The start date for the Ryde Hornsby competitions has been put back by one week. The first games of the season will now be on 17th/18th September 2010. Keep an eye on the RHBL website for the draws, which should be posted there soon.

October and November are the months for Gala Days at Stealers. Keep your eye on our Calendar for:

- the U12s Jubilee Cup on the 3rd October,
- the U10s Rick Geersen Cup on the 24th October, and
- the U9s Zooka Fun & Friendship Day on the 7th November.

Contact Gala Day Coordinator Gary Bazzana (check our Contacts page) for more details.

Preseason events for coaches, managers, scorers and umpires are now posted on the Stealers website calendar. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a rookie, these events are a great way for team officials to start the season.

Team Announcement Day is being held this Sunday 22nd August. Players and parents are required to attend to organise and meet the coaches and managers of their team, as well as meet the other players and parents.

Schedule is:

U6/U7/U8 8:30 AM
U9/U10 9:30 AM
U11/U12 10:30 AM
U14/U16/U19 11:30 AM

See you there!

All seniors players are invited to roll the arm over this Sunday 22nd August from noon onwards (after Team Announcement Day). Dave Coutts might even pull some refreshments out of the fridge for our thirstier players. Come along and get ready for the summer PCBL season!

Ever wanted to see the game from the best seat in the house? Ever felt you could do a better job than the person behind the plate? Or do you just want to make sure you really know the rules of the game? Then the Level 0 Umpires course is for you!

LEVEL 0 UMPIRE COURSE

The next Level 0 umpires course will be held on 27 August at Concord RSL (Majors Bay).

Participant need to register via the NSW Baseball Umpires Association Website. This website also has the details of the course.

All fees for RHBL attendees are paid for by RHBL – who then recover the cost from the clubs. All participants should note that they are from RHBL and their club.

As well as registering, please also let our club Registrar, Ian Mayo, know that you are attending by leaving a comment at the end of this posting.

EACH AND EVERY JUNIORS TEAM NEEDS A VOLUNTEER UMPIRE – THIS IS A GREAT CHANCE TO HELP YOUR TEAM AND YOUR CLUB!

Juniors Grading Days will be held Sunday 8th August and Sunday 15th August. ALL JUNIORS IN THE U10s TO U19s AGE GROUPS MUST ATTEND AT LEAST ONE GRADING DAY! This includes all rep players, previous A-graders, current US MLB signings… everyone! Players are strongly encouraged to attend both days, as your best score on a given day will determine your team placing.

The Schedules for the two days are:

Under 10s
Register 8:15 AM
Warm-up 8:30 AM
Grading 9:00 – 11:00 AM

U11s/U12s
Register 9:15 AM
Warm-up 9:30 AM
Grading 10:00 AM – noon

U14s/U16s/U19s
Register 10:15 AM
Warm-up 10:30 AM
Grading 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Seniors Grading will take place from 1:00 PM on Sunday 15th August.

The Level 0 Coaches Course is an RHBL and Baseball NSW development initative, designed for parents/ volunteers that are new to baseball coaching, or interested in assisting with coaching this season. It is also geared for coaches that are not yet L0 accredited.

The course will be run by Ric Wickham – a highly respected and experienced RHBL/ BNSW – Baseball Coach and Head Instructor.

It is a ‘hands on’ course that will provide you with the relevant level of skills and knowledge to teach the basics in; throwing, catching, fielding, running and batting.
You will get to experience, understand and learn the same training drills – used to coach junior players.

Upon completion of the course you will be presented with a Level 0 Coaching Certificate (Accreditation) and Coaching manual.

Venue:
ELS Hall Park – Kent Road, North Ryde

Course Dates:
The course will be held over 3 nights;
Session 1 – Monday 6th September, 6.30pm for Registration.
Session 2 – Monday 13th September
Session 3 – Monday 20th September

Please Note: You MUST attend all 3 sessions to become accredited.

Course Times:
7.00pm to 9.30pm – (arrive 6.45pm for 7pm start)

Attendees to arrive at 6.30pm on Monday 6th Sept – to allow for registration.

What to Bring:
All course attendees will be participating in basic training drills, so please bring the following;

Casual sports wear – t-shirt, track pants, running shoes, baseball cap. jacket (if cold).
Baseball glove
Baseball bat – a junior bat is ok
Bottled water (if required)

RHBL Course Contact:
Owen Talauta
RHBL Coaching Development Coordinator
M 0407 466 568
owen.talauta@blakedawson.com

Stealers junior James Percival has been selected to represent Australia in the annual Cal Ripken tournament to be held in Aberdeen, Maryland USA over August 14-22.
Starting with Stealers as an U7 in 2002, James is now a very accomplished catcher trialling in the U14s this season. He is representing Stealers at the Association level this year in the Ryde Hornsby U14 SJC team, and has also represented Australia internationally at the 2008 World Children’s Baseball Fair.
It’s a real honour to be selected for the Australian Cal Ripken squad, which involves rigorous trials including 60 yard sprint, arm strength crow hop throw, ball-off-bat velocity and for catchers like James, release time and accuracy. Percival is one of five NSW representatives in the 15-person squad.
To find our more about the Cal Ripken event, check out the website. Good luck, James!

Stealers Junior Tania Radovic has been selected for an Australian all-girls baseball team competing in the World Children’s Baseball Fair being held this year in Japan. 15 children from Australia have been chosen, Tania being one of three from NSW. This is the first time the Australian Baseball Federation has sent an all-girl team to this prestigious international event, which is based on friendship and cultural exchange.
All games will be played at the Komazawa Olympic Park.
Tania has played with Stealers for the past 3 years, starting in U9′s Zooka and last year playing in the successful u12′s Lions Grand Final. She is also no stranger to representative baseball, having represented Ryde Hornsby at the recent Coasties Tournament and NSW at the Friendship Series over the Anzac Day weekend.
After a two-day training camp in Sydney the Aussie team flies to Tokyo on 28 July. Good luck Tania!
For more info on the World Children’s Baseball Fair, visit their website.