Schedules / games / teams

Hey everyone , I am please to announce that the number one team mom of all time ( Shelby ) has been working very hard on the Schedules / Teams and Practice dates along with compiling the emails and info of all athletes . She emailed a mass email to everyone tonight so please make sure you check your email .

Hopefully the rain this weekend and project rain for part of this week will not effect our practice schedule but if it does we will adjust accordingly.

I wanted to take a quick moment and thank all of the people in The Seekers Sunday School class at Glenn View Baptist Church for there wonderful prayers and words of encouragement for The Sandlot . It really means alot to both Shelby and I.

I am hoping to get the Blue Monster built this weekend along with the benches and dugouts for both fields . Also I will be getting the top part of the back stop up for the Main field once we get some equipment to get up there .

Shelby also put a note in the email about parking and I wanted to mention it again because we feel it needs to be addressed for the benefit of the residents around the field . Please only park from the main field backstop down towards Macy Grove Road on the field side ( NOT THE OPPOSITE SIDE ) also there is parking at the end of the field behind the outfield to the right of the dirt road going through the woods .

We are now down to two weeks before Opening day and it is AWESOME !!!!! The SANDLOT is a place for everyone and to see all GOD has blessed us with out there with the fields , families and kids has been wonderful. Shelby and I would appreciate all pictures yall are taking for our blog , web site and emails . If you have the time to put them on a disc that would be great but if you want to email that would be fine also.

Moving forward we need to be getting ready for INVITE A FRIEND to practice . Shelby and I will be discussing with some of the coaches about what week would be best and will be letting everyone soon . This friend can be anyone but if some have the chance to invite a friend that would not normally be able to come out except for The Sandlot that would be cool.

We also have opportunities to scholarship some athletes and any assistance would be greatly appreciated . NO CHILD WILL EVER be turned away due to financial issues and all scholarships will be awarded anonymously. Please see Shelby or myself with any questions you might have about this and thanks .

Second week of The Sandlot start tomorrow - Lets Play Ball.

Coach Mike

WHAT AN AWESOME 1st WEEK

Hey everyone, WOW< WOW< WOW is what I have to say about this past week . First off thanks to Adam Logan and the staff at POWERSCREEN in Kville for allowing us to use their skid steer to grade down the tee ball field . That machine allowed us to get a good grade and was the key to having the tee ball field ready for our first practice.
Thanks also to my wonderful wife for all the hard work she did both on the field and off to make our practices go off without a hitch . Shelby , you are an awesome blessing to me and the children we love you very much.

Our first practices went off with a bang this past Wednesday and Thursday and I could not have had a better time with all the athletes from tee ball all the way up to the machine / kid pitch teams. I wanted to also thank the Walkertown Home School Association for allowing me to talk with their entire program ( 50 plus children and parents ) about The SANDLOT at Glenn View Baptist Church on Thursday morning . We had several parents and kids come out and practice from this group and is was great having them and I hope they feel compelled to sign up and join us for this motivationg first season.

Shelby is getting the final schedule ready to send out and I will also put it on our blog once it is done this weekend .

New Information : PARKING - We feel it is very important to make sure the residents in the area are not faced with any complications and I have designated parking as such :

From the tree behind the main field backstop down the field side along the dirt track is OK to park . Just past the right field fence on the main field is a graded driveway area leading down a field behind the outfield - please park on the right side of the grassy road going down past the tee ball field . We should be able to get at least two rows of cars all the way down. Please do not worry about getting your vehicle hit by a fly ball ( YET ) , from home plate to the closest parking space is about 155 feet and there is not any athlete who can hit it that far this season.

The opposite side of the road from the fields , the first base line ( field side ) and in front of the residents home ARE NO PARKING ALLOWED ( please ) .

First Game : The first game will be at 9:00 am on Saturday, April 9th. We would greatly appreciate EVERYONE being there for the opening ceremonies and also staying through the last game . We are going to have game times as follows : 9 - 10 am , 10:30 - 11:30 and 12 - 1 pm. It would be very nice if everyone can be there and cheer on all the athletes for the entire day and also we will be having recognitions during all three games .

Our Donation Box : The donations we have had as far as balls, gloves and cleates have been wonderful - so good that we have one pair of cleates left. If there is any equiptment that your athlete has outgrown or cant use anymore and you want to donate please bring to any practice and Shelby has the green tub in the back of her van so you can put it in there . THANKS !!!!

RESTROOMS : We are now very official with the delivery of port a potties Wednesday . We have been giving a great price on these and thanks to Brian Clinard for getting this deal for us. In saying this please talk over with your athlete that we must treat everything out at The Sandlot with respect and care . The restrooms have a sign of a man and a woman on them and we would like to try actually having a male and female restroom and I think everyone can understand why ?

I want to send out a special thanks to the new parents who assisted in the practices this past week . I wish I could call each of you individually but your assistance was greatly appreciated I anytime a parent wants to help out - Grab a glove and COME ON .

Our registration number of athletes as of last night was 59 and what an awesome number that is and we still have people calling to see if they can get in ( ABSOLUTELY ) . So if any of you hear of a young man or woman wanting to play a lil baseball please have them come out .

Well , this is about all for now and hopefully Shelby and I can blog again tommorow with a final schedule and rosters . WE ARE HAVING a work day out at the Sandlot tommorow ( SATURDAY ) for anyone who wants to come out. It is supposed to rain but not until the afternoon.

May you all have a blessed weekend ,

Coach Mike

The Vision is quickly becoming a REALITY !!!

Oh how sweet it is to be sitting on my truck bed after a wonderful day of construction with the Bradford Pear flowers blowing off the trees in a white whirlwind, the sun going down over the pines and the smell of fresh well water just sprayed on the infield while new grass pushed through that awesome red Carolina Clay .

Every time I look over THE SANDLOT I can see the kids running around the bases, playing in the woods while waiting to practice or play a game, the parents and grandparents setting up their lawn chairs and blankets with little coolers of refreshments for all . I can picture the picnic tables full of all familes sharing a great morning or afternoon of spring with the elderly in their hats making sure they stay outta the sun, the smell of Brian Knight's hot dogs covering the smell of the new graded dirt.

But most of all I see our families gaining new and wonderful experiences with others whether its a Tuesday evening practice, a Saturday morning game or a Sunday luncheon after church.

I thank God everyday for the blessings HE has placed on our hearts by introducing my family to all of yours . YOUR families are the reasons ( ALONG WITH GOD ) that I can sit on my truck bed every evening and smile at what each of you has worked so hard to make happen for OUR families . THANK YOU from every place in our hearts for making THE SANDLOT a REALITY.


Now with that - I am pleased to announce that our Tee Ball field has been graded down and with a few more hours of work, we are ready for PRACTICE.

We will have two teams in three divisions . Tee Ball, Coach Pitch, Machine / Kid Pitch.

The teams were chosen by Shelby and final say was MINE ( if there are any questions please feel free to ask me at anytime . ) The great thing about Sandlot is that we have the ability to move athletes around, up and down as the season goes on due to abilities. We have placed all athletes by request for coaches, other athletes and days they can or cannot play and can adjust as needed . I also took into account years played, abilities for those I know about and most of all fairness between each team . I hope each of you will be more than happy about the teams and lets PLAY BALL .

Tee Ball - Team A

Mason Sundseth
Javen Tomes
Michaela Isaacson
Will Walser
Kensi Addington
Matthew Knight
Tillman Rymer
Cayden Cole

Team B

Caleb Draper
Jonathan Shearer
Riley Logan
Joseph Roberson
Lindsay Clinard
Lucas Pope
Alex Roberson

COACH PITCH

Team A

Haleigh Pope
Zac Shearer
Tyler Quinn
Colton Godwin
Eli Godwin
Cole Rouse
Nathan Craver
Will Reaves
Madison Michavd
Lola Knight

Team B

Noah Craddock
Nicholas Thornton
Mason Russ
Jenny Lynn Roberson
Andrew Sodt
Zac Sodt
Cameron Vanchure
Ethan Dennings
Camden Dishman

Machine / Kid Pitch

Team A

Graham Tuck
Jimmy Shetzler
Kirk Roberson
Ashley Sodt
Nathan Sodt
Austin Sundseth
Jordan Isaacson
Mason Hale
Lauren Hale

Team B

Dillion Clinard
Cecil Chambers
Noah Chambers
Josiah Tomes
Ariston Tomes
Chris Walser
Hannah Craver
Matthew Joines
Christopher Joines

THIS WEEK ONLY PRACTICE SCHEDULE - Teams will have regular practice schedules by this SATURDAY ( ON BLOG )

Tee Ball - Team A Thursday 5:45 pm at tee ball field
Team B Wednesday 5:45pm at tee ball field

Coach Pitch - Team A Wednesday 5:45 at Main Field
Team B Thursday 5:45 at Main Field

Machine / Kid Pitch - Team A Thursday 6:45 at Main Field
Team B Wednesday 6:45 at Main Field

These time are for this week only because I want to get a practice in this week, next week ( i know some of you wont be able to because of spring break ) and one more the next week before Season Opener.

Also, I will be talking with all of you about Opening Game - I am going to schedule the three games in a row rather than playing two games at the same time so that we all can support all the players and because we will be having special recognitions during all three games .

Dr . Bill Coleman ( our pastor ) from Glenn View Baptist will open the season with a benediction prayer .

I look forward to seeing everyone this week at Practice and LETS PLAY BALL .

Coach Mike

The Sandlot Update

Hey everyone, It has been an awesome week out at the sandlot and it is awesome seeing everything really starting to take shape and how many wonderful blessings we have happen everyday. The Tee Ball field has been measured out and the base lines cut in ( actually tilled in ) and hope to get things leveled out before Saturday with a little dirt and some dragging . We still have a bunch to do and anyone who can come out this weekend is very much welcome .
We are having sign ups again next Saturday from 8 - 4 ( i think its 4 but I will confirm with Shelby ). The Logo is being digitized and will be ready Friday ( which means we can start on uniforms, hats, shirts and whatever else we want to stitch ) .

The Blue Monster will be being built within the next two days and I cannot wait to see the final product . Jennifer and Chris Joines came up with a donation Tub for cleates, gloves, balls or whatever can be used for the athletes and on day one we had a Grandmother show up with 8 bags of balls ( thank you so much , you know who you are and you are a blessing to us along with your family. ). God is working in this program daily and Shelby and I are humbled by everyones generosity and love for The Sandlot / The One Project .

I am putting together teams and coaches and will post all of them hopefully by Monday after our second registration . I would like to have first practices by next Thursday and again first game is changed to April 9th. Even if you dont have a loved one playing we would love for you and your friends to join us on Opening Day . Dr. Bill Coleman ( our pastor at Glenn View Baptist ) has agreed to give the opening prayer. We will also have a dedication of the field along with a couple of presentations - THEN PLAY BALL .

Please continue to follow us through this blog site and if you havent signed up as a follower please do .

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you and also seeing all of you very soon.

May God Bless your family,

Coach Mike

First Sign up day - HUGE SUCCESS

Hey everyone , wanted to Thank all the wonderful parents and athletes who signed up today for the SANDLOT Rookie Season and also to all the families that showed up for our second work day . It was an awesome day to see all the athletes play out in the field and the parents and coaches throw and field for those who got to hit around .

WE have been blessed with a group of families who have expressed nothing but positive feedback on this upcoming season along with hours of dedication on getting our facility ready . The Sandlot is coming together because of these families who care.

Along with those athletes from past seasons I want to welcome the new comers. I dont want to leave anyone out but to Shelby, Misty, Angie, Courtney, Tina, Missy, Jennifer ( 2 ) and Patrice who have taken the time to go to restaurants, make flyer copies, work on our donation box for equipment ( which has already been filled ) , refer our organization to everyone they come into contact with and for the proof reading and assistance in the verbage on all our paperwork along with hours of behind the scenes - THANK YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART .

To the guys - Brian K, Brian C, Grant, Chris, Ronnie, Jimmy, Jamie, Jason and Brian S for all the hours working on getting the grounds ready ( and to all the hours left - haha ) , cutting trees, hauling limbs, clearing dirt, marking out the fields, weed eating, trimming, mowing, aerating, seeding and coming up with awesome ideas on how to make The Sandlot a success - Yall are a blessing and it is a pleasure having you involved. I probably left out somethings yall have done ( oh yeah - standing on a bobcat with an extension saw , building benches ) but I will post more thanks in my next entry .

To the athletes who have already been out during our work days - it is great seeing yall take pride in assisting us ole people ( haha ) in creating a place for your families to come together in a Christian environment and play and play some baseball . For every limb you picked up, for ever scoop you shoveled and for ever pile you raked up you will be able to look back and know that you too had a large part of making The Sandlot a place of your own . Thank you all. Im am already proud of each of you and the first pitch hasn't even been thrown .

We have already made a change in the schedule - please note this on your calendars .

THE FIRST GAMES will be on April 9th, 2011 . We are changing this date to make sure everyone can be there for opening day since the 2nd falls on the last part of you spring break.

We will be dividing up teams this week and I will post teams , practice times and game times as soon as we get all of our registration in .

WE will be having another sign up next Saturday at The Sandlot from 8:30 - 2:00 . If anyone reading this who has not signed up yet you dont have to wait until Saturday . I will be out at The Sandlot everyday this week and will have paperwork on hand .

Thanks again to everyone for a wonderful day and may God Bless each and every family involved.

Coach Mike

Sandlot League Initial Meeting

Sandlot League Initial Meeting

March 1^st, 2011

5:45 pm

Glenn View Baptist Church

1. Prayer

2. Introduction of all in attendance

3. Thanks to all

4. Purpose of Sandlot –

The purpose of Sandlot is to enrich the growth of our children through a Christian Athletic Atmosphere and to strengthen family values and relationships through all activities. All children are welcome and loved no matter race, religion or ability and will be expected to treat others likewise.

Director, Assistant Director, coaches, officials, parents and family members must set the examples of leadership, support and love through their words and actions at all times.

5. Explanation of Teams – Tee ball , Coach Pitch , Machine pitch / Kid Pitch

a. Teams will be determined around ability rather than age

b. Kids can also move up if coaches and parents agree during the season

6. Coaches – All coaches are voluntary and will have General Guidelines for their teams. Each child is different – Coaches need to find ways to reach them as a team and also as individuals. The Director will be involved in every team to reach the goal of our purpose .

7. Practices – Every team will have a Team Practice one day a week . Depending on number of teams and practice schedule will determine length of practice .

There will be OPTIONAL batting practice, fielding practice and individual practices during the week. Schedule of practices will be handed out after official sign ups on March 12^th . Additions of athletes and rotation of athletes will be addressed as the need arises .

All requests for practice dates will be taken at day of sign up, requests will be handled to the best of the ability of Director, Assistant Director and coaches .

Optional Practices – The Director will be Present at all Optional Practices but coaches and parents are encouraged to attend and be involved .

Equipment – Sandlot will provide Field, Bases, training stations, balls and machine . Athletes are required to have glove . ( if they do not have bat they can use one of other athletes ), Cleates are not required but MUST NOT BE METAL . ALL METAL SHOES WILL NOT BE ALLOWED ON FIELDS.

Fields – Main field will be Official Little league dimensions .

Other field goal – To have a tee ball field that best suits teams learning abilities and build self confidence in athlete. ( Athlete should be able to throw from third to first . Outfielders can make accurate throw to desired base and / or cut off , Infield throws to catcher can also be made. Outfield lines need to be able to have homeruns hit.

8. Uniforms – Each athlete will be provided a baseball jersey ( style still being decided – will not be plain tshirt ) and a ball cap . Teams will be divided into colors rather than Major league teams. Each team is encouraged to come up with a name / mascot. Coaches – please encourage your players to develop their name rather than you coming up with a name. This will assist in development of teamwork and pride along with compromising skills .In an event of two names being tied the COACH has final say so . If Coach does not feel comfortable the Assistant Director will decide ( this way the Director is completely blame free ) .

Baseball pants are recommended ( matching colors would be nice but not required ) Athletes will be sliding and rolling around and any added protection on knees and legs is appreciated . Athletic supporters are not required at any level ( yet ) .

Places to start for Pants / socks - Play it again Sports , Walmart .Omega Sports – Greensboro .

9. Waivers : Every Athlete will be required to have a Waiver signed by parent or guardian and will be available at the official sign ups. A lease is being signed by the Director and the land owner for use of his property and the legal documents for this league are currently being worked on. ALL individuals will be using the facilities at their own risk. Work days will be scheduled and safety and proper maintenance is our primary goal. Please let the Director , Assistant Director, or coaches know immediately if there are any areas that need attention and they will be attended to immediately . Also , any suggestions are greatly appreciated .

10. Code of Conduct – Every person involved with this organization will be asked to sign a code of conduct form outlining rules and expectations for the season. Athletes and parents / guardians are asked to review sheet and sign as a family. This is being used as another tool to strengthen family bonds and allows athletes to see there parents / guardians committed to the same set of rules and regs as they are . These rules will be determined by the Director , Assistant Director and pre selected coaches and will be subject to change at the end of a season if needed . ( this is our rookie season and things will change ).

11.Commitment to league – Athletes / parents ( guardians ) - The reason for this section is to allow families to work together and learn about committing to something and sticking to it . Another great family strengthening tool . Athletes will be expected to give their best at all times ( even if their best is on a bad day and that’s all they can give. There is a required team practice day and two non required practices per week for athletes - as a family unit – please sit down and discuss what the commitments should be as parents and also athletes before the first practice . A Form will be in your sign up package so that as a family it can be filled out and placed somewhere in the house for everyone to see and refer back to during the season . NO ATHLETE will be sat out of any game for missing practice or a game as long as a parent / guardian has notified his or her coach . We are not a Major league team and all involved understand vacations , last minute emergencies, sickness . In saying this please work closely with your athlete in making sure they are committed to the best of their ability for the season .

Director , Assistant Director , Coaches , Officials – ALL WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE for commitment . Athletes perform better when they see their leaders dedicated to the task at hand and will remember those leaders for many years to come . Please show up 5 to 10 minutes early for practice , 30 minutes for games . Have equipment ready to go to start practice on time and have practice plan in place. Please have fill ins ready in case you must miss any scheduled activity. IT IS NOT the responsibility of the Director or Assistant Director to find replacements for your duties but will be on hand in case of any emergency needs . ( golf tee times are not emergencies ) .

Games : 1^st game will be April 2^nd . Games will start at 8:30 and be either one hour long or four innings ( this is for Tee ball and Coach pitch ) . If hour is reached in fourth inning then remaining inning will be played and game over . Time schedule WILL be relaxed as far as starting times so as that athletes are NOT rushed on and off the field and that they can enjoy the entire experience of their day .

Machine / kid pitch will be 9 innings. Schedule also relaxed so that athletes can get full enjoyment of game day.

NOTE : There is a possibility of afternoon games with other teams and the Director and Assistant Director are working to schedule this before the first game . The reason is to allow Sandlot League Athletes the opportunity to share their field and experiences with others in the community . This is one of many ways we plan to reach out to our community through this organization .

Outreach : The Sandlot League is going to be part of a larger organization “ The One Project “ and community outreach is going to be high on our priority list for the Triad . Some of the things we would like to accomplish are :

Invite your buddy to Practice day – All athletes will be allowed to invite a friend and his or her parents / guardian who is not currently involved to a day of team practice where we will have special activities incorporated with practice . This friend could be someone from school who might not have ever played or have the opportunity to play if it wasn’t for this invite .

GAME DAY for the Elderly or Handicapped – This chosen Saturday would be to go out into the community and invite elderly and or handicapped / mentally challenged to come out and enjoy a day at the ball field while our athletes play . To have everyone interact and share the joy of Spring baseball.

DASH NIGHT – invite someone to a Winston Salem Dash ball game and bring them with your family . We can all share in a night of professional baseball and allow someone less fortunate to share in that same evening .

Adopt a player : To have each of our athletes adopt a high school player of their choice baseball or softball during the season to send emails or letters of support, watch games, share each players experiences with that high school player to give back to his or her community .

There are several more ideas but that will come later .

COSTS : $80.00 per player . These cost will cover uniforms, equipment and maintenance of fields and area . Scholarships are being worked on and will be distributed as donations come in . All scholarships will be distributed anonymously as to respect those receiving them . NO CHILD WILL BE TURNED AWAY DUE TO FINANCIAL CONCERNS . EVER .

This fee is subject to change at the end of this initial season once financial report have been reviewed by Director , Assistant Director and Accountant . ANY and all questions about financials are welcomed and will be answered as soon as possible .