Please Volunteer 

Do it for your children - they'll love you for it.

Youth Baseball can be one of the most memorable experience of your child's life.  We're working hard to insure that baseball will be one of those childhood experiences that your son or daughter will want to pass on to their own children. YOU play a very important role in this goal. The signals that you send and the messages you deliver can reinforce a positive experience, but, if you are not careful, messages that you unknowingly send can be very negative.

First and foremost; make sure both you and your child read this letter from a Little League Umpire.  

What you can do to make youth baseball a fun, positive experience?

  1. Understand what is important and what is not. If your child's baseball experience will become a lifetime memory, then help to make it a positive and fun memory. Can you remember who was league champion last season?  Do you know who was second?  What seems to be critical in the heat of a ballgame, just isn't that important, especially if it means harming what can be a wonderful experience that your child will cherish for a lifetime. As adults, we can help our children take accountability for their enjoyment and success. Help them to be undeniable in what they do and help them recognize that usually their own actions determine results, and not an umpire's decision. Together, we can help your child understand that winning a baseball game is in not a success and losing is in no way a failure.  Talk regularly about the experience, about the fun, and the true reasons he plays youth baseball. Did you know that historically only 2 players on average from each age group have gone on to play baseball beyond age 18?  

  2. Become part of the process.  It is not just your child's team - it is your family's team! Involve yourself in whatever role you are able to. Coaches need help with all kinds of activities.  Refer to the section below titled, "Your Role." Please take your turn in the Concession Stand when asked. Your child and his coaches will appreciate it. Remember, this is your child's league.

  3. Encourage your child to practice skills whenever possible.  Excellence in most things take a strong commitment and baseball is no different. It has been said that hitting a round ball with a round bat is the most difficult skill to master in all of sports.  Can we reasonable expect our children to be masters with minimum effort. Even with a strong commitment, we should continue to offer encouragement until he masters it. We all learn at different speeds.  Your child should not be expected to learn these skills by any specific age.  Encourage him and offer continuous positive support.

  4. Keep the lines of communication open with your child's coaches. Every child will not be a Pitcher or Shortstop, but the Major leagues are full of Millionaire Outfielders, Catchers and First Basemen. Work with your child's coaches to determine which positions are best suited for your child's abilities. If you are uncertain of the role that your coach has planned for your child, BE SURE TO ASK. Understand the whys and the hows, and if you are not happy, talk to your coaches about what other options are available.  Please remember that all of the coaches are volunteers and not all of them are good communicators.  Help them and encourage them to communicate with you regularly.

  5. Make sure that you and your child takes accountability for his own successes, for his setbacks, and for his fun. His coaches will do their part to help. Help your child speak with his coaches to understand what can be done to improve his skills and increase playing time at the position he strives for.

YOUR ROLE IN NCYBA

What role is best for you?  Your child will feel happier and enjoy his baseball experience more if you are involved. Some parents want to involve themselves more than others. Remember, the more help your child's coaches get from the parents, the more time he can spend on teaching your child baseball skills and techniques. Here are some of the roles that you may want to volunteer for.

  • Coaching  -   requires a commitment of 3-4 days each week from April thru June. Coaches receive training and mentoring to help learn techniques and fundamentals of the game from league administrators.

  • Grounds Maintenance  -  Do you enjoy seeing your lawn looking really good?  Then you possess what is needed to help us maintain the ball fields. If you have landscaping experience or just have an interest in making the fields look their best, then we would love your help.

  • Ladies Auxiliary Officer  -  Did you know that the Concession Stands contribute $10 - $15,000 to the revenue of NCYBA?  Organizational skills, accounting experience, or just plain good people skills are needed. The Ladies Auxiliary consist of women (and men) who contribute anywhere from a few hours a week to as many as 20 hours a week.

  • Team Parent  -  Perhaps you can help to organize your team's Concession Volunteer schedule? In this role, you will work hand in hand with the Auxiliary Officers to not only organize your child's team's work schedule but can also be the resident expert on how the concession operation works.

  • Team Field Worker  -  coaches are very appreciative of those parents who will assist in field preparation and after game re-grooming. Your help is especially welcome after rainy periods. Please tell your child's coach that you are interested in helping.

  • League Event Coordinator  -  If your schedule does not allow you to participate on a regular basis, why not volunteer to coordinate your team's league events such as th $1 Raffle, the annual Candy Sale, our Baseball Trips, or the end of season banquets?

  • Purchasing, Equipment Management, Accounting, Webmaster, and Fund Raising are always ongoing at NCYBA.

  • Web Masters and Newsletter Editors.

If you are interested in helping IN ANY WAY, please contact one of the League Officers or email us. Our email addresses and telephone numbers can be found in the Administration tab.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU OR YOUR CHILD IS UNHAPPY?
The first thing you should do is to IMMEDIATELY discuss the situation completely with your child. 

Understand everything there is to know about what your child is feeling. Ask questions about what conversations and expectations have taken place with the coach.

Speak with the Coach to make sure that he knows how you and your child feels about the situation. It is our goal to insure a fun, positive experience for all players, regardless of abilities.

If you do not feel that the situation has been satisfactorily resolved, speak with your Division President or to the League Commissioner. For more advise in this area, please follow this link to the Official Little League Website and click on the parent's page.

WHAT ABOUT ALL-STARS - HOW ARE THE PLAYERS PICKED?
Please read the other links about the selection process. Here is a brief summary. For players ages 9 and beyond, All Star teams are selected each year. One thing that we want to make crystal clear is that it is the intention of the Board of Directors that those players with the best skills are selected. To be direct; children of our managers or coaches shall not be selected without merit. The selection process includes voting by all players, by all official coaches and manager. Since the coaches and managers votes are weighted more heavily than the players votes, they are not allowed to vote for any players on their own team. The voting process determines the first 8 players selected. A representative from each team then meets and selects the remaining players. Only those players that received at least one manager's vote are eligible to be selected by the team representatives. The process, does not enable a manager or coach to vote for their own child. 

Please Note: The word "she or his" are used for brevity only. Both boys and girls alike are encouraged to participate.