Program Changes for 2016

Updated Sunday March 20, 2016 by Kanata Little League.

Changes affecting Minor, Major and Junior baseball programs for the 2016 baseball seasons.  

Introducing Mosquito, Pee Wee, and Bantam Rep and Select Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) competitive teams.

** Program Description and Comparisons in the attached PDFs below **

Over the Winter, KLLBA executives have been working hard to redefine the baseball programs offered to our membership. Our mission has always been to provide an experience that is both safe and fun and strengthens an interest in the game of baseball for those involved.

If you've been through the registeration process already for the 2016 season, you've noticed the first change. Registration is being offered for 2-month and 4-month programs. This is to fulfill the desire of most players to be on one team for one season. The players that register for a full 4 months, should play with the same group of kids on a single team for the whole May-August season.

The second, and much bigger change for 2016, is that Kanata Baseball is separating the Competitive Programs from the House Programs by offering Ontario Baseball Association (OBA) "Rep" and "Select" teams for kids in the Minor to Junior age groups.

Full details of the new programs are available below, including a comparison summary and structural differences of the programs for each age group, and a document comparing high level differences between LIttle League and OBA programs. A Frequently Asked Questions document will be added soon and updated regularly. 

Questions raised at the Town Hall meeting held March 9th, 2016:

Kids who try out, how should they be registered?
Only players registered in a 4-month program with Kanata Baseball will be invited to Rep and Select team try-outs.

Will their be tiers in the LL 2 and 4 month programs?
The desire is to make the Little League program developmental which implies balanced teams across the board. If there is a large enough group to warrant tiering, it will be considered.

What is the percentage of non Kanata residents registered?
At the time of the meeting, only 2 of 200+ players registered and interested in competitve play were out-of-boundary. 

Will Kanata kids need to go out of boundaries for practices?
With the growth of our association and the new field dimensions, it is possible we will contract fields outside of our boundaries for team activities.

What about hockey try-outs?
The baseball season typically runs from May to end-of-July/beginning-of-August. Playoffs and tournaments take place in August and the Provincial tournaments on Labour Day weekend. Teams/players will need to plan to have players away if hockey tryouts are more important that a Provincial Championship tournament.

Will Kanata be able to field enough umpires?
Kanata is training umpires for both Little League and OBA requirements.

How many Select Teams will you have?
The number of Select teams at each level is only limited to talent available.

If I register for the 2 month program, how do I switch to the four if necessary?
The registrar can switch any registration from 2-month to 4-month and credit the 2-month fee to the new registration.

Will Kanata purchase bats?
Kanata will only purchase bats to replace worn out bats in inventory where the bat's use can be predicted and allocated to a program cost. Going forward, as bats meeting Little League specifications wear out, they will be replaced with more common and less expensive bats meeting OBA specifications. A selection of bats will always be held in reserve for Little League Tournament competition. For OBA programs where only wood bats are permitted in games, players will be responsible for providing their own bats. The league will supply metal bats for practices.

Can you please give us a rough breakdown of how Minor/Mosquito will look?
Players born in 2005 will tryout for the Major Mosquito Rep team. 12 or 13 players will make this team. Players born in 2006, and some in 2007, will try out for the Minor Mosquito Rep team. 12 or 13 players will make this team. Any players born in 2005 and 2006 cut from these teams will be evaluated for a Mosquito Select team which will all be balanced. Players cut from the Mosquito Select program will be assigned to a 4-month Little League team.

Will Kanata once again have a Fall Program?
Absolutely! We ran Fall programs for 9-16 year old players last year and will be doing it again. It will have a slightly different meaning in 2016 as participation will lead to competition for a Fall Tournament we intend to host. 

What is the expectation on playing time for Rep?
Participation in Rep brings a much higher expectation for added field time. Where Little League teams typically have 2 games a week and a practice, Select teams should expect 2 games and 1 or 2 practices each week, and Rep teams should expect 2 games and 2 or 3 practices each week.

Concern on away Tournaments. How many are planned?
We would expect each team participate in at least 3 away tournaments - will be incorporated into the initial team fees - and host a tournament. The number of tournaments is really a team decision though. It does cost to go to tournaments so each team is free to fundraise to reduce those costs.

Can you draw from Select teams for Tournaments?
Yes. As OBA payers, Select players are eligible for call-up to Rep teams when the Rep team is short players.

I am registered for '2 month' season', can I change to '4 month season?

Yes, players already registered in the 2 month season may change their registrations to the 4 month season, and through this be eligible to try out for the competitive teams. Please contact the registrar at  [email protected] to do so before April 1. 

	KanataBaseballProgramOverview2016 (3).pdf
	Comparisons of Organized Youth Baseball Programs
	Program Changes FAQ.pdf