2008 All Star Extravaganza!! Saturday, June 14th at the Arcata Sports Complex

On Saturday, June 14th we mark the end of our 2008 Spring Softball Season with an All-Star Extavaganza at the Arcata Sports Complex.

First pitches will be thrown at 10:00 am.

On the North Field, you’ll find the 16 & Under Tournament Championship game featuring our most experienced Mad River players and some of the finest pitching, hitting, and fielding this side of the Pecos.

On the South Field, the 10 & Under All Stars challenge themselves to an intraleague game highlighting some our league's best young talent.

At noon, the 12 & Under Division treats their 2008 All Stars to a host of fun activities and softball challenges.

We finish the day at 2 pm with Mad River's 16 & Under All Stars taking on the All Stars from our partners and rivals in the Cutten-Ridgewood softball program.

And, the Snack Shack is open all day!

Following the final out of the final game, coaches and families are invited to stick around for a quick coaches meeting and equipment/uniform return and a thank you BBQ.

Congratulations to our 2008 Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball ALL STARS!

10 & Under Division

Krista Sholz

Taj Peterson

Danielle Debeni

Samantha Lake

Brenna Killoran

Karissa Bradley

Emily Denny

Dakota Carlson

Hannah Pomerantz

Kate Harvey

Olivia Hoffman

Adrianna Tatom

Mercedes Butterworth

Morgan Mahan

Tenayah French

Angel Goodman

Delaney Rice

Cait Parker

Madeline Nutter

Haley Hogan

12 & Under Division
Kayla Reed
Makayla Orlandi
Rachael Miller
Bella Ibarra
Lacey Anderson
Alix Flint
Chloe Lang
Marissa Bianca
Brittany Ward
Nina Farias
Caitlin Nieri
Analora Barsuglia

16 & Under Division
Hannah Denny
Frankie Christen
Erica Biggs
Maggie Martinez
Jenni Phillips
Stephanie Hurt
Dana Morris-Punch
Liberty Ingraham-Gonzales
Petey Levesque
Cavanaugh Carter
Amanda Kunst
Tara Harpe-Whetstone

Congratulations to our 2008 League & Tournament champions!!

We have had a wonderful (and rain-free for a change!) spring softball season here in northern Humboldt County. All of our teams, regardless of their final records, have played like champions, learned a tremendous amount about the game and about teamwork, and hopefully made some great friends along the way.

We'd like to take just a moment and congratulate our 2008 Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association's Season and Tournament Champions.

In the 10 and Under Division, our season champions (best record at the end of the season) are the Fog, coached by Mike Rice and sponsored by Hank's Coffeehouse.

The 10 & Under Tournament winners this season are the Swinging Monkeys, coached by Rob Flint and sponsored by Alves, Inc.

In the 12 & Under Division, the Black Widows, sponsored by Soroptimist International, and coached by Melissa and Willie Ward, captured both the the regular season championship and the tournament championship!

The 16 & Under Division's regular season was won by Evergreen Pulp's Donkers, coached by Jeff Denny. The Donkers also won the tournament championship game for the 16 & Under division capping a 14-0 season.

Congratulations to all our outstanding softball players and teams on a successful and wildly fun 2008 softball season!

It's Tournament Time!

It seems like our season began just a few days ago, yet it's now time for our annual end of the season tournament. Our final regular season games are played this weekend, and the double-elimination tourney to crown division champions starts on Monday.

Due to a variety of scheduling issues, this year's tournament is a Mad River only affair. Schedules for the 10 & Under, 12 & Under, and 16 & Under divisions are available at the click of these buttons:

10 & Under Tournament
12 & Under Tournament
16 & Under Tournament

Tournament results updated, Thursday 6/11/08!

And stay tuned here to follow the progress of your favorite team through the tourney.

All-Star games between the Mad River and Cutten-Ridgewood leagues will be played on Saturday, June 14th at the Arcata Sports Complex. Stay tuned here for a complete list of our 2008 All-Stars and a schedule of the games.

(A coaches' appreciation BBQ and equipment/uniform return time will follow the All-Star Games. More details soon.)

Good luck to all our teams and softball players in this years tournament!

...And the weather holds on for a great opening week of softball!

The north coast's weather teased us a bit both on opening day and the middle of this week, but the skies stayed mostly dry for us. Despite the wet threats and a few showers, the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association's 2008 spring season kicked off this week. Even a brief hailstorm on Tuesday night couldn't drive our teams off the fields!

16 games have already been played in this young season, in three towns, on five fields, and among 21 teams. And there's plenty more to come.

Check out the photos from last Saturday's games between our own Mad River 10 & Under teams. Our youngest pitchers are already looking like seasoned pros out there.

We'd love to share your photos or hear your softball stories on this website. Coaches, parents, kids, grandparents...please email us your photos, classic moments, or play-by-play game commentary, and we'll do our darnedest to get them up for all to see. It'll be great to share the fun we're having playin' softball in Humboldt County.

And if you want to catch some really great softball, the HSU softball team begins their hunt for the CCAA championship tournament this week, and HSU and the city of Arcata host the NCAA Division II Western Regional Tournament May 7-11 at HSU. Check out the papers or the HSU softball website for updates.

Updated schedules are now posted!

Thanks to the watchful eye of many a reader, we found a few changes that needed to be made in the schedules. Updated schedules are now available with a click on the right hand side of this page.

Changes in the 8 & under and 10 & under divisions are fairly minor involving only a couple of games.

Changes for the 16 & under division are pretty significant since the Fortuna team failed to materialize.

Also check out the concession stand schedule for the Arcata fields. Every team gets 2 or 3 turns at staffing our snack shack. This is the biggest fundraiser for our league so please make sure your team is helping when it's scheduled. If you don't show up when scheduled, the snack shack is closed and the league has no income. Thank you for helping ensure the girls have everything they need for a quality softball experience.

Keep an eye on this website for updates and changes. And don't forget to check our hotline (or this webpage) for daily field conditions at Hiller and Arcata fields.....822-3575.

Spring Season Schedules Are Ready

Update Sunday 4/20: The 12 & Under Division schedule is now posted and available right here. Coaches can download the schedules from here. (Copies will be available at the Arcata Fields on Monday night. (There were also minor modifications made to the 16 under schedule affecting only one game between two teams.)

Look just to the right of these words and you'll find, finally, the game schedules for three of our four divisions: 8 & Unders, 10 & Unders, and 16 & Unders. The 12 & Under schedule was completed, but then late word of an additional team was received by this office late Saturday evening. We hope to have the 12 & Under schedule up and running before the weekend is out.

Your coaches will have copies of the schedules for you at Saturday's Jamboree.

Keep an eye on this website for something close to daily updates on the schedules as and where needed. As always, if you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, email us here, or call our hotline number, 822-3575.

Let's play ball!

Saturday, April 19th: Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Jamboree

Our opening day Jamboree is this Saturday, April 19th at the Arcata Sports Complex. In addition to a day of exhibition games between all Mad River teams, player and team pictures will be taken.

The Jamboree Schedule is now available; Click here or here to get your copy. Your coaches will be sharing this information with you as well.

We'll see you on Saturday.

Update (4/18): The weather forecast is lookin' a bit funky for Saturday. Team and player pictures will be taken, regardless of the weather. Players should plan on being at the Arcata Fields in full uniform at their scheduled time for the pictures. Whether exhibition games are played or not will depend on the weather and field conditions at the time. Ahh, the Humboldt spring is never easy on softball season, is it? See you Saturday!

ASA Umpires Clinic: Sunday, April 13th 1:00 in Arcata

This Sunday, April 13th, Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association is offering a clinic for all current and prospective ASA fastpitch softball umpires. Our instructor is Gary McGlaughlin who has 38 years of experience in softball umpiring. Everyone, whether a beginner or practicing umpire, who is interested in the ASA program, will benefit from this clinic. The first half of the program will be instruction on technique, the second half consists of hands-on instruction on the field.

The clinic meets Sunday at 1:00 pm at the Arcata Sports Complex and runs until 5:00 pm. If it's raining, we'll move the clinic indoors. Cost is $10.00 per person.

Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association is currently looking for qualified umpires for our spring season. Games are generally scheduled on Monday through Thursday evenings and on Saturdays. Umpires receive $25 per game for their services. Most evenings have 2 games per field. Games are played at the Arcata Sports Complex and Hiller Field in McKinleyville.

If you're interested in umpiring for the league this spring, please call us at 822-3575, or email us here.

And now a word for our sponsors...

There is no way Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association could be successful without the generous support of our sponsors. Businesses from around the northern Humboldt County community have joined us in providing outstanding opportunities girls to play this wonderful game. We'd like to take a moment to thank those who have contributed to the league's success already this season. If you know someone who works for one of these organizations, please give 'em a big thanks for the players in the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Assocation:

DBA Building Services Unlimited
Evergreen Pulp, Inc - 2 team sponsorships!
Coast Central Credit Union
Hank's Coffeehouse and General Store
Western Living Concepts (Danco)
Alves, Inc.
Mad River Lumber
Shasta Constructors
Arcata Garbage Company

Soroptimists International of Arcata

Tina's Photography

Stars Hamburgers

Woodland Group

More sponsors will be listed here as they join us.

If you or your business are interested in helping the young women of Humboldt County play softball, feel free to email us at madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com. Downloadable sponsorship forms are available right here.

Thanks again to all those who help our young players succeed.

Let's play some softball!

What a great weekend for Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball! A ton of kids showed up for assessments on Saturday, and on Sunday, 14 coaches tackled the difficult task of pulling the teams together for the 2008 season. Can you believe it's less than two week 'til our Jamboree, and just three weeks 'til the games start? Are you ready?

Players should hear from their coaches (if they haven't already) by the middle of this week. If you've registered and not heard from one of our coaches by Wednesday, April 9th, please email us here or call us at 822-3575. Practices for most teams start right away.

More than 150 players, ages 6 to 16 have signed on to play softball this season. We have four strong divisions.

8 & Under = 4 teams
10 & Under = 4 teams
12 & Under = 3 teams
16 & Under = 3 teams

As an ASA league, our registrations are not limited to a single community. Our players come from up and down the northern Humboldt neighborhood, from Eureka to Trinidad. Here's an idea of the geographic mix of our players and coaches: (to see this in graph form, click here.)

40% from Arcata
39% from McKinleyville
10% from Bayside
8% from Blue Lake, Trinidad, & Fieldbrook
3% from Eureka & Manila

Remember the league Jamboree (with team pictures) is Saturday, April 19th. Our games begin Monday, April 28th and run through June 6th. A season ending tournament will be played the week of June 9th. Once again, we will be playing interleague games with the Cutten-Ridgewood ASA league to round out our schedule.

Thank you all for joining us for a fantastic softball season. We'll see you on the fields.

2008 Player Assessment Day is this Saturday, April 5th at the HSU Field House

Softball season is finally here.
And the sun has returned to northern Humboldt County just in time.

The Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association's player assessments for the 2008 Spring League will be held at the HSU Field House this Saturday, April 5th. All players should plan on attending this one-hour assessment at the age-appropriate times shown below. A player's age is determined by how old they were on December 31, 2007.

7 & 8 year olds: 11:30-12:30
9 & 10 year olds: 12:30-1:30
11 & 12 year olds: 1:30-2:30
13-16 year olds: 2:30-3:30

This is an assessment, not a tryout. All players who register will be placed on a team. The assessments are used to help balance our teams and place our athletes in the best position to learn and succeed. Players will be assessed on basic hitting and fielding skills. No prior softball experience is necessary for participation at any age level.

Players should bring their own gloves. Rubber cleats are permitted at the HSU Field House.

If you have not already registered, please bring a completed registration form and the registration fee with you on Saturday. The forms can be downloaded (in Word format) from here: 2008 Registration Form. (Registration forms will be available at the assessments as well.) The registration fee is $50, plus a $30 deposit for the uniform, refundable at the end of the season. Uniform sizing will also take place at the assessments. Orders for uniform accessories - sliding shorts, knee pads, etc - and a selection of league t-shirts and sweatshirts will also be available on Saturday.

If you cannot attend the assessments this Saturday, especially if you have not yet registered, please email us at madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com or call the league hotline at 822-3575 and let us know your player's name, age (on 12/31/2007), home phone and email, and their coach's name from last season (if they played with us last year). If you contact us by Saturday, you will be included in Sunday's player draft. (Late registrations are permitted, but team placement is conditional based upon the number of established teams and the number of players already assigned to each team.)

The League's coaches will hold the player draft on Sunday afternoon. Coaches should be in contact with their players early the following week with practices beginning as soon as we can get our teams together.

If you have any questions at all, please refer to the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Assocation's website: madrivergirlssoftball.blogspot.com. Or, email us here, or call the hotline, for a relatively prompt reply to your questions.

By the way, we are still looking for a couple more interested coaches and assistant coaches, particularly at the 8 & under level. If you're interested in finding out more about our coaching opportunities, email us here or call the league's hotline, and we'll be in touch.

We'll see you on Saturday.

Play Ball!

Calling All Coaches! Mandatory coaches' meeting on Sunday, 3/16

Our 2008 Spring Season Coaches' Meeting will be held on Sunday, March 16th, from 2:00-5:00 at St. Mary's School (Janes Road in Arcata).

If you're planning on being (or interested in becoming) a head coach, assistant coach, or team parent, please plan to attend this important organizational meeting.

Our agenda includes:

• How to organize an effective practice,
• Update on critical dates (practices, jamboree, games, and tournaments),
• Discussion of the April 5th player assessments and April 6th team draft,
• Update on league rules for the 2008 spring season,
• Season schedules and effective in-season communication,
• Reserving practice fields and times,
• Upcoming coaching clinics and ASA certification requirements,
• And....
• Our renewed emphasis on positive coaching techniques and sportsmanship, including the league's new sportsmanship award program.

In addition, Arcata High varsity coach Kelly Helms will join us to discuss the essential skills we should be teaching at the youth level to have our players ready for high school softball.

We are still looking for positive and committed coaches and assistant coaches in all divisions. If you are interested in coaching or helping coach a team this year, please call us at 822-3575 or email us at madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com and/or attend the March 16th meeting.

We'll see you there.

Registration at the Arcata Community Center, Saturday, March 1st from 9 to 1.

Representatives from the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association will be on hand to register players for our 2008 Spring Season on Saturday, March 1st at the Arcata Community Center from 9am through 1pm.

Registrations may also be mailed to the league at any time between now and April 5th, or brought to our assessment day, scheduled for Saturday, April 5th at the HSU Field House from 11:30-4:00. A downloadable registration form is available here.

Our spring recreational league is open to all girls ages 7 through 16 in the Arcata, McKinleyville and the surrounding communities. Our league is the only league in the area solely dedicated to girls' fastpitch softball. We are affiliated with ASA, the Amateur Softball Association, the governing body of American fastpitch softball. All our coaches are certified by the ASA. Our season runs from early April through the end of the school year.

We are organized into four divisions based on the player's age on December 31, 2007:

The 8 & Under "Rookie" Division is for 7 & 8 year old beginning players is the foundation of the league. Players are given positive instruction in basic softball skills and the essentials of how the game is played. It is a non-competitive program where the coaches do the pitching and the umpiring for the games.

Our 10 & Under Division introduces players to their first year of fastpitch softball pitching. Pitching rules are modified to keep the games flowing, and beginning players are encouraged to join.

The 12 & Under division continues the development of the players' individual skills in a positive team environment. The game speeds up as we add in basestealing and bunting skills, but is still well-suited for first time players.

In the 16 & Under division, while still a recreational program, additional emphasis is placed on getting our middle-school players ready for their High School season, and providing lots of additional playing time for the High School JV players. (Our spring season coincides perfectly with the end of local JV seasons.) The focus remains however, on building a love of the game whether our players continue on to HS ball or play recreationally for the rest of their lives.

Sign up today! (Or tomorrow...as long as it happens before April 4th.)

We'll see you on the diamond.

A great day for softball! Images from our Winter Warm-up Clinic

Nearly 60 girls from ages 7 to 10 joined 8 Mad River coaches and 8 of our big sister all-stars for a Sunday afternoon of great softball instruction and way too much fun than we should be having in February. The League had full use of Humboldt State's spacious Field House for the entire afternoon. The players, several of them on on a softball field for the first time, enjoyed rotating 30 minute sessions on hitting, infielding, catching and throwing, baserunning and pitching. While the weather outside would've been perfect for playing on a real diamond, the roof over our heads didn't diminish the sunny smiles of our coaches, all-stars, and players. Our thanks to everyone who came out to play, and especially to our Big Sisters who gave up an afternoon to help teach the next generation of great Mad River Softball players how to play this wonderful game.

Now, just a few pictures of yesterday's fun:

Warming up.

Throwing & catching.

Line drive!

Snacks...of course.

The Wind-up.

Comin' home.

Our Big-Sister All-Stars

Remember, sign-ups are going on now and the season begins in early April. A 2008 registration form can be found with a simple click on the right of this page, or email us and we'll send you one.

Announcing our first Winter Warm-Up Softball Clinic, Sunday, February 10th

Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association is offering our first Winter Warm-up Softball Clinic, A special softball clinic for beginning (and returning) 7 to 10 year old players.

Sunday, February 10^th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Humboldt State University Field House.

$10 registration at the door gives you an afternoon of quality softball instruction…and a free t-shirt!

This clinic is specially designed for beginning players, ages 7 to 10, and led by Mad River’s entire ASA-certified coaching staff in a positive, fun-filled atmosphere. Assisting our coaches this year are players from the 2007 Mad River Girls’ 16 & under All-Star team.

Here’s our starting line-up:

Let’s Play Catch Get that ball to stick in your glove every time.

Line Drive! Make the ball jump off your bat with every swing.

The Hot Corner Scoop, catch and throw out a runner from anywhere on the field.

Fastball! Three things you need to know to start your softball pitching career. (For 10 & under players.)

Who’s on First? How is this game played anyways? (For 8 & under players.)

The Winter Warm-up Clinic is open to all beginning and returning players between the ages 7 to 10. (You need not be registered with MRGFSA to join in the fun.)

For questions, 2008 spring season registration forms, or other information, call us at 822-3575, or email us at madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com .

Play Ball...soon! The 2008 Girls Softball Season is just a few rainy days away.

A good rainy January afternoon to all of you. Where I sit, it's a cool, drizzly 51 degrees. The skies are gray and full of moisture.

But you know what? It's not going to stay this way, and before too long our hands will yearn for the cool smoothness of a well-worn leather mitt. Our fingers will reach for the gentle rise of red-stiches on a yellow ball. Our ears will anticipate the slap of ball against leather and the ringing ping when the bat strokes that first pitch into the outfield grass beneath a warm spring Humboldt County sun.

Yes, the softball season is just around the corner. Your very own Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association is already well along in preparing for the 2008 Spring Season. Our player assessment day is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 5th at the HSU Field House. Practices will begin by April 7th with games running from April 19th through June 7th.

In these pages in coming days and weeks, you'll find information regarding our first annual "Winter Warm-Up", a special clinic for all girls between 7 and 10 led by some of our best coaches and big sister players from the upper divisions.

Our league's calender is already posted here, as is our new email address where you can direct any questions or suggestions directly to our board of directors and coaches. You'll also find our 2008 spring player registration form and 2008 league sponsorship forms right here. (2008 registration forms will be mailed to all players from last year at the end of January! Anyone else who wants one, feel free to request one by phone at 822-3575 or via email at madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com)

This blog will be updated periodically as time allows and necessity demands. Bookmark us now and check back often. And please take advantage of our email address to ask your questions or share some ideas on how to make the best youth softball league on the north coast even better.

Begin to loosen up those arms. Find a few minutes to toss the ball around with Mom, Dad, neighbors, or against the side of the house. The welcome cry of "Play Ball!" is just a few short weeks away.

'til next time.