Hi All

Please read the whole thing…

Please update your “officers” in the Datacenter – I will be grabbing all the new officers for mailing lists in about 15 days so they need to be updated ASAP…

Couple of reminders – if you want to drive volunteers to help:

COMMUNICATE VISION – understand what you want to do with your league in the “big picture” and LET PEOPLE KNOW what they can do to help, don’t just say “we need volunteers” – no one will sign up. Have a plan, have positions, job descriptions, and expectations all mapped out. Then explain how them helping the league helps the community
Focus on the low end for now – T-Ball and coach pitch – start with the new parents and train them up right. Teach them that volunteering is a good thing, and important, and a big part of their own childrens’ education and learning about being a part of bigger team.
If a coach wants to manage a Majors/Intermediate team, make it a requirement that they have umpires lined up for the next division down. They can be umps themselves if they like…but make sure they are aware they too are part of a bigger “team”
Employ a strategy of “meet the team night” – make it special! Make it for EVERYONE. I have templates of a couple different “meet the team” night events that seemed to work well. Cast about for volunteers there….

Umpire training has been requested by Dennis (UIC for the State of Washington) To be Sunday March 19 for the Spokane Area. ANYONE can attend. It will be an “All-Day” affair. He requested that we do it the day after he does the one in District 5 so that he doesn’t have to make a second trip over to this side of the state. Please let everyone know in your leagues that this is going to be a free Umpire Clinic – For anyone who “passes” and agrees to volunteer for a league in the district I will provide them a new indicator, Little League umpire patch, and umpire cap. Perhaps their “host league” or their normal league can provide an umpire shirt/jersey of the appropriate color.

Anyone 14 years old or older can attend.

I am looking at setting the Coaches Clinic the next weekend in March on Saturday March 25 – Can we do it at Liberty Lake or South Hill? Someplace central? Or easy for everyone to get to ? The plan is :

T-Ball at 8:30-10:00 ,

Coach Pitch at 10:30-noon

Minors at 12:30 – 2:30

Majors at 3:00-5:00

Coaches/Managers should be at least 18 years old. Please ensure you have 2-4 kids for all ages to use as “practice” players…to use as “teaching” props…Any skill level is ok… This is going to be designed for appropriate skill level of coaches for each age group. If you have a “first time” coach/manager in Majors and above, you may want to rethink that strategy, but they are more than welcome to attend. You can send as many Coaches/Managers as you like to the clinic.

Remember to try and get sponsors for T-Ball to cover 80-90% of the costs, then make the fact known that kids can join T-Ball for little or nothing. Get the T-Ball rosters as full as you can make them – then lets build the momentum up into the upper divisions…

Regards