Folsom Softball Club News: January 2010

The Rec Committee is working hard, planning and preparing for an exciting rec season. To date we have received 300 registrations towards our record goal of 400 participants. If you’ve never played softball before, we invite you to join one of our rec teams – you’ll have a great time and make new friends while learning the fundamentals of softball.  If you’ve played softball in Folsom before, we trust you will be delighted with the changes to the program.  The rec season runs from Mar 1 – May 22.  The ASA "B" Folsom Freedom tournament teams will begin after the rec season ends.  For more information on the difference between ASA “A” and “B” tournament teams, see the Q&A section on the FSC website.

The deadline for submitting the Manager/Coach application is January 23rd.  If you think you've got the experience and enthusiasm to teach a group of girls the fundamentals of fast pitch softball, Folsom Softball Club welcomes you to submit an application to manage or coach one of our rec teams. The Manager/Coach Application is here. Questions should be Emailed to Coach Agent, Jeff Eichner at jeff.eichner@sbcglobal.net. Applications must be received no later than January 23, 2010.  Applicant interviews will be the week of Jan 25-29th. 

This season Folsom softball will have our own Jr. ASA umpires as well as Sr. ASA umpires calling games.  FSC Umpire-In-Chief, Janna Brown, has been working hard to get her team of over 20 Jr. umpires ASA certified for the upcoming season.  Janna is partnering with the well respected umpire program of Roseville Girls Softball to certify our team.  Roseville has an outstanding umpire program and our girls are fortunate to be trained by the top umpire program in the Sacramento area. 

One of the goals of FSC is to encourage girls to play softball in high school and beyond.  To help promote the idea, it was suggested we use college mascots for our rec team names.  Some liked the idea, some preferred keeping the old names.  So, we compromised.  Here is how team names will go this year:

6U Division:  Open team names (Bumble Beez, Lil Devils, Diamond Divas, etc.)

8U Division:  Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC)

Bengals, Bears, Vikings, Redhawks, Wolverines, Wildcats,
Runners, Lions, Hornets, Gaels, Toreros, Broncos

10U Division: PAC 10

Wildcats, Sun Devils, Golden Bears, Ducks, Beavers, Cardinals, Bruins,
Trojans, Huskies, Cougars

12U Division: Top 25 NCAA Softball Colleges (excluding PAC 10)

Bears, Bison, Blue Demons, Buckeyes, Bulldogs, Crimson Tide,
Gators, Minutewomen, Ragin Cajuns, Seminoles, Sooners,
Tar Heels, Tigers, Vols, Wildcats, Wolverines, Yellow Jackets

14U Division: TBD
 

2009 was a year of big changes for Folsom Girls softball.  Here are a few of the highlights of our first year.  Folsom Softball Club (FSC) was officially formed in June as a non-profit corporation.  FSC committed to running a transparent organization. Board meeting minutes and Treasurer’s Reports are posted regularly on the website.  The FSC mission was defined as:  "Educate area youth on the fundamentals of fast pitch softball while promoting character building skills in a positive, encouraging environment".  Four ASA traveling fast pitch teams began competing as FOLSOM FREEDOM under FSC. In September, the Folsom Girls Softball Association (FGSA) board voted to merge with FSC creating recreational, competitive, and executive committees within FSC.  Also in Sept, FSC hosted the Jennie Finch softball camp in Folsom with the Monarch's Sport Academy.  In October, FSC, along with John Bilbao and his 16U California Grapettes team, put on a free softball skills clinic that was well attended by Folsom softball families. FSC became a member of both ASA (Greater Sacramento Softball Association) and NorCal softball organizations. Our hope is to see both the competitive and recreational programs flourish under new leadership, see families who have left the program return and become involved, and encourage young girls to learn and love the exciting game of fast pitch softball. We are ready to serve the Folsom community offering quality softball programs. Come join a team!

Folsom Freedom competitive "A" teams held tryouts for the 2010 spring season in December and formed two 12U ASA travel teams. Gary Parks will return as manager of one team and our newest comp coach, Eric Huber, will lead the other. An additional 16U team will be formed in late May, managed by returning coach Robert Reed. The travel teams will compete in approximately 11 weekend tournaments between March and July, while training hard during the week to refine their skills. Additional Freedom "B" teams will begin after the rec season.  Good luck Folsom Freedom – here’s to another exciting and successful year of softball.

USA player Leah O'Brien-Amico joins coach Mike Candrea to tackle throwing technique. Watch the video here

Being a great sport parent is really easy if you can follow some simple guidelines.
 
Understand the process.  If you really want to have a great experience and help your child succeed in sport, take the time to understand the process of learning the necessary skills involved in the sport. It takes 10,000 repetitions to master a skill and very few athletes ever reach that level. Attending clinics together can be a great experience for both the athlete and the parent. This will allow you to reinforce what is being taught and eliminate confusion of mixed messages. The more you understand the process, the more realistic your expectations will be and the more enjoyment your child will find in their sport experience.

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