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Dear LMB community,

First and foremost, the LMB family hopes everyone is doing well and able to find safe ways to connect with their loved ones.

I wanted to introduce myself, Ulysses Yan, as your new incoming LMB president and the rest of the Board who were just recently elected at our past AGM.

Executive Board:

• President:              Ulysses Yan
• Vice-President:       Vincenzo De Palma
• Secretary:              Chris Cu
• Registrar:               Carrie Cu
• Treasurer:              James Fairweather

Board Members:

• Adam Johnson
• Alex Gubanov
• Brad Dorwart
• Bram Rogachevsky
• Dan Barnholden
• David St. James
• Kenny MacIntyre
• Kimberly MacAulay
• Lee Iverson
• Patrick Whalen
• Robert Mah Ming
• Stephen Nantel
• Travers
• Tyler Redpath

On behalf of the Board, we’d like to thank Patrick Whalen for his tireless efforts over the past 2 years as President.  He thankfully will continue assisting LMB as a Board member in the role of Past President.

This past year has obviously been an unprecedented year for all of us.  Regardless of the challenges, LMB was able to successfully run a modified baseball season for almost 400 of our kids, from Majors A to T-Ball, giving the kids and all of us a safe outlet to connect, exercise, and enjoy our beautiful ball parks from July to early October.

Being able to run such a safe and successful program took a team effort – from the kids, to the parents, our volunteer coaches and safety officers.  However, it was the efforts of two people in particular that made our season happen.  Thanks to their endless work during the wee hours of the night when many of us were sleeping, Chris and Carrie Cu have been named the 2020 Volunteers of the Year!  Thank you Chris and Carrie!  The LMB community is indebted to you both for saving our season, and actually all of your work over the past 6 years!  LMB would not be the same without you two.

Families – please note your LMB Board is hard at work preparing for the 2021 season.  Registration is expected to open in early January.  We ask for your patience and flexibility while we work through the logistics of what we anticipate may still be another season affected by COVID.

Thank you,

Ulysses Yan

Little Mountain Little League President

To our members,

We are happy to announce that we are reintroducing baseball related activities at Little Mountain Baseball.  The landscape for returning to youth sport in BC has been constantly evolving, which has made our efforts to return particularly challenging.  We thank all of our members for their ongoing patience and support during these times.

To meet the requirements of provincial sports authorities (viaSport) and Baseball BC, we have developed and adopted a set of Return to Play (RTP) Guidelines that will govern the reintroduction of baseball at LMB.  These RTP Guidelines have been posted on our website and will form an overarching framework for all LMB activities at this time.  Additional protocols and guidelines are being developed for specific activities and facilities, and will be posted on our website along with the RTP Guidelines.  These guidelines may change and evolve over time as new guidance becomes available from Baseball BC and provincial authorities.

Under current Baseball BC requirements, the initial reintroduction of programing at LMB will be limited to small group practices and training.  Gameplay or other additional activities may be reintroduced at a later date if permitted by Baseball BC.

We will move forward with the reintroduction of LMB activities in a staged and graduated approach.  We will start with reintroducing league activities in our oldest divisions, beginning with Majors A, then Majors B and possibly Minors.  As team formation for these divisions had already been completed prior to the COVID-19 related shut-down, we intend to keep these teams together as much as possible.  Team practices are expected to begin shortly, depending on the availability of permits from Vancouver Parks Board.  We expect to move forward with our Majors B division and possibly Minors once we have had an opportunity to observe and assess activities at the Majors A level.

In addition to Majors A, Majors B and Minors, we are currently evaluating the re-introduction of activities for our Mini-Minor A, Mini-Minor B, T-Ball and Blastball divisions.  However, we believe that it may be more difficult for players in our younger divisions to adhere to physical distancing requirements.  We expect to provide updated communication for these divisions by mid-July. Unfortunately, Little League Canada, Baseball Canada and the Jays Foundation have strongly advised that Challenger Programs remain suspended until at least September 15, 2020.

Where we are able, we hope to run activities through the months of July and August, and possibly September. We understand and appreciate that many families will have other plans and commitments during these months.  Our focus for Summer 2020 will be on safety, skill development, fun and flexibility. 

The return to baseball activities for LMB will require the cooperation and support of all those involved, including coaches, players and parents.  LMB has always relied on the efforts and contributions of its volunteers and community.  The dedication and commitment of all LMB families will be even more important as we attempt to navigate a return to play in the current environment.

Most importantly, all participants will be asked to abide by, and help implement, all of our COVID-19 related policies and guidelines.  These will include not participating in league activities if:

• You are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19;
• You have travelled outside of Canada within the last 14 days; or
• You have come into contact with someone who has received a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 within the last 14 days.

In addition, we will require the assistance of an army of volunteers to assist with additional screening, cleaning and disinfecting, and other efforts.  Returning to play will be a community effort.  All players, parents/guardians, and coaches will be required to sign and return a participation agreement, an updated and revised waiver and release, and an updated medical form, each of which are set out in the RTP Guidelines. 

Although we are doing our best to try and minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19, so long as the virus circulates in our communities it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk. Each participant must make their own decision as to whether it is in their best interest to resume participation at this time. You must take into account your own circumstances and make the decision that is right for you.

The Board of Directors of Little Mountain Baseball.

To our members,

Baseball BC and Little League BC District 1 have published updates with respect to the 2020 baseball season.

Return to Play Guidelines

Among the many factors that are expected to impact a potential return to baseball for LMB is the creation of Return to Play guidelines.  Baseball BC, the recognized Provincial Sports Organization for amateur baseball in BC, has taken the lead in developing Return to Play guidelines for its member organizations.   The update from Baseball BC provides a general outline of the process around which they are expecting to develop these protocols.  Although Baseball BC believes that they will be able to develop Return to Play protocols in “short order” once provincial guidelines are issued, no information has been provided as to when those provincial guidelines will be issued. As a result, considerable uncertainty remains regarding if or when Return to Play guidelines will become available.

Spring and Summer Baseball

Little League BC District 1, consisting of LMB, Dunbar, Jericho and Kerrisdale, has issued a joint letter advising that the spring season (traditionally run from April to mid-June) has been cancelled.  This decision was made in light of Little League International cancelling the Little League World Series for the first time in history, and the cancellation of all Little League Canada regional tournaments.  We will continue to monitor communications from the relevant government and sports authorities to assess whether we will able to offer a house league season during the months of July, August and possibly September.

Moving Forward

For families that are interested in participating in a possible LMB league season that would run during July, August and possibly September, we are requesting that you maintain your active registration status for the time being.  With the size our community, we believe that this will make it easier and quicker to organize and operate a modified season on short notice.  If you do not anticipate participating in a potential summer season, you may send a request to cancel your registration and receive a refund to registrar@littlemountainbaseball.com. 

We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation carefully and we will attempt to provide an additional update to our members by mid-June or sooner if additional guidance becomes available.  We thank you for your patience and support.

To our members,

As you may have seen, the Province of British Columbia has announced plans to begin relaxing some of the protective measures that have been put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.  We are very excited about the possibility of baseball returning some time soon. 

However, planning remains in the early stages, and considerable uncertainty remains.  We thank you for your ongoing support, and we ask that you remain patient as we navigate this process.

Although we are gladdened that the Province of British Columbia has indicated that low contact outdoor sports may soon resume, few details have been provided. Currently, we are awaiting further guidance from Provincial officials regarding parameters for the resumption of play and any associated restrictions.  In addition, efforts to restart our season will need to be coordinated with Vancouver Parks Board, which allocates, manages, and operates all LMB’s fields. Existing guidance continues to be that all fields are expected to remain closed until at least May 31, 2020.  Parks Board has yet to provide additional guidance for periods after May 31.

We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.

Finally, as re-opening efforts begin for local merchants and businesses, we would like to acknowledge the generosity and support that these businesses have provided to the LMB community over the years.  We recognize that present circumstances have placed financial stresses on many LMB families.  However, for those that are able, we ask that you consider supporting those that have helped to support us.  In particular, we would like to thank the following very generous sponsors for their past support:

To our members,

As the situation with the novel coronavirus and COVID19 continues to evolve at a rapid pace, the overall effects on Little Mountain Baseball’s 2020 season continues to be fluid and uncertain. 

Our board of directors continues to be optimistic that we will be able to provide some sort of modified baseball season for our members. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide any specifics on what form or structure such a season would take at this time.

The existing guidance from Little League Canada and Little League International continues to be that all  local Little League programs suspend their seasons until May 11, 2020.  In addition, Vancouver Parks Board, which manages and oversees all LMB fields, has advised that all fields are expected to remain closed until at least May 31, 2020.  No information on Little League operations or field availability has been provided beyond those dates.

As more information becomes available, we will explore our options for a 2020 house league baseball season.  These may include a shortened season and/or a season that extends further into the summer months (June, July, August).  However, no formal determinations have been made.

At this time, and unless requested otherwise, we intend to maintain the active registration status for all players who are registered for LMB’s 2020 season.    This will make it easier and quicker to organize and operate a modified house league season at a later date.  However, we also recognize that present circumstances have placed financial stresses on many LMB families.  Those needing an immediate refund may send an email to registrar@littlemountainbaseball.com to request that their registration be cancelled.  We understand that this may be a sensitive issue for many families, and any requests for refunds will be kept confidential.  However, if you are not in need of an immediate refund, we request that you hold off on making a refund request until a final determination is made with respect to our 2020 baseball season.

Although we continue to be disappointed about the ongoing effects of COVID19 on our season, our primary concern continues to be the health, safety and well being of our players, coaches and their families.  Moving forward, we will continue to monitor announcements and recommendations from local health authorities, Little League’s governing bodies and Vancouver Parks Board, and will also continue to consult with our own medical advisors. 

Best wishes.

The Board of Directors of Little Mountain Baseball.

To our members,

Little League Canada and Little League International have updated their guidance regarding the temporary suspension of league activities, extending the recommended suspension to May 11.

As with the previous guidance issued by Little League’s governing bodies, Little Mountain Baseball’s executive committee, in consultation with its medical advisors, is adopting Little League’s recommended guidelines.  As a result, we expect that out 2020 season will not begin until May 11 at the earliest.  As a reminder, this suspension includes a recommendation that teams refrain from conducting practices or other group activities until notified otherwise.  For members of our entire community, we recommend that you follow the guidance of public health officials to limit large group gatherings, including informal or impromptu practices or games.   

We understand and share the feeling of disappointment about the delay of LMB’s traditional season, and the desire to seek a sense of normalcy in these challenging and rapidly changing times.  However, it is our hope that by following these recommendations we can play a small but important in the attempts to flatten the curve of the spread of coronavirus. 

We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. 

Patrick Whalen – President Little Mountain Baseball

To our members,

Due to ongoing concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) and COVID-19, Little League Canada and Little League International have issued guidelines recommending that all leagues temporarily suspend league activities until at least April 6. 

Although we are extremely disappointed, our executive committee, in consultation with health care professionals, feels that the wisest course of action is for LMB to follow the recommendations of Little League’s governing bodies.  As a result, we do not expect to begin our season until at least April 6.  Prior to this time, and in line with Little League International’s recommendations, we are also asking that any teams that have already been formed to please refrain from conducting practices or other group activities.  LMB’s board of directors and community of volunteers will continue to work hard on our pre-season preparations in an effort to ensure that once the recommended delay has passed, our season can begin as quickly as possible

As the situation evolves, we will continue to monitor announcements and recommendations from local public health officials and from Little League’s own governing bodies.  We will also continue to consult with LMB’s own medical advisors as we attempt to determine future courses of action.  As always, the health and safety of our players and their families is of paramount importance to us. 

We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.  We send our best wishes to all the members of the LMB community.

Patrick Whalen – President, Little Mountain Baseball

CALLING ALL LITTLE MOUNTAINEERS! If you've ever played or had friends or family play at LMB we need you for the biggest showdown in Provincial #littleleague Baseball at Noon, tomorrow, Sunday July 28.

Little Mountain Baseball vs Coquitlam Little League Winner heads to the Canadian Little League Championship in Ancaster Ontario.

The boys have been playing great ball all week and would love your support tomorrow in the final game of what has been nothing short of an epic BC Little League Championships

Be there, wear your LMB colours, and Let's Play Ball!

#WhoAreWeLMB