FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions are listed below.

Q. When does the season start?
A. Recreational League teams will normally begin practicing Mid-to-Late April. Games normally begin in mid-May. For Travel teams, 10U and 12U normally begins in early-mid May, with practices starting early-mid April, weather permitting. The 14U, 16U and 18U season start in early June, as most players will be participating on school teams in the earlier spring season.
 
Q. How are the players evaluated?
A. Go to the "Tryouts" link on our left-hand menu bar for a full description.
 
Q. How long is the season?
A. For the Recreational League, games begin in May and continue until early July. For Travel, the first games for 10U & 12U are in early May and the State Championship Tournament concludes around mid-July. 14U-18U starts in June and concludes in mid-July. Note some Travel Teams may start later to accommodate school sports programs. Our calendar will contain the important dates as they become available
 
Q. How many practices are there? How long do they last?
A. Recreational teams will average one practice a week. Travel teams normally have two practices per week. Practices normally last 1 to 2 hours.
 
Q. Is Hopkins Fastpitch a part of a league or some larger organization?
A. The Recreational League schedules games with teams in adjacent communities, notably Wayzata, Orono and St. Louis Park. The Hopkins Fastpitch traveling teams are part of the Suburban League, which consists of roughly 270 teams in the Twin Cities metro. In the fall, we play in the MMFL Fall League, which draws from the entire Twin Cities area.
 
Q. How much "traveling" is there? Are there any "out of town" games?
A. At 10U, all tournaments are in the metro area. At 12U and higher, however, teams may sometimes participate in one out-of-town tournament.. Regular "league" games are generally in the west metro, closer to home. All Recreation League games are in the communities of Minnetonka, Plymouth, Orono and St. Louis Park.
 
Q. What is the difference between travel and recreation league fastpitch?
A. Travel ball is best for girls who want to play more games and get more opportunities to learn the game and become better players. A travel player can expect to play 40-50 games and take part in 20 or more practices during the course of a season. Usually around 5 weekends will be taken up with tournaments. Recreation league is best for girls wanting a lighter schedule with open weekends. Our recreation league games play about 12-16 games with perhaps half that many practices. There is normally only one tournament weekend at the end of the season. For very young girls, Recreation league can be started as early as Kindergarten and is an excellent way to be introduced to the game. Most girls do not start Travel ball until the 3rd grade.
 
Q. What is the difference between slowpitch and fastpitch softball?
A. Slowpitch and Fastpitch softball are different sports. Fastpitch is a faster-paced game with different rules from slowpitch, more similar to baseball, with more emphasis on skill development. Girls interested in playing in the High School program should play fastpitch as there are no slowpitch programs at the High School level. The High School program accepts girls as early as the 7th grade.
 
Q. What is a "club team"?
A. Most travel teams in the Twin Cities metro are formed by community-based associations, which draw their players from families living or attending schools within their local school district boundaries. "Club" or "Open" teams draw their players from anywhere in the metro area, sometimes even from outside the metro area. Club teams are usually formed of 14U, 16U and 18U players. Club teams typically do not participate in Suburban League games, playing instead in the MMFL "Elite" League or MInnesota Fastpitch League. Club ball is usually much more intense, with the players playing at a more competitive level and often competing with each other for playing time. Club teams often play in several tournaments during the season, many of which may be out of state. Off-season usually involves intensive training and sometimes dome-ball participation. Registration fees are normally much higher than those for community associations. Club teams are popular with players seeking a higher level of competition, particularly those players interested in playing at the college level.
 
Q. How are teams formed?
A. Hopkins Fastpitch travel team selection is performed by the Evaluation Committee. The Board has commissioned this committee and appointed the members to create an objective process to evaluate and compare skill levels of each for player for the purpose of determining appropriate team placement. The current committee is composed of coaches, parents, and board members. Evaluation Day is typically scheduled in late February or early March. Using the information acquired from the evaluations and other input, the Evaluation Committee will place each girl on a team. It may not always be necessary to evaluate each age group. For example, if only 12 girls have signed up, then it is likely that all will be invited to play. Also at the younger age groups (10U and 12U), it may be decided that it is beneficial to the organization to keep certain groups of players together. We reserve the right to select teams as we deem necessary to benefit the girls and Hopkins Fastpitch. Recreation league players do not normally go through a formal evaluation process, especially at our younger ages. Teams are formed using considerations such as keeping girls together from the same school, or keeping friends so signed up together on the same team.
 
Q. How do I become a coach? How are they selected?
A. Coaches are selected by the organizations Evaluation Committee and approved by the Board. Hopkins Fastpitch looks for coaching candidates with experience and the ability to deal with the demands of coaching. If you're interested in coaching, the best way to begin is by assisting your daughter's head coach.
 
Q. I don't want to coach, but I'm happy to help out. Who do I contact?
A. Contact the Association President or your team's head coach. Let her know of your interest, any indication of how you can or would like to help, and an idea of what you can commit to. Even just being an extra pair of hands at practice can be an enormous help.
 
Q. Are all the games in tournaments? How many are there?
A. For travel teams, about half the games played are in tournaments. 10U and 12U teams normally enter in 2-4 tournaments, plus the State Qualifier and State Championship tournaments. Tournaments typically cover 2-3 days and consist of 5-6 games. Recreation league teams play in an end-of-the-season tournament offered by the Plymouth-Wayzata organization which we participate in.
 
Q. What are the national tournaments? How do teams qualify for them?
A. By winning or placing in various local and state tournaments during the season travel teams may qualify to play in national tournaments, which are normally held in late July or early August. The location of these tournaments varies from year to year. National tournaments attract dozens, even hundreds of teams from several states
 
Q. My daughter is just starting out and I'm concerned traveling fastpitch might be too competitive for her. How competitive is traveling softball and how much emphasis is given to instruction and participation?
A. As with other traveling sports, traveling softball involves more games, more practices and a greater commitment from the athlete. It's the best opportunity for girls who like to play the game and learn new skills. It is inherently a more competitive game, but Hopkins Fastpitch puts particular stress on giving girls a solid foundation in the fundamentals and gives everyone a chance to play and improve.
 
Q. What kind of equipment will my daughter need?
A. Must haves are cleats (baseball or soccer-style), a glove (preferably a softball glove; a small baseball glove will not do), sliders (special shorts for sliding), and a knee pad (also for sliding). Sliders and knee pads may be purchased from local sporting good stores, such as Dicks or Metro Athletic. Good to haves are a bat, batting gloves, a visor or cap, and an equipment bag.
 
Q. What can I do to help my daughter become a better player?
A. Just playing catch is probably the easiest and most enjoyable way to help your daughter. Good throws and good catches are central to playing the game well and having fun! Talk to your daughter's coach about what your daughter needs to work on to improve and how you can help her. Her coach may recommend some simply drills or exercises. Hopkins Fastpitch houses a small library [Link to "Library" section of web page] of instructional books, videos and DVDs to help players and coaches become better players. Library items may be borrowed by player families any time of the year. Hopkins Fastpitch conducts clinics on Sunday throughout the winter ("Winter Gym") for batting, fielding and pitching. Clinics normally consist of two sessions, beginning in early November and lasting into late March. Notices of upcoming clinic opportunities are sent out via email to player families as well as announced on our website. There are also many other clinics, schools and instructor services available throughout the metro area. More information about these can be found at: http://www.fastsports.com
 

 

 

 

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