Dear Dollard Baseball Members,
I hope you are all enjoying your winters so far despite the extreme cold. On a positive note, baseball season is around the corner which means so is the warmer weather (thinking positive thoughts)! I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year! Your DABA executive has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming 2018 season as we look to make 2018 the best summer yet! Our registration was up significantly again last year and we hope to keep growing the sport in our community.
Over the past two seasons we have reinvested in new uniforms and replenishing our catchers equipment along with buying much more equipment. This year we are working on offering more extra development by having more specialized clinics during the season with specialized trainers to work with our pitchers, catchers and coaches.
In other news, we have finally completed the translation of our website. The website is now available in French as well!
After freezing fees last year and having frozen A fees for several years, we had to raise fees this season. We have been providing more and more each year and as our costs go up we obviously have to raise our fees to cover these costs. The rate increase was $15.00 at all levels. Please see our registration forms for the new rates at each level.
Our first registration of the season is this coming weekend, January 13-14, from 9:30-2:30 at the Civic Centre. We will have laptops present so that you can enter your information directly into our system. For payments, you will be able to pay by cash, cheque, or credit card. All players registering this weekend (at the Civic Centre) will receive a complementary DABA t-shirt. We will also be selling t-shirts, hoodies, and helmets at our registration table. Please note that we have ample supplies of all on hand and you will not have to wait for anything that you order. You will be able to take your helmet or hoodies with you as soon as you pay.
I would like to encourage as many of you as possible to register ASAP. As our numbers have been trending higher we are making more teams at each level. We need to know if we need to order more uniforms and equipment at certain levels, and it helps us recruit coaches if we know the number of teams we will be hosting. If you know your child is playing, please come by and register over the weekend. Our online registration is currently available if you can’t make it to the Civic Centre this weekend.
Our winter clinics begin on Saturday January 20th. We have increased the price this year at $125 for the entire program. If we offer pay as you go it will be $20 per session. For anyone Mosquito and up that pays the $125 will have the pitching clinics included at no extra charge. We have a new trainer this year, Casey Auerbach, one of the coaches of the McGill Redmen. As we have limited spaces available please register ASAP. The kids really enjoy themselves and it will surely improve their game and help them enjoy their summer.
On a last note, we are always looking for more volunteers. Our coaching application form is currently online. If you are interested in coaching please fill out the form. We also need other volunteers including but not limited to conveners, committee members, team managers, as well as umpires and scorekeepers. Please let us know if you are willing to help out provide the kids with a great summer.
I look forward to seeing you all on the field in April!!!
Yours in baseball,
Joel Goldenberg
President DABA