Southwest Portland Little League

2012 March 11 Southwest Portland LL Coaches Orientation/Clinic: This is a mandatory clinic for managers and coaches. Parents interested in helping out at practices are also encouraged to attend. Coaching tips, strategies, fundamentals, and drills will be covered by Dan Glass, and several league coaches. Bring your questions and your notepads and learn more ways to help kids play baseball.

Prior to the clinic, Tony Ditore of School of Baseball will be running a hitting clinic for managers/coaches and their kids. Video analysis will be incorporated, and each coach/manager will receive a free DVD.

Location: Wilson High School Gymnasium
Time: March 11 TBD

Note: This event is also a good time to meet other coaches in our league, meet division VPs and organizers, and turn in your volunteer form if you haven't yet mailed it in.

2012 Academy Baseball Clinics: Robbie Trebelhorn of Academy Baseball will be conducting coach/player clinics with all of the teams in our A and AA Divisions at the Stephenson Gym. AA clinics will be conducted from March 19-23; A clinics will be held after spring break, from April 5-9. Specifics will be sent out to managers and coaches once teams have been formed.
 

The speaker for this year's clinic is Dave Gasser, who gave an excellent presentation last year. It takes place from 1:00-5:00pm on 1/15 at the Embassy Suites Portland Airport, and costs $15. More information can be found at http://www.friendsofbaseball.org/pdxclinic/.

The league has been collecting lists of manager/coach candidates for next Spring's baseball season. Although our initial deadline has passed, we have not yet finalized manager positions for all of our divisions. If you are interested in returning as a manager or coach, would like to manage or coach in a different division, or are interested in managing or coaching for the first time in our league, please contact our coaching coordinator, Ivan Kidoguchi (itk@uw.edu) as soon as possible. Please DO NOT assume that if you managed or coached last year, you will automatically end up on the list for this year, since divisions expand and contract from year to year.

In your email, please let us know:

1) What level you are interested in coaching at (T-ball, AA, Majors, etc.), and in what capacity (coach or manager);

2) What level you coached or managed at last year (if applicable);

3) Any other information you think relevant (if you would like to coach or  manage with this or that coach/manager, any experience you've had coaching beyond the SWPLL, kids you currently have playing in the league, etc).

If you're undecided, but are thinking about doing it, just say so. If you're certain you're coaching, say so.


Here are our divisions and the Vice Presidents in charge of them:

Majors (VP Rich Taff): 4 teams last year; probably 2-3 returning managers

AAA (VP Gordon Hunter): 5 teams last year; probably 2-3 returning managers

AA (VP Dave Petersen): 10 teams last year

A (VP Rich Ulbricht): 7 teams last year

T-Ball (VP position open)

Please contact Ivan if you are interested in being VP of T-Ball, or if you know someone who may be interested.

All managers and coaches will need to turn in a volunteer form and submit to a background check before coaching their teams. There will also be a mandatory league coaches clinic/meeting at the Wilson Gym on March 11.

All managers and coaches should fill out the online registration and print, complete, and mail in a little league volunteer form. Please note that this form must include a copy of a valid government issued photo ID, such as a valid Driver's License.

Mail your completed form to the following address:

Southwest Portland Little League
PO Box 19714
Portland, OR 97280-0714

Once the season has begun, managers are required to carry a Medical Release Form for each player on their roster at all practices and games. You can download the form here and print it out for parents to fill out, or direct them to this page to print and fill out themselves. It is suggested that you use a binder or folder to keep these documents together over the course of the season.

Len put on an excellent clinic at Garden home on March 13, and has generously given his permission to redistribute the coaching manual that he has written containing many of the coaching tips and strategies he teaches in his clinics.

Several of our coaches attended the 2011 Friends of Baseball Coaches Clinic this year, which was conducted by Coach Dave Gasser, and all agreed that it was exceptionally organized and presented. Thus, the league has purchased from Coach Gasser several copies of his instructional DVD focusing on fundamentals, which our managers and coaches can check out. Please contact our coach development coordinator, Ivan Kidoguchi, if you would like to check out one of these DVDs, or if you would like to purchase one for $25.