2008 was one of the best seasons ever for Southern. Under the direction of our President Bernie Malewitz, we saw some 775 boys and girls participate in baseball and softball. Bernie served for 3 years as league president and among many other programs, Bernie established a very successful and much needed raffle program, reinstituted the kick off meetings with the coaches and parents to organize the season and added many additional volunteers to help the program go smoothly.
2008 was also a successful season as for the huge financial responsibility of Southern. Many thanks go out to the sponsors, Jen Rowe and Marcia Lewis with the concession stand, John Belanger and the raffle staff, Julie Jager and the bingo staff and all of the other volunteers who combined to raise the funds needed to offset the estimated $310 per player it costs to run Southern Little League. Bernie has stepped down as President to concentrate on coaching and on watching his kids play all sports. The Southern board would like to thank Bernie immensely for his dedication to Southern. If you see Bernie this Summer please give him a nice thank you. Bernie will be remaining on the board as an adviser, and we look forward to working with him.
The Board of Directors has elected me as the next league president, and I began my term at the January 15, 2009, meeting.
The sign-ups for 2009 will start soon. Online sign-up will be available in the coming days and the in-person sign-ups will be held on several dates in February. Please watch this website (and your email if you are a subscriber) for information coming soon about sign-ups. All of the important dates will be included in the announcement, so don’t miss it. We are happy to announce that Southern will not need to raise fees this season as long as everyone continues to participate in fundraising and supports the concession stand. Fees will again be $110 per player.
Southern is working on improving its softball program and has secured Caledonia and Lowell as interleague partners for juniors and is working with Byron TSP, Northern, Northeastern and others as partners in the younger ages.
We look forward to a great 2009 season. See you at the sign-ups or at the fields.
Bob Hams
President, Southern Little League
