BOW RIDGE LITTLE LEAGUE

The Major / National league is a tiered league split into 2 divisions according to skill level.

The Major Division is a competitive division where advanced strategies are taught. Eligible returning players from the Major Division will automatically remain with their previous team and do not need to attend evaluations. At this level we cannot honor any requests to have specific players play with other players or a specific coach.

The National Division is a less competitive division where basic skills and sportsmanship are stressed. Players aged 11 and 12 not drafted onto a Major team are drafted onto a National Team. Players may specifically request to be drafted to a National team. Players aged 10, not drafted onto a Major Team may be drafted to a National Team providing there are roster spots available and they have sufficient skills. The purpose of the evaluations is to try and put together teams of equal strength, which makes for a much better league. In order to do this, we cannot accommodate requests for groups of kids to be placed on the same teams. We have made concessions to allow each player to request to be placed on the same team as one other player (no exceptions). Both players must make the same request on their registration forms. Siblings will automatically be placed on the same teams. This applies to the National League only. Players cannot request a specific coach.

Important for 12 year olds!
In accordance with Little League International rules, a player 12 years old may not be placed on a National Division team without the approval of the parents, league president and district administrator. The intent of this rule is to make sure all players who have the ability to play at an advanced level are given the opportunity to do so. As well, it prevents higher skilled players from dominating in the National Division which is designed to be less competitive, recreational division baseball.

Parents of 12 year olds must fill out the Major / National waiver forms indicating their choices. This applies to 12 year olds only.

Both divisions can expect to play up to three times per week including Saturdays. In general the Major teams play Mon, Wed and Sat and the Nationals play Tues, Thurs and Sat, but can expect to have practices called by the coach on other days. Both divisions play an interlocking schedule with other teams in northwest Calgary.

All players should attend evaluation Sessions in April at the Calgary West Soccer Center. For players 10 and 12 year old who have not been on a major team last year the evaluation time is Sat Apr 5 from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm. For 11 year olds not on a major team last year the evaluation time is 1:00 - 3:00 Sun Apr 6. Players who were drafted onto a major team last year will remain on the same team this year and are not required to attend evaluations but are welcome to show up. If you cannot make the designated evaluation time please contact the Major League Coordinator.

Note: 10 year olds with advanced skills may be drafted into the Major / National teams if the numbers are such we require additional players to fill those teams. These players should attend the National / Major tryouts if they want the opportunity to make those teams. Until we have finished registration we will not know how many potential spots there are for 10 year olds.

Games are played at the Foothills Little League Park (located immediately behind Foothills/Burns Stadium), and Cosmopolitan Diamond (located on Bowness Road, east of Shouldice Pool). See Maps for details. The diamond facilities at Foothills are by far the best in the city and we take great pride in maintaining them. We operate a concession at the park. Parents of the players for this age group, are required to volunteer to run the concession for the games where their teams are playing at Foothills. The task is fairly easy and does not keep you from enjoying the game. If everyone pitches in, each family will only be required to man the concession 1 - 2 times a season. A small price to pay for the convenience it provides.

Special days to note are picture day (May 10, details to follow) , Challenger Day and Fun day.

Calgary operates the largest Challenger Ball League in Canada. This league consists of mentally and physically challenged ball players from Calgary. Each weekend, teams meet on a Saturday to play at Challenger Park in North East Calgary. Each Little League club in North Calgary takes turns supplying baseball buddies from our Major and National divisions to assist these special players in their league play. Bow Ridge is very proud to be a part of this event and it is truly one of the highlights of our season. More info will be posted on our website at a later date.

At Fun day teams will participate in skills competitions at Foothills Little League Park on a Saturday or Sunday. The competitions are followed by free hot dogs and pop and T-shirts. Volunteers will be needed to run the concession during the competition. Dates and times will be posted on our website at a later date.

Coaches at this level are required to take the on-line NCCP coaching course as well as the practical sessions, which will give them their “level 1 status. Please see the information on coaching certification for more details.

Players are required to have their own batting helmet, athletic supporter and glove. Rubber cleats are optional.

For these divisions the league will supply umpires however, there may be circumstances where umpires may have to be solicited from the parent group. The umpires consist of players from older divisions who have completed the league sponsored umpiring course or from parents or outside volunteers. League umpires are supplied subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed. The league sponsored clinics are open to anyone who wishes to attend. Please see the Bow Ridge umpire program for more information.

Coaches, players and spectators are expected to conduct themselves in a reasonable manner promoting sportsmanship and fairplay. Any umpire has the authority to have ask a player, coach or spectator to leave the playing area. Coaches and players removed from a game are subject to an automatic 1 game suspension as per Little League rules. Any spectator asked to leave will not be allowed back until the Bow Ridge board has discussed the matter and is satisfied the spectator will not cause additional problems. Remember, umpires will make mistakes and not everyone will agree with the calls, but we cannot play the game without them and they will improve given time. They need your support as much as the players and coaches do.

Gary Simpson is the Major / National League coordinator and can be reached at Gary1957@shaw.ca

We are still in need of some people to fill a few vacant positions this year. The Bow Ridge board is very much a team and we support each other in our efforts. Please consider helping out. Experience is not necessary, heart is.

Other positions we need help with this year are:
Umpire scheduler
Assistant Facilities coordinator
Picture day coordinator
Umpire in Chief

Little League Canada is providing accidental death and dismemberment insurance ($2000.00 coverage) for the parents of all of the players at no additional cost. This insurance is optional and information envelopes can be obtained at registration.

At the end of the regular season, Bow Ridge sponsors a competitive Major allstar team for 11 and 12 year olds. This team participates in a City tournament in July. Winners of this tournament go to the Prairie championships and compete against other teams from Saskatchewan and Alberta. The winner of this competes at a national level for the right to represent Canada at the “World Series” in Williamsport Pennsylvania. This team is put together on a tryout basis and players should be able to commit to play for the month of July.

JUNIOR LEAGUE