The District has documentation from the following manufacturers that decals on their helmets are permitted.

• Boombah NEW
• Easton
• Mizuno
• Rawlings
• RIP-IT
• Schutt
• Wilson

Each manufacturer has significant restrictions that must be followed to use decals on the helmet so as not to void the warranty. In particular, stickers cannot be larger than 20% of the helmet surface area in most cases and cannot cover the NOCSAE or other stamps. Please read the respective letter for details.

District 16 is in possession of these letters, which are considered “approval in writing by the helmet manufacturer” for purposes of rule 1.16. Other manufacturer helmets, including those manufactured by parent, sibling, or child companies of these companies, are not covered by this approval.

Individual players are not required to carry a copy of the letter with them at District 16 Tournament games. Players that advance beyond District 16 play should print out and carry a hard copy with them.

Little League’s web site has a page of tournament resources for managers and leagues preparing for the International Tournament. You can read rules changes, tournament FAQs, affidavits and other forms, etc.

District 16 has put together some of our own information that we review with the scorekeepers and managers at the managers meeting.

• Scorekeepers Checklist
• Managers Duties

Those resources are focused on our District Tournaments, so they are baseball-oriented and primarily for Juniors and below.

Due to the Virginia State Legislation (Virginia 2014 Va. Acts, Chap. 760 (2014 HB 410/SB 172)) that went into effect January 1, 2014, all tournament team managers and coaches are required to take the National Federation of High Schools “Concussion in Sports” training course.

This is a free course available on line at http://nfhslearn.com/courses/38000. There is no charge for this course and it should take no more than 30 minutes.

They may also take the Centers for Disease Control “HEADS UP to Youth Sports: Online Training” available at http://www.cdc.gov/headsup/youthsports/training/index.html.

Each tournament manager and coach, all district staff members, and all tournament officials must take one of these two courses each calendar year.

Effective July 1, 2014, all Leagues in Virginia District 16 must establish a policy for concussions that is compliant with Subsection 22.1-271.5.C of the Code of Virginia and Little League Regulation III.d.2 Note 3. Leagues are encouraged to adopt the policy for their local school division. The District is adopting the Loudoun County Public Schools Concussions In Student Athletes policy and implementation guidance for all inter-league play and District-administered tournaments.

Mandatory Training

• Each manager and coach of a tournament team must complete the Center for Disease Control’s Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports online training course;
• Managers and Coaches must present the certificate of completion for the course to the District Safety Officer no later than the mandatory manager’s meeting for the tournament;
• Managers and Coaches who do not present the certificate will not be permitted to remain on the Tournament Affidavit;
• The CDC’s training course is free of charge and only takes about 30 minutes to complete; and
• District Staff, Tournament Directors, and Umpires must also complete the training prior to the beginning of District Tournaments and provide a copy of their certificate to the District Safety Officer.

Parent, Athlete and Coach Guideline Acknowledgement

• Player Agents shall obtain a completed Loudoun County Public Schools, Division of Athletics, Concussions in High School Sports – Guidelines for Parents, Athletes, & Coaches acknowledgement form from parents of each player included on the Tournament Affidavit;
• Acknowledgement Forms shall be presented with the Tournament Affidavit for District approval and will be maintained with the Tournament Affidavit for the duration of the team’s participation in the Little League International Tournament; and
• If an Acknowledgement Form is not included for a player, the player will not be permitted to remain on the Tournament Affidavit.

Baseline Testing

• Each league should attempt to make reasonable efforts to conduct baseline tests of all players on their Tournament Affidavit prior to the start of the District Tournaments. At a minimum, each league shall have in place for the start of it’s Fall 2014 Season, a plan/process/procedure to conduct baseline tests of all of it’s participants;
• Baseline Testing should conform to the CDC’s FAQ on Baseline Testing; and
• The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) program is administered by school Athletic Trainers for baseline tests in both Loudoun County Public Schools and Fauquier County Public Schools, but does not have standards for players under 10 years old.

Resources

• CDC Heads Up: Concussion
• CDC Concussion Fact Sheet for Parents
• CDC Concussion Fact Sheet for Coaches
• CDC Concussion Clipboard Checklist for Coaches

The extreme heat policy for District 16 remains the same as it has been for the last few years. Managers, coaches, and parents are encourages to be familiar with the policy and, more importantly, with the safety issues and warning signs.

District 16 takes safety very seriously. We want to play baseball and softball, but not at the risk of anyone’s health. With higher temperatures expected for the coming week, everyone should take a few minutes to familiarize themselves with the District 16 policy regarding play in extreme heat.

District 16 will follow the heat and humidity recommendations from Little League.

• When the heat index is in the Extreme Danger (red) category, games and warmups will be suspended.
• When the heat index is in the Danger (orange) category, we will take a 5-minute break at the end of the 2nd and 4th innings.
• We will resume game activities only when it is safe and appropriate to do so.
• We will use NOAA temperature, relative humidity, and heat index readings from the nearest available location.

Players, coaches, managers, umpires, and volunteers are encouraged (and should be reminded) to stay hydrated. We ask that everyone be vigilant. Fans should make sure family, friends, and neighbors in the stands are hydrating. Coaches should watch the players and other coaches. If anyone feels ill or sees someone showing signs of heat illness (no sweating, hot flushed skin), please alert tournament volunteers immediately.

Extreme heat conditions also tend to bring in thunderstorms, especially in the late afternoon. District 16 follows the Loudoun County and Little League guidelines regarding lightning. If lightning is seen or thunder is heard, umpires will immediately suspend play for 30 minutes. Any additional lightning or thunder will reset the clock to 30 minutes. Players are to return to their cars and remain there until play can be resumed or the game is called.