Skill Level Divisions for the 2023 Season
The goal of IHAAZ is to offer fun and challenging divisions for all teams participating. If a team is too strong or too weak for a division, this will not occur. To address this, for 2023 and beyond like other tournaments in the sport, we will now offer two levels a team can participate in IHAAZ events as: Silver or Gold.
In scheduling of each event, teams will be placed in divisions with parity in mind first, not age (within reason). The goal is to encourage those building teams to do so at a specific skill level. If a team wants to "stack up", they will should be doing so with the goal of playing in the Gold division.
Silver and Gold divisions (defined)
Silver teams are centered around recreational players and new to roller players/teams. The goal for Silver teams is for them to have competitive games and not be matched up against Gold teams if possible. At this level some players may be more skilled or experienced than others, however no one player or couple players on a Silver team should be able to single handedly change the outcome of a game consistently.
Gold teams are the higher competitive teams. A Gold team could be a Silver team with 1-2 Gold players who tip the scales in games. Teams with those players will be moved to Gold. In the event a team is too strong for a Gold division in their own age group, they may be asked to play up an age group in either Gold or Silver to better compete.
How are teams designated?
Team designations will be made by IHAAZ (with input from the team's coach/rep). Teams will be required to submit rosters at the time of registration. IHAAZ will review each roster to determine where the best parity for them will be at each event. Each IHAAZ event may have different team participating. Skill level designations will be made based on the competition at each event. For example a team may be classified as a "Gold" team at one event, and a Silver team at the next event, based on which teams are entering each event.
Roster Movements
- Individual players may make one roster move per season
- Example: A player may play with Club A at one event, and leave Club A to go to Club B. After that one move, the player will be locked onto Club B's roster for the remainder of the 2023 season, including the 2023 State Finals. For a player to leave a team and move to another team, the original team must agree to release the player. IHAAZ cannot force or implore a team to release a player.
- Roster Movement Within a Club or Program
- In the event a program has multiple teams in the same age group, players may me moved between rosters for each event (never during the same event) as many times as they wish. That player must still meet the participation guidelines for State Finals qualification rules for their division (Silver or Gold), meaning they must have played with a team that is competing in the Silver division at two events during the season, to be eligible to play with that team at State Finals.
AGE DIVISIONS FOR THE 2023 IHAAZ SEASON
Age Division | Birth Years | Eligibility Exceptions |
Midget 16/18u | 2004 - 2007 | Girls - 2004 or younger* |
Bantam 14u | 2008 & younger | Girls – 2006 & younger** |
Pee Wee 12u | 2010 & younger | Girls – 2008 & younger** |
Squirt 10u | 2012 & younger | Girls – 2010 & younger** |
Mite 8u | 2014 & younger | Girls – 2012 & younger** |
The age cut off for the 2023 season is January 1st, 2023.
* All participants must still be enrolled in High School to participate if they are a 2004 birth year
** Female players are allowed two extra years in each age group.
