Fayette County Youth Softball Association: Volunteer's Needed
"The world is full of willing people, some willing to work, the others willing to let them." - Robert Frost
Board Members Needed
The FCYSA is looking for additional board members for the 2008-2009 seasons.
The Fayette County Youth Softball Assoc. meets each month to discuss issues and plan upcoming events. Currently we have several vacancies that need to be filled. If you are a Fayette County Resident and a current FCYSA association member interested in volunteering please see a board member before the next meeting. You can volunteer to be a full time director on the board or you can be a part time event volunteer on an as needed basis. Remember, the more you get involved the better we can make our park for all the players. Please check the web site frequently for changes to the schedule.
Event Volunteers Needed
If you are unable to commit as a full time director then we still welcome your help as an event volunteer. Below are listed several duties that you can choose to volunteer for. This list is a work in progress so as time permits we will be adding to it. If you want to volunteer but don't see anything here that interests you then let me know what your specialty is and we'll see what we can do. If you are ready to commit to an event or you have additional questions then please contact Donnie Ellis at (770)843-5065 or email fcsoftball@yahoo.com
FCYSA Sponsored Tournaments
Although there are many tournaments put on at McCurry Park, only a few are actually sponsored by your FCYSA. These are big fundraisers for us and help us to cover our regular seasons expenses, park maintenance (not covered by the county), equipment purchases and replacements, and whatever can be helpful for the girls. For example, we are hoping to bring in some softball clinics for the coaches as well as the players. Part of this expense could possibly be paid from tournament revenue if approved by the board. Usually we would prefer a volunteer for 6 hour shifts but would take 4 hours if that's all you can do.
Duties would include:
Marking Fields: We typically mark the fields the night before and during the tournament as needed. If the tournament is more than one day then we mark them after the last game is played each day so they will be ready the next morning. We do not mark the fields after the last game of the tournament. Marking the fields includes painting the outfield grass, dragging the infield, chalking the infield (base paths, pitcher mound, running lane, coaches box, etc), and occasionally resetting the bases or pitching rubber.
Working the Gate: Depending on what is negotiated we usually get a portion of what is collected at the gate. The tournament director sets the prices for the day or weekend and we set up a table and canopy and have one or two people sit at each gate to collect the money. This is a cushy job but we prefer the FCYSA Directors to be available elsewhere if needed.
Concession Duties: Again depending on what we negotiate we usually get all of the concession revenue. We prefer to have adults or responsible teenagers (over 14) work the window to make sure we collect the correct amount of money as well as give back correct change. This job requires you to be able to add quickly in your head and manually figure out the change. We do have hand held calculators if needed. A quick turnaround at the window is critical in making more money and keeping the customers happy. No one likes to stand in line. Other duties include helpers getting drinks when ordered, working the fry machines (french fries, chicken fingers, etc), working the slush puppy machine, etc. If you have ever worked the concession stand during our regular seasons then you know basically what the job entails. During and after the last game we need to clean up and wash all the dishes, counters, floors, whatever is needed.
Trash Duties: The least fun job of the whole weekend but somebody has to do it. The county will pick up the trash from the cans the following week but during the tournament we like to take the gator around and empty them before they overflow. We also have people walk around with a broom and dust pan to pick up ground trash. Amazingly if you have someone picking up the trash the spectators chime in and throw theirs away. If too much trash is left on the ground then everyone follows suit and adds to it. The FCYSA Directors like to make sure the park is as clean or cleaner than it was before we started. Several people have complemented us on how clean our park is during tournaments and some say thats why they like to come here. Also we like that the county is happy with how we take care of the park so they let us have as many tournaments as we want. When we have time after the tournament is over we even bring a blower to clean off the paved areas in the dugouts and around the stands.
Registration
Our park has registration twice a year, one for Spring (usually in January) and one for Fall (usually in August). At registration we make sure we have sample uniforms for anyone unsure of sizes. Typically the last registration weekend is the busiest. If this is something you would want to volunteer for the duties would include helping with the forms, answering questions, giving out handouts, etc. The board members would take the money and confirm completeness of the registration forms. Volunteers would not have to be for the whole weekend but a whole day would be appreciated.
Field Maintenance
Field maintenance is a seasonal and possibly a year round job.
Preseason: Before the start of each season we have a field maintenance day to make sure the fields are prepped and ready for the season. In the past a few board members would come out and spend several hours getting everything ready. This year (Spring 2004) we started asking the coaches to come and assist us. This season and all future seasons it will be mandatory for each team to be represented on this day either by the coach, assistant coach, or a helper parent. They will work on their respective age group fields so we should be able to work on all 5 fields at the same time and finish much faster.
During the season: Depending on how fast the grass grows the outfield foul lines need to be painted periodically. The county usually drags the fields weekly but sometimes it may need it again before our games that weekend. I don't currently have a complete list of what would need to be done but if this is something you would be willing to volunteer for during the year we would let you know as things came up with as much notice as possible.
Equipment Maintenance
This is considered a twice a year job. Either before of after each season all the equipment has to be inventoried and checked for safety to make sure it can be re-issued the following season. This information is useful so we can evaluate if and when additional equipment will need to be ordered. Sometimes the equipment is so dirty we like to try and clean it up as much as we can. This job would probably be done on a weekend day and with enough help could be completed in one day. The volunteers would work with our equipment manager so the work day / time could be flexible based on his schedule.
