Results tagged ‘ BTF ’
NRPA to Host Free Online Chat About Baseball Tomorrow Fund
What: An online chat hosted by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) to answer questions related to the BTF application process and evaluation criteria. Chats are online conversations that last 30 to 45 minutes and are live, free, and open to anyone.
Where: Wednesday, April 6 at 2pm EST
Log-in Directions below.
Who: Cathy Bradley, Executive Director of BTF, will answer questions and discuss issues related to the grant process.
We encourage participation by:
- Park and recreation professionals involved in fundraising/development/grant writing serving low-income communities
- Non-profit organizers for youth sports programs and facilities, especially youth baseball/softball, serving low-income communities
- Current or prospective BTF applicants
More: The Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) is designed to promote the growth of youth baseball and softball throughout the world by awarding grants to support field renovation and construction projects, equipment and uniform purchases, coaches training material and other selected program expenses. Established by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association in 1999, BTF awards approximately $2 million annually to non-profit and tax-exempt organizations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.
BTF strongly encourages applicants serving low-income communities, minority players and girls to apply. Information regarding the application process and past grant awards can be found at www.baseballtomorrowfund.com.
Log-In Directions:
- Before the chat begins, visit www.nrpaonlinelearning.org to create your own NRPA Online Account. Set up an email reminder to ensure you join the chat on Wednesday, April 6!
- At the time of the chat, log in and hit the chat tab located across the top of the dashboard.
- During the chat, feel free to submit questions or concerns.
Keys to a Healthy Sports Diet for our Children – National Nutrition Month
Coaching baseball and softball includes both on-the-field and off-the-field instruction that educates our youth on different ways to reach their fullest potential. An often forgotten topic that is vital to both health and athletic performance is nutrition. In recognition of National Nutrition Month, we’ll take a closer look at ways we can educate youth on how to seek out the best nutritional options.
Three key nutrition topics for children that first come to mind are variety, moderation and balance:
1) Variety – no single food or supplement contains all of the vitamins and nutrients that our children need. Eating food from each of the five food groups daily is essential.
2) Moderation – Our children should not eat too much or too little of any one food or nutrient.
3) Balance – Calorie intake and energy expenditure should be balanced to maintain healthy weight and body composition.
If you’d like to learn more about teaching our youth proper nutritional habits, please visit our colleagues at WePlay.com
Making an Impact — Interning with Major League Baseball and the Baseball Tomorrow Fund
As I entered my new office at 245 Park Avenue for the first day of my internship, I paused to consider the opportunity in front of me. I was surrounded by a mix of nostalgic memorabilia that gave a nod to baseball’s glorious past and an enthusiastic group of co-workers who are defining what the future of baseball and softball looks like for our youth. And so went my first reaction to working for the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF), a joint initiative of Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association to promote the growth of youth participation in baseball and softball.
As a second year MBA student at New York University’s Stern school, I’ve had the chance to interact with executives at a number of top class organizations in the sports industry including Nike, the NBA, and the NFL. I can assure you that the philanthropic efforts at each of these companies, and most certainly MLB, impact hundreds of thousands of children around the world every year. The charitable work of each of the companies is doubly important because sports have the unique ability to help our youth develop all important interpersonal skills like teamwork, leadership and fair play in an engaging and fast-paced environment. Only after mastering these skills can an individual be successful both on and off the field.
The opportunity to work with the BTF particularly appealed to me because it combines many of my passions – volunteering, sports and marketing. Some of my past travels have taken me to an orphanage in Jamaica to run a soccer camp and to youth rehabilitation centers in London to connect troubled teenagers and professional athletes. In each case, the influence of sports was able to transcend barriers and deliver a positive impact to those who were in need. The BTF shares this same ethos by funding programs, fields, coaches’ training, and the purchase of uniforms and equipment to encourage and maintain youth participation in the game.
In my three months at MLB I’ll be working on several projects such as planning for 2011 Equipment Day, developing social media strategy and maintaining social media properties, and increasing the effectiveness of our website. I look forward to working with a group of people who shares my passions and to making a positive social impact in a tangible way.
Please take the time to support our cause by joining our Facebook community and by following us on Twitter.
Signing off.
Tony Watkins
Update: BTF Grant Recipient- L.E.A.D.
L.E.A.D., Inc. (Launch, Expose, Advise and Direct, Inc.) is a non-profit organization established by former Major League player, C.J. Stewart, to increase the number of African-Americans playing competitive high school baseball in the inner city of Atlanta and to prepare them to compete at the college level.
The entire 2010 L.E.A.D. Ambassador graduating class received college baseball scholarships for fall 2010. Five of the eight high school seniors who have signed college baseball scholarships will continue playing together at Selma University in Alabama.The Ambassador Elite Exposure Team is a travel/tournament team for inner-city players aimed at providing exposure to college recruiters.
L.E.A.D. provides year-round programs including baseball skill development, educational/leadership development, community service and coaches training through its Legacy League, a new instructional fall league for inner-city players; the Urban Coaching Mentoring Program and the Ambassador Elite Exposure Team.
In 2009, a Baseball Tomorrow Fund grant was given to L.E.A.D. to fund the purchase of equipment, uniforms, travel expenses and selected program expenses to support the availability of quality programs to inner-city players and coaches.
To learn more about L.E.A.D., go to www.lead2legacy.org.
FIELD MAINTENANCE TIP OF THE DAY
Today field maintenance tip of the day is a few field layouts designs.
This first one is a regulation baseball field, for highschool and college level fields.
This is what a youth baseball field design layout should look like:
FIELD MAINTENANCE TIP OF THE DAY
To end the week, here’s the last softball field maintenance tip of the day!
Due to the large size of the softball infield, irrigation systems are installed to irrigate the infield clays.
TIP: An automatic irrigation system will allow more time for the ground crew to focus on the mound, home plate and dragging requirements.
FIELD MAINTENANCE TIP OF THE DAY
Here’s another softball field maintenance tip of the day!
TIP: The depth of a warning track on a softball field is normally 10 feet.
FIELD MAINTENANCE TIP OF THE DAY
Softball field maintenance tip of the day!
TIP: The home plate area is also treated the same as on a baseball field, as
softball and baseball players dig similar holes during the course of play.
Follow the same maintenance procedure for the home plate, mound and
infield areas!
FIELD MAINTENANCE TIP OF THE DAY
Friday field maintenance tip of the day!
The pitcher’s mound is flat and requires similar maintenance as a baseball
mound.
TIP: Watering the clays and packing the mound is important after use.
FIELD MAINTENANCE TIP OF THE DAY
The maintenance of softball fields is very similar to baseball fields. Although
similar, there are several issues regarding the maintenance procedures of
infields, mounds and plate areas that vary. The next couple of tips of the day will focus on softball fields!
A softball field is predominately flat with a 1% grade, falling from the center of
the mound.
TIP: Due to the large area of clay, the infields require extensive dragging and shaping to reduce low spots.
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