District 42 Parents, Players, Coaches, Volunteers and Fans:
As the little league regular season of play winds down, District 42 will begin Tournament of Champions (TOC) and All-Star tournament play. TOCs games will begin this coming Saturday June 19. The games will be played at Southwest, South Bay and Sweetwater Valley Little Leagues. Tournament game schedule will follow so please follow us on Facebook and our web site at https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/cad42
This is such a milestone, considering that a year ago, all youth sports programs were at a halt due to the pandemic. Little League International for the first time, had to cancel all tournaments and competitions that would have ultimately led to the Little League World Series. Months earlier, Little League had issued temporary suspensions of spring season 2020 play, that eventually turned into full suspensions due to safety concerns.
Fast forward a year later, eight of our nine District 42 little leagues returned to play for the 2021 Spring Season! It took a lot of coordination and work from the presidents of our leagues and their Board of Directors, to recruit players, coaches and return to the fields in a safe manner but still being mindful of any state or local restrictions with regards to Covid-19. In addition to beginning the season with reduced revenues and lesser players, these managers managed to keep their parents informed, keep the players safe, and most importantly, give their players a chance to play ball again. Kudos go to:
Sweetwater Valley LL: Arturo Maldonado and his board developed safety and reopening plans that allowed SVLL to establish practice teams during the pandemic. Their safety plans became a model for other District 42 leagues to follow for establishing practice teams. They continued with enhanced safety plans that allowed them to sign up players for the spring season. Even with reduced numbers, Arturo and his board provided the players with a great experience. A special thanks to Arturo for applying his business acumen to the league.
Park View LL: Johnny Fuentes and his board worked with the City of Chula Vista to ensure his facilities would meet local safety protocols for reopening. His PVLL board actively solicited sponsors for the spring season, as well as engaged in recruiting players for both practice league and spring ball. Their efforts resulted in a smooth reopening of the regular season, new sponsorships for PVLL, and fun for the returning players. Johnny is a natural consensus builder who brings and elicit positive energy to his board meetings.
Chula Vista American LL: Martin Gutierrez had an uphill battle with regards to regaining access to the CVALL fields. Their baseball fields are on Hilltop Middle School grounds, and the school had not yet been cleared for reopening due to the pandemic. Once the school district board gave them permission to get access to the fields, Martin and his board spent many hours getting the fields ready for reopening and registration. He was successful in getting the grounds ready for play, and even found time to assist PVLL in getting their Tee-Ball fields upgraded for opening. Martin’s dedication and passion to little league are demonstrated with his countless volunteer hours to improve his league and others in District 42.
Southwest LL: Robert Lewis also faced some delays in getting access to his fields. Their fields are part of the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation and during the pandemic, access was extremely limited. When access was finally given, Robert and his board went to work to get the grounds ready and getting players signed up. Imperial Beach LL was not playing this season at their fields due to safety concerns, so Robert took in their players for an expanded league. He worked on bringing back the little league experience for two leagues in Dist 42! Robert wears many hats at Southwest LL and gets the job done.
Luckie Waller LL: Richard “Cinco” Inzunza also faced problems getting access to the LWLL fields. The fields sit on City of San Diego Parks and Recreation property. While he had the practice league set up previously, reopening required coordination of his plans with the City. Once granted, he actively worked on getting players signed up, coaches in place, and safety protocols implemented. Besides being league president, Cinco also spends time as an umpire within his league. He can usually be found at several games during the week and weekend. With the passing of beloved LWLL and District 42 umpire Sam Aleman, Cinco was the glue that held the community together during this difficult time.
Chula Vista National LL: Edgar Lim had challenges even before the pandemic hit. His fields are located on Harborside Elementary School, and school district plans called for shrinking the fields and growing the parking lot. Coupled with declining registration numbers, Edgar and his board faced the huge task of recruiting players for the upcoming season. Despite lower registration numbers than previous years, Edgar managed to reopen for the spring season, and brought the little experience back for the youth in his area. Edgar dedication to Chula Vista National is greatly appreciated.
South Bay LL: Steve & Alicia Alanis and Lilia & David Walters are amazing volunteers. They each run two Little League programs and coordinate with each other for the sole purpose of giving kids in the community a chance to play the game of baseball. Lilia and David have run the Challenger Division for over 10 years. The Challenger Division is for individuals with physical and developmental challenges. Steve and Alicia are highly respected individuals who volunteer their time organizing their league, making sure that SBLL remains in their own facility for years to come.
There are countless stories from all our leagues, as well as major efforts done by their Board of Directors and league volunteers to make the 2021 spring season a success, despite the restrictions in place. We are grateful for everyone who has contributed to the reopening of little league and are looking forward to post-season tournament play with our TOC and All-Star games, beginning this Saturday, June 19.
Ernie Lucero