Spirit Lake Youth Athletic Association
www.slyaa.org
PO Box 193
Spirit Lake, IA 51360

Welcome players, parents and fans to our 2010 season and what promises to be another exciting season of youth baseball and softball in Spirit Lake! After what seemed to be the longest and snowiest winter ever, I think we are all looking for some quality time out at the fields under bright blue sunny skies!

It has been another busy “off season” for the SLYAA Board of Directors and as you will notice there have been several changes and improvements to our program for 2010. We have worked hard to examine every facet of our league, and done our best to incorporate the important feedback we receive each year from our parents and players along with what is “new” and trending with leagues like ours from all over the country. The end results are hopefully ones that will not only enhance and update our league, but provide a better and safer quality environment for our 31 teams and 325+ players of every skill level, to learn and play the sports of baseball and softball.

While many of the changes this year may seem subtle and will go unnoticed, they are none the less important and have allowed us to continue to deliver the best possible league we can. We, and hopefully you too, were very pleased overall with the many improvements we created last year, from the new Division alignments and age brackets to the implementation of rules to further protect our young players at all levels. This year every team facing any kind of “live” pitching will have batting helmets with face masks on for each player’s choice to wear at the plate. Pitching distances have been adjusted to align with ever changing High School rules and we will again monitor innings pitched by all players to insure protection from any chance of debilitating arm injuries. While creating a sound environment for players of all age groups to play, enjoy, and develop under, we will never sacrifice player safety in favor of other goals and are constantly examining ways to be a leader in safety enhancements each season.

Another first for our league in 2009 was the introduction of our President’s Legacy projects – developed, managed and executed by each year’s league President in what will hopefully become a long standing tradition in the SLYAA. Our first project was undertaken by former President Dr. Sam Lammers who developed and launched the league’s first website. Complete with schedules, updates, practice tips and tournament information, the website has something for everyone. And for the first time this year we even launched our annual player registration via the website and the response was impressive with over 1,500 hits in the first weekend alone of the announcements! Look for more content to be added this year and a move to be more “greener” in our thinking with less paper distribution in the future and more electronic communications!

The project that I started last summer as the 2009 President was the update and remodeling of our dugouts that were originally constructed over 20 years ago. We repaired the roofs, fixed some block and as you have undoubtedly noticed – gave the cement block structures their first ever coat of paint! In keeping with the Little League International color scheme, the dugouts now stand in a shiny coat of green and yellow. To all those that honked and waved and shouted out other color options last summer while we were working – I truly hope you enjoy the upgrades!

As for this year’s project we are finalizing a goal of “remodeling” the batting cages, with a hope to include a new slanted concrete base that will help forever eliminate the mud and constant “picking up” of all those balls. Look for the project to start sometime this summer after the season and tournaments end.

And speaking of the tournaments, we are very excited to again host our summer SLYAA Softball (July 9th and 10th) and Baseball (July 16th, 17th and 18th) tournaments! 2009 saw our largest participation by far in both tournaments with over 80 teams and 2010 already looks like an even bigger turn out! These tournaments have turned out to be one of the premier events in Northwest Iowa each summer - so feel free to come out and catch some exciting games!

Finally, we would like to thank all of our volunteers, coaches, umpires, and all the wonderful sponsors that support us each year – we could never accomplish what we do without you! But we need more help – we need you to consider joining us on the Board for the coming year! As we work to make improvements to this league and tackle each season’s new challenges to provide a quality experience to all our players, we need more hands and ideas and people willing to step and make a difference in the lives of over 325 youth in our great community. Feel free to contact either me or any of our dedicated Board members for information and to learn more about this great experience!

Thanks and best wishes for a fun and rewarding season – now “Let’s Play Ball!”

Dale Acton 2010 SLYAA President