The 2010 Almaden Lightning Tournament Team Coaches Have Been Selected

Congratulations Coaches!

8UB(Gold) - John Gemmet                     8UC(Blue) - TBA

10UB - Pete Fuqua                       10UC - TBA

12UB - Larry Blair                        12UC - TBA

 2010 Almaden Lightning Tournament Team Tryouts
Sunday May 2nd

The date has been set, so all we need now are the girls looking to continue their softball season in a highly competitive softball environment. The Almaden Lightning is the Annual AVGSL all-star tournament program. This year Almaden Valley Girls Softball League will try to field as many as 7 summer tournament teams which will allow the league to further advance the skills of those players interested in continuing to play and competing against some very skilled teams from other leagues.

Tournament team tryouts are Sunday, May 2nd for all 8U, 10U and 12U players. Any girl playing in 8U, 10U, or 12U divisions in 2010 is encouraged to tryout for the Almaden Lightning competitive traveling team.

Tryouts will be held Sunday at Bret Harte Middle School as follows:
·         8U Introduction and Q&A….…..…...8:30 – 8:45
·         8U Tryouts………………….................8:45 – 10:30
·         10U Introduction and Q&A……..…..10:30 – 10:45
·         10U Tryouts....................................10:45 - 12:45
·         12U Introduction and Q&A……..…..12:45 – 1:00
·         12U Tryouts....................................1:00 – 3:00

QUESTIONS and ANSWERS

Q.    How do you select coaches?
A.    The AVGSL Board votes on the coaches via applications submitted for Head Coach.
 
Q.    Who is eligible to try out?
A.    Anyone registered within AVGSL.
 
Q.    When are tryouts?
A.    May 1 is the earliest date that we can hold a tryout session. This year we will hold one tryout session on May 2. We expect to field teams in the 8u, 10u, 12u, and hopefully 14u for age groups in 2010.
 
Q.    What age group does my daughter try out for?
A.    ASA Junior Olympic Age Qualifications are: 
A player born after 12/31/2000 is ELIGIBLE for 8-Under
A player born after 12/31/98 is ELIGIBLE for 10-Under
A player born after 12/31/96 to 12/31/98 is ELIGIBLE for 12-Under
A player born after 12/31/94 to 12/31/96 is ELIGIBLE for 14-Under
Q.    What is covered at a tryout?
A.    Ground balls, throwing, fly balls, hitting & bunting, pitching and catching. The tryouts are similar to our upper division tryouts.
 
Q.    Are tryouts the only basis of the selection process?
A.    No. The basis of the selection process includes performance at the try out, observation of league play, past Lightning performance and coach recommendations.
 
Q.    What is the cost of the travel ball season?
A.    Basically, the purchase of your uniform ($125.00 approx.), plus $225.00 approx. to play.  These costs are estimates and will vary by team.  Travel costs will be additional and vary depending on where the tournaments are played.
  
Q.    How long is the travel ball season?
A.    The first tournament is usually over Memorial Day weekend ending the middle of July, with the possibility of making the ASA Western National Tournament the first week of August.
 
Q.    What commitment is expected of me?
A.    Full commitment of practices and tournaments.
 
Q.    How are the teams selected?
A.    The teams are selected by the coaching staff of the particular age group. 
 
Q.    How is travel ball different from league?
A.    First, full commitment to practices and tournaments is expected. Second, only the players in the field bat and playing time is earned. Playing time on Saturday (pool play) is more equitable than Sunday(championship play). You will be playing among the top athletes within your age group and each team member is expected to step to the next level. In this atmosphere, your daughter will grow as a player and it will be evident in her level of play the following year.
 
Q.    Who do we compete against?
A.    There are three levels of ASA play:
“A” ball is an independent organization that can recruit from any area.
“B” ball is an organization that pulls girls from within their own league and the player must already be registered in the league.
“C” ball is primarily the same as “B” ball, but is the second team for a league in a given age group. “C” teams usually compete against other “C” level teams and often play a more limited schedule than the league’s “B” team.
AVGSL first fields a “B” team in a given age group and then fields a “C” team if there is sufficient interest from both players and coaches.
Q.    What is a typical tournament schedule?
A    6-8 tournaments from Memorial Day through July or early August. Most tournaments are within the bay area, with each team usually scheduling one overnight tournament. Overnight tournaments have been in locations such as Livermore, Napa, Tahoe, Soquel, etc.
 
Q.    What is a typical tournament like?
A.    Saturday is “pool” play. Typical three games that “seed” the teams for Sunday(championship play). Who we play and at what time on Sunday is determined by this seeding. Sunday is usually single elimination and will vary from one to three/four games.
 
Q.    What is a typical practice schedule?
A.    In May the player’s commitment to their league team comes first for practices and games. Lightning practice will be fit in where possible. In May there will also be practices on Sundays. Once our AVGSL league is over the Lightning teams will generally practice on Tues., Wed., and Thur., but the final practice schedule is determined by the coaches.
 
Q.    What are the benefits of travel ball?
A.    A tournament will usually result in 5 or 6 games a weekend so that would be 30+ games for 6 tournaments to 40+ games for 8 tournaments. In addition to the number of games your daughter will play, she will be with experienced coaches who continually work on mechanics, coverages and strategic play. In this atmosphere, your daughter will no doubt perform at a higher level, which will be evident in her level of play the following year.
 
Q.    What if we have a vacation already planned?
A.    Please discuss with the appropriate head coach prior to committing to the team.

This last summer of 2009 the Almaden Lightning 12UB Team qualified to participate in the ASA Girls' Fastpitch Western National Championship. The tournament was held in Clackamas County, Oregon. A total of 58 teams entered the tournament from the Western Region. Teams from a far as Hawaii and Montana came to play in this week long event.

This was the second consecutive year that an Alamaden Lightning team played at the Championship. With the leadership of their coaches, our Lightning 12UB Team finished in a respectable tie for 17th place with a record of 5 wins and 3 loses. The 3 loses were suffered at the hands of the teams that finished 1st, 3rd, and 9th. Along the way, our "little neighborhood" team scored a victory over the Oregon State Champions. Way to go Lightning!

Pictured from left to right: Front Row - Olivia Fuqua, Tatiana Venegas, Mikhaila Talaugon, Ashley Boerner, Madeline Jasso, and Morgan Johnson. Middle Row - Kerri Richardson, Emily Ramey, Jessica Earnshaw, Alexis  Belligan, Kirsten Schmal, Ally Kido, and Lauren Cymrot. Back Row - Rex Kido, Tom Ramey, Pete Fuqua, Pat Earnshaw, and Dan Venegas.

This opportunity was an experience that the girls and their families will remember their entire lives. If you'd like to find out more about the 2009 Western National Championship, please visit the website at http://mthoodterritorysports.com/ 

Please enjoy the photos of their expeirence Click Here.