August President's Column

Dear Parents,

In my June column I shared with you the stellar results of our parent survey. The survey is essentially the LCYO report card, letting us know how we did in providing a fun and safe environment for your children to learn the games of softball and baseball.

We received 865 responses representing every one of our teams in the league and 70 percent of our 1,600 players. More than 94 percent of respondents felt their child learned the fundaments of softball and baseball; gave a positive assessment of their coaches; felt good sportsmanship was practiced and that their child was treated fairly and had the opportunity to play a variety of positions.

The survey also provided an opportunity for you to comment on other areas of the LCYO program. This month I’d like to provide general responses to some of those comments. I would like to thank Team Parent Coordinator Leslie Sippel Saldana, Baseball Director Dean White and Softball Director Ed Mungovan for putting together the following responses:

Fences – Many of you commented on the poor condition of the fences at our various fields. We're pleased to report that 100 percent of the white portable fences have been repaired – as well as the carts that hold them. We are also exploring the idea of pouring concrete pads in the fence cages at certain field locations (i.e., La Costa Meadows) to improve the ease of moving the fence carts and also reduce the wear and tear on the carts (and the parents!).

Field Conditions – Regarding field conditions, like all other local youth and adult recreational sports, LCYO does not have its own ball fields, so we must share fields that belong to the City of Carlsbad and the Encinitas Union School District. It also means these fields get a lot of use not only during our Spring and Fall seasons but also year-round due to the needs of accommodating other sports and school programs. Even though the City of Carlsbad and EUSD dedicate some resources for the upkeep of these fields, LCYO reviews the conditions of all fields on a regular basis and, when in need, we allocate LCYO funds to maintain, repair, or enhance the conditions of these fields. With the consent of either the City or EUSD, providing quality and safe fields for LCYO players is often dependant on the after-hours volunteer work of board members and coaches in conjunction with our paid fields contractor, Clausen Fields.

Practice Time – With respect to practice time, LCYO’s Board of Directors attempts to find that balance of practices vs. games, taking into consideration that this is a 1) recreational league and 2) you, as a family, have other (non- baseball/softball) related responsibilities with your children. In preseason, we try to allocate practice times twice a week for each team over a period of three weeks (four weeks for softball). Once the season begins we also attempt to dedicate some optional practice field time in each division. Each coach is different in his/her approach to practices during the season. With 1,600 players this is one area where it’s impossible to satisfy the varying needs and schedules of our players. The City and EUSD work with LCYO and other sports leagues competing for the same field times. Our allocation is never enough to provide the flexibility for all teams to have additional practice times once the season begins.

Scheduling – With 105 baseball and 35 softball teams it’s a monumental job to schedule more than 700 games on 15 different fields during the spring. Many require light scheduling as well. LCYO uses both an objective and subjective approach in scheduling practices and games. Scheduling is done by a software program set up to assure accuracy in opponents and to also balance game start times and days for each team. The subjective part deals with the need to accommodate the schedules of the many dedicated LCYO coaches who volunteer to manage more than one team in different divisions. Meeting the needs of these coaches sometimes upsets the scheduling balance we strive for but is necessary for LCYO to have enough coaches to accommodate the 1,600 players. With that being said, the Board is asking Division Directors in the future to pay extra attention to scheduling imbalances.

With respect to Spring Break, our league is fortunate to have a geographic reach across multiple public school districts that allows our families the opportunity to make new friendships. However, these districts (Encinitas, San Dieguito, Carlsbad and San Marcos) along with our local private schools have a varied Spring Break schedule that is a challenge. In baseball, for T-ball, Pinto and Mustang, which have each been divided into North and South divisions, we hope to be able to do a better job of scheduling games or taking breaks during the Spring Break time. For softball, games have continued through the school breaks in order to give girls who remain in the area an opportunity to continue to play. Teams are allowed to share players giving girls who love the game and want to improve their skills the opportunity to play more. In most softball divisions, standings are not kept during the season so sharing players does not affect a team’s standing when playoffs begin.

Website – LCYO is aware that our website needs improvement so we are currently involved in some major changes in functionality and content. We have already begun adding content such as pictures, all-star rosters and all-star results and will continue to add more information of value to parents. We are also working to make the website easier for you to access the information you seek. We’re grateful for the improvements already made by Information Director Jon Stern but we’re still looking for a volunteer webmaster so as not to overburden Jon, who doubles as the South T-ball Director.

Pinto and Mustang Rules – Regarding the unique rules in Pinto and Mustang, LCYO strives to develop all of the players in our league by enhancing the rules in these two divisions to 1) protect the safety of all players, and 2) ensure the gradual development of their skills from one division to the next. Once our players reach the Bronco division (11 and 12 years old), where true MLB rules are in order, all our players have had a chance to experience and develop at various positions and under a healthy yet competitive environment. Also, many of the top players compete on travel teams where they can play at a more competitive level and under tougher rules.

Pitching Machines in Softball – A frequently asked question is one that concerns pitching in softball’s Division 1A (8 years and under.) Often we are asked why they do not use pitching machines as they do in the boys’ Pinto Division. LCYO boys’ baseball is registered with PONY baseball, which has machine-pitch divisions with rules and regulations to govern it.
LCYO softball is registered with the Amateur Softball Association (ASA), the preeminent softball organization in America, as a Class B league. There are no divisions within ASA that use pitching machines and therefore no rules or guidelines to follow. Using a machine would put LCYO and its players at a disadvantage with all other leagues we compete against. Learning the fundamentals of fastpitch softball is not easy and requires a great deal of time and practice. . . and patience on the part of coaches and parents. Experience has show that the 8 and under division is the best place for the girls to begin to learn and develop their pitching skills.

Respectfully,
Phil Urbina
President, LCYO