MCGSA supports the Atlanta Flames Travel Softball Organization 

Please see flamesfastpitch.com for current information on the Atlanta Flames

10U Atlanta Flames (‘99/00)  Dan Henning
(w) 404-705-4589 ext. 103 or (c) 678-358-6460
email: dchenning@atkinsonhenning.com

12U Team Atlanta Flames (‘97/98) Mike Puckett
(h) 770-828-0401 or (c) 678-898-6472
email: mikedpuckett@comcast.net

14U “A” Atlanta Flames ‘96 – Scott Farrow
770-317-5704
email: scott.farrow@troutmansanders.com

14U “A” Atlanta Flames ‘95 - Pete Wellborn
678-778-0013
email: pete@wellbornlaw.com

Atlanta Cobra 16-U Travel Team

The Atlanta Cobras 16-U Fastpitch Softball team captured a berth to the ASA Hall of Fame Classic Tournament to be held in Oklahoma City, OK on June 19-21. Only 24 teams throughout the United States will earn berths to this tournament which will be held at the same complex that is the home to the NCAA Women’s Softball World Series.

The Cobras, comprised of girls from Dunwoody, Chamblee, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Sandy Springs and East Cobb, placed 2^ndout of a field of 25 teams in Chattanooga, TN the weekend of May 31^st to earn the berth from the ASA South Atlantic Region. After winning the first two games of the tournament, the Cobras lost their third, which then set the stage for an impressive five-straight-win Sunday in the final day of the tournament to propel them to their date in Oklahoma. The top eight teams in the Hall of Fame Classic will then advance to the prestigious ASA 16-U National Championship in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in July.

Visit the Cobra’s website at http://www.atlantacobras.com/.

MCGSA Fundraising Update

We are happy to report that donations are up this year.  The Women’s Auxiliary has been working hard to help with these efforts and appreciates your generous donations.  However, we are still short of the goal needed to buy safety nets for the two large fields.

What can you do?

·        Support the league with a brick donation.  $100 raises much needed funds and leaves a permanent memory at the fields!  The deadline for brick orders has passed – please turn in your brick forms at the concession stand ASAP if you have already purchased your brick.

·        Ask a company to be a contributing sponsor.  Any donation is welcome, ranging from $175 player sponsorship to $2500 Gold sponsors.  All donors are recognized on fence banners.  See website for details and donation letter.

·        Buy a seat cushion for $10 or a magnet for $5, available at the concession stand.  This provides needed funding and advertises to others about our league! 

·        Join the Women’s Auxiliary!  We still need a few more women to round out our team.  We meet once a month during the season.  Contact Delicia Grimmesey at deliciagrimm@comcast.net for more information.

MCGSA Women’s Auxiliary:

Dana Gaines

Carol Gregoire

Delicia Grimmesey

Maureen Kiely

Kelly Shadle

March 17 2009

Opening Day:  Opening Day was awesome.  Great weather, great participation, great games and great fun.  It has been a long wait, but we are finally able to play games on the new softball fields.

Rainouts:  Friday nights will be used for makeup games starting this week.  Your league directors and coaches will let you know the scheduling details.

FYI, the email notification system has been slow for some comcast.net addresses.  Please check the mcgsa.com website for the latest weather and rainout notifications.

Lightning Warning System:  If the lightning warning siren goes off at the park, everyone will be asked to go to their vehicle, or move indoors.  The warning siren will signal when there is a high probability of a lightning strike, and it is not safe to remain outdoors.  The dugouts, central pavilion, and concession stand are not acceptable places to take refuge.  Please support this important safety procedure by immediately leaving the fields and proceeding to your vehicle until the all clear signal is given 

Team Sponsors:  Business sponsors of $600 will receive a sponsorship fence banner and team plaque.  If you, or your business would like to sponsor a softball team, please contact Dana at danagaines@bellsouth.net .

Ceremonial Brick Sales:  Ceremonial Bricks with your name will be permanently placed at the park.  Bricks may be purchased for $100 at the field on Saturdays from the Auxiliary Committee.  Brick order forms will be available at the concession stand. 

Pitching and Hitting Clinics:  The Sunday pitching and hitting clinics will continue for the next few weeks.  The hitting clinic is at 12:00, the pitching clinic starts at 1:00.  $12 per session.    

Thank you.

February 27 2009

Opening Day:  Opening Day will be Saturday March 7th.  Look for an email soon with details about Opening Day activities.

Schedules and Rules:  The game schedules and league rules are on the mcgsa.com website.  Please check the league pages for game schedules and local park rules.

Umpire/Coach meeting:  Steve Marcus from Southern Umpires Unlimited will host a rules meeting on Wednesday March 4^th at 6:30.  Each team from 10U, 12U, and 16U should plan to have at least one coach attend the meeting.

Team Parent meeting:  Carol Gregoire will host a team parent meeting one day next week, we will send another notification with the exact date and time.  Carol runs the concession, she is a former MCGSA President who has been around the park for a while.  Carol and the Auxiliary Committee have put together information packets for team parents.

Team Sponsors:  Team sponsors of $600 will receive a sponsorship fence banner and team plaque.  If you, or your business would like to sponsor a softball team, please contact Dana at danagaines@bellsouth.net .

Pitching and Hitting Clinics:  The Sunday pitching and hitting clinics will continue for the next few weeks.  These clinics are highly recommended for anyone who wants to pitch this season. 

No dogs allowed:  No dogs are allowed at the softball fields.  This includes the walkways, spectator areas, concession stand, and areas outside the athletic fields.  This is a county regulation, no exceptions.  Please do not bring your dog to the park.

Helmets and Face Masks:  All batting helmets must have a face mask.  If you do not have a helmet with a face mask, MCGSA will provide extra helmets for practices and games.  FYI, we will have batting helmets available for purchase on Opening Day from a vendor who also does custom helmet painting.

Pitching Masks:  All MCGSA pitchers in 10U, 12U and 16U must wear a face mask.  Each team will be provided with a face mask in their equipment bag.  This is an MCGSA rule that applies to MCGSA teams. MCGSA girls are required to wear a pitching mask for home and away games.  SSYS and OCEE teams are not required to wear a pitching mask when playing at Murphey Candler Park.

New Fields:  Please do not hit balls into the new fences during practice or game warm up.  Please use the batting cages for soft toss or Tee drills instead of the fences.

Thank you.

Practices and Team Draft:  Spring practices will continue for another week.  Teams will be drafted by Friday February 20^th, the first team practice will be Saturday February 21^st.   Tee Ball practices will begin Saturday February 21^st.

Team Sponsors:  Team sponsors of $600 will receive a sponsorship fence banner and team plaque.  If you, or your business would like to sponsor a softball team, please contact Dana at danagaines@bellsouth.net .

Pitching and Hitting Clinics:  Pitching is the most important and most difficult aspect of the game of softball.  Pitching underhand is an unnatural motion, it requires a lot of practice to be able to throw hard and accurate, the only shortcut is to learn good mechanics from an experienced pitching instructor.  Players who are 7 or 8 are not too young to start learning how to pitch.  The Sunday pitching and hitting clinics will continue for the next few weeks.  These clinics are highly recommended for anyone who wants to pitch this season. 

Coaches:  It is great to see the number of volunteer coaches this season.  Normally we have to threaten to cancel a few teams because we don’t have enough coaches, but not this year.  Thank you to all of the volunteer coaches, it will be a lot of fun for the next few months.

Opening Day Singer:  We are looking for girls who want to sing the National Anthem on Opening Day.  Please reply to Maureen at Maureenkiely@aol.com if your daughter would like to sing on Opening Day. 

Field Help Needed:  We are looking for one or two hard working individuals to help with the field preparation.  Normally this is a couple reliable teenagers who need some extra cash.  The job pays $10 per hour.  Please contact Bill Shadle at bill@3etrading.com to apply.

No dogs allowed:  No dogs are allowed at the softball fields.  This includes the walkways, spectator areas, concession stand, and areas outside the athletic fields.  This is a county regulation, no exceptions.  Please do not bring your dog to the park.

Booster Donations and Ceremonial Bricks:  Please consider making a Booster donation to the softball program this year.  $100 Booster donations will receive a ceremonial engraved brick that will be permanently placed at the park.  If you did not make a Booster donation during the registration process, we will have forms at the concession stand after the games begin.  We are a nonprofit organization so your donation is likely to be tax deductible.  The booster donations are used to help fund our programs like Spring Training and Opening Day events.  Booster donations will also be used to purchase better equipment and improve practice facilities like batting cages and warm up areas. 

Lightning Detection:  We have a new lightning detection system in place at Murphey Candler Park.  The system will detect the build up of static electricity in the air, an alarm will sound when there is a high probability of a lightning strike. All players and spectators should immediately go to their vehicle, or move indoors when the lightning siren is activated.  The dugouts, concession stand, and the central pavilion are not to be used during a lightning warning.  An all-clear siren will indicate when the threat has passed and we are ready to play again.

Thank you.

http://mcgsa.com/info/calendar/spring-training-schedule/

The Spring Training practices are designed to help our program in three ways. First, it helps our players learn good fundamentals so that they get off to a good start in softball. Second, it helps our coaches learn how to teach good fundamentals, and how to organize efficient practices. Third, it helps us get to know the players and coaches so that we can divide the teams evenly and have more balanced leagues.

Champions Fastpitch Academy will be leading the Spring Training practices. Champions provides experienced softball instructors, most of whom played college fastpitch softball and now work as professional instructors. This is absolutely the best way to learn how to play softball and get ready for the upcoming season. All girls in an age group will practice together during Spring Training.

The MCGSA volunteer coaches will work with the players during Spring Training. Typically, the Champions instructor will introduce a practice drill and demonstrate the correct techniques. The players will break out into smaller groups and the MCGSA coaches will lead the group drills. Over the course of the Spring Training we will cover hitting, throwing, catching, fielding, and base running.

The MCGSA coaches will have 30 minutes each night for player evaluations and additional drills. Players will be drafted to their teams immediately following Spring Training. Please contact the League Director if your daughter cannot attend at least two of the Spring Training sessions, so that we can determine the appropriate team placement. Team practices will continue for two weeks after Spring Training, then the games begin.

The weather is supposed to be 65 and sunny on Saturday, perfect softball weather.

Thank you.

Please register for MCGSA email updates if you are not receiving these emails already.  You can register your home and work email if you want the messages to go to both places.  The email updates include announcements, schedule updates, and rainout information.  Please click this link http://mcgsa.com/info/subscribe/ to add an email address to the system.

 Saturday January 17th, 24th, 31st:

Thanks to Steve Spriggs for all of the pictures he took while our new fields were being constructed. Check out the image gallery.