Laurel Little League: Welcome

Registration for the Spring 2012 Season is Now Open! See announcement below for more information!
Welcome to the online home of the Laurel Little League

Run completely by volunteers and supported by community sponsors, the Laurel Little League has provided a fun and positive athletic experience for the youth of Laurel, Maryland and it's surrounding communities since 1995. Laurel Little League is a chartered affiliate of Little League Baseball, Inc of Williamsport, PA. 

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Thursday, February 16
Important Registration Information\Message!!!



Although long ... this email is important so PLEASE read it

Time and space are running out if you want your child to play baseball/softball with Laurel Little League this spring in the Little League Major Level divisions and below (13 and ups start later and are not subject to a late registration fee).

LAST CHANCE FOR WALK-IN REGISTRATION AT REGULAR PRICE:
This weekend at Modells on Saturday from 10am-4pm and Sunday from 1pm-4pm.

LAST DATE FOR REGISTRATION AT REGULAR PRICE:
Online until 11pm on Feb 24th  ... you can sign up quickly and easily online at:

          http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=2013369

LATE REGISTRATION WITH $25 LATE FEE as follows:
Late registration will be available from February 25th through March 4th.  There will be a $25 late registration fee for all levels at or below Little League Major divisions.  Late registration will be available at our evaluation and sizing sessions to be held on Feb 26th and March 4th (times/location TBA).  After those dates we cannot guarantee your child a spot on a team!

The reason for the early date stems from the logistical problems we have had in the past with getting the teams drafted and uniforms ordered in time for the opening day, which for this year is April 14th.

From the Board's perspective, having registration close earlier helps us by:
 
  • Providing accurate numbers for proper planning of teams, equipment, schedules, etc.
  • Ability to recruit the proper number of coaches and manage team size
  • Assists in getting fields from M-NCPPC and the city of Laurel.  The more kids we have the more fields they give us
You may think that registering later, especially after evaluations and drafts, really has no impact on how the season goes for your child.  This is not true.  In order to explain why, I have to explain how we choose teams. This is useful information for all members of Laurel Little League.
 
First, the guiding philosophy of Laurel Little League is for all the kids to have a great time playing baseball, regardless of their skill level.  In order to do that, there cannot be teams full of ringers, or teams who bring in kids from elsewhere so they can dominate the "rec" league.  The only fair way to do this is to make the team selection process as fair and unbiased as possible.
 
Therefore, we draft good coaches first.  Any person can put their name in the hat to be a coach in the league.  How many coaches get selected in an age group depends on how many players register, which determines the number of teams.  The Board considers all the coaches and then ranks them by secret ballot from top to bottom.  Naturally, if there are 6 coaches and only enough players for 5 teams, the coach on the bottom of the list does not get a team.
 
Those coaches (which are selected in late February) then can attend evaluations, where they watch the kids and rank them according to whatever system they choose to use.  Some coaches develop an elaborate matrix, and some just go by intuition. This criteria is the coaches judgment, the criteria is theirs, and they don't have to share it with anyone.
 
You might think that most coaches are looking for the stand-out player, and it's true.  But one stand-out does not make a team, so there are other non-baseball criteria that most coaches look for, as well.  Like, how well does the player pay attention?  Is he enthusiastic and teachable?  Unfortunately, more than once I have heard a coach say, "I'd really like to have that kid on my team, but I heard his grandmother yell at the umpire last year."  Yes, it's true.  The way a family member behaves during games can have an effect on a coach's decision to draft a child.  Since we can't know a particular coach's criteria, we have no control over that.  But it's okay, because draft night evens it all out.
 
After evaluations the coaches and the player agent meet for a draft.  It is run just like any major league sports draft, except the draft order is chosen by lottery, then the draft proceeds. When drafts are completed, the player agent makes a note of which coach drafted the last player.  That's for when the inevitable late registration comes in.  The team next in line on draft night will get that new player, and so it goes in draft order until all the teams are filled and/or all the late registrations are placed on a team.  Occasionally we will get a big group of registrations at once after draft night, and then that 6th coach will get a team.
 
Once the drafts are made, practices begin.  This is a really bad time for your child to be registered late.  He missed evaluations so the coach didn't get a chance to see the player in action.  The coach has been denied the opportunity to strategically select your child and include him in part of his overall game plan.  Your child might miss the information given out at the first practice.  If it's late enough after that, the uniform he receives might be slightly different than his team's.
 
We know things happen.  The two weekends of walk-in registration were booked up for you; you just moved here and little league starts later where you came from; you don't get the paper or you don't have the internet at home.  That's why there are so many options for getting the forms:  in person, by internet, and even by appointment!
 
It's doesn't only help the league for you to register early. It helps your child take full advantage of the system designed to provide the best baseball\softball experience for all the kids, no matter what their experience or skill level.
 
If you have any questions/concerns please contact me via email at ruizp@pmkinc.com or call me at home in the evening at 301-725-5850.
 
Thanks,
 
Pete Ruiz


Friday, February 3
2012 WALK-IN REGISTRATION SCHEDULE

2012 WALK-IN REGISTRATION SCHEDULE!

We have made walk-in registration available as an alternative to online registration.

LOCATION:
Modell’s Sporting Goods
Laurel Lakes Centre

DATES:
Saturday February 11th from 10am - 4pm
Sunday February 12th from 1pm - 4pm
Saturday February 18th from 10am - 4pm
Sunday February 19th from 1pm - 4pm

We have Co-Ed baseball divisions from ages 4-18 and girls softball for ages 7-18. Fees are only $80 for Tee ball, $100 for Coach Pitch through Major League Divisions (up to league age 12) and $125 for Junior though Big League Divisions.  There is a sibling discount of $20 off for 2nd child, $40 off for 3rd child and 4th child (and on) are free!  The feesinclude uniform (hat, shirt, pants and socks), trophies and/or medallions, an end of year picnic and much more. The registration fee is the only fee you will pay! To defray the cost of registration we are giving parent raffle tickets 30 raffle tickets that they can sell (they sell for $2 but the parent pays nothing for them) and keep the money or choose to simply put their own name on the raffle and try to win the prize!

Residence shall be established and supported by documents from THREE of the following categories to determine residency of parent(s) or guardian. As an example three utility bills constitute only ONE document! All documents must be dated BETWEEN 2/1/2011 and 2/1/2012 (if applicable)

* Driver’s License
* Voter’s Registration
* School records
* Welfare/child care records
* Federal records
* State records
* Local (municipal) records
* Support payment records
* Homeowner/tenant records
* Utility bills
* Financial records
* Insurance documents
* Medical records
* Military records
* Internet, cable or satelliterecords
* Vehicle records
* Employment records

Children who played during the 2011 season must still register to participate in the 2012 season.



Join our email list and stay informed!

Join our email list and stay informed. We will email anyone on the list about upcoming events as well as game cancellation/changes. Click here to send email and contact info. Laurel Little League will not share your email address with anyone.

Friday, February 3
Changes to Softball at Laurel Little League in 2012

This year we will have three divisions of softball:

*     Minor League Division - League Age 7-11 years old
*     Major League Division - League Age 9-12 years old
*     Big League Division - League Age 13-16 years old

The minor and major league divisions would play in the Laurel area ONLY.  They will no longer travel to Baltimore.  The Big League may travel to Columbia, Calverton, College Park, and Greenbelt.

In the Minor and Major League divisions girls would be assigned to each division by evaluation.  This allows us to take into account ability and size when deciding which level of play fits the child best.  Having a Minor League division provides a place for relatively new/younger players to play where get to play more, learn more, have fun, are competitive and not as tentative with the older girls who may have played for years already.

We want as many teams as possible at all levels so please tell your friends. If you have any questions please email me at ruizp@pmkinc.com.

 



Laurel Little League is looking for sponsors and donors!

Only through the generous support of our members and sponsors can we continue to offer such an affordable program for our children.  You can contribute in the following ways:
  • Directly contribute to Laurel Little League.  As a 501(c)(3) organization, your contributions are fully tax deductible!
  • Recruit a team sponsor.  Find a business or other entity to contribute and sponsor a team.  As a 501(c)(3) organization, their contributions/sponsorships are also tax deductible.
  • Many corporations will contribute on behalf of their employees.  Inquire with your employer to see if they offer such a program.  In the past, we have received these types of contributions from companies including Booz|Allen|Hamilton and Verizon.
Handout: Sponsorship Information

Monday, February 14
Volunteers needed for Field Maintenance Crew!

We are looking for volunteers to join the "lawn mowing brigade" to get and keep the Legion looking its best throughout the season.  One of the requirements of our "lease agreement" with the American Legion is that we maintain the grass on and around the field and the horseshoe pit/picnic area.  This will require the help of volunteers to help drive the John Deere and run weed-eaters around the fencelines every week.  Please sign-up for one or more weeks by sending me an email at dlstroud@aol.com as soon as possible.  My hope is to get enough volunteers so that noone has to do it more than once.  If there are high-school aged kids looking for service hours, here is a tremendous opportunity!  Thanks in advance for your support.