Friday Pitching Clinics Begin This Week

Do you want to learn how to pitch?

Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball is excited to announce the return of our Friday Night Pitching Clinics beginning this Friday, April 8th. Clinics will be held every Friday night at the Pacific Union Field from now through the end of the season.

The clinics are led by former HSU standout and Arcata High softball coach Kelly Helms. The clinics are intended to provide pitchers quality coaching and instruction from beginners all the way through pitchers who have been throwing for a few years.

Beginning pitchers (those that have been pitching for 2 years or less) should plan to attend from 5:00 - 6:00.

Advanced pitchers (3 years or more experience) should report from 6:00 to 7:00.

The clinic is open to all registered Mad River Girls Softball's players. Players are asked to bring $5.00 and an adult catcher to the clinic.

Opening Day! Jamboree Set for Saturday, April 9th.

Opening Day is finally here! Due to our wet weather, the Jamboree is moving over to the Pacific Union School field.

The schedule of games and team photos are online now! Check out the link to the right. Your coaches will have more information for you before Saturday.

Remember to bring your order forms for your spirit packs and drop them off with us on Saturday. Orders placed by Saturday will be received within 2 weeks!

A couple damp days lie ahead, but all looks clear for the weekend. Let's play some softball!

March 2011. And we're off...

...if not quite running. With all this rain you'd think we live in a rainforest! Once again, the sky gods are frustrating our season's start with torrential rains. Though the forecast this week shows a little sunshine peeking through, we're anxiously on that dry stretch to get our fields open and playable. Stay tuned to this website for daily updates on field conditions, or call us at 822-3575 after 3pm for the latest news.

Pitching Clinics begin Friday, April 1st: Kelly Helms will once again lead our Friday night pitching clinics beginning this coming Friday. Clinics will be held at the Pacific Union Field. An n introductory clinic for pitchers with less than 3 years experience will be held from 5:00-6:00. Advanced pitchers, those with 3+ years of pitching will meet from 6:00-7:00. The cost is $5.00 per player, and each player is asked to provide their own catcher (preferably an adult). These clinics were invaluable to those pitchers who participated last season. Join the fun and learn how to pitch...every Friday between now and the end of the season.

Season opening Jamboree, Saturday, April 9th: Please mark your calenders for April 9th. That's the official first day of the season with short scrimmages and team and player photos, all at the Arcata Sports Complex. Regular season games are schedule to begin on Monday, April 11th. Schedules for the Jamboree and the season will be out shortly.

Yes, we're still taking new players! Though teams have been formed and are starting to pull together, we're still taking registrations for new and returning players for our spring season. Registration forms can be downloaded from the links on the right. Send it in to our office asap to get your spot on a team. (If you call or email us when you send that in, we'll do what we can to expedite the process.

For those that have registered already, you should have heard from your coaches by now, even if you haven't been able to get out on a field. If you haven't heard from anyone yet, contact us at madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com and we'll figure out where you supposed to be.

The rain will end. It always ends. Doesn't it?

Player Assessment Day Today!!! Saturday, March 19th at the HSU Field House

Player assessments for our 2011 Spring softball season happen now!....Saturday, March 19th at the HSU Field house. All players already registered, or still wanting to register, should plan to attend a one-hour assessment for their age group.

Times for the assessments are:

• 7 & 8 year olds 10:30 - 11:30
• 9 & 10 year olds 11:30 - 12:30
• 11 & 12 year olds 12:30 - 1:30
• 13 and older 1:30 - 2:30

(A player's age is determined by their age on 12/31/2010.)

Please show up early enough to warm up your arm, get your shoes or cleats on, and ready to play. Rubber cleats are fine. (Metal cleats are prohibited.) And bring your own glove. We will have bats and balls, but you're welcome to bring your own if you have them.

We are still taking registrations for the season! If you haven't registered yet, don't worry. You can sign up to play at the assessments. Forms are available online here, or we'll have them at the field house.

This is not a try-out. Every player who registers is guaranteed a place on one of our teams. This assessment is a tool to help our coaches draft the teams and ensure that teams are balanced going into the season.

We will also have uniforms on hand so you can check your sizes. And this year, the league is offering a variety of spirit packs loaded with Mad River Girls Softball gear like hoodies, tie-dye tees, sweatpants, sliders, and compression shirts. Check it out on Saturday. Order with us by March 25th and you'll have the coolest gear on the planet by Opening Day! We'll have the order forms at the assessments.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us at madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com or call our office at 822-3575.

We'll see all of you on Saturday!

2011 Spring Registrations Continue Through March 19th.

Still looking to sign up for spring softball? There's still time!

Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association will accept registrations for our 2011 Spring Season through our March 19th player assessments. Registration forms can be downloaded from this webpage, and either mailed in to our office, or brought with you to our Player Assessment Day Saturday, March 19th Day at the HSU Field House. (Check the registration form for the appropriate time to attend.)

Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball provides a recreational fastpitch softball experience for girls ages 7-16. Participation is open to anyone who lives in northern Humboldt County, including the towns of Arcata, McKinleyville, Eureka, and all the surrounding communities.

As an ASA sponsored organization, our divisions are divided into age groups, including:

• The 8 & Under Rookie league - a coach-pitch program for those in their first years of learning the game.
• The 10 & Under Division where players begin to pitch on their own, but with modified game rules to ensure everyone learns the game.
  
• Our 12 & Under Division where pitchers take over the game, and most of the rules are based on the game played at the High School and ASA tournament level.
  
• Our 16 & Under Division is ideal for those players hoping to compete at the high school level, and for players who don't wish to play High School ball, but want to keep playing for a love of the game.
  

Download a registration form now and join us for an exciting 2011 Spring Season!

2011 Spring Season Registrations continue this Saturday, February 19th, 9-3 at the Arcata Community Center

Registrations for our 2011 Spring Season continue this Saturday, February 19th from 9am to 3pm at the Arcata Community Center. We'll have the registration forms at the table, or you're welcome to download one from this here website (links on the right) and bring it with you.

Can't make it this weekend? No problem. We'll likely have one more registration day in early March, and you're always welcome to mail your registration form in to our league office. (The address is on the form.)

Our player assessment day is scheduled for Saturday, March 19th at the HSU Field House. Practices begin the following week, with games planned for the first week of April.

Join the fun for 2011! We'll see y'all on Saturday.

Interested in playing summer softball?

Mad River Girls Fastpitch Softball Association is looking to develop ASA travel teams at the 12U, 14U and 16U age levels. Nationally, ASA tournaments are recognized as the highest level of amateur softball play before college.

Local teams would travel to tournaments in northern California and southern Oregon. The number and location of tournaments would be determined by the teams themselves. Additional practices and fundraising for the travel teams is expected.

Past Mad River ASA teams have participated in ASA tournaments in Cloverdale, Vacaville, Sunnyvale and others. Local High School coaches use summer travel teams as the foundations for their varsity programs.

If you're interested in playing on an ASA travel team this summer, please email your contact information (name, age as of 12/31/10, telephone and email address) to: madrivergirlssoftball@gmail.com. We'll be scheduling an organizational meeting as soon as we know we have enough players to form the teams.