Season’s Greetings from Mad River Girls Softball!

On behalf of the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association, we sincerely thank the players, parents, coaches, volunteers, and sponsors for their continued support and enthusiasm for our organization’s TRAVEL Division, the Mad River Mist, and it’s rapidly expanding RECREATIONAL Division. Yes it’s true, the RECREATIONAL Program is expanding exponentially through a merger with former Little League Softball programs of Humboldt County! This merger brings with it a dramatic increase in players to our RECREATION Division, as well as a wealth of rec-program knowledge and experience provided by the leadership of those organizations that have joined with us. Accompanying this merger will be a "formal" change in our organization’s name to

HUMBOLDT FASTPITCH

We feel Humboldt Fastpitch better reflects our organization’s goal of “Bridging, Blending, and Building Softball Communities” through the creation of a county-wide youth fastpitch softball program. Please look for updates on this expanded program on our Facebook Site.

Currently, leaders from each of the respective geographical areas are working together to finalize details for the 2013 softball seasons. These area leaders include:

• Frank Gonsalves, McKinleyville/Trinidad
• Kelly Helms/Steve Sarchett, Arcata
• Shanna McCracken, Eureka
• Bobby Dolcini, Ferndale
• Robb Foley, Fortuna
• Ageana Brett, Scotia/Rio Del
• Rick Todd, Garberville/Redway
• Rowdy Robbins, Hoopa/Willow Creek

 On this Blog you will find both the RECREATIONAL and TRAVEL registration forms for the 2013 softball season! For those players interested in playing TRAVEL softball, registration is rapidly approaching! Practices will begin on Sundays, starting on January 13th, 2013 and will run through the end of the month for assessment purposes. These Sunday TRAVEL sessions will be held at Fortuna High School and will run from 10 am to 1 pm. We are actively seeking players at all levels of TRAVEL play (16u to 10u) and highly encourage ALL interested players to come check it out! TRAVEL registration can happen on-site at these Sunday practices or can be mailed to the PO Box on the registration form. Additionally, for our 14u and 16u high school players, the Sunday practices are a great way to tune up prior to the high school softball season that starts in early February! The travel schedule is pending the release of the 2013 ASA softball tournament schedules, but generally consists of one away tournament each month starting in March. As soon as we are able to finalize a tentative schedule, we will send it out.

As for the RECREATIONAL program, registration forms for the 2013 season are due by February 28th, 2013. Applications can also be mailed in or dropped off at any one of our registration locations on the dates specified below.  Registration dates for participation in the 2013 Recreational Program season are:

• Jan. 27th, 10 AM to 3 PM
• Feb. 10th, 10 AM to 3 PM
• Feb. 24th, 10 AM to 3 PM

 Registration Locations are:

• Arcata, Arcata Community Center
• Eureka, Big 5 Sporting Goods
• Fortuna, Sport & Cycle
• McKinleyville, Ray’s Food Place
• Hoopa applications can be given to Rowdy Robbins
• Garberville/Redway applications can be given to Rick Todd

Assessments for the RECREATIONAL program will be MANDATORY and will happen on March 3rd at Fortuna High School for our southern participants and March 10th at Arcata High School for our northern participants. However, players may attend either session regardless of the geographic location in which they reside. More information to follow as the time for assessments nears!

If you have any questions, please contact us at: humboldtfastpitch@gmail.com!
We look forward to seeing you on the diamond for this exciting 2013 softball season!

Kelly Helms, President

Nick Hetrick, Vice President
Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association-Humboldt Fastpitch
PO Box 4361
Arcata, CA 95518
humboldtfastpitch@gmail.com
http://madrivergirlssoftball.blogspot.com

Mad River Girls Softball is in for some big changes! Many of the local little leagues have decided to "uncharter" girls softball. As a result, "negotiations" have been taking place to bridge the little league girls softball programs with Mad River ASA to build a county-wide program! One part of those "negotiations" includes working on a "formal" name change to HUMBOLDT FASTPITCH. Currently, leaders from each of the programs are working to finalize registration forms and disseminate information. Completed rregistration forms will be due by the end of February and MANDATORY assessments will occur in March! Stay tuned for more information! We are all looking forward to a great 2013 ASA Softball Season!

“Bridging, Blending, Building Softball Communities”

The Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association Travel Program, the Mad River Mist, is walking the walk...  talking the talk when it comes to carrying out its goal of  "Bridging, Blending, and Building Softball Communities across Humboldt County”.  The mission for the Travel Program is to provide a quality softball experience for girls across Humboldt County by connecting and blending players from local communities and programs through dedicated coaching, team play, and a positive learning environment. The Travel Program strives to prepare committed local softball players to play competitively in California and at the highest national level. 

The goal of  “Bridging, Blending, and Building Softball Communities” is well demonstrated by the current roster for the 16u age division shown in the picture below, which includes players from Garberville, Fortuna, Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville, and Trinidad!  We believe strongly that there is tremendous value to the Humboldt County Community as a whole in bringing these young ladies together to travel and play as team mates through ASA, rather than their interactions being limited to competing against one another during the spring High School Softball season. 



The current roster for the Mad River Mist's 16u age division includes players from Garberville, Fortuna, Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville, and Trinidad with coaching provided by former players from the College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University! 

The picture above also well exemplifies the diverse array of talented coaches that contribute to the Mad River Program. most of which are former college fastpitch players and include Varsity and JV Coaches from Fortuna, Eureka, and Arcata High schools. Coaches in the picture above include former players from the College of the Redwoods and the Humboldt State University Lady Jacks!  Thank you Coaches for all that you do!

The Mad River Mist is currently hosting teams in the 10u, 12u, and 16u age divisions and is open to all interested players.  Please contact us via email for more information or visit our facebook site at
http://www.facebook.com/groups/155033233999/

Mist Girls Bring Home the Hardware from Hayward

On behalf of the Board for our Mad River Girls Softball Organization, we want to congratulate the ladies for a fantastic September 29-30th weekend of play at the Bay Area Bash Tournament in Hayward, as well as to thank the parents for their awesome and continued support. This venture would not be possible without your lasting commitment to the Mist Travel Ball Program.... so we sincerely thank you.  Again, congratulations to the ladies and coaches for a great Team effort!

 

The Mad River Mist 10u Girls win 1st place in the Silver Division at the Bay Area Bash in Hayward, September 2012 



The Mad River Mist 12u Girls with Coaches Eric and Bobby displaying their 2nd place trophy and medals from the GOLD Division at the Bay Area Bash in Hayward, September 2012.   

News Channel 3 Story on the Mad River Mist Travel Program from Summer 2011

For those that didn't see the News Channel 3 clip featuring the Mad River Mist's ASA Travel Program that aired in summer 2011 - check out the following link:  kiem-tv clip  

Mad River Girls ASA Softball Travel Division Player "Ally" speaking on the program's mission to promote and provide quality girls softball across Humboldt County by connecting and blending local communities and programs through dedicated coaching, team play, and a positive learning environment to prepare committed local softball players to compete competitively in California and at the highest National levels.

ASA Softball Clinic Sunday Oct 7, 2012

ASA Softballs Mad River Mist and the Eureka High School Softball Coaching Staff have teamed up to offer a

Girls Fastpitch Softball Clinic

this Sunday October 7, 2012 from 4-7pm @ Eureka High Softball Field

The clinic is open to all girls in 8th-12th grades.  Interested players from any and all leagues that have a love for the game are welcomed and encouraged to attend.  Download the flyer and registration form here and bring with you on Sunday!   

It isn't too late!

If you missed the beginning of fall ball practice for the 10, 12, 14, or 16 and under programs, please contact Kelly or Shanna at your earliest convenience or send us an email. The next 10u/12u practice will be Wednesday, September 5th, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fireman's Park in Ferndale. The first 10u/12u tentatively scheduled tournament is September 29th-30th in either the Davis or the Hayward area (whichever tournament will likely have more teams!). Players please return the "Fall Ball Feedback" forms so we can confirm player numbers as needed prior to registering and paying tournament fees.  Please bring completed "feedback" forms to practice or complete digitally and send to us via email at madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com.  Thanks for your continued support.

Fall Ball is Here!





The Mad River Mist, the travel division for the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association, is once again hosting a fall ball fastpitch travel program for youth in the Humboldt County area. 



The 16u Mist Halloween costume winners at the 2011
Roseville Halloween Bash

The season will consist of combined practices for the 10u and 12u divisions and for the 14u and 16u divisions.  Our preliminary plans are to participate in three tournaments, including the Halloween Bash (Oct 20-21) in Roseville and concluding in mid-November.  The next practice for the 10u-12u girls will be held on Wednesday, September 5th, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Fireman's Park in Ferndale (located at the end of Main St.). Practice for the 14u-16u divisions will begin Wednesday August 29 @ 5:30 @ Eureka High School. Please see our facebook site for more up-to-date details or send us an email at (madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com).  A travel ball registration form can be downloaded from this blog.  GO MIST!     



2001 12u Mist at the Roseville Halloween Bash!  Go Giants!





14u Girls Finish Strong at the 2012 Summer Sizzler



 


Second Place, 14u Division
U.S. Cellular Community Park 2012 Summer Sizzler

 

Coaches Shannon and Lilo 
Great Tournament Ladies - Thank You! 

The Mad River Mist's 14u girls stepped up and played great ball in last weekend's Summer Sizzler Tournament held in Medford, OR.  Highlights included Karlie Murray's solo over-the-fence home run, excellent pitching, several quality infield defensive plays and some amazing catches in the outfield!  In addition, the Mist beat a team 8-2 in the semifinals that had beat them 8-2 earlier in the tournament.  Way to come back girls!  The Championship game was fantastic to watch....  close to the end, with the girls hitting the ball and consistently making tough plays on defense.  It was a great game from start to finish! 

The 14u Mist also received rave compliments from the umpires at the end of the tournament for their good sportsmanship.  As Board Members of the Mad River Girls Fastpitch Association, we were especially proud of the girls that after receiving their team trophy and medals and on their own initiative, walked over to the Chico Team's "celebration" and congratulated and shook the hands of several of their players, coaches, and even parents.  What a classy way to represent our organization, our many sponsors, and Humboldt County as a whole!    We are very proud of you girls!   

Another Strong Finish for the Mist!

Congratulations to the Mad River Mist's 12U travel team for taking 2nd place at the Napa Valley Girls ASA "A" Fastpitch Tournament!! You girls Rock!!!!! 


And many thanks to our AWESOME Coaches Eric and Bobby for their time, efforts, and dedication to the Mist!   

Mist Teams in Full Swing at Boatnik May 2012!

What a great weekend and a quality tournament for the Mad River Mist.  Thank you parents and coaches for making the 2012 Boatnik Tournament in Grants Pass a memorable one!   It was very cool to have the parents, players, and coaches from one age division watching and supporting the Mist players and coaches in the other divisions!  Thanks to all that made this tournament possible, with a special shout out to the Mist Coaches!   

2nd Place 10u Silver Division
Boatnik 2012

2nd Place 12u Silver Division
Boatnik 2012 

14u Bronze Division Champions
Boatnik 2012

 Help support travel softball in Humboldt County at our annual car wash/lot sale/raffle/bbq this weekend, Saturday, June 30th, at Leon's Car Care Center on Broadway in Eureka!  Hours run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Whether you're hungry, need your car washed, wanna come check out the merchandise or you are feeling lucky, we have something for everyone!  Advance tickets are for sale by several girls in the greater Humboldt area, or just come down Saturday. $10 gets you a car wash and one entry into the raffle. Extra raffle tickets are 1/$5 or 3/$10. Raffle tickets will be available on site as well!

Raffle items include: one $200 76-gas card, two $100 76-gas cards, one weekend stay in Oregon at the South Coast Inn, a three-month membership at Cal Courts Fitness Club in Eureka, Tetrault car washes, donated gift baskets, and more! We look forward to seeing you all there!

All proceeds from this fundraiser go to support the Mad River Mist 10U, 12U, 14U and 16U travel teams to offset equipment, tournament costs, uniforms and field rental fees.  So please join us on Saturday, meet our players and coaches, have some great food, and drive away with something old or something new.

Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball and the Mad River Mist thank everyone for your continued generous support!

The Junior Giants - 10u Division Champs

Congratulations to all the teams this past weekend for their completion of our "newly renovated" ASA Mad River Recreational Fastpitch Program!  Shout outs to the Junior Giants for winning in the 10u division and to the Aftershock who won the 14u division in the 2012 "Finale Tournament"! Consolation winners included the Tsunami in 14u and Blue Thunder in 10u.

Thank you to all the parents, players, coaches, umpires, and volunteers for their participation and commitment this season! We could not have done it without you! We feel that feedback and reflection are critical to the success of a program so as a result, we will be looking to collect feedback via email from you all as it relates to the "good," "bad", and "ugly" of the season in hopes of providing a better quality experience next year! We certainly have taken our share of notes but are interested in hearing it from your perspective as participants.  Good luck with the remainder of the school year and we look forward to working with you next year!  

The Aftershock - 14u Division Champs











End of Season "Finale Tournament"

As challenging as it seemed at times, it's hard to believe that the season is at its end! Thank you so much for your participation within our program! We could not have done it without all of you and your patience! Feedback overall has been very positive in this "inaugural" and "newly renovated" Mad River Softball season! We certainly hope that all of you are interested in coming back next year. As we wind down the season, we want to point out a couple of things for this weekend's "Finale Tournament" (schedule available on this site):

1) For 14's, ASA rules and regulations will be in effect. That means there are no league-mandated pitching restrictions. Pitching is left to the discretion of the coach for the duration of the tournament. Additionally, coaches have the option of batting all players on their team with free substitution OR can select their top 9 or 10 players. If coaches play their top 9 or 10 players, then ASA substitution rules will be enforced. As a courtesy to all players, if coaches choose to substitute, at least one at bat and 2 innings are requested per player by each coach.

2) For 10's, we have decided it is best to leave the recreational rules as is for the tourney... our consensus is  that the players are not ready for a more advanced game like pitchers completing full innings, dropped 3rd strikes, stealing home on pass balls, etc. We will however, change the 5-run rule to a 5-up rule...this means that a team can score as many runs as it takes to be 5-runs up on the other team rather than quitting the inning as soon as the 5th run scores. This will allow a team to come from behind and possibly win the ball game. Games will also be an hour and twenty minutes versus an hour and ten.

3) Remember, the 5th seed is the only seed not to play on Sunday so please have ALL players pack a change of clothes in their ball bags in the unfortunate event their team happens to finish their season on Saturday. Uniform collection WILL happen after your team's final game! Players will be asked to "strip down" and return their uniforms so please make sure they also pack their uniform shorts in the event they were distributed to them and a change of clothes!! A trash bag was provided to all teams in their uniform bins for just this purpose! All dirty uniforms will be collected in the trash bag and washed by us after the tourney. A final inventory of uniforms will be done prior to being washed and compared against the uniform sign out sheet completed by each coach at uniform distribution. Any unreturned uniforms will be sent a $100 invoice for uniform replacement. If you know your player(s) will not be in attendance at the tournament, please hand off to the coach prior to the tournament. Having the uniform ahead of time will make the uniform collection process much more streamlined and help us out tremendously!

4) Ideally, pictures, pre-ordered sweatshirts, and sweatpants are scheduled for distribution during the tournament. We are double checking with vendors to confirm product deadlines. Really our only concern are the team photos. The photographer sends her pictures to St. Louis for processing. She isn't sure they will be delivered on time. If they are not delivered on time, we will have "picture pick up spots" located in various communities. We will work diligently to get them to you.

5) Good sportsmanship and solid clean competition will be strictly enforced! Coaches have been asked to speak with anyone who may have a prior "incident" on their "record." Inappropriate conduct by player and/or parent is a violation of the Player/Parent Expectations that each player/parent should have signed and submitted at the beginning of the season and will not be tolerated. Anyone violating these conditions will be asked to leave the facility.

6) We expect a fun-filled, looking like it'll be sunny weekend of competitive ASA softball. We invite you all to encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to come support our Mad River Girls as they wrap up their seasons.

Once again, thank you for your participation this 2012 softball season, for offering up suggestions for improvement, and for the countless emails of support during the season.  We look forward to the finale tournament as well as working with all of you again in the future! Have a great day!

The Mad River Softball Board

New Schedule Posted

We are pleased to release the final schedule for the 2012 Mad River Rec Season, which can be downloaded from this site. It has indeed been a challenging adventure and it wouldn't have been possible without the assistance of our dedicated volunteers.... so thank you all! And thanks as well to the parents and players for their patience and for sticking with us through a logistically difficult spring season!  We especially want to recognize the efforts of the many single parents that are participating in our Program and offer a special thanks for getting their girls to the various practices and games.

It's interesting to reflect back at the process - its many ups and downs, to see what went right and where we can (and will) improve in the future. On the positive side... After playing over 40 games overall, the program experienced only 1 game-day cancellation (which is scheduled to be made up next week!). Had we stuck with the original schedule planned for the entire season, well over half of the games played to-date would not have occurred as planned due to field closures, conflicting field engagements, poor weather, etc. - coupled with a lack of players due to a variety of factors such as AAU basketball, school events. HSU and CR graduations, etc. etc.   Also, through the dedicated efforts of many, the Mad River Rec Program will have played games at 9 different fields scattered between 7 different sites in Humboldt County. Wow! When field closures occurred and options seemed impossible, Kelly and her host of key contacts made alternate fields available and games were able to proceed! The field at Scotia was one such option that has been incredible...  thank you Ageana and the rest of the Mad River's southern crew that worked to make this facility available!  Also thanks are due to the Head Coaches at Fortuna and Arcata High Schools for allowing Mad River to use those facilities.  Overall, this new network of fields opens up a wealth of options that Mad River will certainly capitalize on in the future! Lastly, we want to thank Eliot Baker and his excellent crew of umpires for their flexibility in adjusting to our schedules as well as for the amazing job they have done so far this season. Good work Blue!    
 
             

Mad River Updates

Updated Game Schedule   Please review the REVISED schedule (ver 6.6 dated April 30, emailed May 1 and posted on this site today) as there have been subtle changes to the previous schedule. City fields are still not open and flexibility with field usage has been tricky due to weddings scheduled at Scotia, doubleheader high school games scheduled on Saturdays, and game rescheduling due to school events and more! The May 5th doubleheader is still planned for Newburg fields, however, "Plan B" is already in progress in the event the city still has not prepared the fields. Coaches, please make sure your players are properly informed about the changes as not all players have digital/electronic access. Parents and players, in the event you have a scheduling conflict with any of the games, please let your coach know immediately! If enough players are not available for a scheduled contest, we will do our best to reschedule.

Opening Day Action at Scotia! 

Fundraiser  Also, we have launched a Pampered Chef fundraising campaign. If you have yet to commit to this fundraiser, Mad River parent, Chris Valk, is leading the charge with this. She can be reached via email at: cpsmilling@yahoo.com. Remember that funds raised will be used to upgrade program equipment and uniforms, as well as help to pay for practice facilities and umpires. Note that some of the practice locations charge up to $20 an hour for usage.

Pitching Clinic  Finally, Sunday, May 6th, we will be hosting a $5 pitching clinic at Arcata High School. Ten and under players will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 14u players will be hosted from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. If you have not yet RSVP-ed for this event, please do so at your earliest convenience! Thank you!

The Mad River Board

Good evening Mad River coaches and players! It appears the weather is trying to sabotage us once again! The fields at the Arcata Sports Complex and at Newburg in Fortuna remain closed and unavailable for play. As a result, the Board with the help of several volunteers, have worked to secure facilities and make new arrangements for our League's opening series of games. The first official games of Mad River's 2012 Rec Program season will consist of double headers scheduled for Sat. April 21. The 10u games will be hosted at Fortuna High School and the 14u games will be played at Scotia, with games beginning at 10 am at both fields. Individual game times and team pairings are provided in the schedule posted on the Mad River Blog. Please note that venues, game times, and team pairings have all changed from the previous tentative schedule that was released. Also note that the schedule extends through April 28 only as we continue to work with officials regarding the opening of fields in Arcata and Fortuna. A more complete schedule will be released later as we know more. Thank you for your patience as we attempt to work around this crazy Humboldt County weather!


We also request that coaches confirm with all your players to verify you have enough in attendance to play on Sat. Minimum number of players allowed is eight. If you are having trouble fielding a team, we need to be notified immediately. At this point, you all should be ACE certified and have collected the player guidelines and expectations from each player. If you have any further questions, please let us know. Thanks

The Mad River Board

KINDERPLAY IS IN FULL SWING!

Want your 3 to 6 year old future Softball or Baseball All Star to get into the 'swing' of the season? We have the answer...  KINDERPLAY!  

Yes, the Mad River Program and its talented group of volunteer coaches have developed a new program specifically designed for the youngest players in the dugout!  The goal of this exciting new venture, which is open to both boys and girls, is to introduce young players to softball and baseball through fun and age-appropriate experiences.  Basic skills common to these sports are infused into fun games and activities that will help young players start off on the right foot by building solid fundamentals.  

The Arcata High School gymnasium is reserved for our KinderPlay athletes. Come rain or shine, we've got a place to play! The first KinderPlay session was last Saturday, March 24th and brought in a total of 17 future MVPs! Missed the opening session? Not to worry. Interested players who have yet to sign up can register on site at this Saturday's session.

The program will run most Saturdays, from 10-11 a.m. through April and May. For indoor participation, players will need tennis shoes. If players have cleats (not required), they can be worn outside if the weather is good and the high school softball team doesn't have a game. Otherwise, players don't need any equipment except for a glove and a fun-loving attitude! Bats are exciting but can be a safety issue, so for now, please leave bats at home.

During the KinderPlay hour, we encourage parent participation, but it is certainly not required. The Arcata High School Gym is located at 1720 M Street in Arcata, around the back of the main school building. If you have any questions, please ask!

RETURN OF THE MAD RIVER PITCHING CLINICS!

Over the last couple of years, Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association has sponsored weekly "pitching clinics". We are pleased to announce the return of this wonderful opportunity, which is open to all girls who are interested in learning to pitch as well as those who want to improve their existing skills!  The first pitching clinic is scheduled  for this Sunday, April 1st, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Arcata High School (we have access to the gym if the weather is poor... and as of right now, it doesn't look good!) We invite ANY and ALL 10u's to come to this session to begin to learn a pitching routine that will help them succeed as pitchers. 10u pitchers will be working with Board Member and NCAA National Fastpitch Champion Sarah Jones and Arcata High School senior pitcher, Frankie Christen, We also invite 12/14u pitchers who will be working with Board Member, HSU Hall of Fame Pitcher Kelly Helms, and possibly, Board Member, Former CR  Player, and current Eureka High School Head Coach, Shanna McCracken. We request a parent accompany the pitcher to the clinic to serve as the designated catcher.  There is also a $5 clinic fee and we ask that all participants RSVP. Please RSVP your player's attendance to the clinic via email at madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com so we can plan accordingly! Thank you!

GET READY FOR KINDER PLAY!!

It is official!! The Arcata High School gymnasium has been reserved for our Kinder Play athletes! Come rain or shine, we've got a place to play! Our first session of Kinder Play will begin this Saturday, March 24th, at 10 a.m. and will run 1 hour. For indoor participation, players will need tennis shoes. If players have cleats (not required), they can be worn outside if the weather is good and the high school softball team does not have a game. Otherwise, players shouldn't need any other equipment except for a glove! Bats are exciting but can be a safety issue, so for now, please leave bats at home. During the Kinder Play hour, we encourage parent participation, but it is certainly not required. Interested players who have yet to sign up can register on site. The high school is located at 1720 M Street, in Arcata. The gym is around the back of the main building...  drive past the pool, drive past the school, turn right at the last entry, drive up the road and make a sharp turn and you will be in front of the gym. We look forward to meeting you and your young ball players.  If you have any questions, please ask!

Travel Team Practice Sunday March 18 Samoa Gym

Travel Team Practice for Sat the 17th for the 10u, 12u has been rained out! Shocker, I know! I anticipate the 14u Winship practice will also be rained out due to our lovely Humboldt County weather! The good news, however, is that we have been able to secure the Samoa Gym (across the road from the Samoa cookhouse) for Sunday, March 18th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. instead!! This practice location will be for all three travel age brackets, 10u, 12u, and 14u! Lori Reed, the 14u coach will be leading the charge! Unfortunately, Sarah and I will not be in attendance (hence the original Saturday practice instead of Sunday) but I have volunteered some of you to assist Lori with her practice plan. She's already got it figured out as she and I dialoged earlier today! For those of you who I have volunteered, I will be sending you confirmation texts/email to see if you are game on for the task! For any recreational coaches who are interested in checking it out, we still encourage you to come if you are available! Thanks you guys! Have a great practice! Week day practices for Travel Teams (and Rec Teams) will be predicated on the weather first and availability of indoor locations second! As always, please stay tuned!

KinderPlay

For our KinderPlay Participants (approximately ages 3 to 6, no prior experience!)

Thank you so much for choosing the Mad River Softball organization to expose your young child to the sport of soft/baseball! We know that you have choices when it comes to the participation of your child in the sport! It is our belief that many of the skills transfer between baseball and softball so we feel that the KinderPlay is a great way to expose young kids to both sports! Our goal is to introduce KinderPlay players to the game through a fun and age appropriate experience. We plan to do that by infusing skills of the game into fun games and activities that will help young players start off on the right foot by building solid fundamentals that should help build and promote game success as they develop.... It was also our hope to start the program on March 17th. The program will run most Saturdays, from 10-11 a.m. at the Arcata Sports Complex through April and May. A schedule will be distributed as soon as we can get up and running! Unfortunately, due to the weather, the city has not taken off the tarps for us to begin. Currently, we are searching for some back up options to get these little guys going. As soon as I know anything, I will let you all know! We are VERY MUCH looking forward to working with this age bracket! If you have any questions, please let me know!

Kelly Helms
Mad River Girls Softball
Board Member

Coaches Corner

Please note we have added a new "Coaches Corner" to the blog where we will post forms, guides, and other info of specific interest to our Mad River Coaches. Currently, we have posted information relating to the ACE Coaches Certification Program and a sample practice plan that you can download. Hopefully this new "Coaches Corner" tab on the blog will prove a useful conduit for posting additional documents that we think may be of interest to our volunteer coaches.

We also want to thank our coaches for their attendance at the 2012 coaches meeting last night and for stepping up to volunteer for our ASA Program! Thank You!

Reminder... equipment will be handed out Sunday March 18 at 3 p.m. at the Arcata Sports Complex in Arcata. Equipment distribution will happen rain or shine! If you cannot be present during this time, please contact Joe McDonald 707-672-4793 to make alternative arrangements! Practices will begin next week weather willing! Lets Play Ball!

Rec and Travel Ball Update

The Board of Directors for the Mad River Fastpitch Softball Association believes that communication is immensely valuable within our organization. As a result, we feel the need to update you after our recent Board meeting:

1) Currently, there are over 100 softball registrants ranging from ASA age 3 in the new KinderPlay program to age 13 in the 14u recreational and travel ball programs. It’s quite a bit of data to process so please be patient with us while we organize! We are very pleased about our numbers especially on our first go within our new organizational structure. We also want to make sure we do it right so are taking our time to do so! We hope that is okay with all of you (we know that waiting can be a killer!).

2) Recreational team distribution is being based on several factors, including assessment information collected on Sunday, March 4th, which, by the way, the turn out was FABULOUS! Thank you very much for making the commitment to be there. We know that some of you came from Willow Creek, some from Garberville, and some raced home from the basketball tournament in Crescent City! Your efforts were much appreciated! Along with assessment information, geographics, willingness to travel to a neighboring city, and special requests (in the hopes for team parity) will be evaluated. The first round of team distributions have been completed and will be shared later this week.

3) We are currently gearing up for our recreational coaches meeting, tentatively set for Tuesday, March 13th. We have contacted individuals who are interested in coaching at the recreational level. If you fall into that category and have not notified us of your interest to coach, please do so ASAP. We are also seeking "support personnel" if any of you are interested in helping and working with your daughter's team. (An email response works fine)

4) Practice sites have been secured to start practice the week of March 19th. That should give recreational coaches plenty of time to contact players and notify them of their first practice. Any paperwork that parents and players still have on hand can be turned in to any Mad River Softball Board Member or to the coaches themselves on the 1st day of the practice.

5) As for travel, the response back to my initial "Calling all Travel Players" email about the upcoming Medford tournament about a week or so ago, has been slow. We know there is plenty of interest because many of you indicated that on the registration forms and we even have some travel deposits! It is our feeling that you may not know enough or understand enough about how that program works or maybe you are joining us late? We aren't really sure. We understand that many of the details might be fuzzy as we are working cooperatively with the Fogg organization to create a stronger, united, and more competitive travel program and some of you might just be new to the notion of travel ball itself. Our plans are to get more thorough travel information out relatively soon but unfortunately, time has been very limited with all the details we are working through relating to the rec program. Quite simply, there are not enough hours in the day for all the things we'd like to accomplish!)

As a result, the Board has decided not to rush into anything that might jeopardize the integrity of our program and has canceled the notion of heading to Medford. This occurred for a few reasons: 1) 10u, 12u, and 14u did not have enough players to field a team based on the feedback I was provided by the email Kelly sent, 2) word from Medford is only one 14u team is signed up for this Medford tournament and it is not us! There are approximately three 12u teams and there are ZERO teams signed up for the 10u division. 3) It has been our experience that when we don't listen to instinct and try to move something forward before it is ready, it often backfires. It just seems to make sense to slow the process down, build it right, put the players in place appropriately, and focus on the next tournament contest scheduled in April. The Board figures that if things go well over the course of our travel adventure, we can always extend and/or expand our travel season somewhere else within the travel schedule to make up for that missed contest date.

If any of you have any questions, comments, concerns, or feedback, whatsoever, please be sure to speak up!! Thank you

Welcome to Mad River Girls Softball!

Thank you parents and players for participating in our 2012 player assessment at Humboldt University last Sunday! We experienced an incredible turn-out and an amazing level of enthusiasm for our rapidly expanding program - Humboldt County's only ASA Softball multi-level, recreational and competitive travel organization! We also thank our many skilled volunteers that ran the varied assessment stations, which included several former college players, current and former High School fastpitch coaches from Arcata, Eureka, and Fortuna, and many other softball-savoy volunteers. It was an excellent day and a great way to kick-start the season for Mad River's newly expanded and "retrofitted" program. Now that we have player numbers defined, stay tuned for upcoming announcements and emails relating to Rec Program team assignments and practice and games schedules.

We are pleased to provide you with a choice when it comes to selecting a girl’s softball organization! Thank you for choosing Mad River, which is unique in many ways! How unique is it? Below are just a few of the reasons why we stand out from other programs:

1. We are the only Amateur Softball Association (ASA) organization in Humboldt County. Why is this important? First, ASA softball is aligned with the college level and style of play. What does this mean? It means that the rules enforced in the NJCAA, NCAA, and NAIA are the same rules that apply to ASA softball, making it a seamless transition for the amateur softball player to further her softball career at the college level of play and beyond. To give you an example, in ASA and in college, both feet must start on the pitching mound prior to the start of a pitch and when delivering the pitch, a pitcher may not step back off the rubber. In other softball organizations, including Little League and High School softball, these moves are legal. In ASA and college, however, these moves are are strictly enforced as illegal. Such differences in regulations make it challenging for a player to transition into college level play as it mandates that the player significantly modify their habituated playing techniques.

2. ASA softball is not bound by territories. Because of this, we are excited to announce that we have players stretching from Willow Creek to Garberville! Over time, our hope is to expand those areas into Crescent City as well as Hoopa!

3. ASA has many levels of play including recreational and more competitive travel programs. These levels include “Gold” for the elite 18u travel softball athlete, “A” for the highly competitive, skilled travel softball player ranging from 8u to 18u, “B” for the recreational athlete who enjoys travel play but at a less competitive level, and “C” the recreational program that challenges the first year player to the most seasoned and experienced.

4. Our organization’s Board of Directors includes three former college players: Kelly Helms, Hall of Fame Humboldt State University pitcher, Sarah Jones, NCAA National Softball Champion from Humboldt State University, and Shanna McCracken, College of the Redwoods utility player.

5. Our first-year travel coaches included former ASA, high school, and college players like Lilo Reith and Heather Goodwin, as well as coaches with recreational and high school level coaching accolades like Lori Reed and Melanie Pizzini. As we move into the second year of our travel program, we are looking to include and incorporate College of the Redwoods players Karlie Harpin and Brittany Gonzalez, as well as Humboldt State University player, Kirsten Nouzovsky into our already strong coaching staff.

6. We care deeply about providing a quality softball experience for you and your softball player. Our purpose is not to tally wins, but to instead support the development of the players, the teams, and the program as a whole. In our organization, it is all about the experience that we provide in hopes of developing strong, confident and empowered young ladies as the foundation for an elite softball organization that can successfully host all the competitive levels that ASA softball has to offer.

Again... Our thanks to the players, parents, and the Association's many volunteers that are the Foundation of our Program.

The Board of Directors, Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association
~Kelly Helms, Nicholas Hetrick, Sarah Jones, Shanna McCracken, and Jessica Parker~

Assessment Day & Sign-ups this Sunday March 4th!

Welcome to Mad River Girls Softball! We are looking forward to an exciting season of change! Last season we expanded our recreational program to include a travel division and this season we are looking to accommodate players in both a recreational and travel capacity. Recreational and travel players this season stretch from Willow Creek all the way to Garberville! With that said, we would like to remind you about the recreational and travel assessments scheduled for Sunday, March 4th at the Humboldt State University Fieldhouse. Players 10 and under are scheduled for a 9:30 assessment time. Players 12 and under are scheduled for a 10:30 assessment time and players 14 and under are scheduled for an 11:30 assessment time.

We would like to stress the importance of player attendance at assessments for the evaluation of each player and the effective distribution of players to a recreational and/or travel team. On assessment day, player and team distribution will be evaluated based on geographics, skill, and age. For example, a player based on skill who qualifies for a 12u age bracket would be more appropriately placed and challenged at the 14u level. Evaluators at the assessments include three board members, Kelly Helms, Shanna McCracken, and Sarah Jones, all of which have played college softball and coached at either the recreational, travel, high school, and/or college levels. Other evaluators will include former softball players in ASA, high school, and college programs like Cari Killingsworth, Lilo Reith, and Heather Goodwin. Support personnel will also be on hand to assist with the logistics and operations of the assessments. If you have not yet signed up with Mad River Girls Softball, it’s not too late! Simply come at the appropriate time for your player's age and we will get you signed up and run thru the assessment!

Finally, if you are not a member of our facebook page, we would encourage you to check it out! The website is located at:http://www.facebook.com/groups/155033233999/

We invite you and your business to partner with us

The Mad River Association relies on the support of community volunteers to carry out all aspects of its recreational and competitive travel program (with the exception of umpire fees). This volunteerism, however, is not enough as we also depend on sponsors like you to help cover operational costs such as field rentals, uniforms, equipment, player scholarships, etc. Upon request, all sponsors will receive a tax deductible letter of charitable donation. We thank you for supporting the young female fastpitch players in the communities of Humboldt County.

If you are interested in joining us this season, please fill out the 2012 Sponsor Form and mail to:

Mad River Girls Fast pitch Softball Association (MRGFSA)
PO Box 4361
Arcata, Ca. 95518

Our players, parents and communities appreciate your support

2012 Tentative Travel Schedule

We have scheduled an ASA travel meeting for players and parents for Tuesday, February 28th! The location for the meeting is Eureka High School in portable P11, with a start time of 7 pm. Our Coaches have been busy pulling together what is looking to be a very exciting season, as shown in the 2012 Tentative Travel Schedule, which can be downloaded from this website.

If you know any players that are interested in this challenging and fun-filled fastpitch experience, please invite them to join us... regardless of the recreational league they play in! We are looking to fill travel teams ranging from ages 10u through 18u. We hope to see you there!

Missed sign-ups?

Still want to play ASA softball? Not to Worry.... There's still time to register! Download your registration form here, complete, and mail to us at:

MRGFSA
PO Box 4361 Arcata, CA 95518

Note that we will also be accepting registrations at the Recreational and Travel Player Assessments scheduled for March 4th, 2012 at the Humboldt State University Field House.

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 am
...Kinder Play (5 and 6 year olds)
...Junior Play (7 and 8 year olds)
...10u (9 and 10 year olds)
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 am
...12u (11 and 12 year olds)
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 pm
...14u (13 and 14 year olds)

ASA Softball
Aligned to College Level Play
“Bridging, Blending, Building Softball Communities"

*Schedule is Subject to Change
Please check our website: www.madrivergirlssoftball.blogspot.com
and/or
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/155033233999/
for final schedule on or before assessment day!

Travel Ball Anyone?

ASA travel meeting has been scheduled! Mark your calendars for February 28th! The location is Eureka High School in portable P11. The meeting will start at 7 pm. Travel ages include 10u through 18u. All teams will be predicated on interest level and registration numbers so if you know anyone interested regardless of recreational league bring them along! See you there!

ASA Recreational and Travel Programs

SIGN UPS

Aligned to College Level Play
Serving Humboldt County and Beyond

Registration: February 18th, 10 am to 2 pm
Locations Include:
Fortuna’s Sport & Cycle
Eureka’s Sport & Cycle
Arcata’s Community Center

“Bridging, Blending, Building Softball Communities”
Email: MadRiverGirlsSoftball@gmail.com
Like us on Facebook too!

ASA Update

Nor Cal ASA was awarded the 2013 USA/ASA Girls 16u "A" National Championships today at the ASA National Council meeting! The tournament will take place in Sunnyvale/San Jose area July 28 - August 4, 2013. In 2011 that tournament had 172 teams.

Participation in this "local" venue is a worthy goal for Mad River!

Registration Open for 2012 Recreation Season

We are pleased to announce the opening of registration for Mad River's 2012 Recreation Season. Included on the Rec-Program registration form, which is available for download on this website, is a section to indicate interest in Mad River's Travel Program, the Mad River Mist. Registration forms are due by February 17th (forms received after the deadline will be charged a $10 late fee). We encourage you to sign up early, as it will help us to organize and schedule the 2012 Recreation Program season and plan ahead based on interest for the Travel Season.

For those who participated in the Travel Program in 2011, we'd like to give you something to think about: Competing in the Mad River Recreational Program will allow the Mist Travel Teams to compete at the "B" level - else we are locked into playing "A" tournaments only. For the Mist's 2011 inaugural season, we petitioned to play at the "B" level and were granted a one-year waiver, which has expired. As one would expect for a developing program, we are not quite ready to successfully compete at the "A" level.... but soon!!! In addition, we are looking to start the 10u/12u/14u Travel season earlier than last year. Our intent is to run the Travel Program beginning in spring and through the summer, with a short break prior to the start of the Mist's "fall ball" season. This extended spring through fall program will provide a much greater opportunity to develop and refine our local talent. Note that we are aware of the demands that this may create, especially for those who play little league... we will do our our best to accommodate! Within the ASA Mad River Program, we will work to mesh the schedules of the Recreation and Travel programs to minimize potential conflicts.

Please note that we need to assess interest in the Travel Program as early as possible so we can develop the travel schedule and calculate costs. As such, we have placed an "INTEREST LEVEL" for the Travel Program Mad River registration form. If you are remotely interested in playing travel ball, please indicate on this form and return to us - even if you do not plan to play in the recreational league. Right now, we are planning on two practices a week and one travel tournament per month while school is in session and then possibly two tournaments for the months of June and July. The 16u/18u programs would not start until late May/early June until the conclusion of the high school season. We are very excited about the upcoming softball season and the many changes that we have made in the Mad River Program. We will be providing you with updates as they occur. If you have any questions, please be sure to email any one of us! Board members include: Jessica Beckett (jessicabrookep@sbcglobal.net), President, Kelly Helms (helms_kelly@hotmail.com), Shanna McCracken (shannalynn33@gmail.com, Sarah Jones (jeter_kayla@yahoo.com), and Nick Hetrick (nicknstep@sbcglobal.net). Updates can also be found on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/155033233999/

We look forward to working with you all! Thanks!
Jessica Parker, President & Kelly Helms, Travel Facilitator
Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association