LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP!

After last weekend's rain, we head into our final week of tryouts for 7- to 12-year-olds. But don't worry, there's still time for you to sign up your kids for the 56th season of Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League.

Tryouts begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, January 28 at Cadman Park. This will also be the first of two weeks of tryouts for our Juniors players (13- & 14-year-olds). All players who will be between 7- and 12-years-old on April 30 who did not attend tryouts on January 14 need to come to this tryout. No player can be drafted to a team without trying out at least once without special board approval. <BR>Tryout times are as follows:
7-year-olds: 9 a.m. on the South field
8-year-olds: 10:30 a.m. on the South field
9-year-olds: 12 noon on the South field
10-year-olds: 1:30 p.m. on the South field
11-year-olds: 9 a.m. on the Padres field
12-year-olds: 10:30 a.m. on the Padres field
13- & 14-year-olds: 12 noon on the North field (Sat., Jan. 28 and Feb. 4)

Players should arrive at least 15 minutes before their tryout time if already registered to check in and receive their tryout number. Please arrive at least 30 minutes ahead of time if you still need to register. Players should bring cleats and glove, if they have them, and plan on tryouts lasting 60-90 minutes.

Pass the word to your friends and neighbors, as we're offering an unbeatable $38 registraion fee this year, but the fundraiser opportunity may not last much longer. Up to January 7, you still had the option to either sell candy and have no net cost to you, or pay a $50 buyout and not do any fundraiser. Now, once our candy is gone, everyone signing up will have to pay the buyout, meaning your net cost would go from $38 to $88. Still a great price, but why pay the extra if you don't have to? Get there this Saturday!

Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League has been providing the kids of Clairemont with a great opportunity to play ball on some of the finest fields in San Diego since 1957. We pride ourselves on the family atmosphere within our league, and strive to give every child the opportunity to learn new skills, make new friends and, above all, have fun playing baseball. 

Any child who will be 4-years-old by April 30, 2012 but not yet 19-years-old, is eligible to play in a Little League Baseball division this year. Clairemont Hilltoppers' boundaries now include ALL of Clairemont except for the small portion that is both east of Genesee and south of Balboa. Click on the "Boundaries" tab in the left column of this page to see a diagram of the area we cover. 

DOWNLOAD AND FILL OUT FORMS BELOW

Just come to registration with an original birth certificate for each child, along with three proofs of residency. See the list below for proof of residency categories. Each must be current or dated between February 2011 and January 2012. Each child signing up must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, as well. Complete information about fees, fundraiser, etc. will be available at registration.

If you have any questions about signups or tryouts or need further information, contact President Bill Salonius (858-273-1551), Vice President Mike Van Cleave (858-274-6420), Player Agent Melanie David (858-274-6964) or League Information Officer Ken Cicalo (619-889-9216). You can also call our league Hotline number 858-483-9857 for periodic updates or to leave voicemails.

You can fill out the Medical Release, Player Application and Volunteer Applications in advance, and save time at Registration. Just click on the "2012 Forms" Handout below, download and print. 

Acceptable Forms of Proof of Residency (Current, or dated between February 2011-January 2012)
1. Driver’s License
2. Voter’s Registration
3. School records
4. Welfare/child care records
5. Federal records
6. State records
7. Local (municipal) records
8. Support payment records
9. Homeowner or tenant records
10. Utility bills (i.e., gas, electric, water/sewer, phone, mobile phone, heating, waste disposal)
11. Financial (loan, credit, investments, etc.) records
12. Insurance documents
13. Medical records
14. Military records
15. Internet, cable or satellite records
16. Vehicle records
17. Employment record

Please save the weekend of January 28 & 29 for our annual coaches clinics. On Saturday, January 28, all managers and coaches of T-Ball and Farm division teams will attend the famous "Big Al" clinic at Clairemont High School. This clinic begins at 11:45 a.m. with a first aid and safety clinic, followed by instruction from Big Al, the most popular trainer in all of Little League. The clinic will cover all aspects of running practices, different drills and working with 4- to 9-year-old kids.

The following day, January 29, the San Diego Padres will be hosting a clinic at Petco Park for coaches of players in Minors, Majors and Juniors divisions. This clinic will be ideal for learning drills and techniques for teaching these older kids. The clinic will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m., with special catchers or baserunning training sessions also available from 5-5:45 p.m. You can pre-register for the Padres clinic online at: http://padrescoachesclinics.com.

Both of these clinics are FREE, and all Little League coaches will benefit from them.

Whether you are new to our league with your first-born venturing into T-Ball, or a 15-year veteran watching your fourth son play Juniors, you probably have questions about what to expect for the 2012 season.

Parent Orientation Night is when you'll get the answers. This year’s meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 1 at 7 p.m. in the Alcott Elementary School Auditorium. At least one parent or guardian must attend this meeting and bring your signed Parent Contract (which you received at registration). More copies are available at the field during tryouts or that night at the door.

If you have either birth certificates or proofs of registration that were not available at registration, please be sure to bring them on this night to be verified.

Parent Orientation will be a fun, entertaining event, with door prizes, refreshments and lots of great information for every parent. This is your opportunity to find out about your league, meet other parents and hear about the excitement we have planned for the 2012 season.

We are going to finish by 8:15 p.m., so please arrive early, as both parking and seating will be tight at Alcott School. And since space in the auditorium is very limited, we ask only parents to attend. If you have any questions about Parent Orientation call our Hotline: 858-483-9857, Ken Cicalo 619-889-9216, Mike Van Cleave 858-274-6420, or Melanie David 858-274-6964.

Thanks to the generosity of SkyBox Sports Grill, our 4th Annual SkyBox Fundraiser dinner will be held this year on Saturday, February 25.

A delicious tri-tip dinner with all the trimmings will be served, and this promises to again be an evening filled with fun, food, friends and fundraising. The SkyBox dinner is annually our single biggest fundraiser, but more than that, it is a great way for our Hilltoppers family and friends to connect and socialize for an evening away from the ballfields.

The event will run from 6:00-9:00 p.m., and will feature raffles, silent and live auctions, music and plenty of time to hang out with friends old and new. Tickets are just $15 per person, and will be available at tryouts, parent orientation and team assignment day. Space is limited, however, so be sure to get yours early and don't take the chance on being left out.

We have lots of great raffle and auction items coming in, so check back here in the days ahead to see just some of what will be available on February 25.

As part of the oldest and largest youth sports organization in history, Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League is proud to offer the finest experience possible for the youth of Clairemont.

For over 70 years, the name "Little League" has been the most respected and recognized brand in all of youth sports. Now entering our 56th year, Clairemont Hilltoppers represents that brand as both the longest-running youth organization in Clairemont, but also now its only Little League program. Almost 20,000 boys and girls have passed through the Hilltoppers program since 1957, and we take special pride in the number of second- and third-generation players in our league.

Having grown significantly in the last five years, Clairemont Hilltoppers now has 400 kids playing ball in our Spring season, and we continue to find new ways to bring fun, safety, competition and life lessons to every child who joins our program.

Here are just a few of the reasons for our growth and popularity:

• We offer divisions for kids of every age. Little League has teams for youth from 4- to 18-years-old. Any child who will be 4-years-old by April 30, 2012 is eligible to start in our T-Ball program. And, while many leagues end when players are 12-14-years-old, Clairemont Hilltoppers offered teenage divisions in the 13-14, 15-16 & 17-18 age groups in 2011.

• Reasonable costs. With many families facing very challenging economic times, we have long made a commitment to make playing Little League affordable for everyone who wishes to play. Our registration fee for 2012 is just $38, easily the lowest of any youth sports league in town. We also ask participation in our fundraiser, selling 50 candy bars or making a $50 buyout. But if you choose to sell the candy, the fundraiser costs you nothing, and you really can place your child in a full season of 20+ Little League gamess (plus all the associated fun and activities) for just a net cost of $38!

• Developing neighborhood and community relationships. With so many families living such busy lives, and sending kids to schools and activities in other parts of town, it's sometimes difficult to even get to know your neighbors. At Clairemont Hilltoppers, though, it's all about Clairemont. All of our players live within the community. We only advertise in our community. Most of our sponsors are in the community. We plan fundraisers within our community. The bonds that develop as kids and parents make friends in their neighborhood often last for a lifetime.

• Safety, training and education priorities. Little League has always been the leader in safety, and Clairemont Hilltoppers believes in that model. All of our managers and coaches are taught to make the safety of our children the number one concern. From our leaguewide ASAP Safety Plan, to mandatory background checks for every league volunteer, to continuing training programs for our coaches and umpires, our league will never take shortcuts on keeping our players out of harm's way. Our coaches and umpires are given rules and skills training on a regular basis, and our annual Parent Orientation is designed to make all parents part of the solution, rather than the problem, for our program.

• The Little League World Series. Certainly no event in youth sports is more recognized around the world. Each year, ABC and ESPN televise over 70 games in the various Little League All-Star tournaments. Not only is this an exciting summer tradition, but it gives Little League exposure to kids in every part of the country and in dozens of countries around the world. In addition to the World Series for the 11-12-year-old division in Williamsport, championship games in all of the teenage and softball divisions are also televised. Excitement has been high in Southern California recently, as two of the last three World Champions (Park View in Chula Vista and Ocean View in Huntington Beach) have come from our area. Every year, Clairemont Hilltoppers places a team in the same tournament. You can't get to the Little League World Series unless you sign up for Little League! 

 • Great fun activities for our parents. We strive very hard to bring fun beyond just the practices and games... and some of it is for the adults. Every year we have a great fundraiser dinner at the Skybox restaurant at Clairemont Square, an adult coed softball tournament, a poker tournament, Little League Day at a Padres game, and more. And, we're always looking for new ways to get together for some fun.

 We know that families have lots of choices when it comes to their kids' activities. If you choose to join us at Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League, please know that we will be doing everything we can to make that your best decision ever!

Our 7th Annual Clairemont Hilltoppers Texas Hold 'em Tournament, held on Saturday, October 8th at the Best Western Seven Seas in Hotel Circle, was another rousing success, with Hilltoppers parents, coaches, alumni, friends and neighbors spending an evening of fun, frivolity and card-playing.

Not only was it a great night of laughs and socializing, but we raised some money for Clairemont Hilltoppers.

Congratulations to our champion Chris Bonner, who walked away four press-level tickets to the Chargers-Raiders game on Nov. 10. Our other top finishers/prize winners included Troy Keltner, Anthony Waldichuk, Dirk Ficthner, Dan Fauth, Kim Fauth, Kevin Bonner and Bill Salonius (really!)

Many thanks to our DJ, Martin Lopez, for keeping the tunes flowing throughout the evening, and to Joe Toczlowski, Cathy Campbell and all the staff at the Best Western for once again providing a great venue and wonderful service. Thanks also to our volunteer dealers: Kelly Gorman, Jeff Dimock, Chris Cross, Korin McCoy, Roger Otterson and Rusti, along with those who organized and donated prizes: Troy Keltner, Mike Van Cleave, Bob Faudoa, Bill Salonius, Robin Bechtel and Judy Salonius.

We're already looking forward to our next tournament in April 2012. If you missed out this time, be sure to get in on the next one. You can't beat it for a great time with all your Hilltoppers friends.

Our Clairemont Hilltoppers Big League All-Star team completed its second straight amazing tournament season, again finishing in second place in all of Southern California.

Dropping an 8-5 decision to District 46 (Anaheim) in the finals, they completed tournament play with an 8-2 overall record, which means they were 17-4 over the last two tournament seasons.

Included in this year's remarkable run were two nailbiter wins over District 13 (Thousand Oaks), the defending U.S. Champions in Big League, and the team that knocked our CHLL squad out in the Southern CA finals in 2010.

District 46 advanced to the West Regional tournament in Bremerton, WA, after defeating the Hilltoppers, where they reached the final game of that tournament before losing a 2-1 heartbreaker to Northern California.

Our team began its postseason run by winning three straight games to capture the District 32 All-Star tournament, and three more to capture the Section 6 title.

With 12 players returning from last year's team which captured District and Sectional titles and finished one win from advancing to the Western Regional tournament for the first time in league history, our Hilltoppers won more All-Star games in the last two years than any other CHLL team.

Many thanks to coaches Randy Darman, Larry Cook and Brian Presley, and players Alejandro and Ernesto Zavala, Mark Otero, Efren Olivas, Zak Darman, Kyle Holder, Justin Waney, Jesus Zerpa, Mark Bial, Jake Merrill, Austin Farmer, Taylor Patrick, Robert Phiakeo, Lawrence Cook, Nico Garbella, Jake Linsky and Woody Woodward. Most of these same players were on the Hilltoppers Senior division team which won both District and Sectional crowns in 2009, and many have been part of Clairemont Hilltoppers for over a decade.

Clairemont Hilltoppers' All-Star tournaments are complete. Here are the final results:

9/10-year-old Tournament: Hosted by Mission Bay Little League
• Won a great ballgame, 14-5 over Mira Mesa on June 25.
• Lost second game, 12-2 to Rancho Penasquitos National on June 27
• Won third game, 14-4 on June 29 against Presidio
• Lost third game, 9-2, on July 5 against Coronado
With the July 5 loss, the 9/10's tournament season is over. With two big wins, this team had a great tournament run, and should be very proud of all their efforts.

10/11-year-old Tournament: Hosted by Rancho Penasquitos Little League
• Won a dramatic 3-2 decision against Point Loma Little League on June 25
• Lost second game, 11-1 on June 29 against Scripps Ranch National
• Won third game, 11-0, on June 30 against Peninsula
• Won fourth game, 10-9, on July 6 against Scripps Ranch American
• Won fifth game 6-0 vs. Rancho Penasquitos via forfeit
• Lost tournament final, 11-1, on July 8 against Scripps Ranch National
Congratulations to our 10/11 team who finished second place in the District! A great effort by all the kids on this team, and big props on a great postseason.

11/12-year-old Tournament: Hosted by Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League
• Lost first game, 2-1, on June 28 against Peninsula
• Lost second game, 2-0, on June 30 against Mira Mesa
With the loss the 11/12's tournament season is over. They got great pitching and defense in both games, but came up just a little short offensively both times. Congratulations on a great effort.

Juniors Tournament: Hosted by University City Little League
• Lost first game 7-1 on June 26 against Peninsula
• Won second game, 5-3, on June 30 against Coronado
• Lost third game, 13-2, on July 6 against Mira Mesa
With the loss the Juniors tournament run has ended. Congratulations to all the kids for their one big win and a great season.

Seniors Tournament: Hosted by Mira Mesa Little League
• Won first game on July 9, 8-6, against Scripps Ranch
• Lost second game on July 10, 11-5, against Mira Mesa
• Lost third game on July 11, 10-0 against Peninsula
With the loss the Seniors tournament run has ended. Congratulations to all the kids for their one big win and a great season.

Big League Tournament: Hosted by Mission Bay Little League
• Won first game on June 19, 5-0 against Scripps Ranch Little League
• Won second game on June 20, 11-0 against Mission Bay
• Won third game on June 22, 9-1 against Scripps Ranch
Hilltoppers win District 32 Big League championship, and advance to Sectional Play.
• Won first game of Sectionals, 6-5 against District 66 on June 25
• Won second game of Sectionals, 5-4 against District 33 on June 26
• Won third game, 9-1, on June 28 against District 33
Hilltoppers wins Section 6 Championship and advances to Divisional play.
• Won first game of Division III tournament, 6-3, on July 7 against District 37
• Won second game, 4-2, on July 9 against District 13 (defending U.S. champs)
• Lost third game, 3-2, on July 10 against District 46 (Anaheim)
• Won fourth game, 3-0, on July 11 against District 13
• Lost fifth game, 8-5 on July 12 against District 46
Foe the second straight year, our Hilltoppers Big League team finished second in all of Southern California, an unprecedented achievement for a CHLL team.

Congratulations to all of our All-Star teams, and thanks for representing Clairemont Hilltoppers so well!

If you are one of our esteemed returning sponsors and you need the forms to renew for this year, are a first timer, or it's been a while since you have taken advantage of the sponsorship opportunities, the forms are located here for your convenience. Simply download and print the forms and fax or mail them in.

If you have any questions, Please contact Troy Keltner, the sponsorship coordinator at 858.273.1949.

Thank you for over 55 years of support to Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League.

Named as Charter Members were 17 individuals whose achievements, contributions and leadership will forever be recognized with this honor. A permanent plaque listing the names of all original and subsequent Hall of Famers hangs in our scorebooth building.

Following are the Inductees along with year named:

• Frank Adams (2006)
• Ron Conkle (2006)
• Ken Henderson (2006)
• Tom Franklin (2006)
• John Adams (2006)
• Link Lincavage (2006)
• Harold McCoy (2006)
• Jim Gerstenslager (2006)
• Dave Stephenson (2006)
• Mike Winters (2006)
• Dave Bermudes (2006)
• George Kovacevich (2006)
• Bill Salonius (2006)
• Jeanne Morrow (2006)
• Cesar Carmona (2006)
• Dave Pursel (2006)
• Mike Van Cleave (2006)
• Steve Conner (2008)
• Judy Salonius (2011)
• Ken Cicalo (2011)

These members were recognized for their contributions in one or more of these four categories: Inspirational, Leadership, Volunteer and Special Recognition. Future members will be selected by a committee of current and former Hilltoppers.

Congratulations to all of these Hall of Famers, and many thanks for all you have meant to Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League.

Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League

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