About

Parent’s Organization Notes

Coaches, Philosophy, Volunteer Position

Head coach: Jim Flack.

Bench Coach: Jim Flack

First Base Coach: Andy Jolley

Third Base Coach: Jeff Ubben

Assistant Coach(s):

Pitching Coach(s):

Practice Coach(s): Jim Flack, Jeff Ubben, Andy Jolley

Score Keeper: Jim Flack, Jeff Ubben, Andy Jolley

Tag Day Coordinator: Jim Flack

Coaching philosophy. Our goal is to teach and develop each player first over winning. We would like to win and we will try to win, but not at the expense of the players. The purpose of youth sports is to HAVE FUN and player development. We have always played all our players and tried to put them in positions they want to be in. But because Optimist rosters have 12 to 14 players on the team per night that can be difficult, and there will be times the players desire will take a second position to the team success. As coaches we will try our best to develop each player’s talent and at the same time we will try our best to in sure the entire team will have a successful season.

Volunteer positions: The team always needs additional help and if you are interested please see me. In addition, I welcome additional assistant coaches for practices.

Important Dates & Notes for Current Season

Practice starts May 10.

Season starts June 05 and is not over until the tournament July 19. Plan your vacations after the season ends.

Drink schedule is on the team website. All parents expected to participate.

Tag Days is conducted by the Waterloo Optimist Club and the schedule is on the team website. All parents/players expected to participate.

All Star Game will be played after the regular season ends.

Optimist games will be played on Tuesday, and Thursday nights. See game schedule for dates on the team website and/or Leisure Service website.

Pre-season practices (before the season starts) are on Tuesday/Thursday nights, at either the Dane or Tibbitts Baseball Complex. Depending on the day, the field # will change and the starting time will change. See practice schedule for dates on the team website and/or Leisure Service website (refer to the handout Leisure Service provided when you picked up your uniform). Saturday practices may be scheduled, but subject to change if there are not enough players, plus several pitcher/catcher practices and several practice games may be scheduled. See pre-season practice schedule for dates on the team website and this schedule is subject to change on a weekly base. Once the season starts I will schedule practices as needed (as long as we have enough players available to practice).

All Game start times will vary depending on the night. If possible, we will have a short practice before the game. This will be announced before the game and also posted on the team website. If no practice is scheduled, all players are asked to be at the ballpark an ½ hour before game time for a proper warm-up and starting line-up preparation.

Communications – Primary Tool is the Two Internet Websites

The team website is www.jimflack.com. You will be able to get most all team related information at this site and this is the first place you should go to answer your questions. The following information can be found: announcements, general team information, league/team rules, schedules (tag day, drink schedule, practice schedule, game schedule, tournament schedule), player/coach roster, standings, and player/team stats.

Leisure Service’s website is www.waterlooleisureservices.org. You will be able to get up to date sports information, including weather related announcements, game cancellations, game schedule, and standings. In addition they have a website www.teamsideline.com/waterloo where you will find the game schedule and standings.

Leisure Service's offers Text Message Alerts to get updated information on cancellations and announcements delivered right to your cell phone and/or email address. These messages are a free service and you can sign up on Leisure Services web site.

I also use emails to reach parents regarding upcoming announcements, so please verify your email address listed on the Team Roster. I am using the email address you provided Leisure Service so if this is not one you check frequently, please let me know.

If the information you need is not on one of the above websites, you need to call me. I will make all announcements/changes at the practices and games. I will not be calling the players with announcements/changes and it is up to you to first check the websites and then call me if your questions are not answered. If you missed a practice-game and/or unsure of upcoming dates-cancellations:

First try calling my cell phone 239-6844. If you can’t reach me on my cell phone, you can call me at home 234-3047.

Second try emailing me at JIMFLACK@AOL.COM. I have a iPhone so I get emails immediately.

Parent Notices/Topics

Drink schedule – a schedule for drinks has been set by game and everyone is asked to contribute. The drink schedule is on the team website. If a game is rained out, please bring the drinks to the make-up rain date and schedule with the coach to avoid duplication. If there is a problem with your participation, please see the coach.

Vacations – please let the coaches know what vacations are planned during the May/July period (including the tournament). Remember the season is not over until the tournament is over.

Optimist Medical and Contact Information Form. Waterloo Leisure Service asks that a parent sign the form and return to the coach, granting permission to get emergency treatment for your child. This is primarily for practices where the parent will not be there. Be sure any special health problems are brought to the coach’s attention immediately.

Tag Days - The Waterloo Optimist Club conducts Tag Days each year every player/parent is expected to participate. The Tag Day Parent Coordinator will schedule players and parents before the event and the schedule will be posted on the team website. The Optimist Club has requested 2/3 players be at the site for the entire time assigned and 1 parent be available to supervise. We need one or more parents to coordinate this event so please volunteer your time to this very important fund raising event.

Optimist Rules – Everyone needs to read these rules. They are in addition the I.H.S.A. rules and can be found on the team website.

League Schedule - The regular season schedule can be found on both the team website and Leisure Service website. The pre-season practice schedule can also be found on the team website.

All Star Game - There is an All Star game after the regular season. Parents need to be aware that players are selected by Leisure Services and the number of players selected from the Dodgers is based upon the season ending won/loss standings. If your son is not on the team, it is not the coach’s fault.

Practices and Games.

All players are expected to attend practice and/or games. If a player cannot attend, they need to contact the coach before practice and/or game. It is important that the coaches know how many players will be at the practice and/or game because a practice schedule and game line up is put together before each practice/game based on the expected number of players. If a player misses practice and/or a game without an excuse, they may not start one of the next games, depending on the reason for the absence.

Do not leave your son off at practice/games unless I am there. Wait until I arrive before leaving. Also please try to be on time when picking up your son after practice/games so I do not have to wait with your son until you arrive. I have safety concerns about players being left alone at the fields.

Game cancellations will be announced by the Waterloo Leisure Service on their website by 3:30p on the day of the game and generally always based on weather. Please sign up for Text Message Alerts. I will also try to post game cancellations on the team website, on the home page announcements after Waterloo Leisure Services notifies me (use the team website only after contacting Waterloo Leisure Services). If there is an upcoming cancellation of a practice/game, we will try to announce this after the last preceding game or practice and post it on the team website. Always check the team website or contact me by phone if you are unsure about an upcoming practice/game for any changes or cancellations. If you cannot reach me, it would be wise to call another player for clarifications.

Practice cancellation (except for Saturday) is determined by Waterloo leisure Services and based on weather. In general, if it is raining at the time practice is scheduled to start, there will be no practice. If it has been raining during the day (or night before) and the ground is wet and muddy, there will be no practice because we would damage the playing field.

How can your son improve his baseball capabilities? First and foremost, they need to practice basic skills each practice. I will cover the proper way to hit, field, throw, etc in the initial practices and it is up to each player to work on the skills I show them. In addition, if they really want to improve, they need to practice these skills on their own, outside of practice with a friend or parent. I do not believe that just the organized practices and games will get your son ready to play high school baseball. Unfortunately, I have seen too many players continue with their bad habits after I have shown them how to perform the specific skill. Please don’t let this happen to your son.

We have 4/5 weeks before the first game. The practice goals are as follows:

Week #1 – Work on basic drills to determine player positions. Select positions (primary and secondary positions) for each player.

Week # 2 & #3 – Work on fundamentals and player positions.

Week #4 & #5– Work on game situations and strategies.

Playing Time / Positions

Everyone will be assigned a primary position based on the

drills conducted during the first week of practice. The

primary position is where we intend to play them (most of

the time) based on what we know from early practices.

Once the season starts, these positions could change

based on player performance. If a player works hard in

practice and improves, they will be given a chance to

change to a different position. As coaches, we will be

honest in our assessment of a players ability to play a

specific position and we want to put a player in a position

that they can play and contribute to the teams overall

success.

Secondary positions will be played based on pitching and starting rotation. Each player must be prepared to play their assigned secondary position based on individual game conditions.

Each player must be willing to rotate positions and willing to play the outfield when needed.

A starting lineup will be established during the season and if you do not start, you will be rotated into the game starting in the 2nd inning. This rotation will be fairly standard during the regular season. Please refer to Leisure Service’s Baseball Rule’s document on the team website for substitution policy. The only exception is the pitcher/catcher positions and they are not subject to Leisure Service policy.

During the tournament, Leisure Service will issue a policy for playing time and all teams are required to follow this policy.

We will try to keep most players with fairly even playing time as part of the regular season rotation. From past experience, 8^th and 7^th graders will generally play more innings then 6^th graders and players who play key positions in the field (pitching/infield/catching) will generally play more innings. Also depending upon where your son is in the batting order, some players will get more at bat attempts then others.

Because Optimist rosters have 12 to 14 players on the team, each game could have up to 5 players who will not start in the field and 3/5 players will be rotated out of the game EVERY inning. In the past this has caused problems with some parents/players so please contacts the coaches for an explanation.

We will coach to win close games. In late inning contests where the game is close, we will make substitutions that we feel is necessary to win the game. These changes would primarily be in the last 2 innings of the game.

The batting order will be based on individual batting statistics. These statistics will be available on the team website. As a general rule the 1^st and 2^nd position will be based on “on base” percentages and base running abilities. The 3^rd through 6^th positions will be based on batting averages and power hitting. The remaining positions 7th through 14^th will be based on batting average.

How Can Your Son Improve His Baseball Skills

First and foremost, they need to practice basic skills each practice. I will cover the proper way to hit, field, throw, etc in the initial practices and it is up to each player to work on the skills I show them. In addition, if they really want to improve, they need to practice these skills on their own, outside of practice with a friend or parent. I do not believe that just the organized practices and games will get your son ready to play high school baseball. Unfortunately, I have seen too many players continue with their bad habits after I have shown them how to perform the specific skill. Please don’t let this happen to your son.

Optimist Major League Baseball

Parent’s Organization Notes