Frequently Asked Questions
A: No. CPYL donated the land to the city of Cedar Park in exchange for their funding of the baseball/softball complex improvements (2 new 10u fields – Volunteer and Veterans, etc.), but CPYL is run as a separate, independent non-profit business.
Q: What are the rules for parking at Faubion?
A: As a courtesy to our neighbors at Faubion Elementary and to assist with multiple after school programs, we have asked that CPYL parents adhere to the following parking requests at the school:
- Do not park in the rear of the school at any time during the week or weekends.
- Do not park in the drive between the school and the CPYL complex (behind the dumpsters) by the school cafeteria before 6:45 on weekdays. Parking is allowed in this area after 6:45 on weekdays and any time during the weekends.
- Do not park in marked fire zones at any time.
- Parking in the front of the school is permissible at all times.
CPYL patrons not adhering to the requests above will be subject to towing or tickets from CPPD.
Q: How are the registration fees determined?
A: Each year the Executive Committee meets to budget for the upcoming year while considering the projected registration numbers, CPYL maintenance, upkeep, number of games played for a season, umpire fees and improvement needs. Since CPYL is run by a group of volunteers (Board members, committee members, field directors, etc.), we have managed to keep registration fees down, but each year fees are reviewed and set as needed by the Executive Committee to meet our financial budgets for the year. As a reminder, the registration fees paid provide the funds for uniforms (cap/visor and shirt), 14-16 games in the Spring, 8 games in the Fall, the end of season tournament, and trophies, as well as all of the league expenses as they are incurred.
Q: What is included in the registration fees?
A: The registration fees covers regular season games (12 + EOS Tournament in the Spring; 8 + EOS Tournament in the Fall) and uniform costs (hat/visor and shirt). Other costs incurred by the player throughout a season can include names for uniforms, player equipment, pictures, fundraising events, and pay-to-play tournaments (Pre-Season and Mid-Season).
Q: How many games/practices per week?
A: The spring season generally has 2 games per week (often 1 weekday and 1 weekend), while the fall season generally has 1 game per week (often weekday). Exceptions may occur throughout the season, particularly if there are weather make-up dates. Practices (duration, location, frequency) are solely at the discretion of the individual managers.
Q: How are the age divisions determined?
A: The age for a given Fall and Spring season are determined by the child’s age on January 1st (for softball) and April 30th (for baseball). Please note the year associated with the date and that a player’s age remains the same for consecutive Fall and Spring seasons. For instance, the player’s age as of 4/30/11 is used to determine a players division for the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 seasons. The same applies for softball, though the date is January 1st.
Q: Can my child ‘play up’ to an older age group?
A: No. The most obvious problem is who can be the judge of which kid is ‘good enough’ to move up and which aren’t? Also, for any kids ‘moving up’ an age group, that potentially could displace a kid from that age group. We offer (2) levels of competition at 6U and 8U (American and National Leagues), and offer (3) levels of competition starting at age 9 (American, National and Select), to accommodate the varying skill sets of kids in the league. At the parents discretion, special exceptions have been made for baseball players requesting to "play up" if their birthday falls between 5/1 and 7/31.
Q: Is there a 4U T-Ball division in the Fall?
A: No, there is only a 4U T-Ball division in the Spring. However, since we do not have a 4U T-Ball division in the Fall, this is the one exception when we will allow 4 year olds to “play up” to the 5/6U T-Ball division if they choose. Please note that if a player “plays up” in the Fall, he or she will have to play back in the 4U division in the Spring.
Q: What is the difference between NL and AL divisions?
A: The NL teams are generally more competitive and the players often have above average skills at their age group.
Q: What if I miss or cannot attend Skills Assessments?
A: All registered players will be placed on a team through the draft process regardless of their attendance at Skills Assessments (assuming there are enough coaches for registered players). However, because of drafting rules, most NL players that are drafted are selected from the pool of players that attended Skills Assessments as coaches are given the opportunity to “assess” the talent and experience of the player. If a player does not attend Skills Assessments (tryouts), the coaches are not provided an opportunity to assess the player’s experience and therefore cannot make an informed decision on their experience level, which may result in the player’s placement on an AL team.
Q: How can I guarantee that my child is placed on a coach’s team?
A: The only way to guarantee the placement of a player on a specific coach’s team is if the player is listed on his/her “protected players” roster. Each division is allowed to “protect” a specific number of players (depending on the age group/division) but each manager must obtain parent signatures for each “protected” player prior to Skills Assessments. If there is no parent signature, the player is considered available to other managers and will be placed on a team during the draft process.
Q: What if my “Special Request” is not granted or my child is not drafted to a NL team, can I get a refund?
A: No. Special requests are considered, but there is no guarantee that a child will be placed on their team or coach of choice. Refunds will be honored if received in writing by the Wednesday prior to Skills Assessments, but they will not be granted based on undesirable team or coach outcomes.
Q: How are coaches selected?
A: Coaches are selected through a committee process. There is a committee for softball, 4-10U baseball, and 11-14U baseball made up of league commissioners, and some non-board members of the league. These representatives meet to look at the registrations of the candidates who signed up, review the composite scores according to a formula which takes into account experience managing along with other key factors, review parent's feedback (manager evaluations) from previous seasons, background checks, talent level/age of the players for the manager and their competitiveness and discuss any known information (positive or negative) regarding any of the candidates. The candidates are then voted on and ranked by the committee in the order by which they will receive a team. Once the managers are selected by the committee they are sent to the board for approval. After board approval the committee looks at the projected number of teams (based on the projected number of players) at each age group and level and begins assigning spots to managers. Once the actual registration numbers begin to firm up teams are added or subtracted accordingly.
Q: Why aren’t scores kept in the Fall?
A: Fall is generally seen as a “transitional” or “developmental” season since this is the first season when many players “move up” to a new age division. As such, official scores and standings are not maintained.
Q: Why don’t you offer ‘Select’ baseball at the 8U age group?
A: It has long been the belief of the CPYL board of directors that this is just too young to have kids play Select level ball. Most select teams play between 50-70 games per year. We believe the kids are still developing at this young age and don’t want any of the kids to burn out.
Q: How can my child be placed on a select team?
A: Select team managers are usually awarded a team in the October time period each year. Tryouts for the spring season usually happen in the November – January time frame. All CPYL select teams must have open tryouts and they are advertised on our website each fall/winter.
Q: What can I do if I have a complaint about an umpire?
A: First, gain an understanding of what constitutes an ‘arguable’ offense by an umpire. Like it or not, judgment calls (fair/foul, safe/out, strike/ball) are not open for interpretation or argument. Lack of umpires knowledge of rules of the game, general ‘laziness’ in the field of play and poor/bad attitudes towards managers/coaches/parents are all issues of which we would like to be made aware so we can address with CTUA (Umpire Association). To file an official complaint, you can fill out a comment card at the concession stand, or, you can send an email to your field director or your age specific commissioner (email addresses on our website at www.cpyl.org). We can ONLY take action when we have actionable data on which to act.
Q: How are volunteers utilized?
A: CPYL is an all-volunteer non-profit organization, which relies heavily on fundraising in order to pay bills and repair the facility. All board members are volunteers as are the managers/coaches. At a minimum, each team will need volunteers throughout the season to assist with concession duties and during the spring fundraiser (Spring Fling).
Q: How can I become a member of the Board of Directors?
A: We hold elections every Spring. Nominations usually open in April with the election occurring in May. All positions are filled by popular vote from the league constituency. If elected, you will serve a (2) year term on the board. Each June, elections within the board of directors occur to determine what position you will serve for the following year.
Q: Outside of the board and team related roles, what other volunteer opportunities exist?
A: We are constantly looking for assistance throughout the league. Please contact Kristi Lankford (Parent Auxiliary) to identify opportunities on how you can help or become more involved with the league.
Q: How do I become a sponsor or advertise my business at CPYL?
A: Contact Kyle Sisson.