WELCOME ALL VISITORS!
Announcements
THIS JUST IN: October 21, 2009
Tentative dates have been assigned for the 2010 season. You can find them by clicking on the KFS Calendar located on the left side of the website.
Kids First is G R O W I N G and needed more office space. As a result, Kids First will be MOVING from its present location out at the Hitting Center. Beginning Friday, September 25th, our office will be located at 3233 Mathers Road. Mathers Road is located off of Veterans Parkway, and is the road that intersects with the road that you turn on to go to Meijers. Turn right on Mathers road and follow the curves. Our office is located in the first building on the right. Look for the Kircher and Associates Sign.
OUR OFFICE IS NOT STAFFED AND NO PHONE NUMBER HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AT THIS TIME. IF YOU NEED TO CONTACT US, PLEASE CONTACT US USING OUR EMAIL ADDRESS BY CLICKING ON THE MAILBOX IN THE LOWER LEFT OR KIDSFIRSTSPORT@YAHOO.COM
Please email us if you need anything that may require use of the office so we can make arrangements for a board staff member to meet you.
Kids First would also like to extend a BIG thank you to all the staff at the Hitting Center for their assistance over the past two years. We look forward to continue working closely with all of you in the future .
A message from the President of Kids First to all website visitors
Hello. My name is Dan Rhodes and I am the president of Kids First Sports, Inc. I would like to welcome each of you. I encourage you to continue reading to find out more about the great things that our program has to offer. Again welcome, and we hope you will consider playing with Kids First in the summer, 2010.
Kids First philosophy is really very simple. We put the needs of the kids FIRST and put less emphasis on the attributes of winning and losing. Our objectives are to help your child:
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Acquire an appreciation for an active lifestyle
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Develop a positive self-concept by mastering baseball skills
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Learn how to work as part of a team
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Develop social skills with other children and adults
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Learn about managing success and disappointment
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Learn good sportsmanship in baseball and in life
Learn respect for others
The Ultimate criterion we use to judge the success of our program is this – Is the boy or girl a better person as a result of his or her experience in the program? Has the player learned some lessons and acquired some habits and attitudes, which will make him or her more effective in his or her future work, a better parent and a finer citizen? Compared to this criterion, such factors as the number of games won or lost, the leading hitter and pitcher, the league championship, tournament play, etc., are all very minor considerations.
THE REAL CHALLENGE OF KIDS FIRST
The real challenge of Kids First is not to create more leagues, or make more money, but to make our program more qualitative—to make it a better, more wholesome and enriching experience for the youth. This objective is exceedingly difficult to attain. Most people believe participation in baseball is a fine thing for youngsters. However, baseball is not automatically a desirable experience. It may be under the right circumstances, but under the wrong conditions it could be detrimental. We do not want teams learning more undesirable habits and attitudes than desirable ones. The league will strive to instill the following attributes in each of our players:
- Teach our players to win and lose graciously
- To be loyal, cooperative, and courteous to opponents and umpires
- Unprejudice to those of different color, race or creed
- Considerate to those with lesser ability
- Develop self disciple
- Subjugate any selfish desire for the good of the team
While our players are striving to excel and acquiring the skills of baseball, they are also learning many habits and attitudes in regard to themselves and other people, which are extremely important to their future success and happiness. Playing ball with Kids First provides all of us an excellent opportunity to teach far more than pitching, hitting and fielding. AND FINALLY… When adults put the best interests of the children first, and leave their own egos and concerns about winning on the bench, the young people will learn positive lessons. Lets all work together to make 2010 the best season for all involved and relay a positive message to our Kids. Let’s remember to put the KIDS FIRST. Again thank you for your interest. I encourage you to continue to look over our website. It is very informative and should answer any questions you may have regarding our program. Beginning in October 2009, our calendar of events will list upcoming tentative registration dates, as well as all other relevant dates for the upcoming 2010 season. Please revisit the website periodically for further updates. If you have any further questions, please email me using the mailbox link on the left hand side of the page. All inquiries will be answered in a timely manner. Hope to see you out at the field in 2010. Thank you.
Daniel Rhodes
President, Kids First Sports, Inc.
Welcome to Kids First
Kids First Sports, Inc. is a youth recreational baseball organization . Age divisions begin as early as age 4 thru 6 for both boys and girls (coach pitch/tee ball division), and continue through age 10. Our program is specifically designed to be both beneficial and enjoyable for the younger players, as well as their parents. Our program is catered to children who may not have an opportunity to play in other larger leagues. We do not place stress on a players ability or inability to play, or place value on a players skill level, therefore do not require tryouts or assessment. Age placement is determined by the age of the child on January 1st of each year.
Coach Pitch/Tee Ball : 4-6 years of age (boys and girls welcome)
7 and 8: Boys youth baseball
9 and 10: Boys youth baseball
At Kids First, all kids are welcome regardless of their past experience or playing ability. We offer the same amount of fun that you may find at other larger leagues in town, while managing to keep our registration cost/fees low. The organization's focus is on the players. Some of our important characteristics that set us apart from other leagues in town:
- No Tryouts or draft! Everyone is eligible to play.
- League age is the age of the player on January 1st of the current year.
- The league utilizes roster batting (all players present are in the batting order) and each player must be allowed to play at least three innings per game on defense.
- Games are played at 9 diamonds located throughout Springfield.
- The season runs from mid May through early July with a mid season tournament so you can focus on vacation plans at the end of the season rather than having to wonder if a tournament is going to take place.
We appreciate your interest and encourage you to explore the KFS web site. You may contact us using the email link, located at the bottom of the menu on the left, for answers to questions, to express an opinion, to discuss registering a player or team, or to convey your interest in managing a team, umpiring, or assisting our organization in any way. Thank you.
Letter to Coaches
