Don’t let the snow and icy temperatures fool you, it’s baseball time!! Well… not quite… but it will be here before we know it and it is time to start thinking about registration and player evaluations. In fact evaluations will be conducted just four weeks from now! The website is not quite ready for on-line registration yet but I wanted to get this information out to everyone so you can save the dates.
This year player evaluations will be held at the Holt School’s Ninth Grade Campus. The Holt High School coaches (who conduct the evaluations) are more comfortable with this venue as they use it for their winter workouts and tryouts; plus it is more conveniently located for most of us Delhi residents. Another change will be that the evaluations will be held on a weekend, Saturday February 5th and Sunday February 6th. To help parents work around potential conflicts with other sports or activities, you will have a choice of 4 different time slots you can attend. Any age groups can attend any session; we will keep the age groups separated by various stations. Players should attend one session on Saturday and one session on Sunday. Here are the choices:
Evaluation Session One (Saturday February 5):
- 9:00am – 10:30am
- 11:00am – 12:30pm
- 1:00pm – 2:30pm
- 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Evaluation Session Two (Sunday February 6):
- 9:00am – 10:30am
- 11:00am – 12:30pm
- 1:00pm – 2:30pm
- 3:00pm – 4:30pm
Team Structures
Last year we had three different team “tiers”. We are eliminating the Tier-3 level and going with just Tier-1 and Tier-2 teams this year. While we were able to form one Tier-3 team last year, and they had a great season, we are hopeful that having just two tiers will help form stronger teams by virtue of less “grouping” of players. This should also cut down on the confusion of the three tier system. The Tier-2 teams this year will still have indoor practice time but will play in four tournaments instead of three.
Tier-1 Team ($150)
- Outdoor practices start in April or when spring weather permits
- Will play 12 PONY league games from May to June / early July
- Will play in one tournament of coach / team’s choosing
Tier-2 Team ($285)
- Indoor practice time in March for 4 weeks
- Outdoor practices start in April or when spring weather permits
- Will play 12 PONY league games from May to June / early July
- Will play in four tournament of coach / team’s choosing
**New** Boot Camp!
This year, with the help of the High School Varsity Coaches and players, we will be conducting a boot camp. This will be Saturday January 29th at the Ninth Grade Campus. Stations will be setup similar to how they will be for evaluations. Players will be split into groups and get instruction from coaches at each station. This will be a great chance for players to “shake off the rust” and be more prepared for evaluations the following week. This is an optional 2-hour camp and the cost will be $40 per player. Players will get a free t-shirt. There will be two or three different sessions held throughout the day to accommodate as many players as possible (9:00am / 11:30am / 2:00pm). Look for more information and how to register soon!!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why are the evaluations held so EARLY!
A: Because our Tier-2 teams start indoor practice sessions in March and all teams must be formed and player fees paid prior to that. Plus, mid February is mid-winter break for the schools. This break is shorter this year for most Holt Schools; however Horizon still has a two week break from February 12 – 27. This makes the weekend of February 5/6th the latest we can hold evaluations.
Q: How much will it cost for evaluations
A: The cost will be $10 for both days just like the last few years. Revenue goes to help fund the HJRB program plus this year part of the revenues will be donated to the Varsity program as they run the evaluations.
Q: Are the teams limited to playing only the number of tournaments designated?
A: No. The designated tournaments are what is “built-in” to the price. If the coaches, parents, and players want to play in additional tournaments they can, but they will have to pay for the tournament themselves and split it among all parents.
I’ll let everyone know when on-line registration is ready for both the Boot Camp and Evaluations.
Thanks,
Brian Kayser, President
Holt Jr. Rams Baseball
www.hjrb.org
