NEW YEAR…NEW BEGINNINGS
THE RIGHT APPROACH FOR 2007

I want to start off by wishing each of you and your families my best for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! Thanks again for the extra efforts and dedication you put forth to help our players enjoy a banner year in 2006.

The new year offers a tantalizing opportunity to start with a clean slate and is the perfect time to reflect over the past year and think about what we have accomplished and what we still need to accomplish.

What a great year 2006 was for Babe Ruth League, Inc. Many new communities, in their quests to bring their residents together for a wholesome and enjoyable time, joined the Babe Ruth Family. By the end of the season, the program’s participation level grew to over 1,000,000 players.

It is hard to top the events of last season, but with the many new developments in the works, 2007 promises to be even better ... with the addition of the Cal Ripken Major/70 Division, there will be a place for everyone, no matter what their skill level...the American Sport Education Program (ASEP), a division of Human Kinetics and one of the premier coaching education programs in the market today, in conjunction with Babe Ruth League, Inc. and Ripken Baseball, has designed an on-line coaching course specifically for Babe Ruth Baseball, Cal Ripken Baseball and Babe Ruth Softball managers and coaches…and the Board of Directors of Babe Ruth League, Inc. have approved to allow “league age” 4-year-olds to participate at the T-Ball level of the Softball 12U Division, with the age-determination cut off date of December 31st.

The right approach for 2007 is for league administrators to communicate an added emphasis on the importance of volunteering. Sometimes that may require showing a parent how they can help. Some believe if they don’t have the skills to coach, there isn’t much else they can do in the league. At registration, if you aren’t already doing so, provide a volunteer sign-up sheet with a thorough description of each job – be it large or small. And for the adults you want to coach but don’t have the skills, sign them up for the new Coaches Certification Program offered through ASEP in conjunction with Babe Ruth League, Inc.

Kids need to feel a strong sense of security in areas most directly touching their lives. Providing them with leaders in whom they can place their confidence will help put them at ease. Make sure when your league is choosing managers and coaches that you are placing a premium on those who will teach values and self-esteem, and fun; not those who want to win at all costs. Players do not need the added stress of believing that winning is the only worthwhile goal. Having fun while learning will produce a more cohesive team, a team that works together during the game and the final score will reflect the benefits of this approach.

Provide opportunities to your players to learn and practice skills in a fun environment. Make games out of drills during practice. Have some group competitions (not individual) within the team involving skills development. Show parents how to practice skills with their child at home and make it fun. Stress to them the importance of their involvement in the development of their young player, and that the player can’t reach his or her full potential without additional practice off the field. Make sure your coaches have a comprehensive practice plan involving every player for each practice. If your coaches make the practices fun, players will be more apt to practice on their own. If we expect the players to give us their best, we owe it to them to do the same, and more.

Don’t assume just because someone calls him or herself a coach, they have all the skills they need to teach the game. Some are great strategists who may be unmatched in the understanding and finessing of the game. However, when teaching that same game to youngsters they may find themselves in unfamiliar territory, not knowing how to effectively communicate that knowledge to the players on their team.

This quote from Cal Ripken, Jr., should always be foremost in everyone’s mind:

“You need to know that you are growing a little person’s spirit for the game. And how do you do that? You are positive, you are supportive, you make the game fun. You don’t make it feel like work. You don’t say any kind of negative things because in order to build spirit, you build it a block at a time. You can actually kill that spirit by one bad comment – by getting on somebody about his or her effort or about something that goes on in a game. What I would like to accomplish is to stress fun and building of that spirit because that’s what ‘s going to carry you on to a higher level of competition.”