What’s it like playing in a dome?
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- Jun 1, 2015
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There is one about 15-20 minutes from where I live that I officiate winter tournaments in (as well as summer ones - they have 4 outdoor fields on the property). The inside has a regulation multi-use field (soccer, lacrosse) with 2 softball fields. We hold full 16-team tournaments - Friday/Saturday pool-play games are 75 minutes, drop-dead, with 5-minute "gap" periods. Sunday bracket play is 70 minutes, finish the inning, where fields can get staggered in terms of the clock if one game ends earlier than another.
In terms of the actual dome, the owners have ropes/markers on the dome where it lines up over the foul lines. Hence, the policy is anything hitting the dome under those ropes is dead (out of play) and anything hitting the dome above the ropes is live and fair/foul based on where it lands (the only quirk is an infield fly situation that hits the dome in the live territory is then off, as the deflection is no longer considered "playable with ordinary effort". We tell the girls/coaches, "Keep running, we will pull you back if need be". The backstops are mostly netting with a metal pitching net behind each area to hold the net in place. The fences are probably around 180-190' with temporary fencing (and they get taken down/out A LOT).
For older age levels (16/18U), the fields are shorter than they should be, so a lot of HR ball in many games. I think the fields are great for the younger ages (10/12/14U). Fast turf makes the hits harder and the action faster - I truly enjoy working these games (as an official) because it demands I stay on my toes (which I would be anyway) because any hit ball in my direction and the reaction time is much less than a normal dirt field.
In terms of the actual dome, the owners have ropes/markers on the dome where it lines up over the foul lines. Hence, the policy is anything hitting the dome under those ropes is dead (out of play) and anything hitting the dome above the ropes is live and fair/foul based on where it lands (the only quirk is an infield fly situation that hits the dome in the live territory is then off, as the deflection is no longer considered "playable with ordinary effort". We tell the girls/coaches, "Keep running, we will pull you back if need be". The backstops are mostly netting with a metal pitching net behind each area to hold the net in place. The fences are probably around 180-190' with temporary fencing (and they get taken down/out A LOT).
For older age levels (16/18U), the fields are shorter than they should be, so a lot of HR ball in many games. I think the fields are great for the younger ages (10/12/14U). Fast turf makes the hits harder and the action faster - I truly enjoy working these games (as an official) because it demands I stay on my toes (which I would be anyway) because any hit ball in my direction and the reaction time is much less than a normal dirt field.
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