The Dalles Little League: Letters from the President
The Dalles Little League Board and Community, thank everyone involved in the Field Clean-up conducted on March 16th, 2013. The clean-up was a huge success with more than 100 persons in attendance. A lot of preparation and clean-up were accomplished, and the fields look fantastic.
Thank you to everyone in attendance.
In addition, thank you to all of the Managers and Coaches in attendance at the Coaches Safety Meeting. Your attendance and commitment are very much appreciated.
Alan Anderson
President – The Dalles Little League
Monday, February 4
Letter from The Dalles Little League President
2/1/2013
Dear Friends and Family of The Dalles Little League
Welcome to The Dalles Little League 2013 Season. We look forward to seeing you out at Kramer Field this year. As a member of the community, and a parent, it is important to understand the wonderful opportunity baseball presents for the youth, parents and volunteers and how we can make it better for the children and volunteers; and thus better for everyone. This is a chance to see old friends, make new friends, learn a sport, get some exercise and participate positively in the community.
In thinking about and discussing the upcoming season with parents and members of our community, several themes continue to recur so I wanted to reiterate them to all of us as a community. These themes are a priority for this year’s season and are important components of all youth programs. Please do your part to help us comply with these priorities.
Safety at the ballpark is our first priority. We will do everything possible to make sure everyone behaves in a safe manner. As parents and members of the community, we should monitor where our children are throwing baseballs, swinging bats, and climbing or playing. Ensuring these activities are done in the designated areas, improves safety for all.
Good sportsmanship is priority number two. Little League is about focusing on the Youth in our community. It is about fair play and good sportsmanship. We all play a role in fair play, particularly with regards to good sportsmanship. How can we, as family and friends play a role in these areas of baseball? Respect. Provide respect to the coaches, umpires, concession volunteers, and the children. By respecting the individuals participating, we encourage and demonstrate to the children how they should behave. We also impact how they feel about the game, positively or negatively.
Please understand, we are all human and prone to make mistakes, whether it is a bad call by an umpire, a move by the coach with which you disagree, a mistake at the concessions stand or an exceptional player making a good or bad play. Your response to these events affect how each volunteer and player perceive the entire experience. A kind, understanding response is much more warmly received than a verbal reprimand such as booing or yelling at a coach. In an effort to improve this year’s Little League experience here in The Dalles, we are requiring that each parent read and understand the Little League Parent Code of Conduct. In addition, these rules will be enforced, respectfully, at the ballpark. Please do your part: read, understand and comply with the Code of Conduct.
Finally, fun and learning for the children are priority three. Priorities one and two are both requirements to making priority three a reality. The experience of baseball is supposed to be fun. It is our goal to provide the children an opportunity to learn how to play the game and to do so in a fun, supportive learning environment.
In summary, let’s have a great season. Please plan to volunteer some of your time, as coach, concessions stand, umpire, or one of the many other volunteer opportunities available. It is truly rewarding to take part in the community. Volunteering also serves to help us understand the complexity each of the volunteer’s encounters, and perhaps helps us to understand the importance of respect. Let’s all work to make this an enjoyable and educational season for our youth.
Sincerely,
Alan Anderson
President - The Dalles Little League
