Outgoing President’s Message

Dear LUYAA Families,

I wanted to write you now, at this special holiday season, to tell you how grateful I am for everything you have done for LUYAA and our children.

No organization has ever had more loyal or more dedicated volunteers than LUYAA. In, the 5 years I’ve been involved with LUYAA, we have continued to gain strength, confidence and pride -- all this stems from the very strong foundation set in place by the founders of LUYAA and the many volunteers before us.

I know I have made contact with you many times asking for your help; and, whenever you could, you gave and gave generously. For that and more, the members of LUYAA owe you a special dept of gratitude.

As you celebrate the holidays with your family and friends, as I will with mine, I’m sure each of us has many things for which we are grateful. But I hold your support of our organization and your friendship as a very special blessing.

I also want to thank you for the opportunity to serve as the LUYAA President for the last year. I will always carry that time as an honor. The LUYAA Board of Directors made some very significant decisions over the last year that will help LUYAA into the future. To name just a few: hiring of a business manager, coaches safety training programs, and on-line registration. The LUYAA BOD will take on even more planning efforts in 2005 which will help toward building LUYAA’s foundation for the 21st Century. Keep an eye open or contact one of the LUYAA BOD members to see how you can help.

As some of you heard at the LUYAA General Election meeting, I made a decision to decline running for the LUYAA Presidency for 2005. I accepted a new position at work, which requires additional training, travel and responsibility. I realize the importance of being the President of LUYAA and the time required during the work day to keep the organization in communications with those who provide our fields and facilities. I could not be sure of being able to attend or fulfilling the responsibilities of the Presidency for an additional term. I will continue to support LUYAA and our youth athletes in other ways in the months and years ahead.

Thank you again for the support.

Sincerely,
Todd O’Connor

Incoming President’s Message

First of all on behalf of the Board Of Directors and the entire organization I would like to thank Janet Tatanish and Dave Sowers for their many years of dedication and time spent with LUYAA.

A sincere thank you also goes out to Todd O’Connor and Steve Silvious for serving as President and Vice President of the organization for the past year.

I’d like to welcome back a previous LUYAA president Bill Haag as our newly elected Vice President. Todd O’Connor who stepped down as President of LUYAA was re-elected by the general membership to a position as a board member. These two guys just can’t get enough LUYAA!

A warm welcome goes out to Ginny Michaels and Richard Long who were also elected by the general membership to the position of board members.

I would also like to thank the Board of Directors for showing their support while I attempt to take our organization to new and exciting levels. Our communities and the number of youth athletes continue to grow and we can only be successful if we have the support of each and every parent of the children in our sports programs.

I’d like to welcome any member of the community to get involved with our organization. Please visit our web site for updates and stop in and listen to what’s happening with your LUYAA organization every first and third Thursday of the month at the New Market Middle School Library. Dates and times for these meetings can be found on our LUYAA.org web site.

As your new president I ask that you get involved and support one of the largest youth athletic programs in the area. As we move into the New Year I will set goals for our organization that continue to build successful programs for the children of our community. I will focus on building our financial strength, coaches training and development programs and all efforts to protect the safety and well being of our children.

My sincerest gratitude to our coaches and their families for giving so much to our youth, those parents who are always so willing to give back and all who are involved in making our organization what it is today and for the future.

Best of luck to all during the upcoming sport seasons.

Sincerely,
Donna Peach
LUYAA President

1. All refunds will be directed through the LUYAA webpage, www.luyaa.org. In the event that internet access is unavailable, please contact the registrar.

2. No refunds will be given after the completion of the second week of practice.

3. A $10 Administrative fee will be imposed on all refunds. (*)

4. Late fees and annual membership dues will not be refunded.

(*) Unless a child does not make a select or travel team and no intramural team is available in the same sport, or if the sport is full at the time of payment.

2.01-To organize and promote athletic and recreational programs on intramural and competitive levels on the basis of good sportsmanship and fair play; these standards are to be observed at all times.

2.02-To offer those programs to all interested youth in the Linganore and Urbana High School districts; any exceptions to be made at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

2.03-To teach youngsters, through participation, the fundamentals and principles of sports.

2.04-To take into consideration, first and foremost, the health, welfare and ability of each individual participant.

Our registrations are getting larger every season. I wanted to thank everyone for their patience during the registration process. The weather has not been nice to us and it creates problems for everyone. I want to give some tips for getting through registration quickly.

1. Go to our website ( www.luyaa.org )and add your email address on the webmaster ‘s master list. Doing this will get you the registration dates as soon as they are set up, and any updates, changes or any other important information.

2. Check the website often. It has about anything you would want to know on it plus it contains contact information for the different sports. Please start here to see if your answer is on the site.

3. Read your newsletter. It lists the upcoming registration dates and sports. It may also have info on upcoming sports. The newsletter is also available online.

4. If you have an outstanding balance (including returned checks) with LUYAA it needs to be cleared up before you can register for the upcoming season.

5. The Annual Membership Fee of $15 is collected once a year. It starts at the January registration. If you don’t register for a sport that season, you will pay your fee at your first registration of the year. Your membership is good for January thru December of that year. The fee is used for rental of the school for registration and BOD meetings, printing and distribution of newsletters, flyers and other administrative needs. Also, $5 from each membership goes into the land fund.

Late Registrations:
All registrations are considered late after the last registration date at the school. There will be a $25.00 late fee imposed on all late registrations. Late Registrations will be done online.

1. A registration is considered to be "late" if not turned in at the official LUYAA Registration.

2. All late registrations will be subject to a $25 late fee. $10 of the late fee will be deposited into the LUYAA Land Fund.

3. Directions for registering late can be found on the LUYAA webpage at www.luyaa.org. In the event that internet access is unavailable, please contact the registrar.

4. Registration is not complete until full payment is received.

In a constant effort to making changes for the better in this large organization, we recently added the benefit of Online Registration! For a small transaction fee, you can register your children’s sports online. We welcome any feedback on this if you choose to participate, rather than registering in person at New Market Middle. As of right now, we’ll still have the same 3 dates and times to register in person.

Remember to visit www.luyaa.org often. At the bottom of the home page, there is a link to add your e-mail address to our electronic mailing list to receive important LUYAA announcements. The website has a wealth of information and it’s the way to request refunds, register late, and now register on time!

As of 11/30/2004, the bank balances are as follows
Checking/Savings
BB&T Checking $13,265.56
BB&T Land Fund $72,340.39
CD - Land Fund $41,111.61
Money Market $14,353.20
Reserve Fund $45,139.09

See you all at Spring Registration!
Julie Jarboe

LUYAA has instituted a new returned check policy. Checks that are returned by the bank will be automatically processed electronically. In order to write checks to LUYAA the following must be agreed to:

"If my check is returned unpaid, I authorize my account to be debited electronically for both the check amount and return check fees."

-Your Immediate Coach
-Activity’s Commissioner-Coordinator
-Athletic Director
-LUYAA Board of Directors

Please try to resolve any problems through the chain of command. Please contact the athletic director before contacting members of the board. If there is a problem in following the above chain of command, the LUYAA Board of Directors has an open door policy; call any director or attend any board meeting.

LUYAA Basketball Continues to Grow!!

As in 2004, this season in LUYAA basketball we have experienced an continued growth in our program, and we hope everyone is as excited as the basketball board about the tremendous interest. Including the school travel teams, we have over 100 teams in LUYAA this year with each team carrying a minimum 10 players and in some cases more than 10 players. This growth has been made possible by the time spent by the basketball board and specifically the league coordinators. Please join me in thanking the following individuals who have helped coordinate the various leagues.

1st & 2nd grade co-ed - Ron Smith
3rd & 4th grade boys - - A.J. Atmonavage
3rd & 4th grade girls - Charleen Rudeau
5th & 6th grade boys Harry Hall
5th & 6th grade girls - Bruce Baumgarten
7th & 8th grade boys - Dave Wilkes
7th & 8th grade girls - Will Holmes

Special thanks to all our "seasoned" coordinators who have agreed to take on a second year of coordination and also to our lone "Rookie" coordinator Charleen Rudeau. Also, thanks need to go out to Pat Gwinn, Beth Harris, Jim Kelly and Rob Carpenter for their effort and contributions to the Windsor Knolls, New Market and Oakdale travel programs respectively. Please be sure to thank all these people when you see them or have the chance to meet them. A simple thank you makes up for many of the tiring and unpleasant tasks these people must endure during the season.

Thanks also to the many coaches and referees this year. I applaud the coaches and parents alike, as it seems to be much calmer this year.

Please be sure to thank Alex Utt, Valerie Stevens, and Harry Hall when you see them. Alex is the intramural coordinator and Valerie and Harry are his assistants. Valerie is responsible for the sponsors, pictures and trophies and Harry is responsible for coordinating all gym time. We are very fortunate to have them and thank you for all that you guys do!!

We are again providing the intramural children reversible jerseys this year. The boys will be wearing black and white, while the girls will be sky blue and white. We would like to continue to receive feedback regarding the jerseys. So far, the feedback has been extremely positive, and we hope all the children enjoy their new uniforms. Please let us know if you like these new jerseys when filling out your program evaluation form at the end of the year. We appreciate the feedback and will consider any suggestions or ideas you may have for next year's program.

LUYAA Basketball Raffle
The drawing for the basketball raffle is currently scheduled for Friday, January 28, 2005 at the Linganore vs. Urbana high school basketball game. Thanks to everyone who sold, distributed and collected tickets and again made this a successful LUYAA fund raiser. We were able to cover all of our expenses this year due to the increase in the raffle which included the new rims at several of the schools. We have replaced a backboard and added wall mats at New Market Elementary and replaced the backboard equipment at New Market Middle school. So, thanks again for everyone's participation.

LUYAA Basketball Facilities
This year, as every year, LUYAA uses the local elementary, middle and high schools for our travel and intramural programs. As guests in these facilities, LUYAA basketball must do the following to ensure we are permitted to continue using these facilities. Specifically:

- Children must be supervised at all times during practices and games.
- All trash must be picked up at the completion of practices and games.
- Where specified, no food and drinks in the gyms.
- Posters and wall-hangings must not be moved or damaged.
- Baskets must be put at the proper height at the end of each night.

As always, please be sure to remember that the buildings and custodians are to be treated with respect. Our use of the facilities depends on our ability to meet the expectations of the schools and we will lose use of the facilities if children are not supervised and gym rules are not followed. WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!

LHS Summer League
The boys summer league at Linganore High School is for current 5th thru 8th grade boys. Games will start by the end of April/early May 2005. The cost is $55 and there is a 9-game schedule. All games are played at Linganore High on Sundays, times vary. Please note that the girls summer league registration will occur at our Spring Registration in May, as they do not start as early as the boys!

Summer Hoops
The high school summer camp information for local high schools will be given to all players later in the season. You may call the following coaches for early information if needed:

Linganore: Coach McGaha and Coach Mathews (240-236-7800)
Urbana: Coach Chueng (301-537-2510) and Coach Krivos (240-236-7600)

As usual, I encourage anyone interested in contributing his or her talents to the basketball program to please let us know. Please contact me (Dave Sowers) on my home number at 301-831-3824 or Alex Utt at 301-865-8648 to discuss your interest. Thanks again and have a great season.

Dave Sowers
Basketball Commissioner

It’s time to start thinking about fall travel cheerleading! We had a GREAT 2004 season, beginning with our overnight and day camps, and ending with exciting playoff and Super Bowl cheering. This year, we plan to continue our success with a few modifications to our program.

One of our goals for this year is to field cheer squads for all CCFL teams, mini pony through varsity, including the new B+ level. In order to do this and to ensure we can achieve the minimum/maximum squad numbers (min. 12/maximum 24); we will determine squad placement by GRADE and AGE. WE WILL NOT HAVE THE TRADITIONAL EVALUATION / TRYOUT PROCESS. All girls will be placed on a squad, based on their grade during the 2005 school year. Adjustments may be made, or girls may be moved, only to ensure that each squad has the appropriate number of cheerleaders (min./max.).

The squads would look something like this:
Grade 1-2: Mini Pony (signups in May)
Grade 3: Junior Pony
Grade 4: Pony
Grade 5 and 6: Junior Varsity
Grade 7: B+
Grade 8: Varsity

Remember though….THESE ARE GUIDELINES! If 30 girls sign up for one squad, we will need to move girls around. Any changes will be made based on birth date and age. This is done to ensure the safety of the girls, coaches and junior coaches. With the addition of more complex stunting (particularly with the older squads) safety is concern one. We simply do not have enough hands to manage more than 24 on a squad.

Once the squads are determined, we will have day camps to allow the girls a chance to work together before the season starts. This will also allow the coaches to have a chance to assess the skills of the squad. This will be a factor in deciding the type of camp the squads attend in late summer.

Our goal is to not only to have representation at all CCFL levels, but to provide girls the opportunity to participate and learn the basics of cheerleading. The past year, we had the opportunity to work with first year cheerleaders and see them perform like veterans by the end of the season. It is enriching to both the cheerleaders and the coaches to see the development in physical ability, but more importantly, confidence in themselves.

We also have a large number of experienced cheerleaders. These girls are encouraged to help the new squad members and are given the opportunity to further improve their cheer skills.

Any activity that promotes physical fitness and builds confidence is good. Cheerleading combines both of these components and at the same time fosters teamwork and sportsmanlike behavior. SIGN UP TODAY!

As always, we look for volunteers to make this program work. Please sign up to coach, team mom, junior coach (high school girls please help!), fundraising, etc. We can not make the program work with out help from each and every parent.

If you have questions, please e-mail me @ cheercoachhawks@aol.com or via phone 240-731-4016

Cheerleading ROCKS!
Debra Schneider

WANTED GIRLS GRADES 3 - 8. NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED - WILL TEACH BEGINNERS TO ADVANCED. MUST HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND WANT TO HAVE FUN WHILE LEARNING A GREAT SPORT!!!!!!

If this sounds like your daughter then come see us at the field hockey table during Spring Registration. We can answer any questions you have and explain more about our program.

Last year was the first year we opened the program to girls in the 3rd and 4th grades and they were awesome. Our hope was to introduce these girls to this sport in the hopes they may find they like it and want to stay with the program through 8th grade. We are continually growing in numbers which is both a challenge and exciting. Last year we had 76 girls and hope to top that number this year. In the program, everyone learns the same skills no matter what their level of playing has been. The girls are coached by high school players from Urbana and Linganore High Schools. After all who better to show girls the game then the players who love the sport. Everyone plays and participates from the drills to the scrimmage games. We believe in having fun, too. If you can’t have fun and make friends while you play a sport chances are you won’t want to come back.

We are hoping for this to be our last year to run the program. We would like to have some parents step forward and continue on. We are very willing to work with you this year as a transition year so that the change over can be a smooth one. Please contact us or come and see us at the registration days.

Karen Henson, Maureen Peterman and Ann Gray

Now that the football season has come to an end I’d like to once again thank the many people who helped make our season a success. It takes a great number of volunteers to run our football program with all of the equipment, concessions, apparel, programs, super bowl and banquets. I greatly appreciated all the people who stepped up and volunteered their time and hard work including the Area Directors and Assistant Area Directors. I also want to thank my family for helping me so much and for being so supportive and understanding through everything that’s happened this year, without them I couldn’t have done it.

As many of you are aware Bill Potterton has officially retired as Area Director (AD) for Urbana. Bill has been AD for the past 5 years and has been very committed to the football program and he will be greatly missed. Bill was a tremendous help to me this year and did a great job putting up with all of my questions. Thanks Bill for everything you’ve done and best wishes in your future endeavors.

This year it was Linganore’s turn to host the CCFL Super Bowl and it was held at Linganore High School on November 20th. I’d really like to thank all the volunteers that came to help out that day: Theresa & Andy Anderson, Billy Casper, John & JJ Cino, Julie Clester, Paul Davies, Boh & Linda Dixon, Billy Fagan, Bernie Gibson, The Hawkins Family, Mark & Vicki Hoffman, Ken Kovack, John Marciniak, John Molnar, Beth & Elizabeth O’Connor, Donna & Cliff Peach, Bridget & Kevin Plummer, Bill Potterton, Rick Preston, The Rahmer Family, Dennis & Blake Richards, The Saylor Family, Peggy Tischler, Sue & James Veres, and Keith Wilson. And I especially want to thank: Paul, Bridget, Billy, Beth & Donna for organizing the concessions for this event. This was a very important day for Linganore football and I am very grateful to the people that took time out of their busy schedules to ensure that Linganore represented the CCFL in a proper manner. There were not only the teams playing that day (which included Urbana’s Varsity & JV) but all the All Star Players from all the CCFL JV, B+ and Varsity teams so every CCFL team was represented at the Super Bowl in one way or another. The CCFL President, Todd Denner, told me that Linganore did an AWESOME job! Thanks to all of you!

Speaking of volunteers, if anyone is interested in any of the coaching positions for the 2005 season please let me or the appropriate AD or Assistant AD know as soon as possible. You can email me at football@LUYAA.org. We will begin having evaluations in January and hope to start coaching clinics in the early spring. Also if you would like to volunteer in any other area please let me know that as well.

If you have not returned your equipment yet please contact your coach to make arrangements for getting it turned in ASAP before your deposit check is cashed. This is extremely important because we need to have the helmets reconditioned and safety tested this year and they will be sent out soon! If you did not return your equipment you will be billed for the total amount of the equipment you kept and the next time your child registers for a sport in the LUYAA Organization, your name will be on a list of people NOT able to register until either your equipment is returned or you have paid the total cost of purchasing the new equipment in full so please get it back as soon as possible!

Last but not at all least, I’d like to say CONGRATULATIONS to our two 2004 Super Bowl Champions: the Urbana Hawks CCFL JV team and the Urbana Hawks 12 and under I70 team. I also would like to congratulate the Urbana Hawks Varsity team for making it to the Super Bowl, they played a tough game in the pouring rain! And congratulations goes to the Linganore Lancer’s CCFL B+, B and 12 & under I70 team and the Urbana Hawks CCFL C team for making it to the 2nd round of the playoffs. LUYAA football was well represented this year in the playoffs and the Super Bowl…way to go teams!

Thanks again to everyone for all your help throughout the year and I hope you all enjoyed your football experience this season.

Kim Narvesen,
Football Commissioner

Rich Tischler,
Golf Commissioner/Coach
301-829-3073 rtisch@adelphia.net

Most of these words are those of Laurie Russell, the outgoing Lax Commissioner. On behalf of the players of LUYAA Lax, I would like to thank her for all of her hard work and dedication over the last few years. Without her, we would not have survived the "post Ron Hildebrand era" and we will continue to rely on her. We would also like to thank our fall clinic and indoor coaches for their support. They, along with the parents who helped them, permit your children to take that important first step into the great game of lacrosse.

This spring marks the sixth year for LUYAA's Spring Lacrosse Program and it continues to grow and change for the better! We anticipate fielding at least 20 teams. Pending a conference decision we may change our age groupings from last years set up to the one outlined below so that we match the rest of the state. There are other possible changes that are pending that we will forward as soon as decisions are complete. The goal of these changes is to give each child, at all levels of ability, the opportunity to enjoy and excel at lacrosse.

High School Boys Club
Boys* and Girls** Under 15
(For the boys, we may have teams of 8th graders only).
Boys* and Girls** Under 13
Boys and Girls** Under 11
Boys and Girls** Under 9

* There will be "A" and "B" competitive level teams within the Boys Under 15 & Boys Under 13 divisions. There will be no try-outs or any additional cost to participate on the "B" teams. Players interested in playing on the "A teams" will be required to try out. There may be additional practices, games, and tournaments that will require additional travel and fees to cover the additional games and uniforms. There is no "must play" rule for A team participants.
** Per new conference regulations, all girls will be required to wear
protective eyegear this year. The eyegear may be purchased through LUYAA by anyone at the Lacrosse Tables during registration.

We will have a representative from Bacharach at our registrations to take care of equipment sizing and ordering for the boys.

Due to possible changes, our fees for lacrosse are not yet determined. We will publish those on the website prior to registration.

CHANGES ARE COMING!!!
Because the numbers and skill level of all of our players have changed dramatically over the past few years, LUYAA Lax is going to change its organization and manner of doing business. Those changes will help our organization better serve the increased numbers and (dramatically) increased skill levels of your children. With your help, we will transform an already great program into the class type program that your children deserve.

What does that mean to you? Well a few points are that we need more volunteers because we have more players. And we need to better train those volunteers instead of just throwing them into the fire as we have (sometimes) done before. How are we going to do that? Some examples:

-We will schedule numerous Coaches Clinics (the 1st one is in February at the US Naval Academy) to train the coaches who are willing to coach but have never played before. We will provide table training (not knife and fork etiquette) for those people who want to run the scoring table on the sidelines.
-We will teach them how to keep the stat book, keep time, spot for the statistician, and manage the penalty box. For those folks who like to write, we'll ask you to write up some of the games so your kids can see their names in the paper, on the website, and other places (the grandparents love getting those clippings). For those folks who like to work, we'll teach you how to help us line the fields.
-We'll talk about Team Moms, Bench Coaches, and lots of other things needed for a great lacrosse experience. The more you learn about lacrosse, the more fun you'll have. The more work you can help us with, the more time coaches can coach. The more time coaches can coach, the more fun and the better skilled you child will become.

We have all sorts of positions that you can fill. You'll only need to do a little work, but it will increase you child's fun immeasurably.

So, we will be contacting you and hope you contact us to help.

Oh yeah! At registration, we'll be signing up ladies for the First Annual Mothers Who Love Lacrosse League (MWLLL) game to be held before Memorial Day. It'll be a hoot and we're looking for Dads to be cheerleaders…

Remember, have fun and lax on.

Semper,
Tex
Tex Welch - Lacrosse Commissioner, twelch@jjma.com (preferred)
or (703) 933-6848 or 301 865 9678
Mark Hoffman ­ Linganore Coordinator,
Heather Erdman ­ Urbana Coordinator, (301) 874-1874

This fall was a huge success on the pitch as 725 children played LUYAA soccer. Once again LUYAA offered teams in the 4v4 (ages 5-6), Instructional (6-10) and Competitive (ages 6-14 but soon to expand to age 19) classifications. This would not be possible if we did not have tremendous parental support. We had nearly 60 head coaches this past season and over 100 assistant coaches. This doesn’t even count the numerous parents who assisted in the administrative end, and people who served as a team mom or team dad. Thank you to all of you as LUYAA soccer would not be what it is without you.

I’d like to extend a congratulations to our Competitive/Travel teams which won FCYSA tournaments this past fall: John Gardner’s U12 Division One boys, Dave Hartman’s U-12 Division Three girls, and in U8, Daren Olsen’s coed team won the Mt. Airy Division Three Tournament. Regular season division title’s were captured by Paul Riley’s U-14 Girls in Division Two, John Gardner’s boys in U12 Division One, Bob LoCicero’s boys in U12 Division Two, Vince Perrotta’s boys in U12 Division Three, and Jeff Parke’s girls in U10 Division Two. We had many other teams which did very well in the tournaments and placed highly in their divisions. For a look at how the Competitive/Travel regular season stacked up for LUYAA please visit Frederick County’s official website at www.fcysl.net and click on the standings link.

This upcoming spring season LUYAA will offer two new age classifications for Competitive/Travel soccer: U16 and U19 for boys/coed and U16 and U19 for girls. LUYAA’s ability to field teams in these age groups will depend upon the County’s ability to come up with enough teams from other areas, and LUYAA’s ability to find knowledgeable adults to coach our teens who register. If you have experience in coaching or playing soccer I’d like to hear from you. LUYAA Soccer will pay for your licensing and training. Please contact me via the soccer hotline at 301-662-5525.

As we head into the spring season please note that pets are not permitted on school property, so please leave them at home during practices and games. In addition the schools permit neither alcohol nor tobacco on their property or parking lots. Always remember that positive cheering is encouraged. LUYAA’s parents have an excellent reputation for sportsmanship across the county. Let’s keep up the good work!

LUYAA Soccer will be hosting its first golf tournament as a means of fundraising and “fun-raising” this spring. If you are interested in more details, which will soon be forthcoming, please call our soccer hotline and choose option six and leave your name and number. You may also email me at soccerbob4v4U10@aol.com

We are always in need of volunteers for without them we have nothing. Please consider lending us your time and talents as we have a variety of needs requiring your help. Call our soccer hotline at 301-662-5525 and select option six to volunteer.

Finally, I’d like to thank Paul MacArthur, who has served as our Instructional Coordinator for the past two years. Paul has resigned from that task and will be succeeded by Brent Cooley. Thanks to both of you for serving LUYAA’s children.

Bob LoCicero
LUYAA Soccer Commissioner

It will be difficult to top the fun and excitement of the 2004 LUYAA girls’ softball season, but we hope you are ready to help us try. LUYAA is proud to offer the only intramural girls’ softball program in Frederick County and fields a travel team in the Frederick County Girls’ Softball League (FCGSL). In 2005, we plan to continue and expand this uniquely placed program that builds character in young women.

The success of our program depends on the dedication of volunteers. Many thanks go to all the volunteers, coaches, and especially prior-commissioner Debby Dersin and her family, Bud and Jessie. The Dersin’s devoted countless hours to the success of LUYAA softball over the last few years and deserve everyone’s heartfelt thanks as they take on other pursuits.

Since it takes the contributions of many to make a successful program, we are always seeking volunteers for participation in the softball committee and for coaching. Check the girls’ softball page on the LUYAA website for a list of openings and committees. If you are interested in helping out, please contact me using the information below. Check the webpage through the winter and the season for information about clinics, schedules, standings, and other timely and helpful information.

The goal of LUYAA’s Intramural Girls’ softball program is to provide for the complete development of female athletes in a highly instructional setting. Although competition increases as girls move up the program, the emphasis is always on having fun, learning teamwork, and increasing skill sets. We strive to accomplish this in a low-key environment at each girl’s individual pace. Instructional clinics and materials for pitchers and catchers, position players, batters, and coaches will be a top priority in the future.

The LUYAA Intramural Girls’ Softball program has three divisions; ages 6 to 8, ages 11 and under, and ages 14 and under. Age is determined by the athlete’s age as of January 1, 2005, but exceptions can be made for more mature 5-year olds. Girls pitch in the U11 and U14 divisions, while in the 6-8 division; we are instituting machine pitch this year. All games will be played at Windsor Knolls Middle School (WKMS) and practices will be there or at several other local fields. Practices start in March and the season begins in mid April. The season ends before the last day of school in Frederick County. Intramural practices and games are typically two hours in length, usually once or twice during the week and once on Saturday. Weekday practices and games are held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Saturday practices and games are held throughout the day. To better serve our customers (and make more money), a concession stand is planned for Saturdays at WKMS.

At the 6-8 level, athletes learn the most basic fundamentals of softball. There is no scorekeeping although making outs while fielding is encouraged. At the U11 level, athletes begin to learn some of the skills expected at the highest level. Games are umpired and score is kept. At the U14 level, athletes are honing functional skills and learning the nuances of the game. Although still learning a lot, athletes essentially compete at a level consistent with what they will see if they continue playing organized softball.

The travel team is the LUYAA representative in the FCGSL. It provides the girls with a higher level of competition and closer hint of what they will see at the high school level. Practices and games are held at either Urbana or Linganore High Schools. The travel team practices are typically two hours in length, one or two days per week.

I truly believe that sports such as softball teach lessons not found in books, TV, or video games that can be applied throughout life to enhance one’s mental and physical wellness. I promise that the 2005 LUYAA girls’ softball program will strive to achieve this, above all, for each participant.

Lon Santis
Commissioner
(301) 865-7238 (home)
(202) 266-4333 (work)
ldsantis@ime.org

Hi and welcome to LUYAA wrestling. The team this year consists of 77 young men and 1 young lady, 20 Bantams (age 7 and under), 23 Midgets (8 and 9 year olds), 13 Juniors (10 and 11 year olds), and 22 Intermediates (12, 13, and 14 year olds). This is a terrific Squad of fine young wrestlers. There are 3 practice squads with their own practice coach; Bryce Cox, Jon Gallegos, and myself with a very supportive staff of 21 Assistant Coaches. The coach to wrestler ratio is approximately 4 to 1 which is a great ratio for proper instruction. Thank you to the assistant coaches, the program would not be as successful without you.

Our Squads practice at Linganore High School, Urbana High School, and Gold's Gym in Frederick. We are fortunate to have these practice facilities. Gold's Gym has really stepped to the plate in offering its facility for practice and providing financial assistance to purchase a new LUYAA Wrestling mat. This is a tremendous commitment to the program and I publicly would like to thank Doug and Chris Makosy for their commitment and generosity. THANK YOU! We also would like to thank the Athletic Directors at Urbana and Linganore High Schools, Jeannie Prevosto and Greg Reich for their help and commitment to the program.

The preseason tournaments have already begun with quite a few experienced wrestlers with 8 to 10 matches under their belt and 22 rookie wrestlers getting their first action December 11th at the Damascus Matbash. It is difficult to step out on the mat for the first time and these wrestlers did it with heart, pride, and 100% effort. I could ask for no more.

Our annual Basket Bingo fund raiser is coming up on Sunday, February 6th at the New Market Fire Hall. Please contact one of our Squad Mom's, Julie Allen (301) 831-1316, Dana Baxley, (301) 898-9312, or Kim Harrison, (301) 831-7287 or a wrestling family who has tickets for sale for information and tickets. These are very nice "large" Longeberger Baskets filled with goodies. This is a very fun occasion and from what they tell me, very nice baskets!

Our program is growing and improving but only because of the foundation built over the last several years by previous Head Coach Pete Tatanish and Commissioner Jake Romanell. LUYAA Wrestling thanks them for their huge commitment of time and effort given over the last many years. Thank you for your hard work and dedication.

All please have a very Merry and Safe Holiday,
Ken Wolfe,
Wrestling Commissioner