Meeting called to order at 6:05pm on 11/29/17
2017 Board Members in attendance: Robert Herzberg, David Molina, Tyler Edwards, Paul Kennedy & Steve Neighbors
Close of 2017 Season
Fall League Update - Robert reported that fall participation was significantly down for the league as well as other Reno/Sparks leagues and that he was recommending that the fall SGSL league be terminated or combined with other Reno/Sparks fall programs on a rotational basis in future years. No action taken at this time.
DePoali Fields - Fall repairs to fields went very well and they are in good condition. Discussed adding bleaches and a storage shed for 2018 as well as more field dirt so that significantly more games can be played there in 2018. Also discussed setting up a mobile snack bar for those fields as well as possibly inviting a food truck. No action taken at this time.
Inter-league Play - Discussed the success of the inter-league play this Spring and discussed continuing it for 2018 with possible requirement for visiting teams to send deposit check to home teams to cover cost of officials, etc. in case of cancellation, No action taken at this time.
Equipment - Tyler will be contacting fall coaches to schedule a return of equipment to the league in the coming weeks.
2018 Season
Registration - Paul will open registration in Mid-December. Pricing will be $100 for U6 and $125 for U8-14. Discussed scholarships being limited to 50% of the registration fee with the requirement that the parents of the scholarship recipient must volunteer for snack bar or field maintenance. Scott suggested collecting a $50 check from all participant parents to be cashed in lieu of 3-4 volunteer hours of service to the league or returned upon completion of the volunteer hours. No action taken at this time.
Fields Open - fields opening March 1st.
Coaches Interviews - Dave will coordinate coach interviews in mid-February a couple of weeks ahead of expected practices beginning.
Tryouts - Tentatively scheduled for Friday, March 2rd with the draft on Sunday, March 5th.
SGSL Golf Tourney - Scheduled for April 6, 2018 at Wolf Run Golf Course. Scott requested that board members begin requesting donations for silent auction or raffle items to help raise funds for the league at the event.
Opening Day - Tentatively set for April 9th with opening ceremonies on Saturday, April 14th. Steve suggested checking with Jim on Washoe Little League opening ceremonies timing to avoid scheduling on the same day. No action taken at this time.
Snack Bar - Tricia volunteered to take over the snack bar coordination. Discussion was to have older players or parents volunteer time in the snack bar. Tricia offered to obtain snacks from Sam's Club to keep cost down.
Fundraising & Sponsorships - Tricia and Kristy volunteered to take over these duties from Steve and the board voted to approve this transition. Robert discussed the importance of the steer raffle actually happening this year after Ann Rosevar failed to follow through on this effort for the 2017 season. Robert offered to walk Tricia and Kristy through the steps to order tickets, purchase a steer, etc. Discussed all players being required to sell or buy 3 raffle tickets each and Steve offered a free yogurt coupon for all players that sell their 3 tickets. Discussed requiring all coaches to commit to finding a $300 league sponsor as a condition of being a coach and everyone was in favor. Not action taken at this time.
Rule changes - Robert informed the board that a new pitching rule for 12U would allow only 1 foot on the rubber vs the 2 feet requirement in previous years which he said will lead to an increased pitch velocity.
Board Members
New Board Members - Scott & Jennifer Wackowski, Dan Gomez, Tricia Staats and Kristy Bloyed were approved as new board members.
Board Member Responsibilities - Scott will be the umpire coordinator, Jennifer will be the board secretary, Tricia will be the snackbar coordinator and the fundraising and sponsorship coordinator (replacing Steve Neighbors) along with Kristy Bloyed who will share those duties. Steve volunteered to be the Treasurer for 2018 and the board voted in favor. Dave will be the Coaches Coordinator and discussion was had about eliminating the division player reps in lieu of Dave coordinating all division issues for consistency in handling issues. Several members were supportive of the idea but no final decision was made and no action was taken.
Reno Aces Day - Robert advised that it was scheduled for May 6th
Boys and Girls Club - Robert (after discussions with Jim Marren) suggested that the board consider offering scholarships to Boys and Girls Club Members to give exposure to the league to the club which currently does not offer a softball program. Several members were supportive of the idea and the suggestion was made that this may be a way to reach out to the "heavy hitters" supporters of the B&G club for support for our fundraising activities creating a win-win situation. No action was taken at this time.
Treasurer - Steve Neighbors was nominated and elected by the board
Secretary - Jennifer Wachowski was nominated and elected by the board
Reno Elite - Robert gave an update on the success the teams had in 2017 and the changes to the coaching staffs for 2018 that include: Paul Burr coaching the U16-U18 Team, Rob Kittrell coaching the U14 team and Robert Herzberg & Jim Marren coaching the U12 team. Robert informed the board that the U10 coaching position was vacant for the 2018 season. Discussion about having Elite players participate in rec league games came down to a general consensus that having the Elite team players who get less playing time (need further development) give consideration to participating in the rec games might be beneficial to the development of the Elite players as well as the rec players that get to play with them. No action was taken at this time.
Next Meeting - will be December 20th
Open Discussion Items - None raised.
Meeting closed at 7:10pm