CHGS Bylaws and Ground Rules

August 6th, 2026 Updates:

• Article III, Section 3, Item 8 — Petition to Advance (broken cross-reference)
• Article VI, Item 10 — Board Members and Selections (recusal) 
• Article VI, Managers and Coaches, Item 1 — Manager Applications & Interviews
• Article XIII — Skill Assessment (pitching eligibility) 
• Section V — Drafting (full replacement, 8U–14U)
• Section V, Select — Division Eligibility
• Section V, Select — Select-Only Teams (10U/12U/14u Red) Guardrails
• Section V, Select — Select Manager Selection
• Section V, Select — Select Assessment Panel & Player Selection (Red / Black / White)
• Article XX — NEW Section: Mid-Season Rule Change Moratorium
• Section II, Item E — 6U Scoring & Umpires

bylaws

Article III, Section 3, Item 8 — Petition to Advance (broken cross-reference)   [UPDATE]

CURRENT RULE

“Players may petition the league to advance one age division. Refer to Article XIV, Section 5, item 7.”

WHY CHANGE IT

The reference points to a section that does not exist (Article XIV has only Section 1). The actual petition process lives in the Ground Rules.

NEW WORDING

“Players may petition the league to advance one age division. Refer to the League Ground Rules, Section V (Drafting), for the petition process and requirements.”

Article VI, Item 10 — Board Members and Selections (recusal)   [UPDATE]

CURRENT RULE

Board members must “exclude themselves from participating in” any draft, manager interview, or rated-pitcher selection in which their daughter is being considered, unless the board member is a manager.

WHY CHANGE IT

“Not participating” has been read as “present but silent.” Presence alone creates pressure and the appearance of influence. The fix is simple: if your daughter is in it, you are not in the room.

NEW WORDING

“A Board member whose daughter is being considered in any draft, rated-pitcher selection, or All-Star/Select player or manager selection must not be present in the room (or on the call) during that selection or vote. Exception: a Board member serving as a team manager may participate in the draft solely in their manager role.”

Article VI, Managers and Coaches, Item 1 — Manager Applications & Interviews   [UPDATE]

CURRENT RULE

“New and returning applicants may be required to participate in an interview process conducted by the league player agent.”

WHY CHANGE IT

“May be required” means it often doesn't happen. Every new applicant should be interviewed before they are handed a team. Returning managers in good standing keep a lighter path.

NEW WORDING

“All manager and coach applicants must apply each season and be in good standing with the league. All NEW manager applicants will be interviewed by the Player Agent and the Division Commissioner before approval. Returning managers in good standing may be re-approved without an interview. All applications remain subject to Board approval and USA Softball background checks.”

Article XIII — Skill Assessment (pitching eligibility)   [UPDATE]

CURRENT RULE

“A separate skills assessment will take place for players that intend to pitch during the season. The league has the option to conduct additional skills assessments for pitchers.”

WHY CHANGE IT

Players skip the pitching assessment (or hide their real ability) and then pitch anyway, which breaks draft parity. Pitching in-season must be earned at the assessment, with one honest re-entry point mid-season and a real consequence for sandbagging.

NEW WORDING

Add to Article XIII:

1.To be eligible to pitch in the regular season, a player must pitch at the pre-season skills assessment.

2.The Player Agent, with the respective Division Commissioner(s), will hold one mid-season pitching re-evaluation, between the 30% and 50% point of the regular season, for players who wish to begin pitching. Players cleared at the re-evaluation become pitching-eligible for the remainder of the season. 

3.A player who deliberately under-performs at the assessment (sandbagging), as determined jointly by the Player Agent and the Division Commissioner, will be limited to three (3) pitching outs per game for the remainder of the season. The determination and reason will be recorded. 

4. After the 50% point of the season the Player Agent may decide to hold pitching assessments at their discretion.

GROUND RULES

Section V — Drafting (full replacement, 8U–14U)   [UPDATE]

CURRENT RULE

Section V: blind-draw serpentine draft; up to 2 pre-selected (frozen) players including the manager's daughter; manager's daughter drafted round 1, second freeze round 2, sibling of a freeze round 5; trades allowed by majority vote of division managers with Commissioner and Player Agent approval.

WHY CHANGE IT

Today's draft treats pitchers like every other player, and one dominant pitcher decides a season. Drafting pitchers first — and spreading them before anyone doubles up — is the single biggest parity fix available. The freeze rules also need teeth: a freeze is payment for real coaching work, not a roster favor.

NEW WORDING — CHGS REC DRAFT POLICY (8U–14U)

1.ROSTERS. Maximum roster is twelve (12) players; the target is eleven (11). The league sets roster size per division before the draft based on registration.

2.PLAYER CLASSIFICATIONS. At the skills assessment, the Player Agent and Division Commissioner classify players as: Impact Pitcher (P1) — a pitcher whose ability can decide the outcome of a game; Secondary Pitcher (P2); Primary Catcher (C1); or Fielder. P1 designation is by evaluator judgment and is recorded, with the reason, by the Player Agent and Division Commissioner.

3.DRAFT ORDER & ROUNDS. Draft order is set by blind draw (“numbers out of a hat”) conducted at the conclusion of the Rec skills assessments. The draft runs twelve rounds, in this order: P1, P2, C1, then F1 through F9 (an eleven-player roster skips F9). The draft is serpentine: the P1 round runs first-to-last, the P2 round runs last-to-first, and the direction alternates every round thereafter. Uniform selection runs in REVERSE draft order: the team drafting last in the P1 round chooses its uniform and colors first, and so on up to the team drafting first, which chooses last.

4.PITCHERS FIRST. The draft opens with the P1 round: every team drafts one P1 before any team may take a second P1. P2 and C1 rounds follow before general fielder rounds.

5.FREEZES. A manager may freeze two players: the manager’s own daughter and the daughter of ONE assistant coach. Frozen players are not drafted — they are PLACED. Before the draft, the Player Agent and Division Commissioner assign every frozen player, based on her assessed ability, to one of six draft slots: P1, P2, C1, F1, F3, or F5. A placed player uses that team’s pick in that round, and the team does not otherwise select in that round. Before the draft, the Player Agent and Division Commissioner meet with each affected manager, state each placement and the reasoning behind it, and hear the manager’s counter-reasoning. If a dispute remains, the Player Agent’s placement is final. Every frozen player is placed before the first pick of the draft.

6.FREEZES ARE EARNED. The assistant coach whose daughter is frozen must attend at least 80% of the team's practices AND games. If they fall short: that manager may not freeze that player the following season, and no manager may freeze that player the season after that.

7.LINKED SISTERS. When one sister is drafted or placed, her sister is automatically placed on the same team in Round F3. If the first sister is drafted or placed in Round F2 or later, the second sister is placed two rounds after the first (or in the final round, if fewer than two rounds remain). The placement uses the team’s pick in that round.

8.SHORTAGE ROUNDS. When a division lacks enough P2s, or C1s for every team that round is cancelled and the available P2s or C1s become available as picks in the Fielder rounds (F1-F11, etc.). 

*A P1 round would only be cancelled if there aren’t enough P1’s + P2’s to complete one round of pitchers. Eg. There will be years that there are only 2 impact pitchers and 18 P2’s for 8 Teams. Conversely, there will be years where there are 10 impact pitchers and 6 P2’s for 8 teams. This is normal and anticipated.

*If an Impact Pitcher is available the manager isn’t obligated to choose that pitcher if they prefer to choose a P2. 

9.ABSENT PLAYERS. Players who do not attend the skills assessment are assigned by blind draw (hat pick), per By-Laws Article XIII.

10.TRADES. Trades require the approval of the Division Commissioner AND the Player Agent, within a trade window announced at the draft. Manager votes are not required to ratify a trade. Trades are final when the Commissioner and Player Agent sign off.

11.PETITIONS. A player may petition up one division under the existing petition process (both assessments required; Division Commissioner and Player Agent decide; the player completes the full season in the higher division).

MOCK DRAFT TABLE — EIGHT TEAMS (overall pick numbers)

* Freeze-eligible rounds (Rule 5): P1, P2, C1, F1, F3, F5. Arrows show pick direction: → Team A picks first in that round; ← Team H picks first. Team A holds pick 1 by blind draw. Team H, drafting last in Round P1, chooses uniforms first (Rule 3).

Section V, Select — Division Eligibility  [ADD]

CURRENT RULE

No explicit rule. Players have historically been able to “drop down” or move between divisions for Select/All-Star advantage.

WHY CHANGE IT

One line kills a whole category of gamesmanship: the division you play Rec in is your division, period. This also closes the 6U-to-8U loophole from the other direction.

NEW WORDING

A player is eligible for All-Star play only in the division in which she plays Select that season. If she does not play Select, then she is only eligible to play All-Stars in the division she is playing Rec. 

SELECT: If a player successfully petitions up she may try out for Select in one division; she may attend tryouts for her Rec division OR her age group, but not both. This applies to Spring and Fall.

Section V, Select — Select-Only Teams (10U/12U/14u Red) Guardrails   [ADD]

CURRENT RULE

Current Select rules assume every Select player also plays Rec (dual roster). The Board provisionally approved Select-only (“Red”) teams at 10U/12U with no written guardrails.

WHY CHANGE IT

Select-only teams must never hollow out Rec. Two floors protect the Rec division before any Red team forms.

NEW WORDING

1.A Select-only (Red) team may be formed at 10U or 12U only if, after the team is formed, the division retains at least four (4) Rec teams of eleven (11) players AND enough remaining players to fill the Select roster.

2.Every Rec team in the division must retain at least one (1) pitcher. If forming the Red team would leave any Rec team without a pitcher, the team is not formed.

3.Red team formation is confirmed by the Board each season after registration closes.

Section V, Select — Select Manager Selection   [UPDATE]

CURRENT RULE

“The player agent and division commissioner will interview all interested managers and choose a team manager AFTER the team has been created.”

WHY CHANGE IT

Two people choosing a Select manager invites the perception of favoritism, and open applications have let adults apply just to influence rosters. The full All-Star Committee interviews, short-lists, and RANKS every candidate before any pool is set — the ranking, not lobbying, decides who gets each team.

NEW WORDING — CHGS SELECT MANAGER SELECTION

1.All interested candidates must apply. All current managers, manager-candidates, and assistant coaches are eligible to apply. 

2.INTERVIEWS. The All-Star Committee interviews every manager applicant.

3.SHORT LIST & RANKING. The Committee short-lists a pool of qualified candidates and ranks them. Inclusion in, or exclusion from, the short list is a decision of the full Committee — never of any individual member. The Player Agent casts the tie-breaking vote on the ranking. Only short-listed candidates may be appointed to any Select team. A candidate is short-listed if 3 out of 5 members approve.

4.ENOUGH CANDIDATES. It is the All-Star Committee’s responsibility to secure enough qualified candidates for every team ahead of time. If there is any doubt, the Committee re-advertises the opening — including to assistant coaches — and repeats Rules 1–2 before the pools are set.

5.RED MANAGER. After the Red pool is established, the highest-ranked candidate with a daughter in the Red pool is appointed Red manager.

6.BLACK & WHITE MANAGERS. After the Black pool is established, the highest-ranked remaining candidate with a daughter in the Black pool is appointed Black manager. The same rule appoints the White manager from the White pool.

7.NO MATCH. If no short-listed candidate has a daughter in a team’s pool, the Committee appoints the highest-ranked remaining candidate whose daughter is in the next pool down: the Black pool for the Red team; the White pool for the Black team; and outside the pools for the White team.

8.RECUSAL. By-Laws recusal (Item B-2) applies: any Committee member being considered as a candidate, or whose daughter is being considered in a division’s pools, is not present for that division’s ranking or appointment.

Section V, Select — Select Assessment Panel & Player Selection (Red / Black / White)   [UPDATE]

CURRENT RULE

“Teams will be drafted after try outs by division commissioner and all managers only in said division.” 

*In practice, selection has run on open discussion in the room — whoever spoke loudest shaped the roster.

WHY CHANGE IT

Debating girls’ worth out loud in a room full of interested adults is not a process. This mirrors how national teams are built: an objective panel sets the eligible pool, one accountable manager builds the team position by position, and the All-Star Committee ratifies. Every family can see every step.

NEW WORDING — CHGS SELECT PLAYER SELECTION

1.SELECT ASSESSMENT PANEL. For each Select division, the All-Star Committee appoints a five-member Select Assessment Panel: two expert coaches with no conflict of interest in that division, the Player Agent, the Division Commissioner, and the All-Star Commissioner. If one evaluator seat cannot be filled, the Vice President (or designee) fills it. If two (2) evaluator seats cannot be filled, the President (or designee) fills the second unfilled seat.

2.RED POOL. At Select tryouts, the Panel ranks all players and establishes the Red pool: four (4) pitchers ±1, two (2) catchers ±1, and ten (10) fielders ±1. A player may be listed in more than one category. The pool must contain at least twelve (12) unique players. Only players in the Red pool may be selected to the Red team.

3.MANAGER APPOINTMENT. After the Red pool is set, the Red manager is appointed under Item G-10. The manager’s daughter must be in the Red pool. She is slotted into the draft selection that matches her pool category; if she is listed in more than one category, the manager declares her slot before making any pick.

4.THE DRAFT. The manager fills the roster from the pool, in this exact slot order:

5.COACH PICKS. Coach picks (two or three, for a roster of eleven or twelve) round out the team’s ability to compete: role-defined players who let the manager run their system with lineups staffed for the situations they foresee. Coach picks may not overstock any position — no player is appointed to the team if she would sit behind other players and lose development opportunities at her desired position(s).

6.RATIFICATION. The manager presents the final roster to the All-Star Committee and walks through the reasoning for its construction. The Committee may question any selection that does not fit the manager’s stated system or strategy. The Committee may not appoint any player to the team. If the Committee does not agree with the roster, the manager revises it — from the same pool — and re-presents until the Committee agrees.

7.BLACK TEAM. Every Red-pool player not selected to the Red team is automatically included in the Black pool. The Panel then completes the Black pool to the same composition targets as Rule 2. The Black team follows Rules 3–6.

8.WHITE TEAM. If the All-Star Committee determines there is enough competitive talent at each position for a third team, the White pool consists of the non-selected Black-pool players plus any players added by the Panel. The White team follows Rules 3–6.

9.RECUSAL. By-Laws recusal (Item B-2) applies at every step: any Panel or Committee member whose daughter is being considered is not in the room for that step, and the seat is filled using the fallback chain in Rule 1.

Article XX — NEW Section: Mid-Season Rule Change Moratorium   [ADD]

CURRENT RULE

No current rule. In practice, rules have been changed or “clarified” mid-season through group chats and verbal agreements.

WHY CHANGE IT

Mid-season chat-thread rule changes are the single biggest trust problem named by managers. Rules should be locked when the season starts, with a narrow written path for true emergencies.

NEW WORDING

Add as Article XX, Section 2:

1.Once a season begins, no playing rule may be changed or waived except for: (a) player safety; (b) USA Softball compliance; (c) field availability; or (d) an emergency declared by Board vote.

2.Any emergency clarification must be written, dated, distributed to all affected managers, and recorded in the Board decision log before it takes effect.

3.Rule changes made by group chat, sideline conversation, or verbal agreement between managers are not valid and will not be enforced.

Section II, Item E — 6U Scoring & Umpires

CURRENT RULE

“Scores will not be kept for the 6U division, with the exception of any mid-season and/or end-of-season tournaments.”

WHY CHANGE IT

6U should stay developmental for most of the season, but girls should get a taste of real competition before playoffs so the tournament isn't their first scored game. President's proposal below; committee should confirm the number of games.

NEW WORDING

1. No outs, scores, or standings will be recorded for the first 50% of the season. The half inning ends when all batters in the lineup have had a plate appearance.
2. After the 50% mark in the season outs will be recorded. The half inning ends when all batters in the lineup have had a plate appearance or the defense records 3 outs (whichever occurs first).
3. Scores and standings will not be kept in the 6U division until the final three (3) games of the regular season. Scores will be kept for those final three games and for all playoff/tournament games. The half inning ends when the defense records 3 outs or 5 runs are scored (whichever occurs first).
4. When outs and/or score is recorded there shall be an umpire. If no umpire is available or does not appear as scheduled, a Board Member may act as umpire.