Arlington Little League: ALL News: Registration for Spring 2009 online and on-site, "Dinner and a Movie" Night Feb 13, coaching opportunities, and Coach-a-Thon for the Cure March 15

Wednesday, January 21
Registration for Spring 2009 online and on-site, "Dinner and a Movie" Night Feb 13, coaching opportunities, and Coach-a-Thon for the Cure March 15

Arlington Little League Families –

Holiday decorations have come down, trees have gone to the curb, and Inaugural chaos has, for the most part, subsided. Our homes should be free of guests soon, and all of our new gifts will find a place on our bookshelves, in our closets, and elsewhere around the home. Naturally, that means it's time to turn your attention back to baseball!

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in less than a month, and your Little Leaguers will be reporting to their teams in early March, so now is a great time to register. Online at www.eteamz.com/all is the preferred method, but you should be receiving a flyer from the schools this week. You can mail your registrations to:

Arlington Little League
P.O. Box 3755
Arlington, VA 22203

If you have trouble registering, you can always call 703-351-5111 and leave your name and number. A league representative will return your call and get your child registered. Or, if you're willing to wait, you can attend an onsite registration at league sponsor Kinder Haus Toys from 11:00 – 2:00 on Saturday, February 14. Kinder Haus Toys (www.kinderhaus.com) is located at 1220 N. Fillmore St. in Clarendon, and it's a great place to bring your child.

The romantic ones among you have probably noticed that this onsite registration takes place on Valentine's Day. We in Arlington Little League are not unaware of this, and we'd like to give you a Valentine's gift. On Friday, February 13, we invite you to drop your child off with ALL volunteers at Washington-Lee High School to watch "The Rookie" with us, while you hit the town for a romantic Valentine's dinner. In exchange for a $20 donation to our upcoming equipment order, we'll be the babysitters from 6:00 to 9:00 that night. That's a discount compared to what the neighborhood teenagers are charging these days! You can reserve your spot at this event by responding to this e-mail, or by registering at http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1688678.

In other ALL news, we're starting to put together our effort to compete in the district tournament this year. The winner of this tournament goes on to play for a chance at making it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport. Players cannot be announced until June 15, but our coach selection process has begun. If you would like to be considered for a coaching position on one of our four tournament teams (9/10 American, 9/10 National, 11/12 American, 11/12 National), please contact Colin Uckert (colin.uckert@bryancave.com) or Chris Cooper ( M1Nats@aol.com), or reply to this e-mail. For those of you beginning to plan your summer schedule, please consider letting your child participate in this endeavor, and keep your calendars clear until mid-July.

We are also still looking for another coach or two for our Challenger division. The program allows about 20 children (ages 5-18) to enjoy baseball in a noncompetitive setting where everyone gets to field, hit, and run the bases. We are looking for enthusiastic adult volunteer coaches who enjoy baseball and want to make a difference in the lives of these kids. If you are interested, please contact Andy and Lucia Claster at (703) 276-0748 or aclaster@aol.com.

Finally, on a serious note, two of our Little Leaguers are currently battling cancer. In support of them and their families, we are organizing the 2009 Coach for the Cure. As soon as we finalize the details of the event, you will be able to register your child for an age appropriate clinic, and donate to the families and to the search for a cure. You will also be able to donate blood, and give in other ways. None of our coaches for this event will leave Barcroft Park until we raise $5,000. Please mark Sunday, March 15 on your calendars, and plan to be a part of this event with your Little League family.

Thanks, and we'll see you sooner than you know!

Adam Balutis
President
Arlington Little League
703-401-8738