Council Rock Basketball
P.O. Box 550
Richboro, PA 18954
CRBA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: When does the season start and end? A: It varies slightly by grade, but generally, intramural practices begin in Mid-November, games begin the first weekend in December, and the league ends in Mid-March. (Travel is different and varies considerably by age group.)
- Q: Where and when are the intramural games played? They are played in the school gyms of the Council Rock School District. The following table shows the most likely game day by age group.
Age Group Game Day 2nd Grade Sunday Boys 3rd Saturday Boys 4th Saturday Boys 5th Saturday Boys 6th Saturday Boys 7th Sunday Boys 8th Saturday Boys 9th Saturday Boys 10th Saturday plus some weeknights Boys 11th-12th Sunday plus some weeknights Girls 3rd-4th Sunday Girls 5th-6th Saturday Girls 7th-8th Sunday Girls HS Saturday
- Q: When is practice? My daughter has religious instruction class and cannot attend on Wednesdays. A: Practice nights are a single weeknight, and they vary by team. You can designate one (and only one) weeknight when your son/daughter will be unable to practice.
- Q: I signed my son/daughter for travel. What happens if he/she isn’t selected? In that case, she/he will be assigned to an intramural team, and your travel payment will be refunded (if payment was made on-line) or shredded (if by check).
- Q: I need to withdraw my child from the league. I told the coach before the first game, but now you say I cannot get a refund. Why? When players withdraw once the teams have been formed, it creates huge problems for us as a league. While it may be unavoidable at times, it is fundamentally unfair to the coach and the other players on the team. Our main goal is to make sure that teams are balanced in terms of numbers of players as well as skills. When players withdraw after we draft or form the teams, it means that (1) a spot that could have been given to another player has not been filled because we closed down registration once our maximum number for that age group was reached; (2) the competitive balance of the teams has been affected; and, (3) we have probably incurred costs for credit card processing and Active.com registration site fees. Also, gym fees and referee fees are not reduced just because that team has one fewer player.
- Q: When completing the online registration, it charges you $280 for travel. Is that correct? A: The overall fee for the kids who play travel is $280. The uniform alone is over $80, and we are generally playing in more than one league now, which has higher league fees than Suburban or NESAC alone. Last year we had to go back and assess an additional fee to break even. If the player is not selected for travel and plays intramural, the travel premium is refunded.
- Q: What is your policy on “student coaches?” A: We encourage players who have come up through the CRBA system to “give back” to the program by volunteering their time. As a general rule, coaches must be in at least tenth grade, be active participants in our program (as players), and they should be willing to coach in an age group at least four years younger than their own. The approval of the board is necessary, and is given on a case-by-case basis, depending on the needs of the program. Students wishing to volunteer should download this form and mail it to us at CRBA, PO Box 550, Richboro, PA 18954.
- Q: My son is in second grade and last year he absolutely destroyed all of the other first graders on my driveway court. I think he will be very bored at the lack of a challenge in your second grade program. Do you have an “under 40 pound” travel team? I want to establish a proper foundation for his inevitable NBA career. A: Okay, take a deep breath. We have never heard a second grader complain about the lack of a challenge when he is one of the better players in his league, as a matter of fact, most of them enjoy it. It’s the parents who fret about the lack of expert competition. We would strongly encourage you to let him enjoy 2nd and 3rd grade instructional play and then, if he is still a “superstar,” he can try out for travel at the start of the 4th grade year.
- Q: My son is in sixth grade, and he is very talented. I would like him to play on a seventh grade intramural team. Can this be arranged? A: In terms of your son “playing up” into the next higher grade, we used to allow that and it was not a success. We believe that our players have more fun if they play with kids from their own grade. We have found that it pays to recognize that this is a social, as well as athletic, experience. If he is especially talented, he might want to try out for travel. The travel program is the one area in which we allow players to “play up,” so a sixth grader is permitted to try out for our seventh grade travel team.