League President Lists New Summer Ball Information

— Editor’s Note: Tony Kildow, president of the Gravette summer ball kids program, has announced that registrations for the program should be completed by February 14. He also listed plans for the program this year, some of which reflect program divisions, the need for coaches and the costs involved with the program.

Rather than condensing his letter, we are printing it in its entirety. Parents of children will be interested in plans for the summer program.

By Tony Kildow, League President

It is that time of year again, the baseball and softball season is drawing near. Getting a good early start on registrations and tryouts will ensure that our teams will be ready to hit the ground running after spring break. We hope to get some solid weeks of practice in before the games start in mid to late April. This is why it is important to get all of our registrations done by February 14. There will be a $10 late fee for any registrations taken after that date. We are offering an additional registration period on Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 5:30 to 7 at All-Star Pizza.We will accept last minute registrations on Sunday, Feb. 14, from 2 to 3 p.m. at the old gym. Don’t forget about convenient on-line registration at www.leagueline.com/Gravette.

I have heard some concerns about the league implementing a graduated payment scale on players over 13. Let me explain why this was done. The number of games is greater and the cost of umpires in those age groups is far greater than Little Leagues. It’s just that simple. Some of the price increase still won’t be enough to cover those groups. The league will need to make up the difference in fundraising. We do realize that Gravette is a small town and we do not on making any more increases in the future. It should be noted that TBall in Bentonville is $80 and Little League is $95.

I feel that a lot of our kids aren’t getting a whole lot out of the current T-Ball program. We have a broad range of ages (4-6) and the maturation level of these ages vary. If we have enough 4-6 year-olds sign up this year we are going to separate into two divisions.

The first division will be the 4-year-old division which will be referred to as T-Ball Minor. This will be an instructional type of league where every kid will hit in the inning and umpires will not be used. The other division will be the 5-6-year-olds who make up T-Ball Major. In this division the kids will pay the game and follow a set of rules that umpires will call. We will not keep score in this division either. I think this type of format will bring out the best in our kids in this age group. Not only will it prepare them for the next level, kids will have more fun playing the game.

Like I stated earlier, this is all contingent upon the number of 4-6-year-old kids that sign up in this age group. We are also going to do some things to move the games along faster that will keep the kids from boredom. We do plan on putting together a smaller number of kids on a team. This will give each kid more action and more time spent with the coaches.

We need coaches for all age groups! Come on, folks, step up and fill out the form. Good coaching and displaying strong character is what will make the biggest difference in these kids’ lives. Step up and make a difference!We are going to implement a code of ethics this year. There will be a form that all players and parents will sign off on. There will also be a separate form for coaches. We are going to put a lot of focus on character this year. Although we want to be competitive, it is not always about winning. Developing young kids’ confidence and character in a fun environment needs to be our primary focus.

If you have any questions, concerns or ideas, please don’t hesitate to give me a call at 479-787-0250.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 02/10/2010