13-15 All-Star Tryouts

13-15 All-Star tryouts will be held on Sunday May 20th, from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm on Sutherland Field.  

• If your child plans to try out, please fill out this form by May 18^th .
• Please arrive 15 minutes early to your scheduled tryout so players can warm up and the league can discuss all-star guidelines with parents.  
• Players should bring a bat, glove, and water. 
• Tryouts are the official start of the All-Star season.  Players who make the team should expect to practice and play on Sundays in May.

Critical dates for availability include the district tournament, which will likely be at the end of June (time and host TBA, but there is a chance that Northside will host this tournament), and the state tournament (if we win districts), which will be July 12^th- 15^th at Glen Allen. Please contact Coach Josh Bradley (bradley.joshua24@gmail.com) if you have any questions regarding tryouts, practices, tournaments, etc.

New Avenue Realty “3 for $33 Challenge”

Avenue Realty will donate $33 to the league for every legitimate triple a player hits from today through the end of the day on Sunday, May 20^th.  Players should be photographed by the Avenue Realty Banner and a copy of the photo should be emailed to the league (info@playnorthside.org).  This promotion applies to all teams in the Rookie, Minor, Major, and 13-15 Divisions. 

Thank you Avenue Realty for your generous support of Northside!

TomSox Youth League Celebration - Monday, June 4th - FREE!

The Charlottesville TomSox have invited area leagues to join them for a celebration of youth sports on June 4th, the home opener for the VBL defending champs!  

 

All players attending the game in uniform and their families will receive free admission.  The tent area on top of the hill will be yours to enjoy and players from each league will have the chance to participate with in-game promotions, such as mascot race and throwing out the first pitch.  Although catering will not be provided, there will be tables and seating available.  See the flyer for more information. 

Fundraiser Kick-Off - Support Northside!!

Northside Player and Families,

This year's fundraiser is simple--Just ask people you know to support the league that you play in.  Each year Northside raises funds to cover expenses that registration fees simply cannot cover:  field maintenance items, official baseballs, bats, catching equipment, chalk to line the fields, and the machines to make those lines so nice, and too many more items to list   You can help offset these costs by simply asking people you know for  a donation.

The fundraiser will run from Saturday, May 12^th through Tuesday, May 29^th.  

Raise money to  and receive the following prizes:

Raise $25                      Northside Logo Water bottle
Raise $50                      Unique Northside Logo Pin (or water bottle)
Raise $100                    Northside T-Shirt (or water bottle & pin)
Raise  $250                   Northside Logo Hat (or t-shirt and pin)
Raise $500 or over      Northside Logo Hoodie

The team the raises the most money will win a Pizza Party during the Day of Champions!!!  We are working on other individual incentives so stay tuned…. 

A packet will be sent home with each player this Saturday with more details.

If the 200+ Northside Families each raise $50 that would mean $10,000 would be available to improve our program and keep it strong. We have set a fundraising goal of $50 per player.  

Did you know that Northside….

• … spent $4000 this year on a new LED Scoreboard for Carson Raymond Field?
• … spent $2500 this year on a new professional portable pitching mound?
• … spent $1000 this year on a compliant USA bat for every Cal Ripken team?
• … spent over $2000 this year on player equipment including batting helmets and catching gear?
• … spends over $1000 each year on chalk liner and StayDry?
• … would like to install a new batting cage at Sutherland field at a cost of over $10,000?
• … has many additional expenses each year that we rely on our Fundraiser to cover?

Thank You,

Northside Board of Directors

Meal Deals from Whole Foods!

Looking for an easy meal on game day?  Whole foods market, one of Northside's wonderful sponsors, has crafted some youth league meal deals.  See their flyer for more information.  

Buy/Sell Tom Sox Tickets and Help Northside!

Northside Baseball League and the Charlottesvile TomSox are partnering again this summer.  Please consider helping the league by buying tickets and/or encouraging your friends to purchase tickets and passes.  For every 5-game pass or season pass that we buy or sell and use our special code, Northside will get to keep half of the proceeds.  Seasons passes are also discounted for those who use Northside’s code.  

• 5-game pass cost is $35.00, and Northside keeps half  (CODE = Northside)
• Season pass cost is $85 (regular price is $120) and Northside keeps half (CODE = Northsidepass)

Head on over to their website and purchase your tickets today, and be sure to encourage others to do the same, and use our codes! 

All-Star Tryouts

13U/13-15 All-Stars
Information about Jr Babe Ruth All-Stars (13-15 age group) will be available in late May. 

For all 12 & under divisions:

• See below for information relating to your age group.
• If your child plans to try out for any of our All-Star teams, please fill out this form by May 3^rd for all teams for which the player wishes to be considered.     
  Form link:  https://goo.gl/forms/3pUDJzwEPY5w3e4z2       
• Please arrive 15 minutes early to your scheduled tryout so players can warm up and the league can discuss all-star guidelines with parents.  Players should bring a bat, glove, and water. 
• Tryouts are the official start of the All-Star season.  Players who make the team should expect to practice and play on Sundays in May.

 
12U All-Star Tryouts
Tryouts will be held on Sunday May 6th, from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm on Carson Raymond Field.  
 
Critical dates for availability include the district tournament which will be hosted by Peachtree on June 20^th-24^th  and the state tournament (if we win districts) on July 5^th- 8^th. Please contact Coach Eric Lane (eric.lane91@yahoo.com)  if you have any questions regarding tryouts, practices, tournaments, etc.
 
11U All-Star Tryouts
Tryouts will be held on Sunday May 6th, from 3:30 pm -5: 30pm on Carson Raymond Field.  

Critical dates for availability include the district tournament which will be hosted by Rockville on June 21^st-24^th and the state tournament (if we win districts) on July 5^th- 8^th. If we do not win districts, this age group will play in the Cove Creek tournament on July 5^th-8^th. Please contact Coach Chris Guyton (chris.guyton@gmail.com)  if you have any questions regarding tryouts, practices, tournaments, etc.
 
10U All-Star Tryouts
Tryouts will be held on Sunday May 6th, from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm on Hollymead Lower Field. 

Critical dates for availability include the district tournament which will be hosted by Greene on June 14^th-17^th  and the state tournament (if we win districts) on July 5^th- 8^th. Please contact Coach Steve Yow (steve00yow@gmail.com) if you have any questions regarding tryouts, practices, tournaments, etc.
 
9U All-Star Tryouts
Tryouts will be held on Sunday May 6th, from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm on Hollymead Lower Field. 
The league will discuss All-Star guidelines with families at 3:15 pm.  Players should still arrive 15 minutes early to warm up.

Critical dates for availability include the district tournament which will be hosted by Northside on June 21^st- 24^th  and the state tournament (if we qualify at districts) on July 5^th- 8^th. Please contact Coach Mike Pariseau (pariseau@uwalumni.com) if you have any questions regarding tryouts, practices, tournaments, etc.
 
8U All-Star Tryouts
Tryouts will be held on Sunday May 6th, from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm on Hollymead Lower Field. 

Critical dates for availability include the district tournament which will be hosted by Fluvanna on June 14^th-17^th  and the state tournament (if we win districts) on July 5^th - 8^th. Please contact Coach Darian Cochran (dariancochran@yahoo.com) if you have any questions regarding tryouts, practices, tournaments, etc.

Saturday, April 14th is Picture Day!

Dear Northside Parents,

Who’s on first? The crew from F-Stop, ready to knock your pictures out of the park. We will be taking photos Saturday April 14^th and there are a couple of changes to our game plan.

This year all orders will be shipped directly to you. We are waiving the shipping on all orders received on photo day. There is a link below to our order form and a page of sample products. Print out the form, fill it out and bring it and a check with you Saturday the 14^th. Our photographers will have forms with them as well.

Another change is that we will be posting the pictures to our online ordering site after the pre-orders have shipped. Further details will be included in a future email along with a link to the photos. Again, these orders will be shipped directly to you but there will be shipping added to the order.

F-Stop looks forward to another season of Northside baseball.  We have worked with the league almost every year since the league was founded and many parents remember us photographing them when they played in the league. We are pleased to be working with a new generation of Northside players and parents. Thank you for supporting a local business. Now PLAY BALL!

Order forms can be found here.
Sample products can be found here.

- F-Stop

Player and team photos will be taken during all games on Saturday, April 14^th.  Please be prepared to show up early to help ensure that games are on time throughout the day.  Your coach will be in touch with more details on timing.

Committee Members Needed

Do you like the improvements that the Board has approved and financed over the years?  How about lights on Carson Raymond Field, new portable mound, bats for all Cal Ripken Teams, new pitching machines and more?  We are able to provide these improvements through our fundraising activities and are in need of committee members to move these efforts forward.  In addition, we need volunteers to help with our amazing Day of Champions event that occurs on the last Sunday of the season.  In the past, we’ve had silent auctions, a bouncy house, coach dunk tank, mechanical bull, championship games, and more.  If you are willing to help with Fundraising and/or Day of Champions, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Mary Dietrich, today.  Please help Northside continue to be a fun and exciting place to play baseball.

Parking at Hollymead Fields

The Administration from Hollymead Elementary school has asked that we remind our community not to park in fire lanes at either school when our families are on site for baseball activities.  There will be a lot of action tomorrow with baseball games, soccer games, and the Hollymead Fun Fair.  The off-limits parking areas are marked with a yellow curb.   You could be ticketed or towed if you park there, and if there should be a fire and the trucks need access, you could see significant damage to your vehicle.

Also, please refrain from driving on the track that goes from Sutherland Middle School down to the lower fields.  If you are driving back there, please stop immediately.  The sign clearly states that vehicles are prohibited from being back there and we need special permission for the gate to be opened when we are doing field work and improvements. 

Even if there are no people on the track, do not drive to the lower field.  We are dependent upon the schools for use of our fields and if they get enough complaints, it’s not unlikely that we could lose the use of the fields. The stakes are too high to risk losing our fields, so please adhere to this school policy. 

One last reminder that all of our activities take place on school grounds where there is a strict “No Drug” policy in effect.  This means that smoking, vaping, alcohol and other drugs are strictly forbidden on school grounds.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Opening Day Details!

Northside Opening Day is just around the corner - Saturday, March 24th - and it's our 45^th year!

Join us as we kick off another great season at Northside. Opening Day ceremonies will take place from 9am until approximately 11am in the Sutherland Middle School Gym. We will celebrate players in the Junior Rookie through the 13-15 Divisions. T-Ball players are welcome to join us, but are not required to attend.

Players should arrive in uniform no later than 8:45am and find their coaches in the gym, as they will be separated by division. Every player will be announced and will have a chance to meet a special guest. We'll end with the National Anthem and the ceremonial first pitch. Players are encouraged to attend and show their league spirit.

There are plenty of other reasons to be there too!  There will be a 50/50 raffle (tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5), a Bat Bag raffle filled with lots of goodies, and Dick's Sporting Goods will be there with a spin wheel for prizes. Don't miss out!

In order to make this event a success, we are in need of volunteers to help organize and direct the players in the gym. This is a great opportunity to get in some, if not all, required volunteer hours for the season. Please contact volunteer coordinator Mary Dietrich at volunteers@playnorthside.org if you are able to help. The ideal time commitment will be from 8am-11am for set up and clean but even if you can help for only some of that time, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your commitment to our league!

Recreational Baseball is All About FUN!

Northside is proud of the recreational program we have built and the approach we choose to take for bringing youth sports to our community. Competition and fair play are wonderful tools, but should be taught to our youngest children in a way that is fun, inclusive, and engaging. When kids leave our program, they won't remember the scores - they will remember the friendships and connection with their teams and coaches. Remember - recreation is supposed to be fun!


From Babe Ruth League:

A recent survey asked kids why they play baseball or softball. The top five reasons given were:
- To have fun
- To make friends
- To improve my skills and learn to play the right way
- For the excitement and challenge of competition
- To be part of a team and learn teamwork

The top answer again and again is always the simplest: TO HAVE FUN!

Other answers included (they may not be the most popular, but deserved an honorable mention):

- Post-Game Snack
- End of Year Party
- Because my Parents asked me to Play

“To win” was dead last.

As we start a new season, let’s all keep in mind what most kids said, “I want to have fun!”