Tryouts/ Seasons
Viper Philosophy For Seasons
Fall: +/-9/1-11/15
- 1 practice and/or weekend event
- Learn new players, coaches, plays
- Expectation Setting/ Assimilate to (next) level
- Identify/Implement what needs to be installed offensively and defensively
- Combo of Scrimmage games/ Fall League/1 Day Tournaments/2 Day Tournaments/Showcases
- Medium schedule…more casual
- Try and play as long as weather permits
- Fall sports for multi-sport athletes OK…roster sizes and schedules adjusted accordingly. Arranged through coaches
- Organizational Practices/ clinics avail
- +1 Events
- Recommended to end with an “event” for holidays
- Dome workouts begin in November
- Organizational Pitching begins
- Alumni Open House
- Open Hitting begins
Winter: +/- 1/1-3/15
- Starts in earnest +/- Jan 2nd
- Winter times will begin in early November…November and December are light by design.
- Weekly Organizational Workouts at Superdome
- Organization Pitching continues
- Open Hitting continues through early-mid March
- one weeknight, one weekend (dome &/ or team) practices
- Additional time availability in Den on 1st Come 1st Serve basis
- Players invited to practice with other Viper teams, coordinated by coaches if conflicts
- +1 Clinics…offered during winter and are a standing part of the annual agenda
- Catching Sessions
Spring/Summer: +/- 3/15-7/31
- -+/-7 tournaments is the norm (based on how manager budgets & schedules)
- Practices: @4/1, as needed and as can be scheduled.
- Standing practices should not be expected and are addressed week by week per team. Gets tough for various reasons at each level. No level immune. Rec/MS/HS. Field availability & more
- 10U-12U: The Vipers encourage Summer Town Travel teams. Avoid scheduling through some but not all local summer events and local tournaments as best we can.
- 12U may play “Nationals”
- 14U-18U: Will include summer high school teams, college camps.
- HS levels begin mid-early June & can include combined events
- Season ends near or at end of July
- Showcase/ HS teams should plan on 2-3 3-day events (Fri-Sun) in July
2026/27 Season...Join The Club!
2026/27 Season…Join the Club!
Hello and thank you for stopping by the NJ Vipers to check us out!
This page is fully dedicated to our 202/27 Season!
Tryouts:
We will host several tryout dates set from mid-June (10u) through the end of July/early Aug for all levels. We know that we cannot avoid conflicts with every Rec/ Town Travel/ Little League or Club practice and tournament event, we have scheduled enough of them so that prospective members can make plans to come down and meet us. All events start at 5pm for check-in and warmups. Simply click the link below and register for what date(s) work best for you. Yes, you can come to more than one! If you are inquiring after these dates have passed, contact us to see if we have any openings and we can arrange for a private session.
We will announce all updates via our Instagram, Facebook and all other Social Media outlets should there be weather forced changes
Levels:
We proudly offer the following levels:
Futures: Entry Level. Ages 8-10 10u: 2016 12u: 2014/2015 14u: 2012/2013 16u: 2011/2010 18u: 2008/2009
** Can qualify for younger levels if born 10/1-12/31 of previous year
HS Ages typically play 16/18u
Offerings:
Season Length:
Our season runs from late August through mid/late July (pending schedule choices). Futures & 10u will end in June.
Practice:
- Fall: One. Teams are encouraged to practice 1X during the week and a weekend event. Coaches at their discretion may cancel practices based on player availability. Practice venues can be throughout Bergen & Rockland County. Field availability will drive this, as we are subject to town approvals, permits and field availability. Teams will have dedicated indoor time regardless and use our Viper Den Indoor/Outdoor Facility. Teams may share field or facility time based on availability and conflicts. If there is no weekend event, teams will likely practice. This is full coach discretion.
- Winter: Two team or level practice. Could be two weekdays or one weekday/ weekend. Organizational workouts in Waldwick Superdome from November – March (10u-18u; Futures on a limited basis).
- Spring: HS ends when HS practices begin. All other teams will run their weekly team events until on or about mid-April, which is when Rec, Town Travel & Middle School all start up. With all these beginnings, getting Viper teams together is exceedingly difficult. Coaches will run practices on a one-off basis, based on their survey of team need, availability and tournament schedules. Level practices are encouraged. Members should expect team events to dwindle signifcantly during Spring Rec/MS seasons.
HS: Will start to reconvene about a week or so after Memorial Day. Level practices are encouraged where possible, as such conflicts arise as Awards Assemblies, Finals, Proms, & end of school events. Some HS programs start their summer seasons in mid-June, making more players unavailable. Coaches are encouraged to work with their teams amap, but also consider productivity with availability & communication with other Viper coaches
Outdoor practices have been held in past years in Old Tappan, Norwood, Northvale, Palisades Park, Montvale, Park Ridge, N Haledon, and other venues if available
Organizational Practices:
- The Vipers will run +1 organizational practices & clinics ( OF, Baserunning, PFP’s and more) throughout the year. These are optional events, but attendance is encouraged and expected as much as possible. Events are scheduled as game/ practice schedules evolve. There is no set min or max number of these events, or pre-set dates and times. Announcements for these events will be in weekly organizational communications, social media posts and team scheduling apps to allow for players to plan and attend. Variables considered are team practice/ game conflicts, field/ venue availability, weather, and misc. other factors.
- The Vipers will also run organizational practices at the Waldwick Superdome on weekends starting in mid-November run through mid-March. These are organizational events, and attendance is expected. Times and actual dates will be shared and have already been contracted. Sessions run for two hours…First Hour: 10/12u; Second Hour: 14u+. Futures are invited to selected sessions.
There is an optional feature for Open Hitting Mondays. Members have the option of attending, as per their own schedule at $20 per week, payable upon arrival. Times are set up for all ages and will work directly with our senior staff, led by Bob Germano, Sheila Serafin Goulding & Frank Mariconti. Players get at least 100 swings per session & work with our long-term coaches. These can either replace or supplement batting lessons, if taken privately. Discounted pricing package available at registration.
The Vipers provide organizational pitching sessions with our own Pitching Coach(es) throughout the winter season. PC will be accessible for throwing sessions. Should a PC not be available in winter months, the Vipers open the Viper Den for open Pitching…pitchers come in and throw in these designated times, bring your own catcher (BYOC). In 2025/26, The NJ Vipers provided over 25 hours of pitching time and sessions. These are +1 events and provided by the NJ Vipers. Catchers are encouraged to come and work with their pitchers.
The Vipers represented going into the 25/26 season that we were “exploring” to provide organizational Catching Coach(es) throughout the 2025/26 season. Mission accomplished. 7 sessions/ 14 hours of catching sessions were provided, +1 by professional catchers. We will be providing this going forward into 2026/27, provided for by the NJ Vipers. Another +1.
The Vipers provide access to speed, agility and strength training throughout the year through our relationship w/ Varsity House in Orangeburg, NY. This is softball specific training to guard against overuse injuries while having fun getting stronger and faster in a supervised, structured manner with experts who are the best at what they do!
Costs:
We do not publish our pricing online; what we stand by and guarantee is that they are extremely competitive and represent the best value in the marketplace without question. The Vipers offer fundraising to allow our members to reduce their tuition on an individualized basis. All individual fundraising is voluntary.
Year in and year out, our offerings and delivery are the greatest value and ROI possible for our members. For those who choose to fundraise, we become the least expensive option in the market with the greatest value! Lower prices should be met with questions and a deep dive to hidden costs, full disclosure and a side by side comparison…in our view, there is simply no better value.
Uniforms:
Our Uniforms/ Shop link shows our uniform/ player pack requirements, which runs in the $350-400 range. We try not to change uniforms each year (we may add something cool at the request of our players), so once you purchase, they are not typically recurring costs (unless you need new sizing). We do make some updates every 3 years.
Misc:
Viper branded batting gloves, Sports Recruits….we are always adding more and more. We have a +1, Raving Fans approach to our members.
We provided 40 hours of training at the Waldwick Superdome, introduced Russ Chambliss Grand Slam Hitting, Varsity House, Organizational sessions for IF, OF, Baserunning, PFP’s and our Members Only Mobile Training App.
All we do is softball. That’s it!
Representations:
See our Player Agreement, Guest Policy, & Testimonials
Above is a Good Faith Estimate and subject to change. Payment plans are available and set per your registration choices. The organization represents its intention to provide as listed. Should there be interruptions in play for health emergency declarations, weather, Acts of God, lack of player availability, weather, etc…, all final decisions are at the sole discretion of the Vipers. Uniform Player Packs may vary slightly based on availability, supply chains, delivery, shipping, etc…. Uniform Player Pack estimate is directional and estimated…all arranged and fulfilled through third parties. These costs may change and are subject to substitution & replacement.
Fundraising:
Members receive a Fundraising Packet that provides the opportunity to lower their annual costs. All Fundraising is voluntary. We do not permit individual team fundraisers…only individual & organizational. If a player/ family wants to fundraise to, say, reduce their travel costs for a showcase event in New England, they will need to take advantage of our individual fundraisers, and reduce their outlay that way. The organization runs a few events throughout the year that we use for field permits, coaching hires, winter training, equipment, facility operations and more….
We do host an organizational fundraiser each year. Our 2025 event featured Kickin’ Nash and was an amazing event. Our 2026 event is scheduled for Nov. 14th in Westwood, NJ and will include music, dancing, buffet, open bar, and raffle items.
The NJ Vipers are a registered LLC organization. We have a working relationship with Valley Charities of NJ, a registerd 501c3.
We look forward to meeting you or welcoming you back but most importantly, we are honored to be hosting your softball journey!
