Opening Day Photos

ABGSL Opening Day on Saturday, March 6th

ABGSL Families:

Welcome to Opening Day for the 2010 ABGSL Recreational season. PLAY
BALL!

ABGSL OPENING DAY SCHEDULE
Our season begins this morning as we welcome everyone at our Opening Day
ceremonies. Please join us at ABGSL's home field, Fielding Field (north
of 5th Street and Harrison in Berkeley), with the following schedule for
each Division. Parents MUST accompany girls to sign-in and MUST return
when the clinic ends 30 minutes prior to the end of the session for
their Division for team introductions and to participate in a brief team
meeting. The players will run through drills led by the Albany High
School softball team for the first hour of their session so please have
them bring their glover, cleats and a water bottle. The Albany High team
includes many ABGSL alumni so it is exciting to welcome them back to
where they started their softball adventure.

The schedule by Division is:
  •  9:30-11:00: Micro/Younger
  • 11:00-12:30: Middle
  • 12:30-2:00: Older
IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND
We've received questions from families with long-standing plans to be away or other conflicts with Opening Day. If you aren't able to attend, your daughter's coach or team manager will contact you to let you know the team to which she is assigned, the location of the first practice, and the date, time and location of the mandatory team parent meeting. If you haven't heard from your coach or manager by Sunday night, feel free to contact me and I will provide you with the information.  We don't provide team assignment information in advance of Opening Day.

MICRO ORIENTATION AND SKILLS CLINIC
Micro players and parents should plan to attend an orientation and skills clinic run by our fabulous Coaching Consultant and former Cal 3rd baseman Katie Vickers. We still need Micro players so you are welcome to invite other families who are interested in playing softball. This is a great opportunity to meet the other players and parents who be enjoying the Micro experience with you this season. We are still forming the Micro teams so they will not be announced until the first practice on Saturday, March 13th from 9am to 11am at Codornices Park.

DIRECTIONS TO FIELDING FIELD AND PARKING
Fielding Field is at the north end of 5th Street north of Harrison Street in Berkeley. Enter where 5th street dead ends and walk across the bridge. DO NOT park in a red zone as the UC Police Department is very aggressive about ticketing.  You can park on Harrison Street or on 6th Street and walk across the bridge to the field. You can also produce an internet map with directions to 1101 5th Street in Berkeley, which is a business adjacent to the field.

TEAM ASSIGNMENTS
As a reminder, teams were formed taking a number of factors into account, and our Commissioners spent many hours making the best possible configuration of teams. We worked hard to balance the teams by skill level so that no teams dominate, and to create diverse representation of schools and communities. We also considered restrictions on availability in terms of the days of the week, as recorded on your registration forms, and confirmed in the mailing that was sent out mid-February. For Middle and Older division teams, we considered pitching and catching skills among the teams. We also considered car pool requests, and requests to be teamed with friends, but could not honor all of those requests. Please keep in mind that playing with new team mates and families every year and making new friends is part of what makes ABGSL such a rewarding experience. I'm sure you will appreciate that reconfiguring teams at this late date is complicated, and will only be possible if there was an error in placement for days of the week shown on the registration forms and where you responded to our confirmation mailing. In other words, the team assignments are final at this point.

ALTERNATIVE LOCATION AND SCHEDULE FOR OPENING DAY ONLY IF FIELDING FIELD IS CLOSED
We may have move to an indoor location and adjust the schedule if Fielding Field is closed. If we do implement this alternative plan, players and parents should plan to come on Saturday to get their teams assignments, meet your team mates, coaches and managers, and participate in a short team meeting. We will send a confirming email and update the Hotline tomorrow morning before 8am.

ALTERNATIVE LOCATION FOR OPENING DAY:  If Fielding Field is closed due to the weather we will meet at the Multi-Purpose Room at Cornell Elementary School in Albany. Cornell's Multi-Purpose Room is located in the rear of the school on Cornell Avenue a half block south of the intersection of Solano and Cornell Avenues. The street address is 920 Talbot Avenue but the MPR entrance is on Cornell Avenue. Parking on Solano Avenue is free for 2 hours.

ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULE FOR OPENING DAY:
  • 9:00 - 10:30 :  Micros (1st graders)
  • 10:30 – 11:15:  Younger (2nd and 3rd graders)
  • 11:15 – 12:00:  Middle (4th and 5th graders)
  • 12:00 – 12:45:  Older (6th, 7th and  8th graders)

ALTERNATIVE TEAM EQUIPMENT PICKUP AT FIELDING FIELD
Coaches should plan to pick up their equipment on Saturday at Fielding Field after they meet with their teams. We apologize for having to do this at two locations.  The Equipment Managers will not be at Fielding after 1:30pm so please get their promptly

THANK YOU
I want to thank all of our coaches, managers, commissioners, administrators and other critical league volunteers for their help in assembling the teams and getting us ready to kickoff the season. It takes all of us as parent volunteers to pull together to run a league for 300 girls. The season promises to be great, thanks only to the tremendous commitment of all of us as parent volunteers. We'll be looking for help in many areas throughout the season, and I know we will get the support needed to keep ABGSL vibrant. We have a lot to be proud of in ABGSL and collectively we provide a great softball learning experience for our girls and our community. What started in 1983 with a handful of local families looking to organize softball games for their daughters, and in the past 27 years ABGSL has grown to become one of the largest and most respected parent-volunteer sports organizations in the East Bay.  We bring recreational softball to more than 300 girls from Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, Kensington and other nearby cities from over 30 local schools. ABGSL has some unique and long standing philosophies, such as stressing fun and skill development over competition and a winning-at all-cost mentality. Participation and inclusiveness are priorities, and our hope is that all girls enjoy being part of the League, working together to learn and enjoy softball.

See you on Opening Day!
Regards,
Walt

Walt Gill
ABGSL President


2010 Spring Recreational Schedules for the month of March: Younger Division | Middle Division | Older Division

Week at a Glance Schedule for all Divisions (March)


The Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League provides a fun learning
opportunity for girls. Our 1st grade division 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


Welcome to the 27th season of Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League Recreational softball. Registration for the ABGSL Spring season began November 1st 2009 and ended on January 31, 2010, except for the Micro Division (1st Grade) which will remain open until March 13th (see above).

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 Assessments on 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 email to the league president at president@abgsl.org

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