To all the members of the WAGS Family:

As I was digging through the historical documents of WAGS, I discovered that this is WAGS’ 25^th Anniversary! Quite an accomplishment – I can only imagine the amount of work the founders had to do to start a new softball league. 

WAGS started out very small but it has turned into a very successful softball league that is respected throughout the softball community.  We figured out that almost 10,000 girls have participated in WAGS getting the opportunity to learn to play softball, have fun and meet new friends.

Something the founders should be proud of…

With registration starting October 15^th for our silver anniversary year, I must tell you THIS IS the year to play WAGS.  We are pulling out the stops to make this a memorable year.  We are looking to register our 10,000 player – I wonder who the lucky girl will be – I’m sure the board will have a special something planned for her at Opening Day.

WHAT’S NEW?

There are some wonderful improvements planned for the 2010 season and the board is committed to make this season more fun than ever for the girls and the parents.

The most exciting news is our “new” Player/Coach Development Program.  Over summer, we met with the coaches at Agoura High, Oak Park High and Oaks Christian.  They have pledged their time to help us develop a new program that will help our coaches run better practices and impart fundamentals and game time strategies to your daughter.  With new coaching and player clinics (and a new mentoring program), every girl will have the opportunity to improve her abilities. This is a fantastic opportunity to have our high-school coaches work with WAGS and it will have such a lasting impact on the league.

One thing we do not want to change is the feeling of camaraderie and family in WAGS.  We love to hear this comment, and it happens often from parents and the girls.  It is my belief that is what has made WAGS so successful because it complements the girl’s top two reasons to play softball, which is to have fun and make friends.

CONGRATULATIONS!

I want to acknowledge the accomplishments of our 10 and Under Gold and 14 and Under Gold All Star Teams.   Both teams qualified and played in the ASA National Championships coming in 5^th place out of over 700 teams (you can read about it in this newsletter).  They deserve a huge congratulation on a phenomenal fete.

REGISTRATION

We are very sensitive to the current economic conditions and realize that money is tight, so we are once again offering a significantly reduced “Early Bird” registration program from October 15^th through November 30^th at which time the fees will go up to our regular pricing. Click to http://register.wags411.org to sign up now!

We will also be offering a new financial assistance program to help our families in need. We want to make sure that every girl has the opportunity to play softball regardless of the ability to pay. Please contact me @ commish@wags411.org to discuss how we can help.

I look forward to seeing everyone at our new and improved Skills Evaluation this year.  Also, we are planning a great memorable opening day. As I said before, this is the year to play WAGS and I cannot wait to see you and your daughters on the field.

Tom Niemerow

Commissioner

P.S.

COACHES NEEDED

We always need coaches – especially mom coaches!  With our new coach development and mentoring program – we will help you be a great coach.  From experience, I can tell you that there is no greater feeling than to see one of your players execute a new skill. If you have any questions about coaching, do not hesitate to contact any board member including Rick Maholchic our Director of Player Coach Development.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

A youth sports league is only as good as its volunteers. WAGS is no different.  Parents, your daughters experience in WAGS is exponentially better when you volunteer.  The girls are very proud to tell their teammates my parents “did that”.  We have so many ways for you to help, from banners, helping out on the field, concessions, being your team’s webmaster.  There will be a booth at Skills Evaluation where you can ask about how you can participate to make the league even better for the girls.

FIELD BANNER SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

This year we are bringing back the WAGS Field Banner Sponsorship program. This is an affordable way to let businesses show their support by purchasing banners at our fields for the whole season (including our Annual All Star Tournament).

THE GIRLS OF SUMMER

WAGS has always been a competitive force during the All-Star season.  However, this season was special.  All of the age groups experienced a summer to remember. Click to http://wags-softball.d4sportsclub.com/page.aspx?id=114 for the tournament by tournament results… and just for fun, follow this link http://wags-softball.d4sportsclub.com/page.aspx?id=18 to see all the WAGS accomplishment (over the years) and the girls that have gone on to play college softball.