Haddon Heights Youth Athletics: Welcome

Due to the rainy forecast, Picture Day will take place in the Haddon Heights Municipal Building (across from John's Market) on Saturday, May 11th, in the room to the right as you enter the building.

Please allow enough time to park. Bring completed forms and payment with you to make this move quickly. If you did not receive your order form, extras will be available for you to complete. Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your scheduled picture time.

Make sure you purchase a legal bat this year.  See the Little League Composit Bat Moratoriam FAQ before you buy.  New 2012 Rules can be found here. 

Just announced on 4/9/12 - Effective immediately, Nike Bat Model #Aero CX2-BT0636, including all graphic variations, is not eligible, or approved, for use in any Little League program or activity. To view photos of the bats, Click Here.

Currently, HHYA provides batting helmets to each club team for shared general use. There is a nationwide trend to no longer provide shared team batting helmets. HHYA Board highly recommends parents supply their own batting helmet.

An outline of the reasons for this decision and explanation of your options going forward are as follows:

Information relevant to the helmet decision:

1. Sizing of helmets. With 5 batting helmets shared among 12-13 players, and with runners on base, there exists the situations where improperly fitting batting helmets are being worn by players whereas, individual helmets would be fitted to each player, increasing the safety of the players.

2. General Sanitation. The sharing of a helmet among players transfers sweat, body fluid and skin flakes in the helmets from player to player. These helmets are then placed in a dark equipment bag and placed, often, in a hot trunk or shed for a number of days. There exists the possibility that mold, staph or other sanitation issues could exist in these helmets.

3. Lice. The shared use of a single baseball helmet can be the carrier to transmit lice to huge number of children. In recent years there have been multiple cases of lice in area schools.

4. Batting helmets are not an expensive equipment item for parents relative to other items or other sports. An approved batting helmet typically costs between $15-$35 depending on brand and features.

The National Federation of State High School Associations warns that besides improper fit, that sharing helmets may spread fungus and mold and strongly recommends that each player have their own helmet.