Ontario Amateur Softball Association

The Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) is a division of Softball Ontario designed to promote the developement of amateur softball in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

History

Beginning in the early 1890s, softball

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

, an indoor derivative of baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

, extended into Canada as a popular summer

Summer

Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...

activity. While initially only played indoors, in 1908, softball was played outdoors at Burlington Beach, Ontario. Two years later in 1910, an informal public-school league was formed in Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

. The creation of this league spawned many of the leaders who would later become a catalyst for the emergence of Softball in Ontario.

In 1923, the OASA formed and became the first amateur softball organization the world had ever seen. As a result, the game has spread throughout the world and has become a fairly popular sport. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Canadians introduced the sport to Holland, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, where it has remained popular since; in fact, the Netherlands acquired and published the official OASA rules in 1946. Softball has been an olympic sport

Softball at the Summer Olympics

Softball was introduced as an Olympic sport for women in the 1996 Summer Olympics. On July 11, 2005, the IOC voted to drop baseball and softball from the Olympic program for 2012, a decision that was reaffirmed on February 9, 2006...

since 1996, but was dropped by the International Olympic Committee

International Olympic Committee

The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

About the OASA

The Ontario Amateur Softball Association was formed in 1923 as a member of Softball Ontario. Since its creation, it has continued to promote and encourage both male and female softball

Softball

and fastball

Fastball

The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–106 mph and up to 108.1 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...

Vision Statement

The Ontario Amateur Softball Association is acknowledged as a dignified developmental frame for softball in Ontario and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

Mission Statement

The objectives of the OASA shall be to:

Coordinate, organize and create structure for participants of all ages in the game of softball in Ontario through:
1. provision of guidelines and venues for competition
2. preparation of an environment where players, coaches, officials and other individuals and groups in the softball community can learn
3. promoting availability of the game to any who wish to play, officiate or coach
4. provision of a forum for members to converse with the larger softball community
5. representation of its members at the local, provincial, national, and international levels
6. creation of opportunities for individuals and groups in Ontario to:
  1. compete on a fair basis
  2. partake in the game of softball on a local,provincial, national and international level
  3. develop skills
Recognize excellence through:

provision of awards for individual, team and member establishment achievements

publication of individual, team, and member organization accomplishments

Promote yearlong support of the game of softball.

Game Play

The OASA follows the same guidelines as Softball Canada and Softball Ontario. The seven inning game consists of two teams competing against each other with the end-goal of attaining more runs than the opposing team. Each team is permitted to have nine players on the field in fastpitch softball, while slo-pitch allows for the inclusion of a tenth. Another key difference between the two types of softball is the pitching style.

In fastpitch, a "windmill" style of pitching is utilized, as the pitcher's arm makes a complete backwards rotation before completing the pitch. With this style of pitching, the ball travels considerably faster as pitchers have been known to reach around 60 mph.

In contrast, the "slo-pitch" style - as one might gather from the name - has a far slower style of pitching. While rules will vary depending on age and level of competition, the ball is typically lofted towards the plate at a slow speed.

For a more comprehensive list of rules please visit Softball Ontario.

Players

Each player on the team must belong to the appropriate age category for their division. Each player must wear a uniform of the same colour, style and trim as that of the rest of the team. Ball caps are permitted but all players must wear the same colour. All participating players in any single game must be included in the line-up card submitted to the official umpires prior to the beginning of the game.

The Field

The OASA requires field dimensions to follow those as directed by Softball Ontario. Each diamond must have a clear, unobstructed playing area with the following minimum radii:

68.2 m (225 ft.) for Females

83.3 m (275 ft.) for Co-Ed

83.3 m (275 ft.) for Men

In addition, the baselines must be 9.81 m (65 ft.) apart with a pitching distance of 15.2 m (50 ft.)

Types of Softball

There are three (3) types of Softball

Softball

played in Ontario:

Fast-Pitch Softball
Fastpitch softball
Fast-pitch softball is a form of softball played commonly by women and men, though coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. The International Softball Federation is the international governing body of softball...
Slo-Pitch Softball
Orthodox / Modified Softball

Age and Divisions

Leagues in Ontario

The following list consits of the leagues which operate under the OASA designation:

Blackburn Men's Fastball
Bracebridge Softball
Blue Water Fastball
Erie Fastball
Golden Horseshoe Fastball
Greater Ottawa Fastball
Kitchener Fastball
Kitchener/Waterloo Fastball
Loughborough Fastball
InterCounty Baseball
Mississauga Sportsmen Fastball
North Leeds Fastball
Oshawa City & District Fastball
Richmond Hill Minor Softball Association
Schneider's ISC Alliance
Simcoe Rural Fastball
South Perth Fastball
St. Thomas & District Fastball
Tri-County Fastball
Upper Ottawa Valley Fastball
Waterdown Fastball
Windsor Regional Fastball

Rule Changes

The OASA uses the rules set forth by Softball Ontario. Every two years, a conference is held to discuss rules changes. These conferences occur every two years, with the next one happening in November 2012. Each association sends three delegates, and one of these delegates may vote on proposed rule changes. Rules changes are only approved is there is a two-thirds majority in favour if the change.

Quest for Gold

The Quest for Gold Ontario Athlete Assistance Program is an initiative set forth by the Ministry of Heath Promotion and Sport of Ontario. Its purpose is to promote and assist exceptional athletes in Ontario

Ontario

. This is accomplished by compensation for potential earnings lost due to summer training, increased access to high quality coaching, and enhanced opportunities for training and copetition. The Quest for Gold program also is intended to encourage athletes continue to live and train in Ontario. Athletes chosen for the Quest for Gold program are also heavily encouraged to pursue post-secondary education. The OASA nominates several athletes for the program every year
through the sport specific selection criteria.

Nominees

The following athletes were nominated for the Quest for Gold Program:

Adam Alexander
Jordon Grubb
Tyler Kuntz
Caleb Keeshig
Adam Stuck
Mike Legace-Roote
Eric Draper
Adam Stroud
Abe Leahy
Joe Terwoord
Jordon Turcotte
Brandon Parks
Corey Way
Brandon Roach
Steve Ashbridge

Executive

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