Due to the newness of the program and a few questions we have received from parents, the following is a frequency asked questions (FAQ) sheet that the board has devised in order to better assist you with determining whether the Velocity program is a good fit for you and your player.

1.      The information says “up to 7 tournaments”.  Are there going to be 7 and will all require hotel stays?

No.  We had to put some sort of limit on the number of games.  In the past, we have had teams and coaches that have requested to play in endless number of tournaments.  In order to properly plan and give parents some guidelines, the board will only entertain 7 maximum tournaments.  Depending on the coach and the price of the tournaments selected by the coach, the team may very well end up playing less.  The cost to play in tournaments is rising.  If the coach selects higher priced tournaments, this will decrease the total number being able to be played.

While this is a commitment on your part, we anticipate that coaches will select many of the traditional WinStars tournaments in the area (i.e. St. Charles, Stewartville, LaCrosse) and that only a few will require a hotel stay.  In addition, many tournaments are typically only 1 day events instead of the entire weekend.

2.      Are all tournaments going to be 150 miles away? 

No.  Again, we had to put some sort of limit on it.  In the past, we have had requests for tournaments 4-6 hours away.  Thus, the board will not entertain tournament requests from coaches that are more than 150 miles away.  We anticipate that coaches will register their teams to play competitively closer by at many tournaments that are LESS than 150 miles in distance.

3.      How will players be selected?

Tryouts are being conducted by independent evaluators. These will be conducted on September 26th.  We will be asking all players for past playing experience and previous coach contact.  This information may be used in conjunction with evaluations if needed.

4.      Who will the coaches be?

Currently, our coaching director is actively recruiting coaches for all of the Velocity and Diamonds teams.  Coach information will be sent to parents as soon as it is available. 

5.      What happens if we do not have enough players for the velocity teams?

This all depends. If we are short 1-2 players at a specific age level, we may actively recruit a few more weeks to fill those slots.  If we experience low interest overall in a specific group (i.e. 10u), we likely drop the velocity program at that age level.  This is why it is very important that people sign up and complete the evaluation process. 

6.       Do I need to reside in Winona? 

No, many of our players originate from towns outside of Winona.  We currently have girls from Rollingstone, Arcadia, Rushford, Cochrane, etc.  If your daughter wants to play competitive ball, please get them registered ASAP.

Thank you for your patience as we continue building the softball experience!

 please take a moment and watch

https://youtu.be/cfdwElgElQ8

if you would like more information about the Winona WinStars, please see About Winona WinStars under the home tab

The Winona WinStars are a community based traveling fastpitch softball organization. The WinStars field teams in the 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, & 18U age groups. We also offer a Non-Traveling program, WeeStars and Sparklers, for girls aged 5-10. The WinStars are a Non-profit volunteer organization. The goal of play is to help girls to develop Sportsmanship, Teamwork, Commitment, and Softball skills while having fun.

THE WINSTARS WOULD LIKE TO SAY "THANK YOU" TO OUR 2020 SPONSORS

Platinum
Scheels

Gold
Bauer Electric

Silver
Fraternal order of Eagles
VFW #1287
WNB Financial

Bronze
Merchants Bank
Coca Cola Bottling Company
Whistle Clean Laundromat
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
J & D's 
Winona Agency
Graphic Image

Other
RTP company
Modern Ready Mix
Midtown Foods
Target
Winona Family Dental