Checking Birth Certs at tourney

What is the best way to accurately validate birth certificates at tourney? Currently talking 12u but just curious in general. There are no pictures on them so how do you check them? What stops a team from "forging" them?

We played a team last night that has been playing 14u but dropped down for their local tournament. We are a first year 12u and the for sure are a second year team but a couple of the players could have been freshman they were so well developed in their physical nature and their skill level.

Not rally complaining because we lost handily to them but just curious as to what the protocol is.

Clinical person.

Issue game up a year ago and took a few emails.

If U are caught cheating it can hurt.

Some of the worst beatings we took in TB was first year 12U when pitchers moved back to 40' and went to a 12' ball. A couple of teams that would be 14U next Spring decided to stay down for the Fall. Good times! LOL To answer your question, there is not much you can do about it if a team is intent on circumventing the rules. Just tell your players it is a learning experience and the best way to improve is to play better competition.

HC basically said that after the game. "You're only a loser if you don't learn from it." He's a good one. Opponent HC, not so much. But it is what it is.

I had not seen it addressed here before and just wanted to ask. Not really trying to complain. We played some other older, bigger teams but they were not this powerful.

Thanks for the replies!

HC can make a request through tournament director to see validation of age. Just be careful, a coach requested to see an entire teams proof of age last spring on a top 12u team that was nationally ranked. It ticked of the teams HC so he went all out in the game winning 42 to 1. ��

CoachBroker said:

HC can make a request through tournament director to see validation of age. Just be careful, a coach requested to see an entire teams proof of age last spring on a top 12u team that was nationally ranked. It ticked of the teams HC so he went all out in the game winning 42 to 1. ��

Click to expand...

"Nationally ranked"! Now, that's funny.

Most local tournaments in my area have a protest procedure where if you want to question a players age, that players coach is required to provide proof of age. However, the fee for the protest is usually $100 cash. If you win protest, you get your money back. If you lose your out $100. This is basically a way of keeping teams from questioning the age of a player unless they are 100% sure they are illegally playing down. If a coach is going through the trouble of forging birth certificates, their bats are probably shaved too!

Having been a TD for 3 years, I'm willing to bet that 99.9% of the time a kid's age gets questioned, the person doing the questioning is wrong.

There are kids that grow faster than others at a young age. My DD is 5'10 now and has been 4-6 inches taller than everyone else on the field her entire softball life. Last year as a 2nd year 12u she played 14u and she was the biggest kid on the field 90% of the time. Just the way it is.

When she was first year 10u, she played against one kid that was bigger than her. This girl was amazing. Great hitter, pitcher, fielder. She was so much better than everyone else that there was no way she was 10. Looking at her today, she's just another player. She's stopped growing and she's no longer bigger than everyone else while DD is still the biggest on the field most of the time.

I'm not saying this is the OP, but so many people are quick to think that people are cheating instead of believing the kid is just a good player for their age.

I think 12u and some 14u is when you really start seeing a huge difference in sizes. DD plays on a 1st yr 14s team - 3 of the girls are atill 12U eligible (Dd being one) and 3 of the girls are freshmen. The rest are true 1st yr 14U. The girls rang in height from just barely 5ft (DD) to 2 girls who are 5'11" (NOT any of the freshman girls). DD is 80lbs. We have a player who is 160 lbs. Same team - 5 months apart in age.

Girls grow at such different speeds.

We also know a team that regularly plays 16U but will occasionally play 14s. It is always nerve wracking to play them. They are all very skilled and bigger girls. When DD's team is "on" they can hang with them, when they are "off" not so much.

Our coaches are supposed to have birth certificates with them, sometimes they are asked, usally not.

If someone wants to cheat, it is easy to do. Again if you get caught you are probably done for a year. But then again you have to get caught then too.

The organization gets a big black eye though, most care about thier reputation.

MS players driving themselfs to games might be a red flag.