Tournament Team Details & Fine Print

COACHES: All parents (especially any who have played or coached softball or baseball competitively) are strongly encouraged to volunteer as coaches for WDMGS sponsored “tournament teams”.  Interviews by the WDMGS board of coaching candidates will take place Wednesday, June 14. Anyone interested in interviewing to be a coach, should complete the application form sent via email as soon as possible. Application will be open until midnight on June 12, 2023.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
To play for a tournament team, a girl must:

1. meet the age requirements for the team (see below);
2. have at least one parent or guardian who lives in West Des Moines (or attend a West Des Moines public school); and
3. play in the WDMGS “rec league” for the upcoming season (players who did not play in the rec league this year are eligible to play for a tournament team next year so long as they meet the above-noted criteria).

Decisions about possible changes to these requirements will be made before the creation of the teams for next year.

AGE REQUIREMENTS: A player’s “age level” is determined by her age as of January 1^st in the year “after” the team is created. Tournament teams are currently set up based on two year age increments (8U, 10U, 12U and 14U).  In other words, for this year, if a girl will be 8 years old or younger on January 1, 2024, she is eligible to play on an 8U team for the coming year.

Decisions about possible changes to these parameters will be made prior to the creation of the teams for next year.

TRYOUTS: Tryouts (conducted by age group) for next year’s tournament teams will be held on multiple nights. Details about which age group will tryout which night will be forthcoming soon. Tryouts are conducted by at least three persons with no affiliation with WDMGS (past and current college players and current coaches and instructors from other teams, organizations and businesses). The players are evaluated on (1) infield play; (2) outfield play; and (3) hitting.  Pitchers and catchers are also evaluated (separately but on the same night). Players can tryout to “play up” (i.e. at an age higher than they otherwise qualify for).  If so, there is no guarantee they will be placed on a team at the higher age level and, in any event, a player who tries out to “play up” must also tryout at her age level.

TEAM CREATION: Current tournament team and rec league coaches provide written standardized evaluations of their current players. Using both the tryout scores and coach evaluations, tournament teams are created by a panel of WDMGS board members. The goal is for the teams to be created as timely as possible. Decisions about possible changes to these procedures will be made prior to the creation of the teams for next year.

SCHEDULE: Tournament teams play a “fall season” and a “spring/summer” season. How much each team plays and practices is decided (by the coaches and the parents of the players) on a team-by-team basis.

COST: The current cost to play for a WDMGS sponsored tournament team is $800.00 ($600.00 at the 8U level) with applicable jersey fees.  Currently, the amount charged covers all costs associated with being on a tournament team with the exception of teams that decide to play an unusually high number of tournaments.  In that case, families on the team may be required to pay “more” than the above-noted sum(s) to cover the cost of the additional tournaments.  The above-noted costs may increase slightly this coming year to cover things like the cost of WDMGS’s new indoor training facility, increased tournament and gate fees and uniform costs. 

Decisions about possible changes to the price for playing on a team will be made prior to the creation of the teams for next year.

REGISTRATION: Registration for the 24-25 season will be open in May 2024 and tryouts will be in June 2024.

QUESTIONS: Please contact the executive board members at wdmgshelp@gmail.com.