http://iscoresports.com/

Many ball seasons are already in full swing. Share your favorite scoring or prep tips.

1) I recently purchased the waterproof iPad case from Overboard. At first I thought that I would rarely need it for rain, but when the description noted that it was Dust-proof, too, I was intrigued. It's a little pricey at ~$45 from Amazon, especially when similar products exist for less money. But when I left the field last Saturday, the case had a layer of dust on it that wiped right off. I imagine that dust could wreck volume buttons and mute switches. So far, worth every penny IMHO.

2) If I can't find the teams we are playing in the USSSA database, I'll look for their page on the internet and manually type the rosters in the week before. The less typing on game day, the smoother it goes.

3) Tap on the next batter in the line up while the current batter is at the plate to view the player card. Sometimes you can still be scoring a complex play when the next batter steps in. Now, you have already seen their spray chart.

B

For tournament play, there are days when we might play 5-6 games in a day, often consecutively. My iPhone will score maybe 3 games with scorecast before it's out of juice. Since we might play back-to-back-to-back, there's no time to get to the car charger. To solve the problem, I've purchased a solar charger from North Terrain. The solar charger also allows you to plug it in and fully charge it the night before. Without even using the solar panels, I can fully recharge my iPhone 2-3 times, which allows me to score up to 9 additional games.

The cost was about $55. I used to have a USB charger that was only $20, but it required 3 AA batteries and barely recharged the phone once. The solar charger has already paid for itself in saved AA batteries.

SteelCityB wrote:Many ball seasons are already in full swing. Share your favorite scoring or prep tips.

1) I recently purchased the waterproof iPad case from Overboard. At first I thought that I would rarely need it for rain, but when the description noted that it was Dust-proof, too, I was intrigued. It's a little pricey at ~$45 from Amazon, especially when similar products exist for less money. But when I left the field last Saturday, the case had a layer of dust on it that wiped right off. I imagine that dust could wreck volume buttons and mute switches. So far, worth every penny IMHO.

2) If I can't find the teams we are playing in the USSSA database, I'll look for their page on the internet and manually type the rosters in the week before. The less typing on game day, the smoother it goes.

3) Tap on the next batter in the line up while the current batter is at the plate to view the player card. Sometimes you can still be scoring a complex play when the next batter steps in. Now, you have already seen their spray chart.

B

I always carry a gallon size ziplock bag with me in my camera bag. You never know when it might start raining and while not completely waterproof, by the time I'm nervous using it, the game is probably rained out as well. And if you haven't tried it, your finger works perfectly fine through the plastic. Sandwich sized bags are great for iPhones.

1) enter all teams and rosters prior to tounament. Agree USSSA is the best site for rosters but I have become quite creative in finding team rosters. That "other" scoring app website provides many rosters for me. If I can't find a roster I'll still enter the team and a quick roster. Trying to enter players after the coin toss while entering starting lineups positions is too stressful.
2) make sure ipad and external battery pack are fully charged. ipad2 will last at least 5 games (games last 1.25-1.5 hours) but I carry an external battery pack just in case. Can use it to recharge between games or even during use if necessary. Battery pack was about $50 I think but eliminated need to carry extension cord for emergency recharging during long days.
3) chair with shade. Direct sunlight is top reason for ipad overheating. Also glare makes it hard to read screen. Shade takes care of both issues. Also protects against pop up fouls!
4) parent "backup." Most parents are socializing while watching the game. I like to sit away from the pack and have my backup sit next to me. His job is to help fill in my blanks when I miss something while scoring the last play. Particularly if the girl swings on the first pitch while I'm still entering or finishing a complicated play. Where was that ball hit? Who threw the out? Sometimes I need help! Also another opinion on hit vs error is nice sometimes.

All these are great. I can't agree more with teammom's points 3 & 4 above. The shade chairs are a lifesaver for keeping glare off the screen as well as water on those days with a drizzle. I can operate without backup, but it makes things so much more difficult. We have a parent who videos all the games and he is a big help to me while scoring. Sometimes I just don't have a good angle to see how the play fully developed or an umpire or player will move in front of the play at just the wrong moment. It is good to have someone nearby to ask what they thought about hit/error decisions.

Yes, team mom's #3 is key. Even in the shade, I have to use the light skin which helps the glare issue, but I imagine cuts down on battery life. I use the 3G to broadcast the iScorecast, so I get 4 games in before the battery level gets under 20%. Luckily, my car doesn't need the keys in it for the outlets to work.

For #4, Our 4th coach typically moves the defense based on the iScore charts; he is also my backup.

Last weekend, I had looked down and missed a hard hit ball. When I looked up, it was in the outfield. So I asked, "was that a hit?" He didn't know I missed it, and says "I wouldn't score it a hit. It went right through her legs." lol