Good Day SOMBA Players and Families,

 My name is Kevin Castelone and I have recently been elected as President of SOMBA. Many of you know me from coaching in the Mosquito and Peewee divisions over the last four seasons and being on the board as division director for Mosquito and Peewee the last two years. As you can imagine I am very excited about this new role!

 To say 2020 has been a challenge worldwide for families on a personal and business level is a huge understatement. As we deal with protocols and restrictions handed down from the federal and local government levels, SOMBA and our governing bodies at BC Minor Ball and Baseball BC in conjunction with ViaSport remain steadfast in our commitment to get our kids back on the baseball field. The spring season was lost but we were able to slowly get back with our summer season as restrictions were lifted and continued to recover into a fall season that saw much more gameplay within our bubble.

 My main focus at this point is to continue with that trend as we move into the winter season. There will be an email going out this week regarding the winter ball programs and registration. I think I can speak for everybody when I say it is my sincerest  hope that we remain at phase 2 with full squad practices allowed and progress to gameplay and a spring season.

 I will be sending out a monthly “SOMBA News” emails that will be a constant source of communication from the association to the families of players. This will keep us all on the same page with updates on the season, coach clinics, rules and regulations, swag, etc. This probably comes as no surprise to any of you that had players on my teams in the past as you received a plethora of communication emails regarding practices, games, conduct, tournaments and anything baseball!

 We will be looking to recruit and train coaches through our director of coaching and player development. Building our high performance programs at the Tadpole, Mosquito and Peewee levels is a priority. We are also looking to recruit and train for the most difficult and thankless job in the game; umpires. This is a position that we have had difficulty retaining due to many factors. Most of our umpires are kids that play in the high performance leagues and run into scheduling conflicts with their respective teams. Some have given it up due to a negative experience on the job with overzealous coaches. Our goal is to mentor our umpires through an official umpiring course that will provide the skillset and confidence necessary to call a great game. Finally, we are looking to fill the position of 13U-Peewee Director. This position entails booking tournaments, creating schedules and recruiting coaches for the division plus working with our fields director to book fields. I have done this in tandem with Laura McNeil over the last two years in order to run an organized division and not be overwhelmed. Please reach out to me if this is a position you would be interested in taking on.

 Stay tuned for updates and if anybody has questions or is interested in coaching or umpiring at any level please contact me directly and I will begin that process for you.

 Thank you for your continued support through a challenging year. Together we WILL get through this and do our best to provide our players with the best possible baseball training and experience within our power.

 Until next the next SOMBA News Update, I wish you all a safe and healthy holiday season!

Regards,

Kevin Castelone

President

SOMBA

kevcas8@hotmail.com

604 815 7644