Our six District 32 Challenger teams will be playing into the postseason for the first time in 2012.

First up, will be our annual Challenger Division Tournament, to be held this year on Saturday, June 16 at Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League. Three games will be played that day at 10 a.m., with kids from all of our Challenger teams receiving special souvenir t-shirts commemorating the end of another terrific season.

Then, the following week, all six teams will again be playing as part of our District 32 All-Star tournaments. The University City and Peninsula Challenger teams will play at 1:30 p.m. as part of the Juniors All-Star tournamnt at University City. The two Rancho Penasquitos teams will be playing at 1:30 p.m. as part of the 11- and 12-year-old All-Star tournament at Rancho Penasquitos. And finally, the Mira Mesa and Scripps Ranch Challenger teams will play as part of the 9- and 10-year-old All-Star tournament at Clairemont Hilltoppers at 1:30 p.m. 

These games will be the first time our Challenger teams have participated as part of the All-Star experience, and we are looking forward to lots of new people being exposed to this most wonderful part of Little League. Make your plans to come out and support our Challenger teams on both June 16 and June 23!
 

Thanks to the generosity of our District 32 Little Leagues, a team of 13- and 14-year-olds from Vilnius, Lithuania is spending March 29-April 6 in San Diego.

The team, known as Sporto Vilkai (Sports Wolves), arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday night, March 28, and took the train to San Diego the next day, where they will be fully immersed in the baseball culture of District 32. Players and coaches are being housed by host families from various leagues, giving both the Lithuanian players and our own 13- and 14-year-olds a tremendous opportunity to share and exchange customs of their own countries.

The team will play several games at various district fields during their stay. Friday, March 30 • 4:30 p.m. at Coronado
Saturday, March 31 • 10:30a.m. at Rancho Penasquitos
Saturday, March 31 • 3:30 p.m. at Clairemont Hilltoppers
Sunday, April 1 • 2 p.m. at Rancho Penasquitos
Monday, April 2 • 4:30 p.m. at Mira Mesa
Wednesday, April 4 • 6:30 p.m. at Rancho Penasquitos
Thursday, April 5 • 4:30 p.m. at Clairemont Hilltoppers

In addition to the ballgames, the team and the host families will get to enjoy the San Diego Padres vs. kansas City Royals exhibition game at petco Park on Tuesday, April 3, compliments of the Padres. Trips to places like the batting cage, beach, etc. are also being worked on.

This is the second time for District 32 to be involved in this opportunity. What a great experience for our kids to see a little bit of what baseball and childhood is like in other parts of the world. Many thanks to our wonderful host families and leagues for putting on a great display of what makes District 32 such a wonderful Little League district. 

A number of new and modified rules have recently been announced by Little League International, to take effect during the 2012 regular and/or tournament seasons.

A summary of these rule changes follows, and you can click on the Handout at the end of this article for a PDF of the changes. You can also click on the headline to this article to link to Little League's story about this on their website.
 
POLICIES:
Residence Eligibility Requirements have been amended to include support by documents dated or in force between February 1, 2011 (previous year) and February 1, 2012 (current year), from THREE OR MORE of the established categories. This means, for instance, that a Driver’s License that was issued a number of years earlier, but was in force between the dates noted, is acceptable. However, a utility bill that is dated outside of the dates noted, is not acceptable.
 
REGULATIONS:
Background Check Requirements have been changed due to the refusal of the states of Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan & Virginia to provide sex offender registry data to Lexis Nexis. Those free criminal background checks no longer meet the minimum Little League requirement of a nationwide search of the sex offender registry. Sex offender registry data for all states is currently only available through the Department of Justice National Sex Offender Registry (www.nsopr.gov) and/or through the individual state’s sex offender registry website.

Eligible Ages have changed for Senior League (leagues now have the option to allow players with league ages 13, 14, 15 and 160, and Big League (leagues now have the option to allow players with league ages 15, 16, 17 and 18).

Challenger Division Participation is now allowed for players outside a league’s boundaries if  (1) the league he/ she wishes to participate in accepts the player; (2) the league, if any, where the player resides provides a written release of the player and (3) the district administrator provides written approval for the player to participate.

Senior League Minimum Play is now required. All rostered players present at the start of a Seniors Division game will participate in each game for a minimum of six defensive outs and bat at least one time.  

 
PLAYING RULES:
Bat Requirements have been changed. See www.littleleague.org for a complete description of bat restrictions and acceptable models.

Restrictions on Jewelry have been expanded to include all types, regardless of the composition of such jewelry, hard cosmetic item or hard decorative item. (EXCEPTION: Jewelry that alerts medical personnel to a specific condition is permissible.)

Illegal Bat Rules have been modified to establish penalties for entering the batters box with a bat which fails to meet regulations. A batter discovered to be using an illegal bat is declared out. On the first offense, the batting team loses one adult base coach for the remainder of the game. On the second offense, the batting team's manage is ejected.

Dropped Third Strike Rule has been added for Tournament Play in the 11-12 All-Stars and 10-11 All-Stars tournaments. It is also offered as an option for use in regular season play in the Majors Division. 

This is a summary of the major rules changes. Be sure to click on the headline above or the handout below for a complete description.

Come See A Challenger Game Soon!

The Challenger Division of Little League Baseball is a program for mentally and physically disabled youth to enjoy the full benefits of Little League participation in an athletic environment structured to their abilities. The program is available to any special needs child between the ages of 5-18, or who is in an ongoing high school program up to the age of 22.

More than the skills of baseball are learned through the experience. The value of the Little League Challenger Division is found in the proven therapeutic and socialization benefits of participating in sports, the strengthening of participants’ self-esteem, the opportunities to mainstream into other divisions of play, and the disciplines of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play which are hallmarks of the Little League program.

The philosophy of the Little League Challenger Division is to provide the framework so that every Little League program may offer a structured, athletic activity for all youth in the community. Challenger Division participants learn not only the fundamentals of baseball, but also how it feels to be just like other children pulling together as a team, being cheered, and earning awards for their achievements.

Currently, District 32 has Challenger Division teams in five of its leagues (Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Penasquitos, Peninsula and University City), with hopes to expand the program to all of the other leagues in our District as well.

For a complete list of 2012 Challenger games, fields and contacts in District 32, just click on the handout at the end of this article. If you know anyone who would benefit from this program for children with special needs, please download the handout and contact a Challenger coordinator  in your area.

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At the June 6, 2011 District 32 Presidents meeting, Lisa LaPage was re-elected to serve a three-year term as District 32 Administrator. Her term, which will run from the 2012-2014 Little League seasons, marks her third term as D.A. in District 32.

The role of the District Administrator is to educate and assist all of the leagues of the district, and to be the representative of the leagues to Western Region and Little League Headquarters. The District Administrator forms and manages a district organization and staff, calls meetings, conducts district tournaments at sites selected by the District Administrator, and provides counsel and information to Little League Headquarters. The D.A. is also the conduit to local leagues for rule changes, organizational information and assistance in implementing all of Little League's goals and values.

It is a massively time-consuming role, and like all Little League jobs at the local level, is strictly volunteer. Thanks and congratulations to Lisa for accepting this position once again.

Hello, I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Lisa LaPage and I am the District Administrator for California District 32. I have two boys, Christopher and Stephen, who both played Little League from T-Ball through the Senior Division. Those of you who know me know I attempted Big League with them… that didn’t get me anywhere!

I first started volunteering for Little League as a scorekeeper for my brother’s team back in the 70’s. (Do not attempt to calculate ages.) My dad was the manager and so, of course, I became the scorekeeper. My dad continued on after my brother and I got out of Little League and became the President of Balboa Little League. He was the President when Balboa introduced their first Challenger Division Team – that program is still strong and now resides at Clairemont Hilltoppers Little League.

As my children became old enough to play Little League, I started volunteering again. I started out as the Team Mom and moved “up” to Scorekeeper. Then … it happened, “real volunteering.” I became a bonafide board member for Mira Mesa West Little League – Head Scorekeeper was my first title! Then my second title was Player Agent, then Vice President, then finished up a season as President!

In 2003, the District Administrator Jim Gerstenslager, asked me to be on his staff as an auxiliary member. How hard could that be? OH – those of you that “started” as auxiliary members know the answer to that! I served on the District Staff while continuing to serve on my local league board. In 2006, I was elected as the District Administrator by the Presidents of District 32 – that penalty is still pending!!

All kidding aside, I take Little League seriously – I believe 100% in the program and what Little League stands for. Our children in all of our communities deserve to have hard-working volunteers involved in a program that has every child’s interest and well-being at heart. We, through baseball, teach all of the children Character, Courage and Loyalty – not to mention Respect, Discipline, Teamwork and Sportsmanship.

This can not be accomplished without the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who dedicate time (which they don’t have) to a program they all believe in. That, my friend, is what this is all about. The volunteers inside Little League are rare characters (sadly enough) – they unconditionally give their time, knowledge and sometimes money to the youngsters who will one day rule our world!

To all the Presidents, Board Members, Umpires, Managers, Coaches, Team Moms and Team Dads, Scorekeepers, Carpool Drivers, Cheerleaders and just plain Parents, THANK YOU for participating in the best program in the world for our children. My kids wouldn’t have had the experience without you – and for that I am humbly grateful.

Lisa LaPage

Yes, the Little League pledge - In touring our local leagues there are still several that do not recite the pledge...  Question is why not?  I have yet to see the Junior Division say the pledge before the game.  Please - Remind our children why they are playing baseball and the expectations we have for them.  Sure we want them to have fun, but win or lose ....  They should know the pledge!  When the tournaments start and we do say the pledge before each of those games, it is embarrassing for some that they do not know the words to the Little League Pledge .....  Please have all your teams reciting the pledge before their games....Thank you

Ever wonder how things get done? If you do, then you might just be the person we are looking for. We are always looking for volunteers who love and believe in Little League Baseball . As you should know, things don't just happen, it takes hours and hours of hard work volunteering. Our staff oversees 13 local leagues which add up to be about 5000 Little League players. The players need your help; they can't do it without all of the adult volunteers. We are serious about our role in the Little League organization and have a good time while supporting what we believe in. If you are interested in joining, please let us know. Send an email to llapage@san.rr.com and let us know what you are interested in. Play Ball!