Closing Breakfast

Hello All League Members

With the 2024 Ball season coming to an end, plans are in the process of organizing the Closing Breakfast.

The breakfast will be held on October 1st  at 9:30 AM at the Royal Oak Centrepointe, 117 Centrepointe Drive, Nepean.

The Royal Oak has agreed to open their doors early to serve us breakfast. We will be the only client in the restaurant at that time. Doors will open at 9:15 AM.

This will be a buffet style breakfast with a choice of coffee or tea. The cost will be $16.00 per person all in. Everyone is welcome.

To book your meal, you can pay by cheque (Payable to Ottawa 60+ Slo-Pitch League – Cheques can be given to Chery Ferguson the next two weeks at the ballpark or you can  mail to 6084 Willowbark Drive, Orleans, ON K1C 5T8).  Alternatively you can send an e-transfer payment to Chery Ferguson @ treasurer.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com.  Please respond no later than September 25th.

We look forward to celebrating another successful 60+ Slo- pitch season with you.
Robin Boyd, President

Nelson’s 44th Terry Fox Run

Hello Ballplayers

Terry’s goal was audacious. His determination was fierce. His compassion was endless. He persevered, #NoMatterWhat.

I have completed 43 consecutive TERRY FOX Runs AND this year, number 44 is coming up on Sunday, Sept 15th. I am taking inspiration from Terry’s example and raising funds for cancer research. To date, I have raised about $125,000.00. Please support me and make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families.  

You can pledge either on line at https://run.terryfox.ca/page/nelsonwaddell OR on my pledge sheet which I’ll have at the ballpark. 

Thank you to all those who donated in the past and ask for your continued support.

Nelson Waddell

2024 League Executive Elections

Hello Ballplayers

Every year at this time, the League holds elections for the Executive Committee that is responsible for all league activities. We always need a few people to step forward to join the Executive Committee and help guide the League as we organize for next season. Please consider getting involved, either as a candidate or by persuading another capable individual to stand for election.

This year three of our five Executive positions are up for renewal, League President,

VP Social and Treasurer. You can find the Job Descriptions HERE.

As in the past, the vote will be by secret ballot at the diamonds.

Bear in mind that you can nominate someone for a role (get that person’s approval, first) or you can self-nominate (that is, volunteer yourself).

Absence from Ottawa (for any snowbirds) is not a barrier to holding one of the positions as the monthly meetings are held virtually. You can be located anywhere and still participate. The success of our league depends on the availability of volunteers to keep things running smoothly.

KEY DATES

July 29 to August 16: Nominations
August 20 & 27: Elections by secret ballot at the diamonds.

Following the close of nominations, the candidates will be announced and instructions provided on how to participate in the vote.

Dave Tripp has kindly volunteered to look after the nominations and the election process this year.

Nominations (or questions) can be submitted by sending an email to Dave Tripp at <dtripp1661@rogers.com>

When submitting nominations please include the name(s) of the nominator(s) and the contact information for the nominee.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Robin Boyd, League President

president.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com

Hot Weather Policy

Hello Everybody

The summer is here and with it hotter weather. We recently had some very hot weather and concerns have been raised by some players regarding the safety of playing under conditions of extreme heat. It is well established that extreme heat can bring health problems that may not be obvious until it’s too late.  These effects do not affect everybody equally. However, like every other bad thing, they disproportionately impact the very young and seniors.

As you may already know, every Tuesday morning, bright and early, I do a weather check to see whether we have a substantial threat (or reality) of rain making it impossible or unsafe to play. If the conditions do not allow play, the League Secretary notifies the captains that the games are postponed and the captains pass the message on to their teams.

From now on, I will be considering the projected temperature and humidity when making the call as to whether we will play. I’ll also look at any air quality alerts for things like smoke and other pollutants.

The members of the Executive have proposed a standard where any time the projected high is above 30 degrees Celsius, or the Humidex exceeds 40 degrees, the schedule will change as follows. One of the 11:00 o’clock games will be moved to 9:30 at diamond 4 and the other will be postponed and rescheduled. We will also reduce the games played on those days to 5 innings instead of 7.

Moving the one later game to 9:30 is based on the principle that the earlier games are not likely to be subjected to the worst heat. We also are trying to minimize having a long backlog of games that otherwise would need to be rescheduled.

If you have any concerns regarding this proposal, please refer them to me or to your captain for forwarding to me.  Otherwise, we will implement this starting Tuesday, July 2.

On a related note, I strongly suggest that every player should bring a sufficient supply of cold water to EVERY game. I usually bring 1 litre, of which half is frozen and half is liquid. More information about playing in hot weather is on our Safety Page.

Thank you for your attention.

Cheers…Robin Boyd, League President

Batting Helmets

Hello ball players!

This week we had a case of a batter/base runner who was hit on the head by a ball thrown to first base. This is an occupational hazard of playing ball but the risk can be reduced by the use of helmets.

Our league does not mandate the use of helmets for batters and baserunners and we have no plans to do so.

However, if any player wishes to use one, there is nothing preventing it. The league has a very small supply of helmets (3). If you want to reserve one for your use for the rest of the season, contact our VP Operations, Peter Atkinson.  Peter can be reached by email at peteraeducation16@gmail.com . The helmets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Stay safe out there and enjoy the rest of the season.

Robin Boyd, League President

Traffic on Bank Street at Riverside

Hello League Members

According to the City of Ottawa’s construction notice, Bank St is planned to undergo a major retrofit starting in June – the City doesn’t specifically state the day it will start. The construction is supposed to start at Riverside and extend southwards over several stages. Bank St will be reduced to one lane each way during each construction phase.
The construction should not affect players driving east along Riverside to the RA  Centre. Players coming west on Riverside may be impacted when approaching Bank St depending on how many cars still want to turn left onto the single lane. Hopefully the actual construction zone on Bank will not infringe onto Riverside itself.
If you want to read more the link to the City’s info page is
Thanks
Dan Stankovic (Secretary)

May 14 Games Cancelled

Hello All Members

Based on current conditions, the amount of rain that has fallen overnight and the fact that 3 sources of weather data all show significant rain over the next 2-3 hours before clearing up, this morning’s games will unfortunately be cancelled. A separate email about the rescheduled dates will be sent out later.
 
Robin Boyd, President

Batting Practice

Hello All

Doug Humphries (LesLor) has volunteered to organize a batting practice for League players this summer. The practice sessions will be at Hampton Park 9:30 A M on Thursdays starting this week. Please bring your own bat if you can. Doug will have a couple of bats for use if needed. 
 
Thanks to Doug for volunteering.
 
Dan Stankovic (Secretary)

Opening Breakfast April 30

Hello All League Members

With the 2024 Ball season getting ready to start, we have decided to have an Opening Breakfast/ Information session again this year. All League members are invited including new players, spares and scorekeepers. Members of the Executive will also be there to answer questions.

The breakfast will be held on April 30th at 9:30 AM at the Royal Oak Centrepointe, 117 Centrepointe Drive, Nepean.

We will be the only client in the restaurant at that time. Doors will open at 9:00 AM.

This will be a buffet style breakfast with a choice of coffee or tea. Juice will be served upon request. The cost will be $16.00 per person all in. Everyone is welcome.

To book your meal, you can pay by cheque (Payable to Ottawa 60+ Slo-Pitch League, and mail to 6084 Willowbark Drive, Orleans, Ont. K1C 5T8) or send an e-transfer payment to Chery Ferguson at the following email  treasurer.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com

Deadline to book your breakfast is April 19th. If you are sending a cheque by mail, please send an email to Chery at the above address to ensure you are counted.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Breakfast.

Robin Boyd, President

Online Survey Results

Question 1
Complete the season by early September.
12
13.79 %
Complete the season by middle of September.
19
21.84 %
Keep the 21 week schedule as is.
43
49.43 %
Not a big issue – whatever the majority chooses is fine by me.
13
14.94 %
Question 2
 
Let’s stick with the status quo – 9:30 and 11:00 am.
43
50.00 %
I would really prefer a slightly later start time – 10:00 and 11:30 am.
32
37.21 %
I’m easy either way – let the majority rule.
11
12.79 %
Question 3
 
Keep the rule as is – one home run per player per game.
33
38.82 %
Tweak the existing rule – a player’s 2nd home run in a game is credited as a double.
19
22.35 %
Deal with home runs on a team basis – maximum of 3 per team per game.
4
4.71 %
Successive home runs – once Team A gets one, only Team B can hit the next one, and so on.
25
29.41 %
I have no opinion on this matter.
4
4.71 %