Posted 12.19.2016
There’s finally snow in Colorado, Christmas is days away, and surprisingly enough, it’s time to start thinking about baseball!
Online registration for Academy Little League will begin on January 2nd
There is a lot of new information for the 2017 season……please read carefully.
Board of Directors:
With three resignations, along with some movement of positions, the newly comprised Board of Directors and Advisory Board (non-voting) can be found on the league website.
ATTENTION PARENTS OF YOUNGER PLAYERS:
The Board is currently interviewing prospective advisory council members. Due to the number of current Board members with older players, we are actively seeking members with players who are league age 10 and under. Our advisory council is a great way to get involved with the league, especially if you would like to move into a Board position in future years. It is crucial that we add members with younger players, not only to ensure diversity in the make-up of the Board, but to train the future leadership of the league. Most of the current positions open involve a much lower commitment level (such as Equipment Manager, Uniform Coordinator and Umpire Coordinator) and are a great way to get your feet wet.
Additionally, we know we will be transitioning several board positions in 2017, as several of our long-time members will be phasing out. Ideally, we would like to take the 2017 season to train their replacements; by having them shadow those Board members. Please contact Tamee Lashlee at [email protected] if you are interested or have any questions concerning either Board or Advisory Council positions. We would like to have these new volunteers in place by our January Board meeting. The future of the league relies on volunteers stepping into leadership positions. Please note that we are an all-volunteer league, and as such, no Board member or Advisory Council member receives any salary; just the satisfaction of helping kiddos play a game they love!
REGISTRATION NOTES:
As stated, online registration begins on the 2nd and runs through January 28th. We will host a walk-in registration later in January (time and place to be announced by the 2nd). PLEASE NOTE that those attending walk-in registration should register online FIRST, then complete their registration at walk-in.
Walk-in registration is ONLY for the following:
- Those wishing to pay by cash or check. We can only accept credit/debit cards online. Please complete your registration online, saving your progress once you get to the payment tab. Please contact the registrar should you require any assistance.
- Those new to the league and need to either show a copy of player’s birth certificate and/or proof of residency.
- Any parent with questions who would like to speak to a Board member.
- Potential coaches or volunteers who would to speak to a Board member.
- Anyone having difficulty with the registration process and would like a volunteer to go through the process with them.
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PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO DOWNLOAD THE REGISTRATION PACKET. You should complete as much as possible prior to attending walk-in registration and save your progress. MOST of the league players will be able to fully register online and will not need to attend walk-in registration. Once your registration is complete you will receive confirmation.
Please note that IF YOU PLAYED IN THE LEAGUE BUT HAVE MOVED OUTSIDE OF OUR BOUNDARIES, YOU WILL NEED TO FILL OUT A “GRANDFATHER” WAIVER. This is extremely important and should be done during the registration process. Please contact the registrar for the correct form and instructions for the process. A sibling can also obtain this waiver.
EVALUATIONS
Please note that those players playing in Minors and above are required to book an evaluation time. Only Major 12 year olds who played in the Red division as 11 year olds and are frozen on their teams are exempt from evals (if in doubt, please contact the registrar). Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email that will direct you to choose an eval time. Evals are mandatory to ensure equal distribution on teams during the drafts. All players will be placed on a team, this is strictly an evaluation. If your player does not attend evals he/she will not be eligible for the red divisions and will be RANDOMLY placed on a blue division team at the end of the draft.
COACHES AND VOLUNTEERS
We will no longer accept paper applications for coaching and volunteer positions or for background checks. Please complete these online. If you do not have a player to register, you will still need to make an account to complete these applications. Paperless applications cut down on mistakes in reading and greatly cut down on time spent by our volunteers to process these. We will only consider coaches who have completed their online applications. PLEASE COMPLETE these applications as soon as possible, so we can complete our part in a timely fashion. If you think you might volunteer in any capacity within the league, please fill out an application, so a background check can be completed.
Volunteers are not allowed any contact with players prior to passing a background check. Please help us keep our players safe!
DIVISIONAL CHANGES FOR SOFTBALL, JUNIORS (age 13-14), INTERMEDIATES (age 13) and T-BALL (ages 4-6)
League age 13 year olds: As announced earlier this fall, we will field an Intermediate Division for 2017. This division is fairly new within Little League and each league has some latitude on its implementation. Academy Little League will allow ONLY league age 13 year olds to try out for this division. ALL LEAGUE AGE 13 YEAR OLDS ARE ELIGIBLE TO TRY OUT FOR THE INTERMEDIATE DIVISION. All 13 year olds will try out at evaluations and will then be placed in either Intermediates or Juniors (13/14 year olds). Intermediates is intended to be more competitive and COULD involve travel to Denver on certain weekends to play Denver area Little Leagues. As this is the inaugural year for Academy Little League, we anticipate that there will be opportunities for those that played in the Majors’ Blue division to make an Intermediate team. If you are not selected for an Intermediate team, you will be placed in our Juniors’ Division, which consists of 13 and 14 year olds. This division interleagues with surrounding leagues, such as High Plains LL (Falcon area) and TriLakes LL (Monument area). If you have any questions regarding this division or how to register your 13 year old, please contact the league registrar through our website.
Softball: Due to lack of demand, Academy LL will not field any softball divisions this season. With all surrounding leagues having the same issue, the Board has voted to combine our players with other leagues in order to streamline services. Academy LL players may register with TriLakes LL in Monument or High Plains LL in Falcon. You will need to notify them you are within Academy’s boundaries and will require a waiver. Academy has chartered our softball players and will grant waivers to play in these leagues. This also allows for the possibility of a multi-league All-star team(s). Should you have any difficulty, please contact our registrar. Should demand increase, we would love to bring full teams back to Academy LL.
T-Ball (ages 4-6): Due to coach and parent input we are adjusting our T-ball program. This is the introduction to baseball for most of our boys and girls. Therefore, we want to not only make it fun, but more manageable for families just starting out in the game. We will therefore implement the following:
- Price will be lowered to $75 (a $15 reduction)
- Teams will play one game a week on Saturday
- Teams will be limited to one practice per week for a maximum of one hour. Teams will be provided practice times and fields.
- As we did last year, teams will field fewer players, allowing for all players to be on the field the entire game.
Please note that 6 year olds have the option to move up to the Rookies Division (coach-pitch) (7-8 year olds). Should your player want/need more baseball, please choose this option at registration. If you have any questions please contact our registrar.
NEW BAT REGULATIONS
Little League International announced new bat regulations that will go into effect for the 2018 season. These regulations were sent to the membership in a separate email earlier this fall and are listed on the league website. We send these to you as a heads up, in case a new bat might be making its way under your tree this year. Please note, these regulations are not in effect for 2017.
NEW FIELDS
Academy LL is happy to announce we are moving forward with new fields within the Scott Hall Field of Dreams complex. We have had several months of downtime on the project as the Larry Oches Foundation and the Colorado Springs Parks and Recreation Department have been working on a land swap from our previous location across Powers Parkway from Pine Creek High School. The new location, pending the completion of the process and City Council approval, will be in the vicinity of the Colorado Crossings complex (think big abandoned retail mall across from New Life Church). A developer has purchased Colorado Crossing and work will begin shortly to complete the project. The sports complex will be positioned behind the development and will have several tie-ins with the development. This new site solves some of the previous concerns such as parking and traffic, as well as opens up many opportunities for fundraising, sponsorships and partnerships with the community.
While we have been conducting small fundraisers and a lot of behind-the-scenes inquiries, once the project is fully approved and we have a contract in place with the Foundation, we will be able to actively pursue donors. Should you wish to help with the process or know of anyone who is interested in making a donation to youth sports, please contact Kelly Dunn or Tamee Lashlee through the league website. Once the complex has passed city council and we have more Academy LL specific information to announce, we will hold a meeting for our membership to answer questions and get input. There is a lot of work to be done, but there is the potential to break ground for the complex as early as this summer. Building a complex of this size is a huge undertaking and takes many years to get off the ground. It is only with the hard work and dedication of MANY people within the Oches Foundation, Colorado Springs Parks and Rec, the city of Colorado Springs, Academy Little League and donors, both large and small, that this “dream” is becoming a reality!
With hopes of a 2018 Opening Day at the new fields, we will play 2017 on fields at Gossage Park, Mountain Ridge Middle School, Timberview Middle School, Ford Frick Park, and local Briargate area elementary schools. In addition, those divisions that interleague will play games at High Plains LL, TriLakes LL and possibly, Colorado Springs LL fields.
LIMITING REGISTRATION
During 2016 registration we maxed out our capacity, implemented due to field constraints. Fortunately, we were able to send players to both High Plains LL and TriLakes LL on a one year waiver. We are happy to be able to welcome those players back for the 2017 season. We have acquired some additional field time and feel we can accommodate those who register by the deadline. As always, we reserve the right to go to a waitlist, should we reach a number that we can’t support with fields. Be sure to register early to ensure your player’s spot!
THANKS!
I would personally like to thank all of the volunteers that made 2016 another successful year for Academy Little League. Starting at a beautiful Opening Day ceremony (where the weather actually cooperated) all the way to all three of our All-star teams winning District Championships and our 11 year old team winning a State Championship, and every game and friendship shared between those events; it was a great year to be a part of Academy Little League! We sadly say goodbye to three Board members, Marc Sites, Jeff Parker and Alex Sapp. Each of these gentlemen made vital contributions to the league and we thank them for their volunteer service to our families. We also say goodbye to Joel Watts, a member of our Advisory Council. His year on the council was greatly appreciated.
From coaches to team moms to assistants on the fields, each team requires a “team” of leaders to be successful. The league thanks each of you who stepped up in 2016 and looks forward to seeing you again this upcoming year. You truly are the foundation of our league!
Your Board of Directors and Advisory Council are an extraordinary group of men and women that it is my honor and privilege to work with every day. Many of them have spent multiple years in a volunteer job that can often rival the same hours they spend at their real jobs. Many of them no longer have players in the league, but care deeply about an organization they have come to love. Please take a moment when you see these people to thank them for what they do for your kiddos.
From the Board of Directors, the Advisory Council and myself, may we wish you a peaceful holiday season, filled with snowflakes, the love and laughter of your family, a candy cane or two and visions of a baseball season of unseasonably beautiful weather!
Tamee Lashlee
President of Academy Little League