Cedar Park Youth League

Cedar Park Youth League

President’s Corner

I apologize in advance for the long note and the sporadic nature of it, but summer has been upon us all and I am late in getting this information out.

Thank you to the voters and the past board members who provided the current Board of Directors with the opportunity to serve the Cedar Park Youth League (CPYL). Also, thank you to the past board members who have “retired”. Your service has been appreciated.

As a broad update to some, the Board of Directors has gone thru significant changes over the last year which includes:

1) Softball Reorganization which will allow growth and more participation.

2) Baseball Reorganization which will also allow more growth and more importantly an opportunity to better serve our members.

3) Increased diversity of Board Members. With the reorganizations, we have 34 board members. Almost 50% of the current members are serving in their first year. All 34 come from various positions including mangers, assistant coaches, parents, and select coaches/parents. This will continue to provide conduits for input that we need to run the league.

I ask for your patience with the Board as we transition this year with both growth and positions. Imagine each season serving 1500 players, more than 2800 parents, and countless grandparents and friends. Consider if you will, that a success rate of 80% leaves approximately 240 players and 560 parents with a less than stellar experience. I know that our success rate is much higher and we will continue to make positive changes with the improvements the board is making. While 100% success is almost impossible to achieve, that will always be our goal and I hope we will always be considerate of your comments and concerns.

Earlier this summer, I challenged the executive committee, with a flow down provision to the Board to think 2K by 2020. We are currently serving approximately 1500 children and I expect continued growth will occur. As a result, we will plan accordingly and I am confident that the current Board of Directors will help me achieve that goal. We have also started dialogue with the City of Leander and their plans for the future of the youth in that community. It is CPYL’s goal that we continue to support all of the children in our region regardless of their address. We will need everyone’s help and support in doing this.

In addition, this summer we have suspended two managers for violations of the No Tolerance Policy (NTP). One manager has been suspended for a single game and the other for five games. I share this with you since the Board is taking a firmer stance on violations of the NTP which we all sign prior to each season.

We have also reinitiated an 18U baseball program for teenagers between 15 – 18 years of age. Due to the efforts of Ray Dise, we have 3 teams this fall in its “inaugural” season. While we do not know the direction this age-group is heading, we do know there is an apparent desire for our kids who previously “aged out” to continue to play.

Regarding post season play, CPYL was represented at many local, regional, and national events in both baseball and softball. As an example, I would like to highlight Mark Hooper’s 8U softball team who finished the season as PONY National Champions. Congratulations CPYL Rage!

As I reminded the Board of Directors this summer, we are here to serve the interests of the players and the league as a whole. Unfortunately this will result in tension at times, but we always need to be reminded of our mission. I ask for your same consideration this year. As challenge to you, our membership, I encourage you to take a step back and occasionally send the Board a note of the things we are doing right. We can all use positive reinforcement since the majority of the communication we receive involves negative issues.

In summary, I am honored to serve you and the Board of Directors and I look forward to creating a positive environment for the upcoming year and years to come.

Yours in Service,

Scott J. Foster

CPYL President