Leaf Day 2013

This Saturday, December 7th, is the annual MPTLL Leaf Cleanup Day at the fields at Randolph Park. The festivities will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue into the early afternoon. This event calls for any and all Myers Park Trinity supporters - moms, dads, coaches, players, siblings, board members - anyone who can work a rake, gas blower, tarp, etc. The more the merrier.

The work we accomplish on Saturday will pay dividends down the road and free up time for our volunteer grounds crew to work on other projects. Please plan to attend and bring the entire family. Don't forget to bring any rakes or other tools that may be helpful. Make sure to mark your name on anything you bring.

The weather forecast for Saturday is iffy. Any changes will be announced on MP Twitter, Facebook or Blog. If necessary, the make up date would be the following Saturday, December 14th.

Best of MPTLL #3: Versatility

Myers Park Trinity Little League is a multifaceted youth sports organization. At its heart, it is a recreational baseball and softball league, open to all players regardless of their individual talent level. From the most experienced ballplayer to the beginner playing for the first time, there is a place for everyone in our regular season. The less experienced players may participate in one of the league's instructional divisions, while the more experienced ones may enjoy a more competitive division, complete with standings, tournaments and a rich history. Our regular recreational season is a quality league unto itself. But we are more than a "rec league."

During the summer months, Myers Park Trinity places an emphasis on the All-Star season. Our tournament teams have a long history of success, including a steady string of championship banners earned in recent years. In the last two years alone, Myers Park has won NC State Baseball Championships in each of the 10, 11 and 12-year-old age groups. But we are more than an All-Star program.

In the spring and fall seasons, our Challenge program provides an additional baseball experience and an alternative to travel ball, with a tournament schedule and an increasing emphasis on instruction and talent development, led by the new MP Academy. But there is still much more to Myers Park Trinity.

We are a softball program made up of competitive girls teams playing all over Mecklenburg County. We are a non-profit community organization, providing scholarships each season to over a hundred less-fortunate kids that would not otherwise be able to participate. We are a family of volunteers, not only maintaining a great league and outstanding facilities, but also building lifelong friendships and helping each other out when there is a need.

Such versatility by a youth sports organization is rare. Many leagues are unable to provide all of these opportunities for their families. They may exist primarily as a recreational league, and lose players wanting a more competitive experience. Or they may focus more on their Challenge or All Star programs, at the expense of their regular season league. But Myers Park Trinity is able to do both and serve the community at the same time. It is a complex task, and we are faced with more challenges each year. But the league is committed to making improvements in all areas every season so that we may continue the upward trend that began generations ago.

In case you missed it.....

Best of MPTLL #1: Community Atmosphere.

Best of MPTLL #2: Dedicated Coaches.

Best of MPTLL #1 - Community Atmosphere

Online registration for Spring Baseball, Softball and T-Ball has begun. Not a bad time to reflect on what makes Myers Park Trinity so great. And it is great. So here are some of the best things about MPTLL, starting with....



1. Community Atmosphere. 

Whether you're at Randolph Park or Independence Park, MPTLL is a great place to spend a day at the fields. There's nothing quite like being at the ballpark on game day. It's a quiet and peaceful setting at the start of 9am batting practice, with perhaps a lingering chill in the air.  The well-manicured fields surrounding the cages are untouched apart from the work of the grounds crew and coaches to prepare them for the day ahead. The ping of bats begins to wake up the park.

A buzz of energy quickly takes over, with a couple dozen kids on each field starting the day of games simultaneously, each player full of hope for a successful day on the diamond. The parents settle in on the sidelines or head over to the concession stand with little ones for an early treat. The grounds crew can rest and enjoy the fruits of their labor - watching kids play ball.

And it continues like this into the late afternoon. On a nice day, the kids don't want to leave after their games, so the park is most full of life at midday. They can bask in the glory of a big win, or congratulate others on a job well done. They may grab lunch at the concession stand or the Burger Shack and watch their friends play. By age 12, they know almost every other player so there's always a game to watch. Or there is surely a game to be invented behind the backstop, because of course someone has a tennis ball in his bag. The young ones can just find a good spot to dig in the dirt.

The parents and coaches are happy to stay too. It's much better than the yard work or errands awaiting them. Why not stay another hour and catch up with old and new friends?

I think Jake Wade, who has coached his Harry & Bryant team since 1957, summed up the Myers Park Trinity atmosphere best: "In our league, everybody wins. Everything is good and right, as it should be. One can leave the real world and go out there and get refreshed. There are no diversions for the kids, no distractions, no drinking, drugs, smoking or cursing... just baseball."

What else can you say? This is how we spend our Saturdays. It's nothing new to MPTLL. It has been this way for over 60 years, and it will continue into the future....

MPTLL Dives Into Social Media

Myers Park Trinity Little League has recently ventured into social media via Facebook and Twitter as an additional way to spread information to the families and supporters of our league.

The new MPTLL Facebook page is up and running with a sampling of league news, including information about registration for the spring season. It will be updated throughout the year with the latest on Myers Park teams, people, events, announcements, league history, baseball and softball info and Little League news. So "like" us on Facebook if you want to stay in the loop. And please help us use Facebook to spread the word about spring registration. There is an additional Facebook page devoted to the alumni and history of Myers Park Trinity, so check that out as well.

Twitter is another valuable tool for getting quick and easy access to information on subjects that interest you. Even if you don't tweet anything yourself, you can sign up and follow groups or people of your choosing to have announcements, articles and ideas delivered instantly to your phone or computer. So sign up and "follow" the MPTLL Twitter feed for all the latest league info. And for more on baseball, softball and youth sports in general, follow yours truly.

Being a Team Player.... and Parent

Here's a great article at the Hickory Husker in Indiana about the often lost concept of being a team player, and perhaps equally important, being a team parent. As we finish our All-Star season, where the "stakes" can seem pretty high, a good question to ponder is - did you attend games to support the team, or just your own child? There is a clear difference, and I have experienced each.

Sports Parenting the Gerry McIlroy Way

Among all the news about obsessive and aggressive sports parents out there is a good article at Bob Cook's blog, Your Kid's Not Going Pro, about Gerry McIlroy. Gerry is the father of "next big thing," Rory McIlroy, who just came off a 16-under US Open Golf Championship. Obviously Rory did "go pro," but he did it without the kind of parenting that too often makes news in golf and other sports.

Study Concludes Youth Sports Don't Interfere With Family Time

A study has been conducted at the University of Minnesota by the Minnesota Youth Sport Research Consortium to determine how much family time youth sports activities take up.

The results have been published amidst several media reports about those who say that organized youth sports take away too much from valuable family time and kids' creative, unstructured activities. The movement against over-scheduling kids has taken off in recent years as a response to a general trend of longer seasons and kids playing multiple sports at the same time.

But interestingly, the conclusions of the Minnesota study indicate otherwise. Parents who were polled did not seem to think their sports activities were taking up much time normally spent on homework, sleep, family dinners, etc.

Every town, league and family is different. Some families just eat, sleep and breathe baseball (or whatever sport they are playing). Some may feel that youth sports has created more family time, since they have an activity they all enjoy together. To others it is a burden and creates less family time.

One thing is for sure. We all make our own decisions about our amount of involvement in youth sports, based on what works for our own families. I think that's the reason behind the conclusions of this study. As long as you're making your own decisions, you can't really complain about it.

How to Balance Sports and Family

We may not all be as perfect as the happy family on the left (even the dog is happy), but we can at least have a healthy balance between youth sports and family life. Moms Team offers nine ways to achieve that balance.

Juggling Youth Sports

Here's a link to a Wall Street Journal article from a while back about juggling kids activities, particularly their sports teams, with family time. Sue Shellenbarger examines the choices families make and where some draw the line and say enough is enough.

One group in Minnesota, Balance4Success, draws the line on Sunday activities, and has started its own movement called Taking Back Sundays. They ask participants to pledge to boycott Sunday sports in the interest of not allowing their kids to be over scheduled. They stress the importance of obtaining the proper balance in kids' lives among sports, school, family time and unorganized free time.

Shellenbarger also ponders the motivation behind parents that push their kids to pursue athletics seriously at a young age.  Having grown kids of her own that were athletes, she speaks from experience about putting youth sports in the proper perspective. While agreeing that participation in youth sports has significant benefits, she points out that only 2% of high school athletes get college scholarships (and many of those include only a small percentage of tuition and expenses - less than academic scholarships). Looking back, she says it's the interaction with teammates and families that are most remembered by her family - not the on-field accomplishments.

This is a good look into the growing backlash against the "more is better" trend in youth sports these days. Whether we are tempted to have our kids specialize in one sport, or we are considering allowing them to participate in multiple activities at once, we all have choices to make and there are risks to consider - burnout, overuse injuries, over-scheduling, etc. - real issues that threaten to take the fun out of kids' games.