USSSA Extends season through August

[The Man In Blue]

I have reached out to my families a few times, and our org has sent out occasional "updates" as well. The hard part however, is given how uncertain everything is, you can't have much of a plan.

Pre-virus, we were scheduled to end July 12th. I am planning on contacting my families this weekend to get some feedback on if they would want to extend the season. A lot of "if's" in that possibility.

Kudos for staying in touch with your families! I disagree that you "can't have much of a plan" though. A plan does not have to be rugged and set in stone -- in fact it never should be!

First, talk to your families and find out what is good and what is not good. Use these terms (adapted from the work of Katz & Miller in organizational development world):

• Tombstone -- non-negotiable, such as a hard "drop dead" date
• Boulder -- Pretty set, but could be moved under extreme or unique circumstances
• Stone markers -- Ideas that lay out the parameters of the current plan, but can be moved
• Pea gravel -- Basic ideas that are just forming

Adapt that and use it with your plan. Classify the ideas and feedback from your team into these areas so everybody knows where they stand and what is on the table/off the table.

Second, don't be afraid to have multiple plans on the table. Just make sure the plans are defined as to what triggers them and what occurs with that plan.

• If we get back in mid-March, then we are going to do A, B, and C
• If we get back in mid-June, then we are going to do E, F, and G
• If we get back in July, then H, I, and J
• After July, we go to X, Y, and Z

These plans should include everything possible, including but not limited to payments due, refund expectations, number of tournaments that could be played, location (not precise, but use terms like travel, regional, local, etc.), players that are and are not available (so substitute expectations are aligned).

Third, make sure all of this is rooted in communication -- you have gotten everybody's input before starting, you shared the plans for review, and everybody understands what the current expectations are.

Fourth, adapt these plans on a regular basis.