Halifax Pride has a stellar fundraising event on tonight. The OUTbid auction is being held at the Casino and has some big ticket items such as iPads, big screen TVs and original artwork.

You should check it out! OUTbid auction @ Halifax Casino from 6-9pm tonight.

Let’s help support the community and a great event!
AMc

Let’s get this party started shall we?

To all ECRSA newbies – Welcome!

To all ECRSA returning players – Welcome back!

I’m not sure what y’all have been up to during the off season. Maybe you were working on this, or this, or maybe this? Regardless of your off-season training regimen, let’s get everybody up to speed and on the same page.

As mentioned in previous posts, we have undergone a few changes over the winter.

Most importantly, the 2012 Commission is entirely too excited to get on the field and get the season underway. To this end, the first league practice and player orientation will take place Sunday, May 20th from 13:00 – 16:00 at Windsor Park ball diamonds.

Directly following this practice, there will be a captains meeting and the player draft. An email will be sent out to team captains shortly. If you are interested in being a team captain and have not made this known to the ECRSA Commission, please contact us ASAP!

The 2012 season will start Sunday, May 27th.

The first game of the season kicks off at 16:00. A schedule will be posted to the website in the coming weeks. This schedule can be imported to most smart phones and online calendars. We are making every effort for uniforms to be available for the first game. Keep your fingers crossed!

Lastly, we are looking for a Communications Coordinator. This role is a non-voting position on the Commission with the primary responsibility of drafting and disseminating the weekly newsletter as well as monitoring the league email account. Should you also have an interest in social media applications and platforms, Abby will be happy to discuss options with you. To inquire about this opportunity, please contact us via email.

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email / Facebook / Twitter – we are happy to chat!

Catch you on the flip side of the balcony!

Abby

The ECRSA Commission is pleased to announce that we are able to accommodate a maximum of ten (10) teams this year. To do so, we have to move from Merv Sullivan field (aka: The Pit).  For the 2012 season, our new home will be Windsor Park diamonds from 4pm – 8:30pm on Sundays.

In order to get started with the 2012 season, we need to get player registration underway. Before I present the registration event information, there are a few steadfast rules for this year’s registration:

1 – A player’s spot will only be guaranteed once the ECRSA 2012 Registration Form AND payment (cash or cheque) has been received.

2 – Individual spots will be confirmed on a first come, first serve basis. If the league reaches capacity before both the registration form and payment are received, then your spot cannot be guaranteed.

3 – For any individuals who may have concerns regarding payment, please discuss with the Treasurer or either Co-Chair as soon as possible. You can reach us by email here.

Player Registration event 1:
Location: Menz & Molly’s Bar
Date / Time: Friday, April 13th from 8pm – 10pm
Don’t forget to RSVP on Facebook

Player Registration event 2:
Location: The Company House
Date / Time: Friday, April 20th from 8pm – 10pm
Don’t forget to RSVP on Facebook

Player Registration event 3:
Location: Menz & Molly’s Bar
Date / Time: Friday, April 27th from 8pm – 10pm
Don’t forget to RSVP on Facebook

Are we ready to play softball yet?Excellent! Me too. Don’t put that calendar / app away just yet.

ECRSA 1st practice and player orientation – May 20th @ Windsor Park with the mandatory captains meeting & draft to follow. Additional details to come.

Last tidbit – This website will be undergoing an overhaul next weekend. If anything is wonky over Easter, just fire off an email. I thank you in advance for the user testing / bug reporting!

The Commission has undertaken a significant amount of work over the off-season, which will continue throughout the summer. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of them for their continued dedication, support and drive to deliver the best year of softball the ECRSA has seen.

Dust off the cleats, oil up the glove and try to stretch something. We’ll be on the fields in no time.

I’m off to the backyard to work on some ninja-like softball technique.
Abby

Top O’ Da morning to ya Lads and Lasses!

The sun is out and the ball fields will eventually drive up…we hope. While we wait for adequate field conditions, the Commission has been hard at work getting ready for the upcoming season.

Mark your calendars and break out your smart phones. Player registration will be held on the following dates:

1 – April 13th 8:00pm – 10:00pm @ Menz Bar. RSVP to our Facebook event here.

2 – April 20th 8:00pm – 10:00pm @ The Company House (CoHo). RSVP to our Facebook event here.

3 – April 27th 8:00 – 10:00pm @ Menz Bar. RSVP to our Facebook event here.

Player registration forms will be posted next week. We are currently trying to set up an option for electronic payment.  The registration form can’t be finalized before we can confirm electronic payment. An email will be sent out to the league soon.

Looking forward to seeing you out at one of the registration events.

Your 2012 ECRSA Commission

Many thanks again to M.A.D, and Heather for providing a location for the AGM and Banquet.  Also, a huge thank you to Lloyd for providing the delicious spread of food.

As mentioned at the AGM, the meeting minutes from the AGM as well as the Annual Report will be posted to the website in the next few days. In the interim, here are a list of the motions as well as the outcomes of the motions.

1) Meeting minutes will be taken for organizational memory. A note taker is required for the task. Corey Oickle was nominated and unanimously appointed to the position.

2) Move to accept the Annual Report as a penultimate draft with minor copyright + calculation amendments to be incorporated prior to publishing the final document for public consumption.

3) Hiring an auditor to review current financial record keeping practices.

4) Re-structuring of current governance model to include five voting positions and four non-voting positions. The five voting positions include two Co-chairs, Treasurer, Secretary and Sponsorship Coordinator. The four non-voting positions include an equipment coordinator, volunteer coordinator, communication coordinator, and scheduling coordinator.

5) Election of 2012 Commission

Co-Chair – Aubrie (Abby) McGibbon

Co-Chair – Corey Oickle

Treasurer – Melissa Mercer

Secretary – Katherine Boone

Sponsorship Coordinator – Mike Marshall

Equipment Coordinator – Heather Scully

Volunteer Coordinator – Doug Bungay

Communications Coordinator – Charles Thompson

Scheduling Coordinator – Julie Roberts

Many thanks to those who came up and chatted with me after the awards were handed out. If anyone has any suggestions or input, hit me up on email, Facebook, or Twitter!

Happy training in the off season.

AMc

The ECRSA Commission is currently scurrying about all over HRM to tie up any and all loose ends with the 2011 season. The last task on the list for 2011 is the end of year banquet and AGM. After this, that’s the ballgame on the 2011 season.

Before I dive in, congrats to Rosie’s Riveters for taking the end of year league tournament!

Looking ahead, the AGM and end of year banquet will be held this Sunday, September 25th at The Company House starting at 6pm. There will be food en masse, a ton of awards and a great opportunity to toast your fellow players one last time this season.

The penultimate agenda for the AGM includes the following items and associated motions. If you have any questions, or want to add something, please email us sooner rather than later. Copies of all motions to be voted on will be available at the AGM.

Agenda and Motions:
1) Introduction and welcome
2) League survey – next steps
3) Presentation of Annual League Report
      Motion: Accept Annual League Report
4) Presentation of Treasurer’s Report
Motion: Accept Treasurer’s Report
5) Hiring an auditor to review ECRSA record keeping practices
     Motion: Identification and hiring of an auditor to review ECRSA record  
     keeping business
6) Proposed re-structuring of current ECRSA board governance model
Motion: Creation of an Executive Committee of 5 voting Commission
      members (ie. 2x Co-Chairs, Treasurer, Secretary, and Sponsorship
Coordinator) as well as 4 non-voting members (Equipment Coordinator,
Volunteer Coordinator, Communication Coordinator, Schedule
Coordinator)
7) Election of Commission (number of positions will depend on aforementioned   motion)

Many thanks for a great year!
AMc

the ECRSA Commission has decided to cancel all games scheduled for today. Keep your eyes peeled for make-up games to be posted soon.

Also, as we draw to the end of another great season, I am very interested to know what you thought of the season. What did you like? What needs to be changed? Who wants to help make that change happen? Send us an email, poke us on FB or tweet it up. We could even have a legitimate human interaction (aka: a conversation) at ball next week. Talk about cutting edge!

Batten down the hatches all. We will see you on the field next week.
Abby

1 – Swinging for power
Who doesn’t want to step up to the plate and pwn the ball? Do you feel like you are putting everything into your swing, but not seeing the results? This is one of the best (albeit rather technical) videos on breaking down swinging for power.

Let’s recap:
1 – Channel your inner Shakira – The hips don’t lie, so use ‘em and you just brought your game to the next level.
2 – Plant your front foot like you own the joint!
3 – Engage your core. How do you do this? Here’s my go to exercise for core strength. If you can’t hit the ball farther after 3 months of these bad boys, I’ll buy you a beer!
4 – Grip the bat low in order to snap the bat at the end of your swing
5 – I can’t believe they overlooked this in the video. Perfect your bat flip

2 – Running the bases
When is the last time you heard anybody say; “I hit the sh*t out of that ball, but I was good with stopping at 2nd”? Come on! How can you be happy with 1st when 2nd is so tantalizingly close I say? And look! Just beyond that, 3rd is taunting you! Calling your name and asking why you don’t call anymore? Huh! I thought this blog was supposed to about softball. Moving on…

Two key lessons when running the bases:
1 – UNLESS rounding for second, ALWAYS, ALWAYS OVERRUN 1st base. Let’s go the video for an explanation…

Note: If running through 1st base, aim for the orange part of the bag (not shown in video). It’s a safety thing and the 1st basemen will like you a little more!
2 – Don’t run harder, run smarter – How to Round the Bases Effectively and Safely

Note: If you round wide and round into someone playing 2nd, short, or 3rd, this will most likely NOT go over well. Round the bases is like driving, stay in your lane until you get to your destination.

So, in a little under 300 words, I have you swinging your stick more effectively and rounding the bases at blazing speeds. Who knew at the start of the season that I would be helping so many of you score?

We are back at The Pit next week, so let’s hope the rain let’s up by Friday!
Bring a big stick and swing for the fences my friends!
Abby (just for you Rob)

Put your paws up baby! Polish up your best shoes, touch up the make-up, and re-work your choreography because the ECRSA has a float in the Pride Parade this Saturday, July 23rd. Want to join us? Here’s the details from Julie, our fearless El Presidente:

It’s that time again….we are looking for as many people as possible to join us in our parade “float” this year. I will be driving our truck and everyone is welcome. Bring your friends, your neighbours, or your neighbours friends!!! Remember, the more the merrier

The parade marshaling begins at 11:30 and I have some decorations to make our truck as gay as possible. There will also be some snacks and refreshments available. Wear your jerseys and bring any sort of “prop” you’d like (ball glove perhaps?). The Parade begins at 1:30and if you are not able to join us with the decorating please be at Cornwallis and Upper Water Street (just past the casino, in front of the dockyard) by 1:00.

Head over to the ECRSA Facebook Page to let Julie know if you will be strutting your stuff with the ECRSA.

Happy Pride!
AMc

Well, the dust has settled, trophies have been handed out…well, bragging right have been allocated*, copious amounts of beer have been consumed and the ECRSA Dykes vs. Divas game expanded to include the inaugural ECRSA Kickoff To Pride Softball Tourney.

Congrats to the Dykes for finally beating a bunch of Divas in heels at an athletic event. With this feat successfully notched in their collective belt notch, there are no limits to your next endeavor. Dare I guess as to the what the endeavor might be – installing drywall as a timed event perhaps? Better yet – quickest to unload a pick up truck full of wood, then cut, and stack said wood before downing a case of beer as a team relay event? The mind reels at the possibilities for a re-match. So long as a Diva loses her wig…just saying!

Congrats are also extended to the sluggers of the league who put on a great show leading up to the Dykes vs. Divas game with the home run derby. For anyone who caught some of the derby action, I do hope you took names because this league has a pool of talent that can spank a ball something fierce. The Commission took note and we will be looking into official sponsorship from Purolator or Canada Post in order to return league balls that have been hit a postal code or farther out of the ball field.

This weekend saw some great ball, and some great individual plays. Congrats to Halifax Hustlas on their stand up performance in taking the tournament title. And that guy…who was that guy? You know? That guy….the one who won the game with a grand slam…m’eh! Not too shabby Kevin, or Carl or Corey.  Equal kudos to the Phiting Photonics team for giving the Hustlas a run for their money!

To anyone who volunteered this weekend – I am most thankful and humbled by your efforts throughout the weekend. From the peeps who hung out with their smart serve certification with the volunteers who sold beer in the beer tent, to the umpire who battled enough attitude to put the weather to shame in terms of its UNRELENTING harshness and a certain peep who monkeyed her way around both dugouts in order to get all the speakers wired up – Thank you!

This was our first time at bat with a tournament and I am very interested to hear your feedback on it. What did you like? What didn’t you like? What would you do differently and why? Please head over to the contact us page and send us an email. I will get back to you asap and welcome the opportunity to chat it up.

*Note to self – buy or get a trophy donated for next year!

League play resumes on Sunday. In the meantime, Happy and SAFE Pride to all. I look forward to seeing you out at the plethora of events.
Abby