2016 Junior Giants End of Season Report.compressed

Lompoc League

JUNIOR GIANTS

Ambassador Lindsey Wolf

2016

J U N I O R G I A N T S

Enrollment Numbers

Coaches-2386% (20/23) coaches cleared background checks, rest in progress.100% passed Lompoc Police Department background check.52% have never coached Junior Giants, 47% have.

Team Parents-12

100% cleared Junior Giants background check.100% cleared Lompoc Police Department background check.

EST. 2014

AUTHENTIC ITALIAN

Players- 122


Enrollment Numbers

2015 2016 PLAYERS-272 PLAYERS-122 COACHES-43 COACHES-23 TEAM PARENTS-23 TEAM PARENTS-12

Although the lompoc league had lower numbers than the year before, wewere still happy with the turnout and all the kids and adults thatparticipated were happy and thankful for the opportunity. For next year,marketing the league to cities around Lompoc and to all the schools in thearea (especially older kids such as high school and middle schools) wouldbe beneficial.


Demographics

Ethnicities

BOYS79

GIRLS43

Ages

Uniqueness of league Latino: 68Caucasian: 30African American: 2Native American: 2Asian: 1Multiple: 10Other: 9

5-6 years: 307-9 years: 4710-13 years: 4514-18: not enough registered

The Lompoc league had a mixture of differentdisabilities such as cerebral palsy, club foot,epilepsy, and ADHD. As well as many kids withallergies and asthma. Lompoc also has a handful of foster childrenin the program. Latinos made up 55% of the players.


League LeadershipCommissioners daily role: On a daily basis the commissioner helped with league organization andcommunication with tasks such as answering email from the league or from myself. Commissioners weekly role: On a weekly basis the commissioner was in charge of scheduling thegame times and the fields we would be using for games, as well work together with me to turn incertain projects/tasks on the assigned deadlines. Commissioners seasonal role: The commissioner was in charge of marketing the league, inventory,scheduling of fields and games, background checks, as well he had his own team of 10-13 yearolds.

The lompoc police department was animportant league representative as it is a part of

their community outreach and helped with background checks and the commissioner worked there.

The lompoc league does not have an assistant commissioner or league committee

P R E - S E A S O N


Recruitmenthow junior giants was promoted:The commissioner did all the recruitment for the lompoc league. Heutilized fliers that were on display in certain areas of town, such as thepolice station and recreation center. he contacted (via email) previousplayers, coaches, and team parents from the past years. Another wayjunior giants was marketed in lompoc was through the program beingannounced through the weekly Police beat show in lompoc. Overall,players, coaches, and team parents were recruited the same way.

Improvements on promoting junior giants in lompoc:I think there is a good start to promotion and participant base in the lompoc

league, but more fliers in the community such as in schools the playersattend would give the program more exposure. As well promoting the junior

giants to areas close to lompoc could increase numbers of participants. I would as well ask the commissioner what was done the following years to

create success in this area and what can an ambassador do to contribute.


Meetings

First Pitch Meeting volunteer/coaches meeting

Date: June 2ndPlayers and families were

invited to participate in thismeeting going over the JuniorGiants program and what was

going to happen over the courseof league. Players

were informed that teamswould be assigned to them the

following week.The commissioner presented

most of the information, but Ipresented what my jobs andduties were throughout the

season.

Dates: June 6th & 7thThese meetings, like the first pitchmeeting was about informing and

getting the volunteers comfortablewith the program and their tasks

throughout the season. I would suggestreally emphasizing the team wall

app/sports illustrated play andthe tracking they must do because that

was sometimes the hardest part ofthe job-getting coaches to track.

Not many volunteers attended coachesclinics as there were not many next to

our location.

D U R I N G T H E S E A S O N


Season dates & schedule

SeasonSTARTJune 13th

SeasonENDAugust 6th

ScheduleWeekly

The weekly games were scheduled by the commissioner on a weekly basis.Most teams had the same game times from week to week. The first two weeks of

the season there were no games due to construction, but practices stillcontinued. Coaches and team parents were in charge of scheduling their own

practices and to let the players and parents know when and where they wouldbe taking place. We suggested that each team practice 1-2 times a week.


Distribution

Equipment, hats, t-shirts, gloves wereall handed out before the season started

based on numbers of registered participants. WOW packs were handed out on a weekly basis.

Other incentives such as the reading prizes, Strike Out Bullying sweatbands, andDrawstring backpacks were handed out the week before their due date. Brandon

crawford bobbleheads and certificates were handed out the last day of theseason. Tickets were handed out as soon as they were sent out. Backpacks for

the reading program were picked up after the season at the Lompoc policedepartment.


League communication

League communication is so important to keep everyone on the same track and makesure the league continues on the way it is meant. I talked with my commissioner

multiple times a week as well as seeing him once a week for game days. I spoke withmy regional ambassador once a week on a phone call. As well I communicated withmy coordinator/manager on a less frequent basis, mainly for deadlines or inventory

issues.

By the end of the season I had a good relationship with every coach which was helpful for surveysand distribution of incentives. I wish I would have started before the surveys to really get to knowthe players and volunteers. Everyday a parent/player or volunteer would email or call me so it wasimportant to stay on top of communication outside of practices and games. During the games andpractices I was there to help out and listen to the participants. the biggest complaint from bothplayers and volunteers is that they wished there were more games. Next year I would suggest

having games all eight weeks of the season if possible.

League Participant Communication

League Leadership Communication


League communication:MAILCHIMP

MailChimp was used to send out Coaches Corner/Lineup messages each week. I tried to get theweekly newsletters out earlier in the week than later, as players and coaches have more time to

see it. Remembering to update the emailed list every week (or other week) is important because ofadded and dropped players.

Percentages Opened

Week 1: 61.6%Week 2: 52.9%Week 3: 47.5%Week 4: 43.5%Week 5: 40.5%Week 6: 36.9%Week 7: 36.9%Week 8: 25%

Week 1: 70%Week 2: 53%Week 3: 45.5%Week 4: 54.5%Week 5: 39.4%Week 6: 27.3%Week 7: 48.5%Week 8: 33.3%

Lineup: Coaches Corner:

A T T H E F I E L D


Field & Game Day Description

Number of sites: 1number of fields: 2Quality of fields: One field was better than the other , but both were good qualityStorage Space: we used the lompoc police department and their storage facilityBleachers: were in good condition and plenty of room for both fieldsDugouts: good condition and plenty of room for playersCheck-in/Incentive Table: either commissioner or I was there to help with questions and hand out incentivesBathrooms: portable bathrooms were located onsite Maintenance: done through city and commissioner and myself

Banners: Were hung up before games by myself (ambassador)Game start times: The commissioner and I worked to make sure all volunteers and players understood rules and thatgames started at the correct times. Parent attendance: Was lower than I expected, some parents brought multiple players from different families. We hadno issues with over competitive parents or spectators. iPad at the field: I used the iPad mainly for surveys, as well to help parents, players, and volunteers signing up or othertracking problems. I had a hard time connecting, so I used my phone as a personal hotspot.Commissioner: The commissioner was present and helped out at each game, mainly with the check-in and incentivetable.Junior Giants T-shirts: 98-100% of the time volunteers and players wore their t-shirts provided. First-aid kits: I did not see the use of the first-aid kits very much, maybe once or twice.


Typical game day1. arrive an hour early 2. help with set up 3. work at check in

table/answer questions

7. repeat steps 4-6 untilgames are over

6. once first round ofgames finish-hand out

incentives/talk withcoaches

5. help out around/take surveys

4. make sure gamesstart on time

9. help withpickup

8. Answer finalquestions for the day

P L A Y E R S


DevelopmentPlayers learned the Word of the Week at thebeginning of each practice (15-30 minutes). Weleft it up to the coaches of how to approach theteaching and handing out of incentives. For most players this was their first time playingbaseball, so their knowledge and fundamentalsof baseball increased a lot. It was fun to watchthroughout the season. players on teams were appropriate for age/size.

A total of 35 players droppedthroughout the season. I believe this to

be because of lack of coach-playercommunication, trips, and other priorresponsibilities. Usually if a player

doesn't show up within 2-3 weeks weconsidered them dropped.

Players and coaches both used thehandbooks given to them. I saw a lot of

them tracking their progress in thehandbooks and transferring the

information later in the season on theteam wall app.

C O A C H E S & T E A M P A R E N T S


Each team had two coaches and one team parent,besides one team that only had one coach and teamparent (he was the Police officer to bring juniorgiants to lompoc).for the most part, All coaches and team parents wereon time to practices and games. we had an issue withone coach showing up late to games, but the coachand team parent helped fill in the gap.

At the practices, all coaches taught the word of the week in the first 15-30 minutes ofpractice. Team parents assisted with tracking and dugout duties in games and practices. We had some really excellent coaches and team parents that were patient and kept theexperience for everyone noncompetitive.We retained every coach throughout the season besides one, we gained volunteersthroughout.Coaches/team parents used their handbook to track progress of the different programs.

P R O G R A M S


EducationRound the Bases Reading Program: We did not take part in thefestival because of the distance and expenses it would take,instead we had backpacks given to the teams who all made itto the Home Run Level. We had five out of our twelve teamsmake it to the home Run level and earn backpacks. Mostteams had time to read before or after practice, as well as athome if signed by a parent/guardian. Coaches were in chargeof tracking and distributing prizes. Harmon & Sue Burns Scholarship: The scholarship waspromoted through email and coaches getting the word out.

HealthHealthy Habits Poster: The coaches were in charge ofpromoting and collecting the tracking sheets, where theywere to track it in Sports illustrated play/team wall app. Aswell, I sent out a reminder to all players and parents aboutthe due date/when to turn in their tracking sheet to theircoach. This was our strongest program, because we got themost participation.

BullyingPrevention

Strike out Bullying Pledge: The pledge was signed at the firstpitch meeting. IF players did not attend, it was signed the firstpractice they attended with their coach. Strike out bulling contest: All submissions were due at theend of week seven (Strike Out Bullying Week).

CharacterDevelopment

base bands and baseball cards: Players were handed theirbands and cards from their coaches at practice if theyparticipated in the teaching/program that week.


Willie Mac Award

Sean did an excellent job coaching this season throughhis patience and his perseverance to teach the kids the

character development traits. He is knowledgeableabout the game and cared for each of the player on his

team and the other teams.

Player:Elizabeth Gomez

Coach:Sean Butler

Elizabeth was an awesome team player and cheered onall of her teammates. Her coach said she hustled on

every play and never gave up. She not only learned thecharacter development traits, she shared them with

her teammates and family members.

S P O R T S I L L U S T R A T E D P L A Y


Registration & TrackingMost families signed up for the Junior Giants online through the link because they played last year. I helpedwith some sign ups and registrations on the iPad at the First Pitch Meeting. 75% (9/12) teams successfully tracked on their own with out much help from the commissioner or myself.The other three teams that did need help required a lot of reminders and some still didn't track until I hadto help them at the games. A lot of the coaches tracked their progress on paper and then transferred it toTeam Wall. About 60% (7/12) of teams used the Team Wall app to communicate practices and game times. I did not seemuch emailing or text being used through Sports Illustrated Play. They as well used the app for tracking.

To print the ID Badges, I went to office max to get them printed, because the ink on my personal printersmeared the text and picture. About 50% of coaches would wear their badges to practice, and 80-100% wouldwear the badges on game day. League leadership used Sports Illustrated Play on a weekly, if not daily basis to send out emails, look upinformation, set game times, etc. I never used texting on Sports Illustrated play because there was neverenough room for all the information, so I stuck with email. I used Team Wall a lot to make sure teams weretracking their information throughout the season.

E N D I N G T H E S E A S O N


Data Collection

To get as many surveys as possible, I would focus on going to eachteams practice at least once. At practices I could get a whole team's

surveys done. At the games I would focus on getting parent/guardiansurveys. I found that most parents either don't look at their email ordon't take the survey through email. It is a lot harder for someone to

say no to taking a survey when you ask them in person. If I was tostart the season over, that is how I would have organized my time.

We let each team coordinate their own endof the season ceremony/barbecue/party. One team

provided a hot dog meal to every player on the last day, while others decided to meet another day.

2016 COLLECTION

B I G P I C T U R E


Leagues goals:1. Improve readingprogram numbers

2. Maintain participantnumbers

3. Tracking completed

Based off the reading program, we had many participants, even if their wholeteam didn't win. WE DID NOT MAINTAIN THE SAME NUMBERS AS LAST YEAR, BUT THEPARTICIPANTS WE HAD Were GRATEFUL AND THE GIANTS COMMUNITY FUND HAD A GREATIMPACT IN THEIR LIFE. TRACKING FOR THE MOST PART WAS COMPLETED, SOME AREAS SUCH ASFIRST PITCH MEETING ATTENDANCE WAS HARD TO GET COACHES TO FOLLOW AND TRACK.


I BELIEVE OVERALL OUR LEAGUE DID A GOOD JOB IMPLEMENTING THE GIANT'SCOMMUNITY FUND'S MAJOR GOALS AS WE HAD A LOT OF DEDICATED AND EXCITEDCOACHES. WE HAD KNOWLEDGABLE COACHES, COMPLETED BACKGROUND CHECKS (EITHERTHROUGH SPORTS ILLUSTRATED PLAY OR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT), TRACKINGCOMPLETED, RETAINED A LARGE AMOUNT OF PLAYERS, AND WERE SUSTAINABLE WITHTHE RESOURCES GIVEN TO US AND THE LEAGUES AROUND US. THE LOMPOC LEAGUE DOESA GREAT JOB WITH KEEPING THE KIDS ENGAGED AND LEARNING THROUGHOUT THESEASON. THE GROWTH BOTH ON A PERSONAL AND PHYSICAL LEVEL FOR THE PLAYERSINVOLVED HAS BEEN EXCITING AND SOMETHING I AM VERY PROUD TO SAY I'VE BEEN APART OF. I WOULD SAY THE LEAGUE NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON GETTING MOREPARTICIPANTS FOR NEXT YEAR, AS WELL HAVE MORE GAMES SCHEDULED FOR NEXT YEAR(AS THAT WAS THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT). FOR THE 2017 AMBASSADOR I WOULD REALLYLOOK AT THE ASPECTS OF THE LEAGUE THAT COULD BE IMPROVED UPON, BE STRATEGICWITH SURVEYS, REMEMBER COMMUNITCATION IS KEY, AND HAVE FUN BECAUSE YOU GETTO WORK WITH KIDS AND BASEBALL! FROM THIS ONE SEASON IN LOMPOC I CAN TELLJUNIOR GIANTS HAVE MADE A HUGE IMPACT in the community. I HAD MANY PARENTSIMPRESSED WITH THE GIANTS GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY IN A FREE,NONCOMPETITIVE, CO-ED PROGRAM SUCH AS THE JUNIOR GIANTS. MANY PARENTSEXPLAINED TO ME THAT THEIR KIDS HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PLAY SOME SPORTSBECAUSE OF MONEY OR BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T HAD MUCH EXPERIENCE AND THEGIANTS HAS GIVEN THEIR KIDS THAT OPPORTUNITY WIH TEACHING IMPORTANT LIFESKILLS IN THE FORM OF THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TRAITS. I AM THANKFUL FORTHE GIANTS COMMUNITY FUND FOR WHAT THEY ARE DOING IN THE LOMPOC COMMUNITYAND GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE APART OF THAT.

2016 Junior Giants End of Season Report.compressed

Documents

Transcript of 2016 Junior Giants End of Season Report.compressed