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In The Bleachers (Parent Area)

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 To all Little League parents...this is meant to be a section of the site specifically for your aid and benefit. Please let me know if you have any ideas, suggestions or information you would like me to share in this space. 
 
Little League Parent page - Little League's resource and info page for parents
 
What can I do to help?  Volunteer Opportunities as suggested by Little League International

The Little League Pitch Count Regulation Guide - This is the official pitch count regulation guide, and has just about everything you need to know about the pitch count rules and regulations (yes, 2008 is currently the most recent update)
 
 
 
 

2018 League Age Chart

Of course you know how old your child is, but do you know what your child's "league age" is?  This will be especially important when it's time for tryouts, when the session is divided into groups by "league age."

  1. Find your child's birth month at the top of the chart.  
  2. Follow that column down until you reach your child's birth year.  
  3. Follow the row to the far right to determine your child's league age.

Accident Report Form and Other Information

In the event your child is injured while participating in a Little League activity, there is insurance coverage (one of the many things your registration fees covers).  Please click on the links below for more information.

What Parents Should Know About Little League Insurance - while this is not on "SLVLL letterhead", the information is just as valid.

Lo Que los Padres Deben Sacer Acerca del Seguro de las Pequenas Ligas

Accident Claim Form (instructions for completing the form below)

Accident Claim Form Instructions

Instrucciones del Formulario de Reclamo

** What is "League Age"? UPDATED (AGAIN!) **

This is a question that often comes up, and is frequently a cause of confusion.

 

It is a standard set by Little League International, to which we as a local league must adhere when determining who is eligible to play.  

 

Since the 2006 playing season, "League age" had been the age your child will be on or before April 30 of the year in which your child wishes to play.  Prior to that, the determining date was June 30.

If it wasn't already confusing enough, Little League International decided in 2014 to change the eligibility date for determining league age from April 30 of the year in which the season starts to December 31 of the year in which the season starts.  The implementation process was like this - for any child born ON or AFTER January 1, 2006, the new standard of December 31 applied immediately.  The age your child turned in 2015 was your child's "league" age.  For children born BEFORE January 1, 2006, the old date of April 30 of the season in which the child will be playing will apply for the next two seasons (2016, 2017).  In 2018, the December 31 date would apply for ALL players (at least that was the plan).

HOWEVER, Little League International has backed away from the December 31 date, after much input from leagues all around the country and world, and the new date of determination will be August 31.  For a more detailed discussion, please refer to this article on the Little League International web site. 

 

This change is expected to be finalized for the 2018 season.  Most players will be unaffected by the implementation of the newest determination date.  A few players will have the interesting situation of being the same league age two years in a row.

Please be aware that it is taking our board some time to wrap our heads around this change and the many implications, and we will do our best to keep the best interests of your kids uppermost in all decisions.

Parent / Coach / Volunteer Code of Conduct

 
You will be receiving the SLV Little League Parent / Volunteer Code of Conduct to sign and return to your manager or team parent. Please take a moment to read this agreement, and feel free to print out a copy for yourself.

All About Post-Season Play - TOCs and All-Stars

Post-season play has two general facets.  TOCs (or Tournament of Champions) is for the division champion in the Majors and Minors division.  Those teams will go on to play against teams in other leagues in District 39, hoping to bring home a division champion banner (the 2010 Majors White Sox, under manager Tom Jameson, did just that!).  TOC competition begins June 9 (according to brackets from D39 site), and a team continues either until it has lost 3 games, or (if continuing to win!) to the end, which would be June 20.  Majors TOCs will be hosted by Santa Cruz Little League.  Minors TOCs will be hosted by Pajaro Valley AND San Juan Aromas Little Leagues.

The other part of post-season play is ALL-STARS competition.  Here is some important information regarding this aspect of post-season play -

WHO is eligible?  (PLAYERS) Any child who has played during the regular season and played at least 60% of his/her team's games is eligible to play in post-season competition.  HOWEVER, we can only send one team per age level, and only 11-14 players will be selected for each team. (MANAGERS/COACHES) Only active, rostered managers and coaches from the current season are eligible to manage and coach All-Star teams.  Those who are interested must make their desire known to the board.  They submit to an interview process, and the board votes on who will manage the teams.  Once teams have been formed, each manager then selects who will coach alongside him; only those who served as a rostered manager or coach during the regular season may be selected as an All-Star coach.  While many dads/coaches may assist during team practices, Little League International rules restrict the coach(es) on the field to the coach(es) named on the roster (they also have restrictions on how many coaches may appear on the post-season roster).  

The age divisions are 7/8 year olds (currently not sanctioned by Little League International, but offered by District 39, generally made up of AA players); 8/9 year olds, 9/10 year olds (these two teams will generally be made up of Minors division players);  10/11 year olds (Minors and Majors players); and 11/12 year olds (all Majors players).


HOW are the players selected?  In all but the 11/12 year old team, managers nominate players to be considered for All-Stars and submit those names to the player agent.  For the 11/12 year-old team, the players themselves vote six players to the team via a ballot provided by the player agent (which contains ALL eligible players in the age group), and managers make nominations to be considered as well, which will ultimately make up the rest of the team.  There is then a draft process, during which each team is drafted from nominated players (the six players voted by their team mates are automatically on the team; the rest of the team is drafted/voted on by the division managers, and IF more than 12 players are selected, the All-Star team manager may choose the last player).  Per Little League International restrictions, the 11/12 All-Star team roster cannot be revealed until 12:01 AM on June 15.

For the 11/12 year-old team, the commitment can be longer.  A winning team, like 2010's 11/12 year-olds, can have practices and games from mid to late July as a team progresses from district to sectional competition.  If a team wins sectionals, it continues on to division and then on to regional competition, and possibly even on to the Little League World Series.  The 11/12 team is the ONLY team that has the possibility of continuing as far as the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, which begins in August (this year, it will be the 15th).
 
 
** It is VERY important that players who are nominated be able to make the time commitment to the team.  At the very least, it is a 3 week commitment - to daily practices up until the tournament begins, and then games that can go on for close to two weeks (mid-July).  

 

Please consider your family's needs and plans for the summer, and determine if your child should be eligible for nomination to All-Stars.  If you know your child will NOT be able to participate (due to family vacation plans, for example), please let your manager know ahead of time not to nominate your child for All-Stars.  It is not fair to the team to have a player who has been selected who ultimately is not able to participate, or to another child who might have been drafted to the team and would have been able to take part.  The process does not allow for alternates.
 

WHEN? All-Stars for the 7/8 team will begin on June 9th (how long a team is involved depend on how well it does).  All-Stars (for all other teams) will run from June 22-July 6 (how long a team is involved in a tournament will depend on how well it does). 

WHERE?  All-Stars will be hosted by the following: 7/8 year-olds - Capitola/Soquel Little League; 8/9 year-olds -  Watsonville American Little League ; 9/10 year-olds - Pajaro Valley Little League; 10/11 year-olds - Scotts Valley Little League; 11/12 year-olds - Santa Cruz Little League (links to brackets will be provided when the D39 website has them available).

Article About the All-Star Experience

 
 

Honoring the Game - "Second Goal" Parenting Method #3

I thought you might appreciate this link to an article on the Little League International web site, regarding how we as parents can do our part to keep the game fun and positive.