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Celebrating Our 56th Season In 2012!
SkyBox Dinner Always A Great Night Out!
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.
Picture Day: Saturday, February 25!
Get your hair cut, wash your uniform and find your hat!
You will want to look your best on Saturday, February 25, because it's Picture Day! Make sure you arrive 15 minutes earlier than your scheduled time to be sure we get everyone in the team picture. In addition to the scheduled pictures for each team, we will be doing a group picture of all Rookie, Farm and Minors teams at 11:15 a.m. We are going to make a large print of this image to give to the Padres as a thank you and need all 18 teams present for this picture. Players in these divisions should bring both their souvenir Padres hat that came with their uniform (for the group picture) and their CHLL hat (for individual/team pictures). We will also be selling tickets to our great SkyBox fundraiser dinner. Don't miss your last chance to buy tickets. Only $15 each!
PICTURE TIMES If you have questions about your child's picture time or what to bring on that day, contact your team's manager or team parent.
Bat Check To Be Held During Picture Day
We will again be doing a BAT CHECK on Picture Day, so please ask all of your players to bring the bats they want to use this season to Cadman Park during pictures (THIS DOES NOT APPLY FOR T-BALL & ROOKIE DIVISIONS). As most of you know, there are new rules regarding composite bats in Little League, and we want to make sure that all bats used for practices and games meet the rules. We will inspect your bats, and place a sticker on all approved bats. Bats with an approved sticker will be allowed in all Hilltoppers games this year. Bats without the approved sticker will have to be inspected before every game, and unapproved ones will not be allowed for use. For more information on Little League's moratorium on most composite bats, the process that has led to some being approved and lists of currently approved bats, click on the headline to this story to get a link to the articles on Little League's website.
Clairemont High to Dedicate New Baseball Field!
Full Day of Fun and Celebration on February 25 Clairemont High School is opening its newly renovated baseball field for the first time on Saturday, February 25 at 10 a.m. This long-anticipated day is the culmination of a multi-year project, and will be celebrated in grand style. There will be a pancake breakfast in the morning, a barbecue lunch in the afternoon, a home run derby contest for current players, and an alumni game featuring former Chieftain ballplayers. Throughout the event there will be food, music, raffles and prizes. As one of two high schools in the Clairemont community, Clairemont High has always been the home to former Clairemont Hilltoppers ballplayers, and there are several among this year's teams. We also look forward to a number of current Hilltoppers players continuing their baseball experiences there and, with the beautiful new field, know they will love their future home. The new field will be dedicated to Coach Ernie Beck. Coach Beck will be in attendance and will throw out the first pitch during the alumni game, a tradition that was started in 1985. He is one of San Diego’s local legends and was the longest standing coach in Clairemont’s history with the most wins of any baseball coach. Coach Beck had great impact on students' and players' lives during the seasons he coached and many alumni will be back to celebrate his honor. The senior class will also be having a fundraiser bazaar in the student parking lot to raise money for events they have planned for the remainder of the school year. One student in particular will be raising funds and awareness for his senior project to send care packages to American soldiers in Afghanistan. Mark February 25th as a red-letter day for Clairemont Hilltoppers -- Picture Day, Skybox Dinner and a chance to get out and support our local high school!
Cadman Practice Schedules
Below are the schedules for use of the fields and batting cages at Cadman Park from now until Opening Day. These schedules are also posted on the front door of the snack bar building.
Work Parties Get Us Ready for Opening Day!
One of the best things about Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League is the quality of the ballfields our kids get to play on. We have always taken great pride in the appearance of our complex, and love to show it off to ourselves as well as other leagues. With Opening Day less than a month away we are making a concerted effort to get our fields back to the quality level we all enjoy. In order to do this, however, we have a number of projects we are undertaking, and we need your help. We will have work parties every Sunday in February (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th - weather permitting) from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. We will also have a final spruce-up on Friday, March 2 from 3-6 p.m. to be ready for Opening Day the next morning. Following is a list of projects we are still trying to get done. If you or your team has time to help with any of these items, but not on one of our scheduled work parties, please contact one of the board members below. Even if you only have an hour or two, it can make a big difference.
1. Put tarps up over bleachers<BR>2. Weed the areas around the backstops, dugouts, outfield fences and batting cages A number of tasks have already been accomplished. Thanks very much to the parents and coaches who have worked so very hard the past few weekends to make a dent in our ToDo list. You do not have to be an expert at anything to take on one of these tasks. If your team would like to take on something, simply contact one of the people below and we'll get you set up. For more information, or to pledge your efforts, contact Ken Cicalo (858) 586-1861, Mike Van Cleave (858) 274-6420 or Bill Salonius (619) 208-2522. Take pride in your league. Show appreciation for what we have. Let's make Cadman Park sparkle on Opening Day!
Poker Tournament Coming Again Soon!
Our 8th Annual Clairemont Hilltoppers Texas Hold 'em Tournament will be held on Saturday, April 28th at the Best Western Seven Seas in Hotel Circle, with Hilltoppers parents, coaches, alumni, friends and neighbors spending an evening of fun, frivolity and card-playing. Not only will it be a great night of laughs and socializing, but we hope to raise some money for Clairemont Hilltoppers. You don't have to be a card player, as this is just an evening to get together and spend some time with our parents, coaches and friends. Many thanks to Joe Toczlowski, Cathy Campbell and all the staff at the Best Western for once again providing this great venue and making this possible. We'll be looking for dealers as ell as players, so if you want to help out but aren't interested in playing, there is room for you, too.
We will start taking reservations soon after Opening Day, but please mark the date on calendars and plan on another great night with the best folks around... Clairemont Hilltoppers!
Why Play Clairemont Hilltoppers?
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!
Big League Finishes Second in Southern California!
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 Hall of Fame
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. 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.
2011 Sponsorship Forms are Here!
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.
Handout: 2011 Sponsorship Forms
Click on the link below to see our page and become a Fan!
Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League
Clairemont Hilltoppers Now on Facebook!
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