NW Expenditures

As I’m sure most of you know by now, NWCBA has been actively working on the North Wake landfill area for a potential multi-field baseball facility. The landfill is closed now and the latest news is that there is still the potential for an arrangement between the county, city and NW for the development of the “borrow” area of the site. In our initial proposal to the county, NW estimated that we would need to spend $500,000 or more to develop the site. The expenditures would include payment for irrigation and lights for all fields along with construction of a concession area. Operation of a NWCBA facility like this would require hiring at least a part time maintenance person.

If we are not successful in negotiating a workable arrangement with the county and city for the landfill, we will continue to actively look to purchase a piece of property to develop. The board has had ongoing discussions with a variety of developers and individuals looking for potential sites and there are potential plots available.

These potential development projects, along with the ongoing public and private school expenditures hopefully provide some insight into our need to increase the fees for the 2009 spring/summer season. Everyone on the NW board understands the condition of the economy and that some people are going to be disadvantaged more than others as a result. NW has always offered a scholarship program for families in need and we recognize this year may result in more families taking advantage of this program. If you feel you fit into this category, please indicate on your spring registration and the web administrator will have authorization to take care of your situation.

What is Obsessive?

I just finished reading “6 Good Innings” and it was a pretty enjoyable book. The author follows the Toms River Little League all stars in 2006 and 2007 and provides a lot of history going back to the 1998 Williamsport championship over Japan. The 07’ squad didn’t get out of district, but as I read about the 11 and 12 year old kids practicing and playing 56 days in a row, with some days including two-a-day practices, there was this question that arose about whether the TRLL program had become excessive. The author seemed to want the reader to conclude that the success that the Toms River program had in previous years, Williamsport in 95’, 98’ and 99’, had lead this community to measure success only with a Little League World Series. The league games and league championships were presented as secondary, with only the season ending all star 11-12 year old team as the focus for Toms River.

One really telling story in the book came when a father brought his son to the indoor hitting facility in the town. The father wanted private lessons for his son to work out a couple “mechanical flaws”. His son had hit .500 in the previous season, but his dad felt there were a few elements he could improve as he was certain his son was destined to be a future division 1 baseball prospect. His son was 5 years old.

Other stories in the book talked about how the TRLL program wasn’t offering a sufficiently competitive environment and as a result travel programs were springing up so 9 and 10 year olds could play 50-60 spring games.

As I’ve mentioned previously in a few of these president’s letters, the NW board continually struggles with what the mission of our program is and there is always discussion about just how competitive our focus should be. There is a balance that is required to offer young players a great learning experience, an enjoyable time at the park, a chance for parents to be part of the community and an outlet for the dedicated players to be pushed to excel. Obsessive is in the eye of the beholder, but as a parent or a coach you don’t want to remove the love of the game from the player. Finding the appropriate baseball work and play levels along with participation in other sports is critical to a young player’s development.

Regards,

Ken Shuey