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Post by aueagle30 on May 7, 2013 2:08:13 GMT 10
I posted a response to Stu and rhricho, but realised this was veering way off topic... I deleted the post and sent the response to them via a personal message... with the P&S meeting last night, it's time to swing this back toward the topic at hand, the competition review... thanks to Stu and rhricho for their points of view.
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Post by oldracer on May 7, 2013 3:14:45 GMT 10
Some interesting pot shots there Stu, fairly pointed actually.
Where do you get off having a crack at a club that through successive administrations, worked their tails off to achieve the facilities, club culture and limited success (1 D1 flag) that Geelong has.
Maybe you should be putting these accusations of privilege to BV who would ultimately have made these swayed decisions in Geelong's favour....
I'll give you another scenario Stu, I'm a parent of 8 and 6 y'old boys who just happen to take up baseball as a winter sport in Geelong and I'm shown our playing facilities complete with mud from the front gate to the rear diamonds, syringes in the toilets (public) along with used condoms. We move along a couple of years still playing winter because the local summer club was almost non existent. Wethen started playing summer but no one made it really clear to us that every second week we would have to travel to Melbourne, not just Werribee or Footscray or Essendon for that matter but to Ferntree Gully, Berwick. Springvale, Bonbeach, Sandringham starting out at 6am, yes a very attractive proposition and one that assists parent and player retention in our region....are you kidding me!!!!! And if the kids get to be ok, we also get to travel every week to Monash, Fitzroy, Blackburn and Cheltenham.....again a really attractive proposition for we parents that have to work and fight peak hour traffic, yes another great retention incentive Stu. We really are a privileged lot but you know the really great part about being this privileged Stu, you get to take your summer holidays at the club that we love, working from 7am until midnight every day for a fortnight to help raise funds to pay for these magnificent facilities that we get for nothing.........every summer for years my wife and I celebrated our anniversary working for our club and our kids, even our 25th!!!!!!!!! along with all the other lucky people that give for the privilege. I would love to look at google maps and see that our next game is 10 mins down the road. You want to talk about back nets, for years Geelong kids had to chase the seniors balls onto Pioneer Rd, still do at that ground, we had no water and you could put your fist into the cracks in the outfield that our privileged players had to deal with. You want to point the finger, you better start to realise that many many people over a lotta years have put in blood sweat and tears to be this privileged. Stick to yur Aces Stu!!!!!!
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Post by oldracer on May 7, 2013 3:26:17 GMT 10
Another thing I just realised Stu, just about all the Joe Averages that walked through the mud in the carpark to sign the rego forms almost 20 years ago are still there, through thick and thin, our players and parents have had to deal with arguably more than most other clubs. Maybe culture has a little bit to do with retention, maybe a lot to do with it and certainly passion, there is no lacking of passion down our way....mmmm culture and passion, could be a recipe for privilege.
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Post by oldmanriver on May 7, 2013 7:37:29 GMT 10
Old racer, you really have lost the plot, Geelong Baseball Club has a nice secure recruiting area, almost exclusive you could say, whereas the metro Clubs do basically back up to each other and continually fight for junior players and yes, more often than not, it does come down to facilities. I do remember playing Geelong in their first year down by the Barwon River and was very enjoyable. Travel really isn't an option as eagle has pointed out in past posts. What you must remember is that Geelong chose to join the competition knowing full well that travel was going to be on the cards every second week so don't use that as an excuse. This season I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Geelong three times this year and gave the lad plenty of driving time. It is a fact of sporting life that travel will occur. Geelong has proven to be a well run and administered Club and successful on the playing field even though you have just the one D1 flag to show. The Club has produced many State and MLB signed prospects which is a major achievement, that alone is something to hang your hat on. It is easier to accept what is on the plate rather than complain about what is not on the plate. Maybe under the new scheme, some Clubs will either disappear or merge, only time will tell, but there is no point bickering or nit picking, now is a time to collectivly put the heads together and work towards the final solution that will benefit the sport. Travel should never come into it.
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Post by aueagle30 on May 7, 2013 8:56:01 GMT 10
oldracer is one of Geelong's most passionate supporters and members and has experienced both the rewards and challenges being a member of our club... if we have been privileged, its that we've had great people like oldracer walk through out doors.
That said, OMR is correct and makes my point for me... with change on the table, now is the time for us to work together and be understanding of what everyone has to offer. It would be shameful in 10 years time if this change leaves clubs feeling like they were passed over by 'privileged' clubs... we should be working to improve everyone's lot.
This comes back to my point yesterday... what is seen as success is not due to privilege, but hard work... all of us have to work hard to achieve varying degrees of success... to dismiss success as privileged ignores the hard work, the learned lessons, and challenges that have been overcome.
I deleted my response last night because I didn't want this to turn to club vs club... let's get back to the proposed changes... a big meeting last night and it would be great to hear some opinions on either the process or the discussion.
From my perspective, I thought it was great to hear clubs from all regions and all levels talk passionately about wanting our league to be more inclusive and more flexible to provide more opportunities for all clubs... not sure if a report will be generated from the meeting, but could be a good way to update.
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Post by rhricho on May 7, 2013 9:20:48 GMT 10
Nate, Oldracer – this isn’t a club v’s club thing and if you go back a few pages – Nate was asking for some insights from others within the league. What I have no time for tho, is for someone giving a point of view (such as barb) and it being pulled apart - as if it doesn’t have any value and that this point of view has to be 100% backed up with facts or proof and even (as requested) to name names of players who have disappointed themselves or their clubs?? Who in their right mind would ridicule publically someone like this? Also just because one person suggests it needs to be outted with proof and so on – doesn’t make it right!! I think Wearnie52’s post was spot on, like Barb, Stu, Puma and myself – we are only trying to give some insights (as requested) from the other side of the (IMO) not so green hill. In saying all this tho – I was thinking after I posted what I did yesterday, I wanted to add this morning that I totally understand the commitment of both players and parents from Geelong just so they can play against others around Victoria. I don’t Agree with you on this OMR that travel should not come into it as Geelong players and parents have do more miles, allow much more time and money, added with the increase to cost of living etc these days, this is - or can be a big thing to many. I imagined myself (after my post yesterday) as a 19 yr kid again (man that’d be good!) travelling around playing at Geelong and having to drive that many k’s every second week – that would be tough and on a minimum wage, wouldn’t leave me much for my thurs – Sat alcohol requirements!!! ;-) I can also add to this by saying I know a few players that have left this area and played at different clubs for this very reason, the fact I have read ppl complaining on here that they have to drive to Geelong a few times per yr is ridiculous and extremely short sighted IMO.
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Post by The Puma on May 7, 2013 9:33:37 GMT 10
, the fact I have read ppl complaining on here that they have to drive to Geelong a few times per yr is ridiculous and extremely short sighted IMO. Depends on the situation. Juniors living in the south east playing domestic ball should never have to travel that far, nor should players in the west have to travel over here. If division 4 can be localised why the hell did they stop it in lower junior comps.
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Post by rhricho on May 7, 2013 9:44:51 GMT 10
not one statement made by myself or anyone is the be all and end all! Any decision made effects everyone differently - simple, but coming up with a solution for all is not easy IMO. I understand your view, however I have played with guys from the central coast NSW - if you understood the miles these players and parents did week in week out, you may think differently? Often these players would book accommodation on the sat night as the round trip was too far!
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Post by oldmanriver on May 7, 2013 9:47:39 GMT 10
rhricho, the point I was trying to make was that the good folk in Geelong would more than likely know that travel is on the cards and there is not much that can be done unless BV change the set up as Puma suggested. Otherwise, no point complaining about travel as that is always going to be the one evil that will be the constant. You could take the DBA for example and suggest that Boneo and Pakenham is to far, but it is only a once a season travel.
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Post by aueagle30 on May 7, 2013 10:55:06 GMT 10
What I have no time for tho, is for someone giving a point of view (such as barb) and it being pulled apart - as if it doesn’t have any value and that this point of view has to be 100% backed up with facts or proof and even (as requested) to name names of players who have disappointed themselves or their clubs?? Who in their right mind would ridicule publically someone like this? In all honesty, I wouldn't expect anyone to name players that have embarrassed themselves. Which is why I took barb05 to task on the issue... by saying players were embarrassing, but then hiding behind the 'honor' of not naming them, lumps all players into that basket and makes it undeniable... how can we defend someone if we don't know who they are? If barb05 had said he was embarrassed by his own results, or even if he restricted it to players on his own team (at least he would have to be accountable to his teammates), I wouldn't have pressed the issue... but when its so open ended, how many players who were already doubting their abilities might read this forum and wonder, "Was I embarrassing?" Considering we're looking at issues of how our sport is struggling to grow and retain player, publicly claiming players should be embarrassed by the effort they're making seems counterproductive. And this idea I need fact to back your opinion is false... what I've said is, if your stating an opinion as it relates to you ("I like milk"), no worries... if you're speaking on behalf of a group of people ("The majority of people like milk"), don't be surprised if one of those people challenges you to support the opinion you've projected on to them.
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Post by aueagle30 on May 7, 2013 11:00:56 GMT 10
The issue of travel and its impact on members, particularly those at entry-level, or low-invested, participation levels is interesting.
larry42 noted (his post has disappeared) the concern of uneven competition if our leagues are defined purely by region... equally, oldracer and rhricho have pointed out the burden travel may impact someone's willingness to participate in baseball.
There definitely seems to be some agreement among clubs that regionalising some of these competitions might create an incentive for more people to participate and improve clubs' ability to retain players longer, but finding the balance to ensure competitions maintained competitive balance would be a challenge.
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Post by wako on May 7, 2013 11:12:43 GMT 10
OMR, you're absolutely correct that Geelong folk are well aware that travel is on the cards, and inadvertently make oldracer's point for him. It is true that Geelong's relative isolation is a factor that makes player retention and recruitment easier because there are fewer clubs that an average potential Geelong recruit can realistically play for. That isolation also necessarily involves more travel, which, given that potential recruits (and their parents, if applicable) are well aware of, makes recruitment more difficult than if there were less travel. It is disingenuous to point to an advantage of isolation and then dismiss the disadvantage out of hand as irrelevant merely because it's commonly known.
Back on topic, as I think I've said before, regional competition below the elite level, especially if it can be shown to likely improve retention, is a good idea that should not be too difficult to implement next summer. It would require the de-coupling of lower grades from higher grades in terms of divisions. If we want to get from that stage to one where the elite level competitions are also regionalised, it will require a pathway for clubs that aren't there yet to get there in order to fill the spots in certain regions; there aren't enough elite-level clubs in the west yet to do that. Maybe after a season or two, the 2nds would have to be decoupled from the 1sts and regionalised?
One thing that was mentioned in the BV paper that hasn't really been discussed a lot is a failure to build on competitive advantages. What is the best way to promote to the community from which we might recruit these extra players what is good about baseball and what the compelling reasons are for them to play? The obvious thing here is that to increase participation, people who aren't playing now need to start or resume playing. How will we make them want to do that?
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Post by stuartcapel on May 7, 2013 11:23:32 GMT 10
Old, I'm not too good at the quote cutting and pasting as Mr Holmes is, however, allow me to cut and paste something from my post above:
"...no one for a moment wishes the Geelong Baseball Club any ill will, rather, people recognise and respect that plenty of hard work has been put in down at the club, but Geelong has access to things other clubs simply do not have..."
I'm not suggesting times have never been tough at Geelong, they may well still be as day to day operations of running a club always give out the grey hairs, I've been there myself. I recall manning a canteen every Friday night juniors for a full Summer season. Didn't have to, I don't have any children, let alone a child participating in baseball, but the funds raised from the canteen proceeds from those Friday nights went a long way to easing some burdens my then club could otherwise do without. Old, we do that for our respective clubs.
My point is that issues the GBC face are not necessarily those faced by clubs in the city. When was the last time the club got a letter of intent or clearance form to be signed from a junior parent to move to a club less than ten kilometers away? The GBC doesn't have that issue - I'd suggest to you plenty of city clubs do.
The travel issue is a burden, everyone respects that, but therein lies the evidence that Geelong is different in some respects. We're going to see the same in Ballarat when the come in (hopefully sooner than later). Looking forward, we may well see Pakenham enter summer league baseball before 2020, perhaps teams from Cranbourne and Boneo. Out west, areas such as Point Cook and Wyndham Vale could sprout new clubs The North East Titans will most likely grow. These clubs face challenges that your Malvern's and St Kilda's may not comprehend and vice versa.
My suggestion Old, is that the world according to Geelong isn't something that necessarily be taken as gospel. Looking at the document (and yes, I have taken the time to read it...and more than once as it not something you can fully digest in one reading), I see aspects that not only would help GBC and a handful of other clubs, but things that under the 'Law of Unintended consequences' would potentially damage an area(s) of the game.
I'll leave it at that and move on, and will look forward to hearing the outcomes of last night's meeting. As a paid-up club member, I have the right to take an interest in it.
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Post by pirates on May 7, 2013 16:48:16 GMT 10
no vote last night, seems no chance of getting anything through this season. too much of a change all at once imo. It would appear that the clubs are talking but the board is not listening. maybe the board should attend the next meeting as there seems things are being lost in translation. what was proposed by the clubs in the first instance is completely different than the proposal that came back to be voted on?
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Post by The Puma on May 7, 2013 17:12:08 GMT 10
I can, it's called ridiculously hard work. Location had nothing to do with it. Build it and they will come is a pretty good catch phrase but it's crap.
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Post by oldracer on May 7, 2013 18:57:29 GMT 10
My point about the tyranny of distance was never a whinge about our particular circumstances but to highlight the fact that the travel itself creates a major burden on players and family impacting harshly on retention rates for us, as a parent do we travel all over victoria every week or does little johnny or mr joe average play local cricket or football or just sit on the couch because it's all too hard to play baseball. Whilst you may have 5 clubs within shooting distance, our parents can and do choose not to spend the money and time that summer baseball demands from here so to say we do not experience the same issues as other clubs again, is crap.
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Post by dazza33 on May 7, 2013 19:59:07 GMT 10
What happened to rhricho's 7.30pm post? It was GOLD!
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Post by rhricho on May 7, 2013 20:14:34 GMT 10
To react to Puma's post looked like I had bitten! The suggestion that he worked harder than others is extremely interesting!!! To also suggest location has nothing to do with it, I flat out disagree!! It's funny, last two yr at bony - you drive thru a footy oval to get to the ground, during each baseball game you hear an eruption from the chelsea ground over the back and the bonbeach footy club (the sharks) are about 2k's away!! That's 3 footy clubs within about 3 k's!!! What do you think most kids in that area play?? Volleyball??
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Post by dazza33 on May 8, 2013 8:05:41 GMT 10
The suggestion that he worked harder than others is extremely interesting!!! Ummmm not sure I can, it's called ridiculously hard work. Location had nothing to do with it. Build it and they will come is a pretty good catch phrase but it's crap. that says anywhere that HE is the only one working hard a Pakenham........Just Sayin!
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Post by The Puma on May 8, 2013 8:25:43 GMT 10
I didn't see your post richo but I wasn't having a crack at what you said. I just don't agree with the location thing, I think it's a cop out. The league Pakenham play cricket in had 16 u18 teams 2 years ago, this year they had 7 and it's right across the board with juniors in cricket too. And the Pakenham cricket club are losing members fast.( I'm told, have nothing to back it up)
Junior footy here are in panic mode with about half the members they had 5 years ago.
It would be very easy to sit back and say if footy or cricket can't get kids what chance do we have? Or we are in an older area, there are no kids here. It's just an excuse.
How come Dingley have heaps of juniors and Springvale up until recently have none? Dandenong/mulgrave? Berwick summer/winter? Can't be area can it. And I say Springvale up until recently because they are now turning that around. Not by magic, by hard work.
And I never said I worked harder, I am just lucky to play at a club that has a committee that busts it's a55. Do I think they work harder than some other clubs? Absolutely, I know they do.
2 guys basically built our batting cage over summer. 2 guys every Saturday and Sunday, 1 even took holidays to get stuff done. Our dugouts and scorers box were built by us, not by council. No money for baseball, it all goes to footy.When we have a working bee we get 70% of members there, not the usual 4 or 5 most clubs probably rely on.
For 3 years running we have had BV, Jade and Justin help us with clinics in every primary school in town. We run come and try days 4 or 5 times a year and Aussie tball during the summer out of our scorers box because that's all we have access too. We don't even play summer.We had the Melbourne Aces come down and do a clinic this year. We drop flyers off to schools, pay for ads in newsletters. Put notices up in local shops. We are also lucky enough to have awesome support from the local paper, who do articles and photos every week. It's free advertising, if you club isn't in the local paper, ring them.
You think it's hard competing against footy in Chelsea, try doing it in a country town atmosphere like Pakenham. It's all about the footy
The kids are there rhicho, you admit you drove past them, you saw them, you heard them from 3 kms away. What did you do to go and get them?
The Pakenham baseball club very nearly folded 5 years ago. Couldn't even get a full team on the park every week. Certainly had no junior teams. 2 weeks ago we hosted 9 games of baseball on a Saturday, over 100 kids and 80 or so seniors. Last week we won our first ever game of A grade baseball. Luck and location had nothing to do with it, and so say it did is a slight on the members that made it happen.
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Post by rhricho on May 8, 2013 9:01:21 GMT 10
Didn’t think you were having a crack and I welcome the difference of opinion. I have also applauded the hard work and success at Pakky, however I can also tell you there is video’s floating around showing successful Aces kids clinics and senior/junior clinics working individually with kids development and also the standard come and try days etc etc There was also advertisements throughout schools/community centers etc etc and the next steps were in place to do some of the things you have nominated – I am hoping that these are being achieved ATM. As for Berwick, I played a bunch of young talented kids last week – realistically in a few years (if they stay together) will be an excellent threat to an A1 flag. Does Dingley have a continuous wave coming through? I don’t know, and how many do have this continuous wave coming???Do you??? Will someone keep you wave and efforts up? I can agree to disagree about the location thing, however to suggest it is a cop out is ridiculous. No every kid like footy and many in country towns play cricket – bat and ball, I was a bat and ball kid and thought footy was an ok game to play – but the ball coming onto my bat or throwing something was much more fun to me. Many cricketers play baseball and I am sure (in a country town, are you sure the ppl out at Pakky are happy with this reference!!!)if you give them a bat and ball option in the winter, they may jump at it. Lastly, i know a few guys in your starting 9 – one originally (great fella, he and I used to hang off road bikes around the peninsula!) from Chelt and then Carrum downs and another originally from the matoes – I understand a few others from the cardinals also, getting these players over – what has it done to the cardinals?
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Post by rhricho on May 8, 2013 9:04:18 GMT 10
also, the post i removed was exactly what I re-wrote again.
I'm out now as - i have waffled on too long. Shame this will not be happening this summer.
lastly - the sooner this goes to one season and players do not have to committ all yr round the better IMO.
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Post by oldmanriver on May 8, 2013 9:19:44 GMT 10
I think we are losing our way here, the forum started off discussing the original proposal, moved onto regional/travel worries, somewhere along the way rowing may have been mentioned. It is true that the metro clubs have to fight harder than some clubs for junior players because of so many clubs in a small locale. This takes nothing away from the Clubs like Pakenham, Geelong and even Boneo even though they do have the luxury of not having to much competition from other clubs but still have to conbat against cricket and football and other sports. Maybe, just maybe instead of nitpicking, everybody involved with baseball should be looking at ways to make inroads into cricket and football instead of worrying about where there baseball field is located. Knowing full well, to get to Pakky's ground you got to drive past several footy and cricket ovals to get to their ground. It will be an uphill battle to take on cricket and football, but there are ways around it if people stop thinking in the square and start looking beyond the boundaries that seem to be the major obstacle in some areas. Work together and results will occur that are achievable.
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Post by The Puma on May 8, 2013 9:33:39 GMT 10
The clubs is in it's 13th year. Our junior program started in 2009 with u12s so all our senior players started somewhere else. One of our starting nine as playing for Carrum, I can see how this must have decimated them.
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Post by barb05 on May 16, 2013 19:27:00 GMT 10
Any time a club needs to put inexperienced or under-developed players on the field at a level higher than their capabilities, they are putting those players in harm’s way. It's dangerous and often leads to embarrassing results. You really have missed the point of this statement Nathan. This applies to you... en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_quoting_out_of_contextContrary to what you might think, I'm not "out to get" you or Geelong, so cut the brown custard, your rants are getting boring. In my best Winston Churchill voice... Not once did I say players were embarrassing, or that clubs were embarrassing or whatever it was you seem adamant to tell everyone what I meant. Enough. You're starting to sound like broken Chinese whispers. One final time, to give an example... If a 3s player takes the field in a midweek because others aren't available, and Brighty is on the hill. The result is probably not good, that this situation may (yes I said may... Allude, Not fact) be as a result of the high volume of games and players not being able to leave work at 4pm to play recreational baseball, might be considered an embarrassing situation by some people. And the point you (as a manager and coach - duty and care of YOUR players is YOUR responsibility, but you already know this!!!!) missed is that if Brighty let one go at the guys head, the risk of serious injury is significantly greater... If you're not prepared to hear, you'll never be able to listen. I'm glad that some of my diatribe has encouraged healthy discussion - albeit east of Lara.
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Post by perfeckt on May 16, 2013 21:33:14 GMT 10
Mmmm.....'East of Lara.' Sounds like a great mini series title.
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Post by aueagle30 on May 17, 2013 14:53:00 GMT 10
barb05, you seem to have taken this entire back and forth far more personally than I had anticipated. I'll be sure to be less rugged in my questioning of your comments in future.
For now though, you pointed out your original statement of playing inexperienced players leading to embarrassing results was not a reference to players or clubs being embarrassing. I'm sure we all agree, that's a good thing.
Although, you did go on to use the specific example of a 3rd's player getting an opportunity in Division One and facing arguably the best pitcher in the league. You then go on to say the result is probably not good and might be considered embarrassing by some people.
Now, I've tried really hard not to take any of your comments out of context, but it still seems you think some people would find that situation embarrassing. In your judgement, who exactly should be embarrassed in that situation? The player trying his best? The club giving him an opportunity? Brighty for being so d**n good? Or, if none of them, I'm not sure why it was used to argue the point?
By the way, Brighty struck out almost 30 of Geelong's hitters over two games last season. None were embarrassed. He's very good.
The reality is, in every sporting competition in the world, inexperienced players are given opportunities to test themselves against better players. For some it daunting, for other exhilarating.
Good coaches and teams find ways to best manage that situation, but it has to happen... no-one ever got experience and confidence watching from the bleachers.
As for the value of ideas from West of Lara, I guess its just another case of listening but not hearing... or was that hearing but not listening... you're much better at those cute little cliches.
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Post by barb05 on May 17, 2013 19:58:28 GMT 10
Alright Nate. Enough is enough. I reckon we both get each others point, lets move on. I respect your opinion and what you dedicate to this great game of ours, and you're fun to argue with online. :-)
Back on topic...
I KNOW BV read this forum, so here goes:
Sponsor a state wide primary school T-Ball competition. Winning PS gets $5k of sports equipment, divisional winners get $1k. Have 5 divisions. North, South, East, West, Geelong. If we can even get 4 teams from each division (20 teams = 240 players) for $11k is a small price to pay for year 1. Use your sports coordinators to run it, and run stories in the leader paper group. Apply for govt sponsorship or even ask Bendigo bank to sponsor it to reduce the running cost and prize cost for BV. I'm positive they (as a business who loves giving back to the community) would jump at the chance. So many clubs have parents and families with Primary School kids, encourage them to help. Your own research said "develop TBall"... So DO IT. But make it worthwhile for schools and kids to be part of. Don't run it as a 1 year comp, plan it for a 3 year comp and encourage schools to commit for all 3.
Leave everything else as it is right now, (league structure etc) and focus on this initiative and see if it makes a difference.
Primary schools are left on their own to develop their own sports programs, only AUSKICK really tries in this space. By helping PS's to coordinate an interschool program you are helping to make their job easier.
By the way, my mother in law is the state high school baseball coordinator, she doesn't even know who works at BV, she remembers Andrew Fennel because she used to teach him. GET TO KNOW THESE PEOPLE BV... PLEASE!!! They are your flesh and our blood.
Please PM me if you want to have a constructive chat, I'll give you my number.
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Post by barb05 on May 17, 2013 20:00:30 GMT 10
I'm not giving you my number Nate, so don't ask... Hahahahaha
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Post by aueagle30 on May 20, 2013 17:48:48 GMT 10
Happy to move on barb05... thanks for the fun!!!
On your issue of BV sponsoring events, fully agree that increased resources would be a great for us to reach more young players and provide better pathways to clubs... and while you're plan is moderately priced, I think even $11k of additional funding from our state body would be well above anything they could put forward to contribute to any program at primary schools.
Last time I was active in running school programs for BV, we were actually charging the schools for the events... I think this has changed, but it shows how under-resourced our sport is when it comes to running these sort of recruitment programs.
The real challenge for baseball over the next couple of years will be finding ways to offset the loss of funding from the federal gov't and still remain relevant in a landscape that is now crowded with fun, exciting recruitment programs and increased professionalism of our competitors.
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