Association Update

Thank You... On behalf of the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association, we sincerely thank the summer and fall players, parents, coaches, volunteers, and sponsors for their support and enthusiasm for our organization’s newly established travel ball program, the Mad River Mist. At the onset of forming this ASA sanctioned program, our goal was to provide a positive fastpitch learning experience in a fun environment – one that fosters a love of the sport in the young players that is clearly evident in the Mist’s talented array of experienced coaches. The Mist’s 12u, 14u, and 16u summer travel teams participated in two out-of-area tournaments and hosted one “round robin friendly” event that brought in teams from outside our local community, including the Willits Hot Shots!. The success, excitement and momentum generated by the summer travel season translated into the formation of 12u and 16u fall ball teams that played in three out-of-town tournaments. The combined registration for the Mist’s summer and fall travel teams included nearly 100 players that came from Arcata, Blue Lake, Eureka, Fieldbrook, Fortuna, McKinleyville, and Trinidad. These positive statistics for this rapidly developing program were overshadowed, however, by the words of encouragement and volunteerism of parents, supporters and sponsors, the growth in player skills, and the many smiles observed from players, parents, and coaches during the summer and fall seasons!

Winter "Tune-up" Clinics... Now that the rains have arrived and the fall season has ended, we are taking November and December to prepare for next year. We are currently dialoging about hosting "tune up clinics" in January and February to, in part, get our high school players in shape and ready for their JV and varsity seasons. These clinics will also provide a system where progress made with both the younger and older players during the spring, summer and fall is not lost in the off-season, but rather maintained or advanced. This has great potential to improve the caliber of play in our local communities, especially given the talented collection of former college players/coaches we have lined up as instructors for the clinics! Please stay tuned for more information in the coming months.

Change in the Association's Board Of Directors... We also want to share several organizational changes that have been made in the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association. This past summer, Jeff Denny resigned from his role as the Association’s President and as a member of the Board of Directors. This fall, Tammy Flint also stepped down from her tenure as Secretary for the Association and from her position on the Board. We sincerely thank both Jeff and Tammy or their unselfish service to the Association and to the youth of our community. While they will be absent from the Board meetings, we look forward to seeing Jeff, Tammy and their families at the ballpark next season!

These and two other long-standing vacancies on the Board have since been filled, making the five member Board of Directors whole, as directed in the Association’s bylaws. We are very excited about these additions to the leadership of our organization, which now includes notable individuals such as NCAA Hall of Fame pitcher Kelly Helms, NCAA Division II National Softball Champion Sarah Jones, and former CR Pitcher and Eureka Coach Shanna McCracken. Jessica Beckett will serve as President for the Association and brings a wealth of knowledge and history of the Mad River recreation program to the Board. Nicholas Hetrick rounds out the Mad River Board with his experience as a former NCAA Division I athletic-academic scholar and as a Board member for other not-for-profit public foundations.

New Committees Being Formed... We are also in the process of creating committees to help run various aspects of Association’s recreation and travel ball programs. These committees are where the “rubber meets the road” and will target specific aspects of the Association such as player recruitment, public relations, sponsorships and fundraising, field maintenance, uniform and equipment managers, player representative, tournament host, webmaster, etc. When functioning in unison, these newly established committees will help make the overall organization run more smoothly and efficiently, and do so without overly taxing any one individual… like Kelly! We also thank Valerie Neumeyer, Joe McDonald, Tiffany Morais, Katrina Anderson, and Heather Goodwin, among others, for helping to fill these essential committee roles in our interim “reorganization phase” and for providing valuable input at our Board meetings. As soon as the remaining details have been worked out, we will be posting the new structure for the Mad River Organization on our website, along with a call for individuals to take an active role in these committees. In addition, the Association will also be posting approved minutes from its Board meetings and financial reports for the organization as the new Board of Directors is committed to establishing and maintaining an open, transparent organization….so stayed tuned for updates!