To Our HTRBA Families,

Until the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, HTRBA will continue to follow New Jersey’s Youth Sports Guidance as well as CDC recommendations for youth sports.  These guidelines are changing often and HTRBA will update our protocol based on this guidance as needed.    

Set forth below is the HTRBA COVID-19 Protocol as of May 18, 2021, which will remain in effect until further notice with respect to all HTRBA-sponsored activities.   As of this date, masks are no longer required in outdoor settings, players, coaches, umpires and spectators will no longer be required to wear a mask even when social distancing is not possible.   Wearing masks are still required indoors, including inside the batting cage.

This document will be updated as conditions and guidance changes.  

All parent roles at HTRBA revolve around one idea:

Providing the strongest and safest environment for every child coming to HTRBA to learn confidence, teamwork, character, and fair play while playing America's past time, baseball.

As a volunteer program, we rely on our parent's dedication to this idea to keep HTRBA operating and our fields in great and safe condition year after year.

Thank you for everything that you do!

Volunteers are vital to the success of HTRBA.  Without devoted volunteers, there would be no league. Volunteers do everything including maintenance, coaching and event planning.  HTRBA is always looking for enthusiastic individuals to volunteer their time and energy to give our children the best little league experience.

MANAGERS AND COACHES
Managers are responsible for the overall running of the team.  They schedule and run practices, run games, set lineups, and are the face of the league to many of the parents.  The assistant coaches take direction from the manager and assist in running the team.  

Coaching can be a very rewarding experience.  Of all the volunteer opportunities, this position has the most direct contact with the young players and the best opportunity to directly impact their playing experience.

This position requires time, patience and a little baseball knowledge.  Do not be afraid if you feel you don't have the baseball knowledge, HTRBA will support every coach with clinics and seminars and coaching material to help them have a positive experience with their team.

BOARD MEMBERS
These volunteers are responsible for the overall operation of the league.  They attend monthly meetings discussing league affairs and vote on what direction the league should take on various matters.  They are also responsible for filling in Officer of the Day shifts.  When they are the Officer of the Day, they are required to be present at the fields and help make sure that the games scheduled for that day run smoothly, coordinate the parents here for field duty and any other operation needs that come up during their shift.

AUXILIARY
Members of the Auxiliary operate the concession stand and schedule press box workers for every game.  

The Auxiliary are a huge part of making HTRBA feel like a baseball park, rather than just a baseball field,  providing a unique and memorable experience to every child at HTRBA.  Long after they leave little league each child will remember getting their name called when they come up to bat during a game and getting something special from the concession stand after they had a good game because of the efforts of the Auxiliary.

CHALLENGER PLAYER BUDDIES
These volunteers are the heart of the Challenger Division program.  Every player should be assigned a buddy.  The buddies assist the Challenger players on the field, but whenever possible, encourage the players to bat and make plays themselvers.  However, the buddy is always nearby to help when needed.

CONCUSSIONS
Defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move quickly back and forth. This fast movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes stretching and damaging the brain cells.

As parents, we need to be aware of the symptoms of concussions and ensure that our children have the best chance of recovery from a concussion.  Please visit the HEADSUP Concussion site on the CDC's website and review this concussion information sheet.

PITCHING SAFETY
As a member of Little League® HTRBA follows the Pitch Smart Program.  The program is the results of cooperation between USA Baseball and Major League Baseball.  It aims to protect the health of our younger players by limit the numbers of pitch a child can throw at a given age.

NO ON-DECK CIRCLE
At the little league level, there is no on-deck circle for warming up before going to bat during a game.  Please support the league and coaches in enforcing this rule for your child.  Teach them that they should not touch their bat until it is their turn to step into the batter's box.

HYDRATING YOUR YOUNG ATHLETE
Keeping your young athlete hydrated during activity cannot be overstated enough.  Along with cooling the body, being properly hydrated has many other benefits for the body as well.  Here is a link to a good article on The Importance of Hydration for Young Athletes.

Remember, DRINK BEFORE YOU'RE THIRSTY.

A list of frequently asked questions about parent responsibilities can be found below.

Regardless if you choose to volunteer for a specific position within HTRBA, every parent has a set of responsibilities they must fulfill during the course of the season.  These responsibilities help ensure every child's season is the best and safe it can be.  A list of these responsibilities can be found here.

PARTICIPATE IN THE FIELD / FACILITIES CLEAN UP AND PREPARATION
Participate in the Pre-Season Field / Facilities Clean Up and Preparation.  Parents are responsible for volunteering at least one hour of their time to help prepare the HTRBA facilities for the upcoming season and another hour during the season to maintain the fields.  Weather permitting, there will be two dates scheduled for this activity.

PARTICIPATE IN ALL HTRBA FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES
It costs the league well over $500 per player to operate the league in an effective and efficient manner. Registration costs only cover a small portion of this amount. Successful fund-raising events are necessary to keep your registration fees low and still run the league at an acceptable level. Your 100% participation in these events is the key to making them successful. Listed below are the fund-raising events and minimum requirements necessary to stay in good standing with the league. Anyone who does not participate, and does not pay the buyout, will be billed for the full buyout amount. Anyone participating and not meeting the minimum requirements will be billed for the difference between the money raised and the full buyout. In all cases, the league reserves the right to not allow players to participate in games until all outstanding balances are brought current.

o Discount Cards – Every Family will receive 10 discount cards to sell during the Season.  Families are required to sell them for $10 apiece.  If the parents pre-purchased their cards (Buyout) no money is owed to HTRBA.  If not, then the Families are required to sell those cards and return $100 to HTRBA by the specified date.

o Tag Day – Every player is required to complete one hour of tagging as scheduled by the league. Dates, times, and locations are still to be determined. Plan on as early as February 26 and as late as Memorial Day weekend. Buyout available ($50 per player)

o Lottery – Parents are required to sell up to 10 Lottery tickets per child. No Buyout available.  If you do not want to sell tickets, simply buy all 10 tickets yourself giving you a chance to win the prizes.

PARTICIPATE IN TEAM FIELD DUTY
Parents are required to complete at least two “game shifts” per child, as scheduled by the team manager. A “game shift” is approximately 2 ½ to 3 hours long. Field Duty tasks can include, but are not limited to: prepare fields, line fields, collect garbage, maintain bathrooms, sell 50/50’s, assist with Snack Stand supply replenishment, clean Indoor Training Facility, and general maintenance. No Buyout available.

SNACK STAND DUTY
Parents are required to complete at least two “game shifts” per child, as scheduled by the team parent. If you are assigned to the first game of the day, you are required to be in the stand 15 minutes prior to the game’s scheduled start time. If you are assigned to the final game, you are required to stay until the stand is cleaned up for the day. Buyouts are available on a “first come first served basis”.

PROVIDE WORK BOND
Every family will be required to provide a check for $200 payable to HTRBA Little League before your team’s first practice. The league will hold the check until the end of the season. If you have fulfilled all of the above requirements, we will return the check. If you do not fulfill the above requirements, we will cash the check.  Please be advised… we don’t want your money, we want your help! 

Why are there additional responsibilities that have to be fulfilled beyond paying the registration fee?

There are two reasons for the additional responsibilities:

1.  Keep the cost of registration as low possible by keeping operating costs down.
2.  Give the players the experience of playing organized baseball at a real, clean, and well maintained Ball Park.

What are the responsibilities I will be expected to complete?

1. Preseason field clean up (at least 1 hour)
2. 3 Fundraisers throughout the season (Pizza Kit Sale, Tag Day and Lottery)
3. Snack Stand Duty (2—3 shifts)
4. Field Duty (2-3 shifts)

The fundraisers and sales made in the snack stand, cover costs that the league incurs during the season that are not covered by the registration fees.

Field duty, field clean up and snack stand duty keeps the league from incurring additional operating costs.

What if I can’t make a scheduled responsibility?

Clear and timely communication is key.  The board members understand how busy lives can be with work, family and extra curricular activities.  The board is in the same situation as you.  If the people organizing the responsibility know what the situation is, they can work with you.  Lack of communication is typically the cause of any stress or difficulty resulting from parents trying to fulfill their responsibilities.

Why is there no buy out for field duty like there is for Snack Stand duty?

Put simply, there is no one else to cover your field duty shift.  The snack stand has a pool of workers that the snack stand can contact to cover a family’s shift for a fee.  The $30 snack stand buyout goes entirely to the worker covering your shift.  There is no such pool for field duty.  If you are not there, the work does not get done.

Aren’t the lottery tickets I am expected to sell considered gambling, and therefore possibly illegal?

Every year HTRBA Little League applies for, and obtains, a license from the State of New Jersey so we can hold our in-game 50/50’s and annual lottery.

Why do I have to give the league a $200 work bond?

Work bonds for little leagues is a common practice.  HTRBA was very proud to not require one from it’s families for many years (1960—2016).  Unfortunately more than a few families every year choose to not fulfill their responsibilities and enjoy the lower registration costs while other families did the work that allowed these lower costs.

In order to protect those families that fulfilled their obligations, a work bond program was instituted so if a family chooses to skirt their responsibilities some action was available to the board to hold these families accountable.

Before a work bond is cashed the family will be notified that they did not complete a responsibility and arrangements will try to be made for that family to make it up before the bond is cashed.  HTRBA does not want to cash any family’s work bond.  We want to be a community and provide a safe and memorable baseball experience to all of our players.