2018 Information Packet

Transcription

1 2018 Information Packet GREAT NEWS Our fundraising activities and registration fees have been put to work! Thank you for your continued support! Major capital improvements were complete in the offseason, totaling over $40,000. Take a few moments this spring and check out the upgrades. You asked that we make good use of your fundraising efforts and the league delivered; however, we could not have done these significant improvements for the players if it wasn t for your past efforts. We thank you for this past participation that has allowed us to make a considerable investment in our fields and in our future. Again, we would like to extend our solemn appreciation for all previous raffle ticket sales and tag day time commitments. Aside from or normal facility maintenance expenses and operating expenses, we accomplished the following: Northside Facility (Formerly Elliot Avenue) A brand new infield for the Babe Ruth Field! Southside Facility (Formerly South Lewiston) A brand new infield for the Majors Softball Field A brand new infield for the Majors Baseball Field ******************************************************************************************* In an effort to provide parents/guardians and Lewiston Baseball and Softball participants with as much information as possible, the Board of Directors is pleased to publish this general information packet for your records and to use as a guide for the remainder of the season. As you read through this document, please keep in mind that Lewiston Baseball and Softball is a true community effort where families and local businesses work together to offer children positive life experiences through the games of baseball and softball. Please be aware, however, that expenses associated with the operation of our facility, teams, equipment, insurance, charter, training, safety, concessions and access is expensive and to that end we have attached to this Information Packet a brief synopsis of Where Does Your Money Go?. NO VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ANY AND ALL OPERATIONS OF LEWISTON BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL RECEIVE ANY TYPE OF STIPEND OR FEE WHATSOEVER FOR THEIR TIME OR EFFORTS TO OPERATE OUR PROGRAMS. 1

2 2018 Little League Bat Regulations have changed. Only bats that meet these new guidelines are deemed legal for any Little League activity, per Little League National mandate. This bat rule is only for Little League Baseball and does not impact Babe Ruth Softball. Also new for Babe Ruth Baseball now allows BBCOR (-3) bats or the new USA Baseball bats. For more information, regarding the 2018 Little League Bat Rules, please go to this link for the official Little League regulation: USABat Stamp Any bat with the following stamp is NOT legal for any little league activities: 2

3 President Ron Chartier Director of Baseball Jim Caron Director of Softball- Stacey Boulay Treasurer Chris Dymkoski Secretary Chris Hill Information Officer Sean Bushway Purchasing Agent Andy Levasseur Concessions Coordinator Amy Burleigh LEWISTON LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL LEWISTON BABE RUTH BASEBALL LEWISTON BABE RUTH SOFTBALL League Officers and Board Members for 2018 Fundraising Coordinator Melissa Fournier Coaching Coordinator - Len Farinas Umpire in Chief - VACANT Safety Officer - Rob Lyons Field Maintenance Director - Scott Anctil Baseball Player Representative- Joe Wolverton Softball Player Representative- Michael Connor Parents with questions, comments, or concerns can reach us at the fields, via at lewistonlittleleague@outlook.com, or by private message on our Facebook page Registration Fees: Tee-Ball (age 4-6) - $90 Baseball/Softball (age 7-12) $100 Babe Ruth Baseball (age 13-15)- $100 Babe Ruth Softball- $100 Maximum fee for families is $175 Tobacco Policy Lewiston Baseball and Softball properties are tobacco-free facilities. Use of smoke or smokeless tobacco products are NOT allowed on the premises. Smoking is NOT allowed in your vehicle EVER while at the facilities. This is a safety policy for all participants of the Lewiston Baseball and Softball facilities. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Field Maintenance: Field maintenance is a monumental job that is never done! Anyone interested in assisting with our field maintenance activities like mowing and weed trimming please contact the league via and we will put you in touch with our field maintenance director. Field Day: Saturday April 21st, with a rain date of Sunday April 22nd at 9:00 a.m. until the grounds are ready for play. Please bring a rake, shovel, weed trimmer, and your hard work ethic and we will put you to work. We now have two facilities to prepare! We will need everyone to pitch in to get it all done. Opening Day: Saturday, April 28th is opening day. Sunday, April 29th will be the rain date. Opening day ceremonies will include introductions of ALL baseball and softball teams from all divisions. Concessions will be open and snacks and beverages will be available during the event. The ceremony 9:00 a.m. sharp with games starting shortly thereafter. The location of opening day ceremonies will be announced on our Facebook page and our website. Picture Day: Picture day will be announced on the Facebook page and website once it is scheduled. Fundraising: It currently costs $ per player for Lewiston Little League just to break even for a single Little League season. A copy of an explanatory Where does Your Money Go? is attached to this packet for your information. Our registration fees are considerably less than our cost for player. This means that each and every player/parent needs to raise approximately $ from active fundraising efforts just for our league to pay existing operating expenses. Accordingly, each player/parent is required to participate in our fundraising activities outlined below. 3

4 Tag Days: Tag Day Dates are tentatively set for each Saturday and Sunday in May and June. Note these dates for your child to participate with their team or another team based on schedule availability. Your child will be required to tag for 1-2 hours based on their respective age. There is a mandatory buyout if you CANNOT participate; however, the BUYOUT is reasonably priced at $50.00 per/player. Raffle Tickets: Each parent/guardian is required to sell raffle tickets that have excellent cash prizes. Each parent/guardian should sell two (2) books of five (5) tickets. Each ticket is $5 and each book is therefore $25.00, i.e., each parent/guardian is required to sell a total of $50.00 of raffle tickets. The coaches are responsible for handing out the tickets and ensuring that the money is collected to turn in to the Fundraising Coordinator. The drawing for the cash prizes will be July 1 st at the Majors Field and you do not need to be present to win: 1 st Prize $1,000 cash (Wow!) 2 nd Prize $500 cash 3 rd Prize $250 cash 4 th Prize $100 cash ****Please note that the top 3 sellers of raffle tickets will receive a certificate to our partner Dick s Sporting Goods which must be used in-store and subject to limitations.**** General Overview Safety: Safety is a primary concern for everyone involved with Lewiston Baseball and Softball. The League will provide approved safety helmets for players that need them, if you would like to purchase your own safety helmet, please do so, however it must be NOCSAE approved. We provide all catching gear for each team. If your son/daughter has their own equipment, please note it must meet all safety guidelines enforced by our league and Little League/Babe Ruth standards. Any male catching must wear a plastic cup type athletic supporter and it is urged that ALL male players in ALL positions wear athletic supporters. The Lewiston Baseball and Softball complexes are busy places on the field and off, so please maintain a safety conscious attitude at all times. Be alert for baseballs/softballs in flight, as they are constantly being thrown or batted. Take special care to watch at all times for young children at play around the facilities and fields, especially while driving in and around the facility. Medical: Please advise your player s coach of any allergies, pre-existing conditions, injuries or special needs at the commencement of and throughout the season. Your player s information will be kept confidential and your coach will work with the player to ensure a positive experience. Parking: Parking on Lewiston Baseball and Softball property is at YOUR OWN RISK. We run baseball/softball complexes and are NOT responsible for any damages that may occur during games, practices, or at any time on the facility grounds. Do not park illegally in front of any driveway near the entrance of the facilities, if so you are parking at your own risk and your car CAN BE TOWED IF ILLEGALLY PARKED. Note: Take special care in and around the snack shack areas, they are the busiest foot traffic areas of the facilities Volunteers: Lewiston Baseball and Softball is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the youth in our community. What better way to show our children that we support what they are doing by volunteering your time or making a charitable contribution to our league. Wouldn't it be nice to come back years from now and still see vibrant, fun and well-managed facilities, thriving just like today? Volunteers are greatly appreciated in all areas but are most needed in the concession and field maintenance areas. 4

5 Team Player/Team Parent: The role of team parent is an important one. Team parents help the managers and coaches by showing support and being available for both their child and for the coaches. Coaches need to concentrate on teaching the fundamentals of baseball and softball through planned practices and innovative drill work. It's important for parents/guardians to make every effort to get their player to practice on time and ready for play! Players should be dressed and ready minutes prior to schedule start time. Lastly, these are TEAM sports and everyone has a role regardless of experience, ability or age. As an organization, we teach one of the greatest fundamentals of life-long learning and success the concept of TEAMWORK! Team Rosters: As soon as players are drafted and placed on an assigned team, their coach will notify the player and all parents/guardians. Once notified, the coach will give all the information needed to actively start participation, including practice times and equipment that may be needed. If you have not been notified by your team s coach by Sunday April 22 nd, please contact the league via and we will ensure proper notification. Rain/Inclement Weather: Lewiston Baseball and Softball rules are very specific regarding weather situations. You must arrive at the field at your regularly scheduled practice, or game time unless you have been notified by your coach of a cancellation in advance of that time. If you have not received any communication from your coach and the weather seems to be inclement you MUST still show up ready to play. Our fields typically shed water well and if we can play SAFELY we will! Furthermore, if the weather does appear to be suspect you CANNOT just drop off your child, you will need to stay until the player is either released from the assigned activity or until the game is canceled. Nutrition/Hydration and Wellness: Players should arrive at the field having had a light meal and ready to play ball. They should be properly attired and have an ample supply of water. Players should keep a snack in their gym bag and have a jacket or hooded sweatshirt for cooler conditions. Players need a hat to play baseball or visor for softball, so always remember their hat/visor, glove and cleats. Lost Items: Lewiston Baseball and Softball is NOT responsible for lost items.. We will not reimburse for items that are missing. It is your child's responsibility to care of their personal belongings, and to ensure they leave with what they came with on any given day. If your child finds an item that is left behind he/she should turn it into their coach prior to departure from the field. Dug Out Cleanup: Each team is responsible to clean in and around their dugout area at the summation of every game. This includes sweeping of seeds, dirt, debris and removal of empty bottles and cans. Lewiston Baseball and Softball player evaluations All players from age 7 to 15 must go through evaluations. No one in these age groups is omitted from the evaluations for the purpose of our drafting and proper team assignments. All coaches need the evaluations to make their observations of player skills. Evaluations for Little League Baseball, Babe Ruth Baseball, and Babe Ruth Softball will take Lewiston High School in the gymnasium. The location of LHS is 156 East Avenue in Lewiston. Dates and Times will be posted to our Facebook page and an will be sent to all registered users on our website. 5

6 OTHER IMPORTANT EVENTS: As a sponsor of our league, Dick's Sporting Goods wants to recognize your commitment and dedication to youth sports by extending an exclusive invitation to a special League Appreciation Weekend at the Topsham Dick s Sporting Goods store on April 7 th and 8 th. On this weekend you will receive 20% off throughout the store! Discount will be good on all of your baseball/softball needs including, gloves, bats, cleats, batting gloves, baseball/softball pants, baseball/softball apparel, batting helmets, batting gloves, bat bags, eye black, and more! The offer is valid on anything in store with just a few exclusions as noted on flyer and at the discretion of the store. GREAT SAVINGS on all of your baseball/softball needs for the upcoming season! If Dick s does not have your item, size or color please see an associate and they can help you find online and order for you with 20% off plus free shipping! We hope that you will take advantage of this special team shopping event, so you can enjoy Dick s Sporting Goods best baseball/softball gear at a great savings! EVERY SEASON STARTS AT DICK S SPORTING GOODS! Here is what you will need to have for the upcoming season that Dick s Sporting Goods carries: PLAYER CHECKLIST: - Glove - Bat - Equipment bag - Pants - Cleats - Softball face masks - Water Bottle - Socks - Belt - Batting Helmet **Note: This special offer for our league is only valid for the weekend of our event and cannot be combined with any other offers or coupons Dick s has donated some catcher s gear and made a significant financial donation to the league this year and has been a fantastic partner with us for several seasons. The coupon flyer can be found on the next page. 6

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8 Where does the money go??? Thank you for being part of the Lewiston Baseball and Softball Family! We are looking forward to another great season! 7