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2010 Registration Forms

Dear ABGSL Families:

Welcome to the 27th season of Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League Recreational softball. Registration for the ABGSL Spring season began November 1st, 2009 and has ended, except for the Micro Division. Our Micro Division (1st grade) is registering now, and will accept registrations until March 13th or until our teams are full.

1st graders play in our Micro Division on Saturday mornings at Codornices Park from 9am to 11am. Our practice and game season runs from March 13th until June 6th.

The season begins on Saturday, March 6th, 9:30am - 11:00am at Fielding Field (across the foot bridge north of 5th Street and Harrison in Berkeley). This includes a Skills Clinics for any interested the players so please stop by.

Registration for Micros will remain open until their first practice on Saturday, March 13th from 9am to 11am at Codornices Park.

Please complete and send your completed registration forms as soon as and payments to: 1700 Shattuck Avenue, #28, Berkeley, CA 94709.

To contain costs and reduce waste, we have discontinued our past practice of mass mailing Registration Packets. We ask that you choose from one of the following options to register your daughter:

  1. Download and Print the Forms on this website.
    Click this link to download: 2010 ABGSL Registration Forms (Adobe PDF)
  2. Email registrar@abgsl.org to have Forms emailed or mailed.
  3. Call the ABGSL Hotline at 869-4277 and request Forms

PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN THESE FIVE FORMS TO REGISTER

  • Registration form. One form must be completed and returned for each player.
  • Medical/Email/Photo Release form. One form must be completed for each player.
  • Codes of Conduct form. One form must be signed and returned for each player.
  • Family Volunteer form. One form must be completed and returned for each family.
  • Supplemental Information form (optional). This information is kept confidential and helps us consider your daughter's particular needs when we form teams. Please use this form to request a scholarship.

PLEASE SEND REGISTRATION FEES WITH THE FORMS
Regular fees apply for all registrations received on and after January 1, 2010. You must return all forms with full payment (or partial payment and an approved scholarship request) for your child to be registered and be assigned to a team. We are pleased to announce that registration fees remain unchanged from last year. Because Micro Division fees are lower, there is no difference between early-bird and regular fees, but register as early as possible!). Please consider making a tax- deductible donation to ABGSL when registering; it benefits many girls whose families cannot afford the full fees.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOUR FORMS AND FEES ARE RETURNED:

  • Players in Grades 2-9 must attend one of the Player Assessmentson January 16th or January 23rd. These assessments are used to balance our teams and are NOT a tryout. You can register at the Assessment Days, but regular fees apply and you must arrive 20 minutes early.
  • In mid-February, a Confirmation Packet is mailed to each player that is registered with more information about the season.
  • On Opening Day, Saturday March 6th at Fielding Field team assignment and practice schedules are announced.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED!
ABGSL runs entirely on volunteer labor, which means that:

  • Every family in the League volunteers for a Team Job and a League Job. Indicate on the volunteer form whether you wish to sign up for a specific League and Team Job, or whether you would like to be assigned both of your jobs at the Team Parent Meeting
  • Coaches and Managers are the most essential aspect of the League. Without them we would not be able to function. They are exempt from other Team and League Jobs and ITS FUN! If you are interested in being a Coach or Manager, please indicate that on the volunteer form.
  • Please see the Volunteer forms included in the registration materials, and identify how you can help the League. Our greatest needs right now are: Equipment Managers, Data Entry for Registartion and with Administrative assistance (several people could do it together to lessen the time commitment). I am happy to talk to anyone who thinks they can do some or all of any of these jobs.

FRIEND REQUESTS AND SCHEDULING CONFLICTS
Part of the fun of ABGSL is that girls get to play with their friends, and that families need to organize car pools. So, we leave room for certain requests to be made on the registration form. On the forms you are asked to indicate which days of the week each girl can play. Micro players all play on Saturday on the same field. Younger, Middle and Older girls play either Monday, Wednesday and Saturday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Once you have identified which days of the week your girl(s) can play, the registration forms provide the option of requesting a small number of other girls that your daughter would prefer to be teamed with. Be certain to check that the girls you are requesting do not have conflicting schedules and are available to play on the same days of the week. Please note that we cannot guarantee that this teaming will occur, but yourrequest will be taken into account when teams are formed. The greater amount of flexibility you can provide with regard to availability the more likely it will be that we can fulfill at least some part of your request. We also know that many new friendships develop when girls play with different team members over time. This is a great opportunity to meet families from other schools.

TEAM FORMATION
Teams are formed by our Division Commissioners. Coaches and Managers do not play a role in selecting their team members, although they will always coach their own daughter unless they request otherwise. Team assignments are announced on Opening Day and are not available before then. ABGSL has learned over the years that the best softball experience for all girls occurs when our teams start the season generally balanced by skill level within age groups. Consequently, we hold assessments in January that allow us to determine each girl's relative skill, and to make sure the teams are balanced. These assessments are mandatory, and are not try-outs. Everyone who registers by the deadline will be placed on a team (provided we have a sufficient number of fields and coaches available.) Our goal is that all teams win some of their games, and quite frankly that all teams lose or tie some of their games. We want all girls to improve their softball skills while participating in a really fun activity.

EQUIPMENT
All girls must provide their own cleats and glove. Micros can wear tennis shoes, but cleats are strongly recommended. Additionally, all girls in Middle and Older Division must have sliding shorts and sliding pads. Some girls prefer the long sliding pads, and some prefer the shorter ones. For Middle Division two sliding pads are recommended. By Older Division most girls know their preference.

The League has a large stock of donated equipment from prior years, and we will be accepting donations at our assessment days and Opening Day, and making the equipment available to families on those same days. Feel free to sort through that equipment to see if anything will work for your daughter

LICE PREVENTION
Lice is an ongoing concern. If you haven't had the fun of removing nits from your daughter's head, and possibly your own when your child brings lice home, let's just say there are better ways to spend your time. To combat the lice issue, and to provide greater flexibility in practices, we are strongly recommending that all girls have their own batting helmet, with appropriate face guard and chin strap. The league will have helmets available, but its a good idea to have your own if the purchase price fits within your budget. The good news is that one batting helmet will likely fit your daughter for several years. Batting helmets can be purchased at any sporting goods store. The helmet and face guard must be stamped with NOCSAE to certify that they meet the necessary protection standards. If you bought one last year, it probably still works, but please check the chin strap and get a new one if last year's is worn out.

OUTREACH--HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT ABGSL
We also need your help with outreach to your school. If you can post a flyer or get a message out to your etree please let me know and I'll send you the materials. If you have friends who are interested in the league please recommend that they email registrar@abgsl.org, or visit our web site at www.ABGSL.org. Copies of the forms are posted there for easy downloading You'll see that we were able to keep our registration fees at last year's level due to the great fundraising the girls did for the Bat-a-Que. If you have any questions about the League or Registration process please feel free to send me an email me at president@abgsl.org

We're looking forward to another great season of girls softball!

Walt Gill
ABGSL President