THE O’KICKBALL CLASSIC

A middle-school kickball tournament on a mission

DESCRIPTION
The O’Kickball Classic is a kickball tournament just for middle schoolers. This new feature embeds inside of the bigger event, The OK Classic, which takes place on the same day at the same park. Two fields will be dedicated to The OK Classic Softball Tournament, two fields will be dedicated to The O’Kickball Classic. This new feature of the Classic offers our younger generation of Warrior Champions a chance to experience the mission in a friendly, inclusive and kickin’ competition. Get ready to kick, run and have a few laughs with Opportunity Knocks.

TOURNAMENT & FUNDRAISING DETAILS
The game-play will be split into two formats that connect. The morning games will be in a pool format with a 30-minute time limit for each game. There will be two pools, one for boys, one for girls. The afternoon games will be seeded based on the morning pool play and staged in a single elimination bracket with 1-hour game times. Other details listed below:

Tournament & Roster: 

8 teams - 2 Divisions - 4 teams/division - 1 boys & 1 girls division

Max of 20 players per roster

Times & Location

Location: Fields 3 & 4 (East Side Fields)​

Morning Pool Play Kickoff at 900AM

Midday Ceremony Break: 12-130pm

Afternoon Single Elimination Bracket Games: 130pm - 530pm


Game Limits:

Pool Play (morning) - 30 minutes or 6 innings

Bracket Play (afternoon) - 6 innings or 1 hour

TEAM FEE & FUNDRAISINGTeam Registration FeeThe team registration fee is $500. We ask that an adult team rep register the team. Teams are NOT required to satisfy the fee at time of registration. Teams are afforded the option of raising funds via the peer-to-peer fundraising platform hosted on this site. Team fee guarantees 5 games of kickball, an event t-shirt, a team voucher to concession and the satisfaction of supporting the Warrior Mission.
Fundraising GuidanceTraditionally, teams and players work together to reach out to friends and family to raise funds toward the overall team goal and the greater organizational goal for the event. We have seen teams get creative by reaching out to sponsors, hosting events, raffles, squares etc. Got a new idea!? Let’s work together.


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BASIC GAME STRUCTURE

  • 8-10 players in the field per team
  • SEE HERE for official tournament rules.
  • Field Setup: The field is similar to a baseball/softball field with four bases in a diamond shape. The pitching mound is in the center. 60’ distance between the bases.
  • Game Duration: Games are usually 6 innings long or 60 minutes.

GAMEPLAY RULES

  • Pitching: The ball is rolled underhand by the pitcher towards the kicker. The ball should be rolled smoothly, without bouncing excessively.
  • Kicking: The kicker must make contact with the ball using their foot or leg. A kicker gets one attempt to kick the ball; fouls or missed kicks often result in an out, depending on the league.
  • Running the Bases: After kicking, the kicker runs to first base and continues around the bases in the same order as in baseball. A runner is safe if they reach the base before the ball is caught by a fielder or before being tagged.
  • Outs: A team gets three outs per inning. Outs occur when:
  • The ball is caught by a fielder before it hits the ground (a fly out).
  • A runner is tagged with the ball while not on a base.
  • The ball is thrown to a base before the runner gets there (a force out).
  • The kicker fails to kick the ball properly (e.g., kicks a foul ball).
  • Pitcher’s Hand: The pitcher controls the play of the game. Play begins with the pitcher rolling the ball to the person up to bat, the kicker. Play stops when the ball is thrown to the pitcher.

ADDITIONAL RULES

  • Foul Kicks: Kicks that go out of bounds or don't travel a minimum distance can be considered fouls.
  • Stealing Bases: Generally, base stealing is not allowed in youth kickball.
  • No Bunting: The kicker is not allowed to intentionally lightly tap the ball instead of kicking it hard.
  • Infield Fly Rule: In some leagues, if a kicked ball is caught in the infield with runners on base, the runners are allowed to tag up and advance after the catch.
  • No sliding
  • No throwing of the ball at a player.


Questions about O'Kickball? Please reach out: 

Mike Carmody via email at mike@opportunityknocksnow.org

Nick Sakellaris via email at nsakellaris@op97.org