Category: Events

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Team Rep Meeting May 9, 2016 Minutes

MINUTES: May 9, 2016

Mabel League Team Rep and Executive Meeting

Alma Blackwell Common Room, 1656 Adanac Street Vancouver, B.C. V5L 2C6

PRESENT:  Exec: Rebecca, Allie, Tammy, Emma, Shelley, Terra, Alana; Team Reps: Paige (Tanks), Jodi (leonard.), Jodi (Ballerz), Robin (Beavers), Stephanie & Becky (BB9), Chrissy (Oddballs), Ruth (DitB), Devon & Sue (Biggest Hits), Clare (Plan B), Rachel (Rebels), Caitlin (Isotopes), Amanda (Heartbreakers), Deanna (Reckless), Pia & Jena (Team Sway)

Called to order at 7:00 pm

Chair: Tammy

  1. Welcome and introduction round.
  2. Facebook: There is a new group on Facebook, for subs. If you are a team, please make sure you’ve signed up for the group. Then when you’re looking for a sub, please check there. If you are a player who just can’t get enough softball, please put your availability there.

Co-Chair: Allie

  1. Skills Clinics – successful first round of clinics. How do reps feel? Feedback from the floor was that they were awesome, especially for new players. Allie suggested June 18/19 for more clinics, provided there is interest. 2 levels of clinics are planned – newer players and more advanced players.   There was interest from the floor in batting, positioning and pitching for both levels. Allie will email the team reps about interest and possible dates.

LIL update:

  1. We are confirmed for Connaught Park. There will be a Saturday night event at the field – in the clubhouse, so please tell your teams to mark that in their calendars.

Stats:

  1. Please remember that both teams need to submit the score on the website within 24 hours of the game.

Registrar: Terra

  1.  Rosters were collected
  2. LIL entry forms were collected
  3. New players List – lots of recreational level players are still on the list. Please consider picking one up.

Treasurer: Rebecca

  1.  Balance of team fees were collected
  2. LIL fees were collected

Special Events: Bri

  1.  For the LIL, there will be a Friday night burger and beer event again. This year it will be at Cedar Cottage, and cost $18 cash for the beer and burger. There will be other beverage options.
  2. LIL prizing: There will be a costume prize this year. So get your team out in costume on Saturday (to try to de-throne the Nakeds!)
  3. Field Trip to Softball City – the league will be providing a free bus out to Surrey for the Softball Championships on July 16. Leaving from and returning to Trout Lake. Tickets to a day’s worth of games will cost $20. Team reps will be responsible for taking names and money from their players who wish to attend. Look for the email from Bri to follow.
  4. Volunteer Positions: a bit late this year for sign up due to the relocation of the LIL to a venue that doesn’t need as much attention. Bri will send out an email – every team must be signed up for a volunteer position.

Fields: Emma

  1.  Permits – please take a copy of our field permits with you to the fields. A few teams have experienced issues with others trying to assert rights over our fields. Emma will email out the permits to team reps.
  2. Zero Tolerance Violence policy – Updates are being made to the policy and procedures based on survey responses. The next step is holding a meeting of interested parties. Please send your name to the Chair if you are interested in attending the meeting. By the June meeting the draft policy and procedures will be finalize and presented to the team reps to vote on.

UIC: Shelley

  1.  Rainout Policy – We have to make a call about announcing a rainout by 3:30 on weekdays and 1:30 on weekends or we have to pay for the umpire regardless. We tend to lean towards letting the games go on if there is any doubt about the weather. The umpires can then call the game at the field if the weather is too bad to play in. However, after receiving feedback from teams about potential for injury when playing on wet fields, we will be revising the policy to allow for team reps to call the game at the field if they feel it would be dangerous to play. All teams are encouraged to be supportive of teams choosing to exercise this option.
  2. Grievance Committee – we need a volunteer from each of the divisions to sit on this committee. Thank you Pia (intermediate), Paige (competitive) and Suzanne (rec) for agreeing to sit on the committee this season.

New Business

There being no new business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:20 p.m.

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Inaugural LIL Tournament Outdoor Beer Garden

MABEL LEAGUE LIL TOURNAMENT BEER GARDEN

Hosted by somethin’ naked
June 6, 2015
5:00 – 9:00 p.m.

The Mabel League has been granted the City’s first outdoor beer garden licence at a sporting event!  We’re trailblazers!

With a great event comes great responsibility.  As trailblazers, we are the test case for the City.  If our beer garden goes well (which of course it will) other groups will be allowed to apply for beer gardens.  So it is very important that while we’re all having a great time at the beer garden we remember to follow the rules.  Then Vancouverites will enjoy outdoor sportsy beer gardens for years to come.

The Rules:

The rules are the usual ones:

  1. 2 pieces of ID are required for entry.  The beer garden is 19+.  No babies, no fur-babies, no exceptions.  If you want to bring your Grandma, please do, but make sure she brings her 2 pieces of ID.  If we’ve been friends for 30 years and I know damned well you’re over 19, that’s nice, go us for being friends for so long – you still need to bring your 2 pieces of ID.  And you need to keep that ID on you.  We are expecting to get inspected, so help us out and keep your proof of age with you.
  2. Serving it Right rules apply.  We want everyone to have a good time, not a sloppy time.  You will not be served if you appear to be intoxicated.  Even if you’ve got more beer tickets, we reserve the right to refuse you service, as mandated by Serving it Right.
  3. Behave yourself.  This ain’t tea with the Queen.  But neither is it a mosh-pit, a riot or an excuse to be a jerk.  Mabel Leaguers are fabulous folks, we don’t expect anyone will be behaving badly, but hey, it has to be said.  Please also keep in mind that everyone working at the beer garden (with the exception of security) is a volunteer.
  4. No beverages can be brought into or out of the beer garden: We don’t care if it is water, no beverages can be brought in.  There will be a water station inside where you can fill your water bottles, so please empty them out before getting to the beer garden entrance.  Similarly, even if it is water, please don’t bring it outside the beer garden.  There will be places to dump unwanted or unfinished drinks before you leave the beer garden.

There, now that’s out of the way, how about some details about the beer garden?

QUICK FACTS:

  • $10 entry gets you a plastic beer stein and 2 beer tickets
  • $5 entry gets you a plastic beer stein and 1 pop ticket
  • Additional tickets for sale inside ($5 for beer, $2 for pop)
  • Beer, cider, coolers and pop available for purchase, water is free
  • Beer garden runs from 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. with last call at 8:30 p.m.
  • Cash Only (there are ATMs at 7-11 on Victoria between 53rd and 54th and Scotiabank on 49th and Elliot)
  • No food is available inside the beer garden, but you can bring your own in
  • Limited in and out privileges
  • 2 portapotties inside the beer garden

DETAILED FACTS:

Somethin’ naked will be hosting the beer garden, with much appreciated assistance from the Executive and other volunteers from the league.  Beer, cider and coolers will be available for purchase.  Pop will also be available for purchase.  Water is free!

WHERE will it be held?  You won’t be able to miss it – the beer garden will be held on the infield of the SouthEast diamond.  Yup, that’s right – we’ll be right in the park.  Look for the fences and tents.  Line-ups will be marked by posters and chalk.

AT THE GATE:  You will show your 2 pieces of ID and be wristbanded.  You will be sold a plastic beer stein.  If you will be drinking alcohol, you will pay $10 (cash) at the door for your beer stein and 2 beer/cider/cooler tickets.  If you will be abstaining, you will pay $5 (cash) for your beer stein and 1 pop ticket.  Everyone in the beer garden MUST have a wristband and a beer stein.

The capacity of the beer garden is 250 people.  After you have been wristbanded and beer steined at the gate, the first 250 people will be let into the beer garden.  If there are more than 250, the rest will have to wait until others leave.  Sorry, no exceptions.

If you leave the beer garden and subsequently wish to re-enter, you will need to line up in the Re-Entry line.  When capacity permits we will let people in, alternating between the new entry line-up and the re-entry line up.  We cannot have more than 250 people in the beer garden at any time, not even for a minute, so please do not ask to just be let in for a minute to pick up something you forgot or talk to your ride home.

INSIDE THE BEER GARDEN:  There will be four beer stations and one cider/cooler station.  This should keep lines short.  There will also be a ticket table where you can purchase additional pop and beer tickets.  Beer tickets are $5 each, pop are $2 each.  There will be a free water station as well.  Please note there will be no refunds for unused beer or pop tickets.

Beer, cider, coolers and pop will only be served in your plastic beer steins.  If you’re getting a stein filled for a friend as well as your own, that’s great, go for it.  If you are seen drinking more than one alcoholic beverage at a time, you will be told to leave the beer garden.  If you are seen giving an alcoholic beverage to a person without a wristband, you will be told to leave the beer garden.

There will be no food available for purchase inside the beer garden.  There will NOT be a food truck at the field.  You are welcome to bring food into the beer garden.  Please dispose of all waste in the recycling bins or garbage bags, as appropriate.

There will be 2 portapotties inside the beer garden.

 

Here’s a time-line for you:

5:00 – Beer Garden opens

8:00 – Entry line closes – no new attendees after 8:00

8:15 – Drink ticket sales end

8:30 – No re-entry after 8:30

8:30 – Last Call

8:45 – No more drinks served

9:00 – Beer Garden closes

REMEMBER TO PLAN A SAFE WAY HOME – NO DRINKING AND DRIVING

 

FAQ:

Q.  Why do I have to buy a stein?

A.  We are requiring everyone to have a stein for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, we want to reduce the garbage and recycling at the event.  By keeping all cans and bottles at the beer stations we are keeping the rest of the beer garden clear for your drinking enjoyment.  Plastic beer steins are unbreakable (to keep our ball diamonds safe), and reusable (to keep waste out of the landfill).  Secondly, by having everyone use the same drinking vessels we are more able to avoid outside alcohol coming into the beer garden, and ensure people are only drinking one beer at a time, as per Serving It Right rules. Lastly, who doesn’t want a Mabel League beer stein!?  All the cool kids will have one.

Q.  What if I only want one beer? Do I have to buy 2 drink tickets at the door?

A.  In order to keep the line ups moving quickly, we will only be selling entries to the beer garden as $10 stein and 2 ticket combos (or $5 for pop). You are welcome to give your spare ticket to someone else.

Q.  What if I don’t use all my beer tickets?  Can I get a refund?

A.  No.  We will not be offering any refunds on beer or pop tickets.

Q.  Will there be food in the beer garden?

A.  There will be no food for purchase in the beer garden.  Feel free to bring your own food in.  We just ask that you clean up after yourself. Hopefully in future years we will be able to get an additional food licence and have vendors present.  For this first year though, as the test case, we are not going to be selling food.

Q.  What if I can’t drive my car home from the beer garden?

A.  You’re in luck.  The street parking around the park is plentiful and you can leave your car overnight.  The park is just a couple of blocks from the bus. You can catch the #20 bus on Victoria Drive (a couple of blocks West of the diamonds), which will take you straight down to Commercial-Broadway Skytrain Station.

Q.  Can I buy beers for friends?

A.  If your friends are in the beer garden, wristbanded and beer steined, then yes, you can take their stein with you and get it filled along with your own.  We do have rules though about drinking only one alcoholic beverage at a time (if you are seen drinking more than one at a time you will be told to leave the beer garden) and not providing beer to people we have not ID checked (if you are seen giving alcohol to anyone without a wristband you will be told to leave the beer garden).

Q.  What if I just need to re-enter the beer garden for a second to get the bag I forgot, or talk to my ride home?

A.  We cannot go over capacity, even for a moment.  We will do our best to accommodate such requests as capacity permits, and will require you to leave your phone or your pants with the line person to ensure your prompt return. No, we’re not kidding about the phone or the pants.  We need to ensure that you’re coming right back and not just scamming your way ahead of the re-entry line, but we can’t very well make you leave your ID or your beer stein, since those two things are mandatory for everyone inside the beer garden to have.  So your pants or your phone it shall be.

Q.  I need cash – where can I get some?

A.  There are cash machines at 7-11 on Victoria between 53rd and 54th, and at Scotiabank on 49th and Elliot

 

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Minutes May 11, 2015

MINUTES: May 11, 2015 7:00PM

Mabel League Team Rep and Executive Meeting
Alma Blackwell Common Room, 1656 Adanac Street Vancouver, B.C. V5L 2C6

Present: Nancy (Kugars), Carmen (Tanks), Jeanette (BB9), Clare (Plan B), Shawna (50 Shades), Newry (Isotopes), Gianna (Reckless), Shelby (Ballerz), Nicole (Deep in the Bush), Jodi (leonard.), Meg (Marla Hooch), Becky (Oddballs), Sonya (Rockers), Pia (Sway), Romy (Beavers), Coree (Naked), Tasha (Boom)

Exec: Tammy, Elan, Rebecca, Bri, Stacey, Allie, Chester

Called to order at 7:05 p.m.

  1. Chair: Tammy
    • Welcome and Introduction (round): Thanks to Marla Hooch for a great Meltdown!
  2. Co-Chair: Elan
    • Roles and Responsibilities: A reminder to established teams and an explanation for the new teams, the Executive are volunteers, elected by all of you, who are responsible for the calling of meetings, scheduling of games, collection of fees etc. We are not responsible for your team fundraising, sponsorships, equipment or the rest of running a team in the Mabel League.
    • Lil Packages: If you have paid your Lil fees (due tonight), please pick up a Lil package on your way out. We are handing them out early this year, please ensure you keep it in a safe place until the tournament. Packages contain game balls, scoresheets and a little treat. Please remember to submit scoresheets after each game, NOT at the end of the day.
    • Night at the Nat! A yearly event – the league reserves a block of seats at a game for you to all go and sit together. Tickets are available via team reps. The date for this year’s night has yet to be set, but we will be doing our best to avoid the Running Wild weekend of July 10-12.
  3. Stats: Kris (presented by Tammy)
    • LIL Schedule: Will be out as soon as possible. We are just receiving confirmation tonight of how many teams are entered and in which divisions, so as soon as Kris can work it out, we’ll send it out.
    • Reporting Scores and Spirit Award winner: A reminder that BOTH teams are required to report scores within 24 hours. This year there is also the spirit award nomination to be filled in on the website.
  4. Registrar: Sarah (presented by Tammy)
    • Collecting SPN and Mabel League Roster: Please ensure you hand in your rosters and signed agreements tonight.
    • Collecting LIL Registration forms: Please ensure you hand in your registration form and payment tonight.
    • SPN Registration. Requirement to play: Reminder that you need to be registered on SPN for each team that you play (including sub) for BEFORE you play. You are not insured otherwise.
  5. Treasurer: Rebecca
    • Collecting team fees: $950 + $200 forfeit bond = $1150: due tonight. Thank you to the teams who paid via e-transfer before the meeting, and to those who brought cheques with them. The couple of delinquents, get your payment e-transferred tonight!!
    • Collecting LIL fees: $350: we have received entry fees from 17 of our 19 league teams, plus one from out of town (Wildkats), making 18 teams registered this year.
  6. Special Events: Bri
    • Meltdown update: The Meltdown went really well. The venue seemed to work really well. We will have final numbers soon, but it appears the event made money, which makes everyone happy.  Thanks for your hard work Marla Hooch!
    • LIL social events update: Beer and burger is confirmed for the Friday night of the Lil at the Princeton as usual. We have another event in the works and will spread the news just as soon as that last t gets crossed.
  7. Fields: Amil (presented by Tammy)
    • Rain out update: Rain outs are in the process of being rescheduled. Your team will receive an email with your game information once it has been worked out.

New Business

Question from the floor:  Will there be a year end party this year?
Answer: There are no plans for one. Historically this event went from a banquet to a party to a camping trip and regardless of whether it was held in August or September never did get much of a turn-out. So the executive is not taking it on this year. If a team would like to host something, please send your proposal to the exec.

Offers:

50 Shades of Gay has a connection to a granola bar company who would like to give samples away. If we could get some for the Lil tournament, that would be great!

Shelby from Ballerz has a connection through her work to chips and energy drinks that she can provide at a reduced cost to anyone interested.

12 Kings Pub (at 12th and Kingsway, Vancouver) has offered the league 10% off food and drink at their pub. Just tell them you’re with Mabel and they’ll apply the discount.

Adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

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April 13 Team Rep Meeting Minutes

MINUTES: April 13, 2015

Mabel League Team Rep and Executive Meeting

Alma Blackwell Common Room, 1656 Adanac Street Vancouver, B.C. V5L 2C6

7:00 pm: RULES CLINIC with Softball BC UIC Pat Dooley and Mabel League UIC Shannon

The rules clinic is mandatory and each team must send at least one Representative.

The following rules were clarified by Pat Dooley:

Orange bag vs. white bag at first base: In the normal course the batter uses the orange safety bag, and may run through this bag; the fielder uses the white bag. The batter has ½ way to the base to get into the safety corridor (the run line in foul territory). If the ball is thrown by a fielder and hits the runner in this zone, interference may be called. If a fielder is fielding the ball in foul territory by first base, they may use the orange safety bag and the batter should use the white bag. This is also applicable on a 3rd strike drop ball.

Overthrown base advancement: The rule is 2 bases from the last base touched or occupied. It is NOT the base headed for plus one. The 2 bases are awarded based on the point the ball was first touched, not when it went out of play. Base-runners are reminded to tag-up if it was a fly-ball caught then overthrown, or they are in danger of being called out after advancing their bases.

Fly ball catches: When the ball is first touched is when tagging up can happen. It is NOT necessary to wait for the fielder to gain control of the ball.

Protests: Eligibility of a player is the only thing you have 24 hours to protest. All other protests must be lodged before the next pitch it thrown.

In-field fly call: 3 criteria to make the call: fewer than 2 out; at least 2 players in a forced running position and the ball must have been able to be caught with ordinary effort. The definition of “in-field” will vary at the discretion of the umpire depending on how deeply the in-field players are positioned.

Control of the ball: There is no black and white position on a tag where the ball leaves the glove with regular contact. That is the discretion of the umpire. Intentional contact with the glove to cause loss of control may be called as interference. The ball must be in the glove or hand to be considered in control. Bobbled balls or balls trapped against bodies are not in control. The fielder must be able to make a play with the ball for it to be considered controlled.

Re-entry to the game: Original batters can leave and come back into the game in the same position on the batting order. Fielders may field in any position. Substituted players may not re-enter the game after they have been replaced.

 

Team Rep Meeting called to order at 7:28 p.m.

Present:

Carmen (Tanks), Clare (Plan B), Meg (Marla Hooch), Amanda (Heartbreakers), Pia (Team Sway), Tasha (Boom), Jodi (Leonard), Shelby and EJ (Ballerz), Jeanette (BB9), Nancy (Kugars), Gianna (Reckless), Caitlin and Suzanne (Isotopes), Romy (Beavers), Becky (Oddballs), Jade and Shelley (Wombats), Shawna (50 Shades of Gay), Coree (nakeds)

Exec: Kris, Amil, Tammy, Chester, Bri, Allie, Elan, Stacey, Rebecca

No rep was present from Deep in the Bush.

Chair: Tammy

  1. Welcome
  2. A Mabel League Trans* Inclusion Policy has been adopted by the executive on behalf of the league. Rather than make it part of our by-laws which would require a vote at the AGM, the executive has added the policy to the Operating Rules. In a nutshell the aim of the policy is to move our league from one that is accepting of trans* players to one that is actively inclusive. The policy is the first step in a culture shift. This will manifest itself initially in language. We are looking to team reps to be trans* allies in communicating the policy to teammates and being gentle, but strong, reminding voices when hearing older, gendered, language being used.

– A suggestion was received from the floor that we remove reference to the league being more about community than competition. It was agreed to strike that line in its entirety.

– A suggestion was received from the floor that perhaps the line about hormone levels was out of place. Discussion ensued. It was agreed that the line needed to remain in the policy, but that it could be moved to after the sentence currently following it. Resources will also be made available on the Mabel website for anyone seeking information about trans* folk in general and hormones in particular. – A question from the floor enquired about whether it was acceptable to refer to one’s teammates as “ladies” if everyone on the team is female-identified and accepting of the term. It was agreed that yes, this would be fine. The spirit of the policy is to encourage teams to check in with their players with regard to each person’s preferred pronoun, it is not meant to outlaw gendered language. Please keep any cheering for other teams gender-neutral.

– If anyone has any further questions or concerns, please contact Tammy at chair@mabelleague.com

Co-Chair: Elan

  1. Skills Clinics – were successfully held this past weekend. Saturday, June 13 is the date set for the second round. Please sign your players up as you did for the first round. Shannon, who coached the skills clinics, is offering a Catchers clinic on April 26. The cost is $10 per person. You can sign up at coach@softballtutor.ca Shannon is also available to teams at a reduced rate of $45/hour. – A suggestion was received from the floor that next year the session called “the game” be divided into two levels – an absolute beginner’s guide to softball, and a higher level for those moving into coaching

Stats: Kris

  1. Schedule: It is finished and will be sent out as soon as the final field permit is received.

Fields: Amil (presented by Kris)

  1. Fields update: fields have been settled. Just waiting on the final permits.

UIC: Shannon

  1. Hand out softballs: Each team gets a dozen game balls. Please ensure that you provide a new ball and a near-new ball at each of your home games.

Registrar: Sarah (presented by Tammy)

  1. Accurate Rosters: Please ensure your rosters are accurate and fully signed. YOU CANNOT PLAY IF YOU ARE NOT SIGNED UP ON SPN!!
  2. LIL Registration forms and fees due May 11
  3. New players list: There are still about 50 people on the list. Please consider adding players to your rosters and contact Sarah if you pick anyone up so she can remove them from the list.

Treasurer: Rebecca

  1. Balance of team fees ($950 + $200 forfeit bond = $1150) due May 11. Please keep in mind these amounts vary for the three teams who did not cash their forfeit bond repayments last season (the teams have been informed) and for the three teams with the most participation points last year (nakeds, Kugars, Oddballs) who pay a reduced fee this season.
  2. LIL fees ($350) due May 11. You may write one cheque for both league fees and Lil fees.
  3. Budget update: Numbers have been changed to reflect the realities of 19 teams registered vs. the 17 in the original budget. We are now running at a deficit for the year because we purchased 2 years worth of game balls because they were such a good price. This deficit will be balanced out by next year’s expected surplus from not having to purchase balls.

Special Events: Bri

  1. Meltdown update: May 9 is the tentative date. Details will come out via social media as they are confirmed.

New Business – None

Meeting adjourned at 8:11 p.m.

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February 26, 2015 Team Rep and Executive Meeting Minutes

Called to order at 7:03 p.m.

Chair: Tammy

  1. Welcome and Introduction (round) – no representatives from BB9 or Beavers in attendance
  2. Team rep job description:  please read and abide by
  3. Important dates:  please make a note of these, send to your teams and attend
  4. Review AGM items:  recap of AGM

Co-Chair: Elan

  1. Forfeit bond:  will be returned to teams with fewer than 4 forfeits in a season (be sure to pick up your cheque at Finals)
  2. Insurance coverage prior to roster submission: fill out the SPN form for new players, then they’ll be covered under insurance for practices and games between now and when rosters are submitted on May 11
  3. Skills clinics – there will be two sets, prior to season start (April) and after the Lil tournament (June) for your continued improvement
  4. Lil – proposed new location for Lil – people have been asking for a change of venue for this tournament, looking to get all the fields together like we have at the Finals. We think we have found an available set of fields, Bobolink Park 2510 Hoylake Avenue and will be applying for the four fields there for the Lil. We will still book Trout Lake as a back-up. If we get Bobolink we will cancel Trout Lake. If not, the tournament will stay at Trout Lake this year and we will keep investigating alternatives for next year. We will ensure there are food options at whichever field we end up at.

Stats: Kris

  1. Anticipated teams and divisions – once Registration is complete on March 9th we will know how many teams we have and into which divisions they will be divided.
  2. New Players List – will be updated and sent to team reps in the next week or so
  3. New Scheduling System – Historically Mondays are our only non-playing days. Kris is working on not having teams play every weekend this year. Waiting on field confirmations to find out which days we will play on this year. Games projected to start on April 25th . Rainouts will likely be scheduled again for Sundays at Beaconsfield. If there are fields we can get during the week we will try to do rainout reschedules for those.

Question regarding the radius of all fields. Not known at this time but Amil will look into it.

 Fields: Amil

  1. Selection of fields for 2014 – ongoing

UIC: Shannon

  1. Rules Clinic/Umpire clinic  – Pat Dooley of Softball BC will attend the April team rep meeting. Please ensure you send someone to hear the important information he will have regarding rules changes and rules clarifications. Please consider becoming an umpire. If you get certified and then ump 5 games in the Mabel League this season, your certification fee will be reimbursed by the league.
  2. Rules & Grievance Committee – we form this every year and need a volunteer from each of the divisions to be on the committee. We haven’t convened the committee in years, but it is part of our bylaws that we have one.

 Registrar: Sarah

  1. Team registration forms due March 9
  2. Any teams with significant changes to roster?
  3. SPN/Roster forms due May 13th (players can be added after this date)
  4. Lil registration and forms due May 13th
  5. New team guidance package
  6. New players list

Treasurer: Connie

  1. 2015 Budget
  2. Team fees. We anticipate fees to remain the same at $1200, however this does depend on the number of teams. Lil fee $350.
  3. Team deposit $250 Due March 9 Balance due May 13th . You must pay the deposit on March 9th to have your team registered. The schedule takes a while to prepare so we need to have the number of teams nailed down on March 9th. Remainder of fees ($950) plus forfeit bond ($200) due May 13th. If your team is signing up for the Lil Tournament as well, that fee ($350) is due May 13th as well.

 Special Events: Brianne

  1. Meet Mabel social February 28th, Princeton Pub
  2. Mabel League Meltdown TBD, but will be run by a team this year, not the Executive (who hosted last year’s 25th anniversary Meltdown), so we’re looking for a team to volunteer
  3. Volunteering – all teams are required to volunteer for a task over the course of the season. Bri has a list of tasks which will be emailed to team reps, please contact her to sign up. List will also include the breakdown of points available for each activity. The team with the most contribution points at the end of the season gets $500 off their next year’s league fees. 2nd place is $300 and 3rd is $200. 2014 winners were somethin’ naked, 2nd place Kugars, 3rd place Oddballs

Public Relations: Allie

  1. Newsletter – will be coming out to team reps in a couple of days. Please also like Mabel on Facebook for regular updates.

 Member-at-large: Stacey

  1. a) Interleague play with Connaught League for Competitive division – discussion to be held after the meeting for the competitive division team reps (see below for Minutes).

New Business:

  1. Call out for coaching. Reach out to past players. Hoping to make this a fundamental part of our recruiting process – please talk to Sarah if you’d be interested in coaching.
  2. Recruitment
  3. Spirit Award – a spirit award is being instituted this season. Each team will choose a spirit player from the other team and submit their name when they submit the game score on the website (both teams will be required to submit game scores this season). Points will be added up and a spirit award presented to the player on each team with the most votes.
  4. Mentoring – If existing teams would like to mentor a new team, please advise the Exec. Any new teams looking for a mentor, please advise the Exec.
  5. Gear – if you have any old gear, please pass along to new teams looking for gear. New teams looking for gear, please advise what you’re looking for
  6. Discounts – if you are aware of any League discounts, like the one Abbie’s sports offers Mabel Leaguers, please advise Sarah so we can inform the rest of the league
  7. Inter-divisional Play is integral to the Mabel League. It is where teams of different divisions play some regular season games against each other. I.e. the top teams in intermediate play some games against the teams in competitive and the lowest teams in intermediate play some games against the top teams in recreational. This way teams get a clearer picture of where they stand skill-wise and the Executive gets insight into how to assign teams to divisions in the following season.
  8. Standings are determined 50/50 by points throughout the season from regular season games and placement at the final tournament. The Lil games do not count towards standings.
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March 9, 2015 Team Rep and Executive Minutes

Called to order at 7:06 p.m.

 Chair: Tammy

  1. Welcome and Introduction (round)
  2. Executive update – Connie has had to step down as Treasurer. Rebecca has stepped into the position in addition to her role as Secretary.
  3. Update on proposal for Connaught inter-league play – after consultation with teams in the Comp. division the plan to interplay with Connaught has been scrapped. What will more likely happen will be a Mabel League team joining the Connaught league, made up of players from the Comp. division. We hope this will foster community between the two leagues and perhaps encourage a Connaught team or two to join the Lil Tournie.

Co-Chair: Elan via Tammy

  1. Forfeit bond – stack your rosters! – please have enough players on your roster to ensure that you won’t have to forfeit any games. Please feel free to pick up subs as you need them (just make sure they’re signed on to SPN for your team first)
  2. Skills Clinics – April dates – TBD. Watch Facebook for updates.

Registrar: Sarah via Tammy

  1. Team Registration forms Due $250 – Rebecca is collecting registration forms and league fee deposits
  2. SPN and Roster forms due May 11 (but players can be added after that date) – the Mabel roster will change a bit this year. You will still need to sign a paper form, but we will be requiring an electronic form to be filled out with player information as handwriting has proven too difficult to read in years past.
  3. LIL Registration forms and fees due May 11
  4. New players list – the list has been updated and sent to all team reps. Please keep Sarah informed if you pick up any players from the list so their names can be removed. We encourage you to pick up players to ensure that you don’t forfeit any games this year
  5. New teams update – looks like we have three teams joining the league this year. Please contact the exec if you need any guidance.
  6. Team Rep and Exec Contact info – to be emailed out after registration forms received.

Special Events: Bri

  1. Meet Mabel report – the event was a success. We think quite a few new players landed on teams they met at the event.
  2. Volunteer assignments – those who emailed in a preference were given that volunteer position. The rest will be filled at the meeting. Teams not in attendance will be assigned the leftover positions. Volunteer jobs will be emailed out, along with a description of the job expectation.
  3. Meltdown – Corsa has volunteered to host the event. They will work with Bri to bring you the good times you’re used to! Watch Facebook for details.

 UIC: Shannon

  1. Umpire training dates – March 28th for Level 1. Contact UIC if you need details.
  2. Getting Mabel league members involved in Umpiring – We encourage all teams reps to encourage their players and coaches to get trained as umpires as it is beneficial to us all if we have homegrown umpires
  3. Rules Clinic update – Pat Dooley will attend the next team rep meeting. It is a requirement that each team have at least one player in attendance for this important meeting, and you are encouraged to invite your whole team to attend.
  4. Rules & Grievance Committee update – The committee has been struck. Shelley will represent the competitive division, Paige the intermediate and Suzanne the recreational.
  5. Team colours – now that we know which teams are returning and how many new teams there are, we can discuss colours for the new teams. Please stay after the meeting to give UIC your preferred colours. Note that you can’t be the same colour as an existing team for safety reasons.

Treasurer: Rebecca

  1. Team deposit ($250) due
  2. Balance of team fees ($950 + $200 forfeit bond = $1150) due May 11
  3. LIL fees ($350) due May 11
  4. Budget update – the budget remains the same as previously presented. It will be revised now that we know we have 19 teams (previous budget was formed assuming 17 teams) and presented at the next team rep meeting

Stats: Kris

  1. Anticipated teams and divisions – with 19 teams now registered we will have to confer about where the division lines will be drawn.   Please stay after the meeting if your team has had significant changes to the roster that should affect your placement. Divisions and positions will be disseminated in the next day or two, along with interdivisional play proposals.
  2. Schedule – the schedule should come out in the beginning of April. We couldn’t start on it until we were sure how many teams would register and the divisional lines were decided. Please note that all teams will be given an equal number of weekday and weekend games.

Fields: Amil

  1. a) Update on fields: our traditional fields are booked. We are looking into some others, but have to wait until teams grandfathered on those fields have finished booking them. We have Trout Lake booked for the Lil. We are also trying to obtain Bobolink Field. If we do, we’ll use Bobolink. If not, we’ll be back at Trout Lake as usual. We will advise once we know either way.

New Business

Team Sway is looking to purchase a pitching machine this month. Once they have, it will be available for all teams in the league to rent.

Off the Rail, a new brewery run by Trigger, has offered to give a discount to players in uniform who show up after games.

Any new teams feel they would benefit from a mentor? Corsa will follow up with Heartbreakers.

Meeting adjourned at 7:32 p.m.

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Meltdown

Join us for the Mabel League’s annual kick-off party!

This year’s date and location are still being determined but stay tuned for more information!

Members and non-members welcome.

Sliding scale $5-$10, no one turned away for lack of funds.

email Special Events for more information