially with them, or escalate to the commissioner if this is not addressed satisfactorily.
SPRING RECREATIONAL (IN-TOWN) SOFTBALL
Spring recreational (in-town) softball is an opportunity for all girls in Glen Ridge to participate in the game of softball, regardless of their skill level. All players will receive approximately equal playing time, with a trio of goals: increasing softball skills, competing to win, and having fun.
Recreational softball teams are coached by parent volunteers.
Registration fees include a uniform (shirt, pants, socks), plus use of team equipment. Players should have their own softball glove, batting helmet with face mask, and a fielding mask. Girls without bats may borrow one from the team or from other players.
New Format and League
For In-Town softball, we have joined a local recreational league that consists of neighboring towns to Glen Ridge - the Passaic Valley Softball League (PVSL). This league has teams broken out by grade - 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, and 7th/8th grade and Glen Ridge will send at least three in-town teams to the PVSL, one in each of these age-groups.
Towns participating are: Glen Ridge, Montclair, Cedar Grove, Verona, Little Falls, Caldwell, East Hanover, West Essex.
We have also encouraged Glen Ridge travel players to participate in our In-Town softball program in order further their softball skills - and have fun with their friends that don't play on travel.
Regarding in-town practices, we are implementing some changes for this upcoming season. This includes carving out certain days for both travel and in-town softball, to minimize conflicts in schedules.
Schedule:
Grade 1-2 (8U) Rec Softball:
Practice: TBD
Games: TBD, approx 1 per week max
Grade 3-4 Rec Softball:
Practices: TBD
Games: Mondays 6pm or Saturdays (1 or 2 per week)
Grade 5-6 Rec Softball:
Practice: TBD
Games: Wednesdays 6pm or Saturdays (1 or 2 per week)
Grade 7-8 Rec Softball:
Practice: TBD
Games: Mondays 8pm (or earlier) or Saturdays (1 or 2 per week)
Glen Ridge softball consists of 4 separate age groups:
(Note: PK - K: The Pre-Kindergarten / Kindergarten program (t-ball) for GRAA is co-ed. Please register your daughter for PK-K t-ball via the Baseball registration page.)
8U (generally grades 1 - 2):
This year we are placing more emphasis on the early stages of development for our softball program. As a result, we are creating an 8U developmental team for our 1st and 2nd graders (and some eligible 3rd graders) where they will gain experience through both practices and real games (coach pitch), and we are happy to take all girls that are interested in joining and learning the game of softball. This is an upgrade from years past where we only offered "clinic" for our 1st-2nd graders and missed game opportunities that lead to better understanding/learning of the game. The 8U team will be playing in the Verona 8U League and games will all be relatively local to Glen Ridge and surrounding towns. Practices will be 1-2 times per week, with approx. 1 game per week.
In order to be eligible to play 8U, your daughter must be born on or after Jan 1, 2011. If you have a second grader that is born in 2010, then she will be eligible to play up onto the 3rd-4th grade in-town team, but can not play on the 8U team due to age restrictions. If you happen to have a 3rd grader that is born in 2011, then she is also eligible to play on the 8U team and you will be given the option later in this registration process to choose.
Grade 3-4:
The focus on softball at the Grade 3-4 level is on developing a more advanced knowledge of softball. This includes moving to a player-pitch game, and participation in the Passaic Valley Rec League where our 3-4 grade team will compete against other 3-4 grade local teams. The emphasis on these games will be learning and fun! There will generally be 1-2 practices per week beginning in April, and 1-2 games per week once the season starts in May (played either on Monday evenings or Saturdays).
Grade 5-6:
The focus on softball at the Grade 5-6 level is on continuing to build their knowledge of softball and add a slightly higher level of competition during the games. We will have at least one team in the Passaic Valley league at this level. There will generally be between 1-2 practices per week beginning in April, and 1-2 games per week once the season starts in May (played either on Wednesday evenings or Saturdays).
Grade 7-8:
The focus on softball at the Grade 7-8 level is to teach kids more about softball while getting real game play. Our goal here is to both provide a fun sport for 7th and 8th graders that are not already in Travel, but also give them the chance to see if they want to continue playing softball when they get to High School. We will have at least one team in the Passaic Valley league at this level. There will generally be between 1-2 practices per week beginning in April, and 1-2 games per week once the season starts in May (played either on Monday evenings or Saturdays).
All practice days of the week will be determined in the near future and your coaches will send the details after sign ups are completed.
SPRING TRAVEL SOFTBALL
Spring Travel Softball is a competitive softball season, focused on developing girls with a strong interest in softball. Girls are instructed and trained in multiple positions in accordance with their abilities so they can learn the game of softball from a variety of perspectives on the field. Travel coaches are focused on building both a strong team as well as strong players. Ensuring a fair and equitable amount of playing time amongst all the players is more important than fielding the strongest line-up to win games.
Practices (usually once per week, occasionally a second practice may be held) are critical to develop & demonstrate skills so that our parent coaches can best allocate positions and playing time in accordance with their players’ abilities.
Teams will play 1-2 games per week starting in early April, continuing until the end of May, with playoffs in early June. The season will be completed by mid-June.
FALL TRAVEL SOFTBALL
Fall Travel Softball is a semi-competitive softball season, focused on developing girls with a strong interest in softball. Girls with strong abilities typically will play up with their Spring 2020 age group in the Fall, while those with developing abilities may remain at their Spring 2020 age group before moving up in the Spring.
Girls are instructed and trained in multiple positions in accordance with their abilities so they can learn the game of softball from a variety of perspectives on the field. Travel coaches are focused on building both a strong team as well as strong players. Ensuring a fair and equitable amount of playing time amongst all the players is more important than fielding the strongest line-up to win games.
Practices are held once per week to develop & demonstrate skills so that our parent coaches can best allocate positions and playing time in accordance with their players’ abilities.
Teams will play 1-2 games per week starting in early September, continuing until the end of October, with playoffs in late October / early November.
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Leigh Eskenasi
GRAA Softball Commissioner
