December President's Message

In 2014, Little League is celebrating 75 years of Little League Baseball. It is an exciting time for both Little League International and Four County Little League. Our league has been working behind the scenes to reevaluate, retool and ensure that we are continuing to represent Little League International properly. If you look back at the beginning of Little League in 1938 when Carl E. Stotz came up with the idea for organized youth baseball, you will find that even after 75 years Little League has stood the test of time. There is a reason that the organization has been so successful for so long. Its emphasis on community and volunteers make it a great social activity not only for the children playing, but also the adults and parents who are watching games, coaching teams and dedicating their time to enhancing the Little League experience. From a cost aspect, Little League strives to keep the fees associated with being an official Little League low. Through decades of research, our safety measures to protect our children on-field and off are unparalleled. The core values of leadership, citizenship, sportsmanship and teamwork are invaluable for our children, while enhancing the fabric of our community. Four County Little League is proud to be a Charter member of Little League and to represent the organization here in Mt. Airy, Maryland.

As President, I felt it was important to take a step back and look at our program and review our core values on the local level. A few key members got together to talk about what we thought was important at our local Little League. We then brought our thoughts to the most recent Annual Meeting. At the meeting, the general membership solidified our mission statement. 

Four County Little League is committed to sustaining a culture in which coaches, parents, fans, umpires, and athletes work together as we aspire to be an outstanding educational-athletic, community-based organization by upholding the virtues of character, courage, loyalty & community. Our program is designed to develop superior citizens for a stronger community through the great sport of baseball.

Part of evaluate the league, we felt it was time for a new website. By now, you may have seen the new website. On the site, you will find a section on Four County history. As I was doing research for the history of the league, I discovered Four County has also stayed true to its core values over the past 20 years. I spoke to the founder of the league, Vincent "Skip" Rusbosin, and he told me he started the league because he saw things happening in other organizations that he did not feel was right. He saw the same players sitting on the bench, he saw coaches acting inappropriately and the organization was very loosely operated. He felt there was a better way. He reached out to Little League and chartered the first Little League in the Four Counties in 1994. Since then the league has continued the tradition of being a family oriented, community based organization. We do indeed stand for and always have stood for Character, Courage, Loyalty & Community.

So, where do we go from here? Well, we are headed in the right direction with our 2014 Board of Directors. We have great volunteers who are willing to go the extra mile to make Four County the best it can be. Our families are sure to have a great season. But the one thing you can do is recruit new families. Get the word out. Talk to the folks on your block and in your neighborhood. Today, parents have so many choices when it comes to youth sports. They even have choices for baseball. Some would have us believe that "Travel" baseball or "Select" baseball is the key to a great future. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some Travel/Select teams are full of coaches and players who have defected from their home town leagues. The minute they are not happy with a season, team or game, they leave. It happens every year. If you don't believe me, read this article (Put the Breaks on Travel Ball) published recently, this article entitled Elite or Bust Mentality not good for players or this article by Steven Keener (Too much baseball is not a good thing). Little League is community and the community is Little League. We have what our kids need and the more families we have involved in the mission, the better. Spread the word about our mission and our upcoming season.

A reinforced vision (November President's Message)

creating superior citizens

I can't tell you how excited I am about the future of Four County LL.  Over the past few months, we have seen new energy with energetic and enthusiastic volunteers.  As your re-elected President, I am tasked with guiding this great organization to new heights and with these new enthusiastic volunteers, I have never been more excited about the outlook of our Little League.  With that said, I have met with many of these new volunteers and we solidified a new mission statement which was proposed and accepted at the Annual meeting held in October.  The new mission reads:

Four County Little League is committed to creating a culture in which coaches, parents, fans, umpires and athletes work together as we aspire to be an outstanding educational-athletic, community-based organization by upholding the virtues of character, courage, loyalty & community. Our program is designed to develop superior citizens for a stronger community through the great sport of baseball.

So with a new mission in hand, we move forward with the planning of the 2014 season.  I want every member to know we are committed to "developing superior citizens for a stronger community..." and decisions we make in the future will have this mission at the heart of the decision making process.  We are looking a some changes to accommodate this new mission.  I can't tell you about any of these changes because they have not been approved by the board.  This is why I invite you to come to the next Board of Directors meeting to get the inside scoop.  I also invite anyone interested in being part of this new movement to volunteer where you can.  We have directors positions, committee chairs and other volunteer positions so please don't hesitate to ask how you can help.

Superior citizens & superior athletes

I look forward to working with this great group and hope that you are part of it.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me (president@fcllbaseball.org).

Jim Gill

President
Four County LL