INJURED PLAYER POLICY (2022) 

We support and enforce the USA Softball regulation that "no player shall begin a game with the status of injured." The safety and well-being of each participant in the Collegedale Recreation Association's youth league program is and should always be top priority, and should always be put ahead of all other agendas.  

INJURED PLAYER POLICY - INJURY CATEGORIES 

Chronic Injury (with the use of injury preventive gear) 

This player can participate as normal. 

For example, someone who has a chronic knee injury that has recovered to maximum potential and uses gear to prevent a re-injury. 

Acute Injury (with use of protective gear)  

This player should not participate unless they have medical clearance from a physician or physician extender. 

For example, someone who has a new injury that is in the acute phase of healing and has protective gear on (i.e. cast/immobilizer/boot). 

Definition of gear: 

Preventive - allows full range of motion and is intended to prevent injury/re-injury 

Protective - limits range of motion or immobilizes a joint or limb.  

IN-GAME INJURIES 

CRA policy (2016) states that a player who incurs an in-game injury that greatly impacts their ability to walk or run should always use good judgment (as should their coach and their parent/guardian) and exit the game completely at the time of injury without penalty. (Reminder: players may always exit game without penalty due to health and/or employment) If such an injury occurs while the player is a batter-runner or a base runner, and the player has safely reached first base and has a status of "safe" once play stops, then the league's new once-per-player-per-game "courtesy runner" home rule will be invoked/granted (due to it being an in-game injury) 

Also, if the injured player decides to remain in the game rather than exit the game completely, they are doing so with the understanding that they must run the bases as a batter-runner (and/or as a base runner) without the option of additional "courtesy runners”. 

One purpose for limiting the use of the "courtesy runner" is to encourage coaches and parents/guardians to remove players completely from the game who incur an injury in an effort to avoid risking further damage to their injury. If they feel the injured player can continue playing defense and bat, then the assumption is that the player is healthy enough to also run bases. Another purpose for limiting its use is to eliminate abuse of the league's home rule for a "courtesy runner" (i.e. coaches and/or players claiming "in-game injury" so that a faster player can run for a slower player).