Team update from December 28th

Post date: Jan 2, 2013 2:50:15 PM

Team,

First of all, I want to promote the GRIP program tomorrow night at 6:00. As I said in my newsletter.......with all of the negative messages from Hollywood, the music industry, the gaming industry and the news media, wouldn't it feel good to send them somewhere that they will have a blast and receive a positive, non-denominational message directly from the Bible? I know some of you will be at Christmas parties but for the rest of you......Ty told me that he hopes to see your kids there.

Holiday QuEST schedule - Over the next two weeks, there will be several changes to the QuEST schedule. These will all be reflected on the calendar. QuEST is cancelled on Monday and Tuesday for the next two weeks and on December 31st, the FREE Buzzsaws QuEST will end and we will move into our practice schedule (see below). As a makeup, there will be a QuEST on Wednesday night (12/26) at 7:00 and also on Saturday (12/29) at 1:00 (in addition to the 11:00 and 12:00 classes). Please respond by e-mail if you are planning to come to either of these so I can get a gauge as to whether we should add another Wednesday or Saturday class. If you want to continue in QuEST in January, signups will be available over the weekend and the schedule will be changing slightly. Read below for more information.

Buzzsaws practice schedule (please read carefully) - The Buzzsaws practice schedule is done but its not published yet. I am having difficulty fitting everything into the schedule but I think I have unlocked the puzzle. Remember - if you cannot make your practice time, you can come to any of the practices. You do NOT need to sign up for these practice, you can just show up. Please only come to ONE practice per week. The schedule will change in early February once we are finished will all of our high school programs. This will all be on the calendar a the Playballohio.com web-site. You can also go to your team page on the web-site to see your teams schedule only.

Starting date/time

Saturday, January 5th; 8:30 - 10:00 - Buzzsaws 13u

Saturday, January 5th; 10:00 - 11:30 - Buzzsaws 10u/11u

Saturday; January 5th; 11:30 - 1:00 - Buzzsaws 14u

Saturday, January 5th; 3:00 - 4:30 - Buzzsaws 15u

Sunday, January 6th; 3:30 - 5:00 - Buzzsaws 12u

Tuesday, January 8th; 7:30 - 9:00 - Buzzsaws 13/14

QuEST - I want to highly encourage players to continue in QuEST. Classes will be offered Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Keith has told me that he could see that some of the kids who took time off have taken a step backwards in their development but other kids who have continued without stopping are leaps and bounds ahead of the others. This is the major physical developmental period of their lives and I believe that what they do during their teenage years will impact them once they reach adulthood. I realize that nobody has unlimited funds so I am trying to make it as affordable as possible. There are places that charge $10 - $15 per class for these types of sessions (many of them without the quality of instruction) that we provide but I have figured out a way to offer it for $40 per month if you agree to continue through the summer, realizing that sometimes you won't be able to take full advantage of the program during the season. In return, I am going to try and find a way to offer the players to come up to three times per week when your schedule permits. Check over the weekend for the ability to sign up for the new QuEST schedule and please let me know of any problems you have with the site.

Facebook - I will be setting up the official Buzzsaws facebook page over the weekend and inviting as many of you as possible to it. My goal is to create an interactive environment for the kids so please invite your kids who you allow on Facebook. I understand if you don't allow your kids on Facebook as my 11 year old is not on yet. But for those of you who do, I think it can be positive under the right circumstances.

Team Communications Leader - I am looking for volunteers to take on the role of team communications leader. This person would be the first point of contact for parents who have questions about practices or anything else team related. If they cannot answer the question, they can come to me and I will answer it. This will help when things start to get crazy especially once March and April hit. I will be looking for volunteers for other activities in the future (but I am not ready for them yet) such as uniform coordinator, team scorekeeper and more.

Fields - Please check with your churches or local schools or community fields for field access for the summer. We are looking for at least 4 additional practice fields in the summer from April/May though early July. One day per week at one of these fields would be very helpful. We would be happy to provide some maintenance help in return.

Commentary - I hope to see some of you at the academy over Christmas break......I hope your kids will beg you to take them. Just remember, you can always check the calender at www.playballohio.com/calendar to see if anything is scheduled. For the most part, during the weekdays there will be plenty of availability. It gets a little trickier in the evening but please encourage your players to ask you to bring them. Organized practices are to learn the skills and drills but the REAL progress happens when working on their own or with a few teammates. You will be able to hear what coach Jimmy is teaching them so you will be able to help make sure they are doing the drill CORRECTLY. Practicing with a PURPOSE is the key. Ask them what their goal is before they start and try to encourage them to compete with themselves somehow....invent a game that will force them to do it right. Ask them to tell you what coach Jimmy or their coach taught them and make them repeat to you what they are trying to do. Have them teach their little (or older) brother or sister what they learned. Teaching is a great learning tool. The next three months is for them to work on their fundamentals. In April we will apply it to game situations. If we are still working on the basic mechanics in April, we are behind. Also, as you get to know other teammates, feel free to invite them to meet you there so the players can workout together. Facebook may help out in creating impromptu mini team practices......I hope. Remember, the theme this season is for the players to take responsibility for their game. All of us coaches are available for questions or clarification, don't be afraid to ask.

Merry Christmas!!