Verona Little League, Inc.: News

Opening Day festivities will start at 11am this Saturday at the Complex. Players should dress in their team uniforms. Teams will be announced and walk onto Lund field as a part of the ceremony. Players should arrive at 10:30am and find their coaches and teammates. Teams will line up around the Complex building by 10:45am. When our main parking lot is full, park along Hometown Circle, the street in front of Farm & Fleet.

Don't forget the news item below from our president, Rob Hano, about players sending him their thoughts on what VLL means. Rob would like to incorporate some of these into the ceremony.

Apparel orders will be available in the Bullpen starting Saturday. Raffle ticket stubs can also be turned in and extra tickets will be on sale. 

There will be games on all fields for the entire day, so come out and celebrate the 2012 VLL season. Time for baseball!  

Team parents and coaches: the schedule for team photos is now up in the Team Parent tab. Most baseball teams are scheduled. Softball teams will be added at a later date. Photos will take place Monday through Wednesday next week. Please have your entire team (players and coaches) at the Complex in uniform before their assigned time slot

5/10: Schedule has been updated. Please double-check your time slot.

You can now order tickets for both Little League Nights at Miller Park (June 18) and the Duck Pond (June 24). Check the tabs for each on the left for all the details.

Both events are fundraisers for VLL in addition to being great social outings. Invite friends and family! Brewers Night includes a fantastic opportunity for our players to walk around the field at Miller Park with Little Leaguers from all over the state before the game. Bring the cameras!

Dear Verona Little Leaguer,

Every year, during the Opening Day Ceremony, we talk about the league and what it means to the players, coaches, parents, and board members. There is talk of the past season and our hopes for the season that is about to begin. But we never hear from the players themselves. We don't hear about your experiences from your own unique point of view. We don't hear about what Verona Little League means to you, in your own words.

This year, I am asking you to write a paragraph or two about the league and what it has meant to you. It could be about a specific experience or the season as a whole. You can note whether you would like your name mentioned as part of the reading or if you prefer to be anonymous. A committee will review all of the submissions and select a few to read during the Opening Day Ceremony. Please email all submissions to vllpresident@gmail.com. I would ask everyone to keep in mind that we will only have time to read a few but we will be posting all of them on the concession stand bulletin boards for the Verona Little League community to see.

Looking forward to Opening Day,

Rob Hano

VLL President

All schedules for the 2012 season can be downloaded through the Handouts link below (or the Handouts tab on the left). A few minor changes have been made. Check the link to make sure you have the latest version.

Game results and upcoming games are now on-line through the Schedules tab on the left. The new Standings tab will track divisions as game results are entered.

Some spots are still available for Saturday's baseball camp (9am-noon) led by VAHS Head Coach Brad D'Orazio. Camp is open to players from age 7 through 8th grade. Age-appropriate instruction will be taught by Wildcat coaches and varsity players on pitching, catching, hitting, infield and outfield play.

Register on-line through the Verona Recreation site (under Youth Programs -> Baseball Camp) or download the flier. Players can show up and register at the door. Contact Coach D'Orazio (bdorazio03@hotmail.com) if you have any questions.

Are you serving as a Team Parent this season? If so, please let our VLL Team Parent Coordinator know so that we can make sure you get helpful information throughout the season to share with team families. Send an e-mail to vllteamparent@gmail.com with your name, contact info, which league and team you're representing (Ex: Majors, White Sox), and the name of your team's head coach.

Thank you in advance for all efforts to keep your team organized and "in the know" this season!

Show your VLL Spirit! Would your player like a VLL T-shirt or shorts? Have a coach in your family who could use a VLL polo or pullover? Order Verona Little League apparel by MONDAY, MARCH 26, and items will be available for pick-up at the complex on Opening Day. Find details in the Apparel tab at the left or through the handouts link below.

ORDER DEADLINE IS MONDAY, MARCH 26! 

Nearly 400 diners attended our new Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser last Sunday! The Marquis Ballroom was a wonderfully comfortable space to enjoy a casual kick-off event for our season. Thanks to everyone who attended and to Pancake Cafe and their staff for supporting VLL.

Coaches, here is the schedule for drafts this week: Mon-Majors, Tues-AAA, Thurs-Minors, Fri-Rookies. Juniors has been tentatively rescheduled for next Monday (3/26)--watch your e-mail for details.

Coaches should arrive at American Legion (207 Legion Street, just south of Wildcat Lanes) by 6:30pm. In addition to drafting your team, you'll have the chance to sign up for pre-season practice slots and will receive your team equipment bags. Every coach must sign up for a GRB coaching clinic if you haven't yet done so. See the Coaches Corner for more details and other clinic opportunities.

• At the bottom of this home page are new instructions and links to subscribe your personal calendar applications to our VLL calendars (for a web view, see tab at left). We will be adding new links as league schedules are released. That news item will remain on this page for your reference throughout the season.

• We've turned on Facebook integration. If you "Like" this site (top left), you will receive many of our news posts on your Facebook feed. VLL also has a Facebook page, although we're not using it much yet. 

• The new Schedules and Standings tabs are now active.

VLL is beginning a great new social fundraiser this year. Invite your family and friends to help us kick off the season with a spaghetti dinner this Sunday, March 18 in the Marquis Ballroom at Pancake Cafe. There will be two seatings for the event: 4 pm to 5:30 pm and 5:30 pm to 7 pm.

We take payments at the door, so please come even if you did not purchase tickets at assessment! Kids 6 and under are free! 

Thanks to the generosity of Pancake Cafe, 100% of the proceeds from this event stay with the league! Join us on the 18th and show support for VLL!

By now, all players should have received an e-mail with their assessment time slot. Please read the e-mail carefully, or grab the assessment handout from the link below.

We'll keep parents busy while players are having fun in the gym. Activities include: reviewing and signing up for volunteer opportunities; picking up and purchasing additional raffle tickets; checking out our 2012 apparel; purchasing Spaghetti Dinner tickets; and browsing the VLL garage sale.

And don't forget: Sunday is Daylight Savings! Bump your clocks ahead one hour Saturday night to make sure you're on time for VLL Assessments!

Players should wear athletic clothing for easy movement (they will be running, catching, throwing, hitting, etc.), gym shoes (no cleats of any kind) and a glove. If they want to bring a bat for the hitting station, they will be allowed to take it with them from station to station.

We are now accepting applications for regular-season umpiring. If you are 12 or older (adults included!), follow the handout link below to download the application.

Registrations must be postmarked by today, March 1, to guarantee placement on a team.

Late registrations are welcome, but your player may end up on a waiting list if teams are full. Please include a $25 late fee with your registration if mailed after today.

The newsletter and registration form can be found in the handouts link below. 

League Communication Coordinator

2012

The spring newsletter is here, we did not mail the newsletter this season (going green), but you can download it and print the registration form. Just follow the 2012 - Handouts link below.

You can now add VLL events and schedules to your personal calendar. Add a new subscription in your calendar application and copy/paste one of these URLs. They are published in the standard iCalendar format. 

We include two links for each calendar: the first has no time zone attached, and the second has CST attached. Different calendar applications work better with one or the other. Google calendar works best with the time zone. Mac and iOS seem to work better without the time zone, but it may depend on your calendar settings.

VLL Events:
http://calendar.eteamz.com/ical/3468ed1b54c542b884f1-0b5b206dd4e647266/0
http://calendar.eteamz.com/ical/3468ed1b54c542b884f1-0b5b206dd4e647266/Central%20Time%20%28US%20%26%20Canada%29 

Schedules:

Coming soon!