Running Head: East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 2

East Sacramento Spartans After-School baseball club proposal

Ron Johnson

KIN 857, Michigan State University

To:
Ms. Celeste, Principle, Theodore Judah Elementary School
Ms. Hathaway, START Director, after-school program (Theodore Judah)

From:
Ron Johnson, Athletic Director, Rio Americano High School
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 3

Abstract

In recent years, mainly due to cutbacks in funding and prioritization from our government, there

has been a decrease in quality youth athletic development programs to serve our kids. This is an

issue as it relates to obesity problems faced in this country, as well as children who lack the

appropriate character development that leads to success at the high school level and beyond.

Because of the lack of inexpensive youth options, and the increase in participation in more

expensive club options, such as travel baseball, there are unfair advantages given to groups of

higher socioeconomic status as it relates to preparedness to attain athletic scholarships. It is my

goal to re-prioritize the benefits of physical education and level the playing field for families and

kids not as privileged as others. My aim is to create an after-school travel baseball club that

focuses on youth development through sport and serves as a catalyst to level the playing field

and provide equal opportunities nondependent of income or class level.

Keywords: positive youth development, baseball club, physical education, success, life skills

As Athletic Director of Rio Americano High School, a place close in proximity to

Theodore Judah’s elementary school campus and likely future home to many students who
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 4

attend your school, I am writing to request you consider joining me in a joint collaboration to

create and maintain an after-school club for fifth and sixth grade kids that has the potential to

greatly assist your administrative goals for a positive youth development climate. Specifically, I

aim to create a baseball club, one that will emulate similar travel clubs in the area but with a

drastically different focus.

The reason for my desire to be involved with a quality after-school program at younger

levels is due to many of the current high school athletes I come across lacking the quality traits

needed to succeed at this level. Additionally, it is documented that a lot of potential young

athletes fail to even try out for high school sports, with a high percentage of burnout occurring at

the middle school age of 13. This is a shame, considering physical maturity is still a developing

factor in these young men/women and due to bad experiences some never have their talents

identified appropriately. I want to be an agent of change for this trend. The target group I am

interested in here is 10-12 years of age; an absolutely critical pre-burnout stage that needs

attention to properly develop passion for sport and good active lifestyle habits.

As the father to a fourth grader at your school, and coach of his youth recreation baseball

team, I am a witness to kids whose dads are specializing their sons early on. In some part this is

due to youth programs being on the decline, a disturbing trend in our nation. (Farrey, 2008) And

although most of these kids are talented players, in large part due to being so exposed to the

sport, I see a robotic movement in many of these kids who enter baseball specialization at such

an early age. The risk here for these dads is their sons could be prone to burnout, but their boys

also have distinct advantages over others who cannot afford to play travel baseball, with

tournament fees, etc. Many families simply cannot afford to participate in this type of activity.

My mission is to create an alternative travel/tournament baseball program for underserved kids,

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 5

specifically those from working/lower middle-class families, focusing less on winning than

competitive travel clubs and more on developing positive developmental assets that will ideally

propel these kids to better long-term success, both academically and athletically.

In terms of program creation, it makes sense that, in collaboration with after-school

START (Students Today Achieving Results for Tomorrow) Director Hilary Hathaway, to

conceptualize an after-school sports program that focuses on baseball skills development

utilizing a varied degree of athletic sports and games. I’ve done research and preliminary

background information on your school and after-school programs prior to writing. Theodore

Judah Elementary has many clubs available for students such as robotics, early engineers, and

debate. All of your club offerings are superb, however they are all strictly academic in nature. I

am proposing incorporating a program with a physical education element, in order to prioritize

healthy, active lifestyles which is an important educational element that requires attention.

Your campus after-school program START is wonderful, serving Theodore

Judah students as a nonprofit education program offering free child care t o income

eligible families. As you are aware, START features the following three

components: homework and tutoring assistance, literacy, and enrichment/recreation.

The latter is an element of the program that, in talking to other parents involved in

the program, is lacking in terms of structure. This can be a positive, as too much

recreational structure can be a detriment to PYD goals, with creativity possibly

being stifled.

Through social media/internet the program actively promotes youth

development and building on individual student assets stating that “Positive youth

development promotes social and emotional growth and greater attachment to

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 6

school which, in turn, translates into enhanced learning opportunities during the

regular school day.” This is the perfect program to use as a catalyst/partner for a

potential PYD program. The concept being to offer our travel bas eball club to these

underserved families with children enrolled in START that likely cannot afford a

travel baseball program for their son/daughter. This is a unique opportunity to allow

them to play baseball in a travel/tournament style culture/format like children from affluent

families. It also levels the playing field to serve as a type of feeder program for underserved

children to be able to compete with those playing in travel programs.

The community support at Theodore Judah is abundant, as evidenced by volunteers

running all other after-school clubs. A stipend is not needed in this case either; we shall solicit 1-

2 volunteer dads to head the program as lead coaches. In this case, since it is an optional daily

program each volunteer could be responsible for a couple days a week, responsible for leading

up to a maximum of 15 students the first year. Although the objective is to keep the coach-athlete

ratio low for maximum benefit, we could even expand those numbers for greater participation in

subsequent years without additional coaching, if response is great. After-School Enrichment

Programs are not child care programs and they are not licensed, and therefore not required to

adhere to strict adult/child ratios and health and safety standards set by the State of California.

After-School Enrichment Programs develop their own set of educational requirements for staff

and volunteers and may not require personnel background checks. In addition, the current

START program can easily be redesigned to allow a current staff member to help our volunteer

dad as an assistant coach a couple days a week. This would ensure a solid coach-athlete ratio to

maximize developmental benefits and also help train your staff as the head coach will be trained

in positive youth development techniques.

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 7

It is imperative that any volunteer coaches that run this program be trained properly to

ensure positive youth developmental goals are achieved. Rather than offer these kids a program

run by a transactional coach, defined as “the kind of coaches who use players as tools to meet

their personal needs for validation, status, and identity”, we need a transformational leader who

prioritizes life skills and can be a change agent in a kids life. (Ehrmann, 2011) To develop these

types of coaches, there are several steps we will need to take.

First, we will distribute literature to volunteer coaches which will assist in guiding the

program objective to be led by double-goal coaches. The Positive Coaching Alliance defines this

type of coaching philosophy by stating that although “winning is important, it is more important

that coaches teach life lessons through sports. We consider a coach that focuses on both of these

outcomes to be a Double-Goal Coach.” (Positive Coaching Alliance, n.d.) Our coaches and

program will be guided by literature from the PCA site, as well as Joe Ehrmann’s book

InSideOut COACHING to create awareness in how to be a transformative figure in these kids’

lives.

After acquainting the coach with specific literature designed to enhance perspective, there

will be a training program offered to volunteer coaches prior to the schoolyear, during our high

school’s annual meeting. This meeting is to ensure all coaches understand the goals ahead, not

only in terms of athletic achievement but also academic achievement and character development.

Our program is guided by transformative principles. The spectrum of sport model that I use

specifically for my coaching staff training is a sport-specific model that focuses on growth and

development (life skills development over sport skill development) rather than deficit reductions

(sport as prevention).
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 8

Instilling passion, but limiting the potential for burnout is also a main priority for coaches

involved in the program. Several different factors have been known to contribute to burnout, one

of the leading causes of kids quitting youth sports. In a study conducted with competitive tennis

players, reasons included unrealistic goals, winning as too much of a focus, overtraining,

pressure from parents to excel, comparing skills to other players, etc. (Gould, 1997) Although

this program is for younger kids not at the elite level of their sport, those factors should be

incorporated when detailing certain aspects of the weekly itinerary focused on developing talent.

The weekly schedule would vary, depending on the seasons and to keep things varied and fresh

for the kids, in an effort to avoid burnout. In the program I am creating, even though the main

sport is baseball, the practice plan/exercises will be varied to reduce the aforementioned potential

for early burnout, and give the kids a chance to develop a passion for the game of baseball.

Although high school athletes in that developmental stage should be coached differently, the goal

for coaches of all levels is as a positive mentor to children. In this case, as they are in the early

stages of their youth baseball experience, coaches should be trained in ways of teaching life

lessons, baseball FUNdamentals with a modified, enjoyable approach to advanced skill drills,

and most importantly a passion for the game that leads them to continuing in the sport for years

to come.

Priorities during sessions would be 1) FUNdamentals 2) Improving baseball skills

through actual baseball drills; 3) Improving baseball skills through non-baseball drills. Utilizing

subject matter experts for fun program ideas is essential to creating a diverse, entertaining

program to promote talent development and reduce the chances of burnout. A crucial program

element is to create alternative games/methods to maximize and develop baseball talents.

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 9

Fast-twitch muscles can be improved by playing ping pong according to various major league

players such as Hunter Pence, Clayton Kershaw, etc. (Giants outfielder Pence turns to ping pong

to improve, 2013)

Although I am proposing the program be sport-specific (baseball), utilizing a

multitude of different sports/hobbies to assist in talent development of the muscles/skills needed

for baseball, the program design would include a talent identification element that could

prove a terrific opportunity for kids who may have never identified their talent in a sport that is

lesser known. Talent identification is something that can be a strong asset of this program, both

in terms of kids finding the right fit and in coaches noticing a natural talent, making the parents

aware and encouraging the child in that area. (Farrey, 2008) Positive assets such as self-esteem

can be derived from success in the right sport. A multitude of sports, and coaches training in

recognizing specific talents can help navigate these young men/women in the right direction and

reshape life paths. A programmatic objective for our coaches is to help identify talent that can

assist your objectives for your students as they relate to future high school success. Suggestions

can be made to parents based on observed strengths noticed in the athletes. For example, players

showing strong slow-twitch muscle development, may be better suited for weightlifting, football

(lineman), or track and field (shotput). We also should be careful to avoid specialization, which

has been shown to be a leading cause of early burnout. We will look to avoid this issue, once

again by utilizing other sports (football long toss, soccer for speed/stamina/footwork) when

training.

An integral part of my job is to research positive youth development, particularly at the

high school level. This research has led to studies in the psychological development involving

high school focus groups, which describe developmental growth experiences through sport as
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 10

goal setting, time management and emotional control being learned. Also, the ability to actively

work with peers and become a valued member of a team and learning to take responsibility for

their own development are traits gained through sport.

It has been shown through research that extracurricular/after-school experiences help kids

1) acquire physical and psychological health habits; 2) create a positive orientation towards

school and achievement; 3) facilitate getting along with others, including peers and adults; 4)

acquire appropriate value systems about rules and conduct. Further studies indicate that

extracurricular/sports activities contributed to greater rates of learning experiences in positive

developmental areas such as identify development, initiative, teamwork/social skills that can

impact a child’s life greatly when navigating from adolescence to adulthood.

The program will incorporate a similar leadership model as discussed in Gould and

Voulker’s Captains Leadership Program article. (Gould D. &., 2010) In this program, each

participant will have the opportunity to take a leadership role, with the role being “handed off” to

a new leader each month during the school year. which will include picking teams, leading

exercises, etc. Leaders will be selected during the first club meeting of each month, based on the

total number of stars gained the previous month. If two or more kids are tied at the end of the

month for overall points, a competition such as throwing a baseball into a targeted return trainer

with the kids taking turns tossing a ball into the square, and each getting a chance to match, until

one child wins out, would take place. The role of leader takes on added significance as there are

more kids in the program than months in the school year so not every kid will get an opportunity

to lead and, it will be explained, the same kid can win more than once. Therefore, becoming a

captain is a carrot dangled to motivate the kids to improve their personal responsibility and

effort. The coaches will mentor and promote to each leader some elementary major components
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 11

of leadership discussed in Gould/Voulker’s article, for example, positive peer modeling,

communication, motivation, and team cohesion. Ways to teach would include demonstrating

positive communication/motivation to others using phrases such as “Come on Jeremiah, you can

do it!”.

It is the coach’s job to create a positive environment and set clear expectations early.

Research in sport psychology has revealed that in addition to creating a caring climate, an

emphasis on effort and improvement should also be the focus in sport when the goal is to

maximize each athlete’s potential. In the sport psychology literature, this focus on effort and

improvement is referred to as creating a task-involving climate. This climate works well because

the focus each day is on improving one’s skills through effort. Effort is the one variable that

athletes have ultimate control over. (Fry, 2010)

There will also be an emphasis on recognizing the value of unstructured play, and

coaches will purposely allow kids to run certain portions of their own stations at times, allowing

for creative play while still learning the game. This concept is detailed in the book “Game

On”, where children are given the time and space to create games on their own,

which according to the reading carries intrinsic values in terms of creat ivity in

thinking and strategic planning that could assist greatly in academic objectives as

well as athletic potential. (Farrey, 2008) Joe Ehrmann, considered an expert in

positive youth development suggests too that “ The notion of creative play is critical to

cognitive, intellectual, spiritual, and physical development, yet organized sports and their all-too-

adult messages confuse and even prohibit play.” (Ehrmann, 2011) This program would be a

terrific step in reversing this disturbing trend.

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 12

There are specific positive assets important to develop in these kids to prepare them for

success at the next level. When determining what the essential qualities were in positive youth

development, I first conducted some personal reflection on what is most important in terms of

developing character student athletes at the high school level. Attributes that I personally value

and look to further develop in my players are positive characteristics held by most as redeemable

individual qualities in society guided by the ARMOR (Attitude, Respect, Mental strength,

Outstanding effort, Responsibility) acronym I created which is at the heart of my program and

can be used for this one as well. Positive developmental assets that will lead to future academic

and athletic success are personal responsibility, strong work ethic, and positive self-image,

among other desirable outcomes.

A - The Attitude Star correlates to learning the asset of positive communication skills

among peers. It will be developed by modeling positive feedback/encouragement to other team

members and directing team members to give their peers positive encouragement as well. Failing

to positively motivate periodically or give negative criticism to teammates will result in failing to

achieve an “A” star for that day.

R - The Respect Star correlates to the internal assets of a positive self-image, as respect

will be only be given if earned. Earning respect from coaches and teammates will promote a

healthy self-image. This asset is developed by coaches by giving positive

feedback/encouragement to players, while simultaneously offering technical adjustments that can

be made, when physical or mental mistakes occur. The main focus of coaches on the youth level,

should be to build up my athletes and stoke their athletic fire, not suffocate it. If an athlete fails

to show respect to coaches and players, they will fail to earn the “R” star for the day.
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 13

M - The Mental Strength star correlates to the internal asset of coping skills necessary to

overcome obstacles. Program leaders will develop this trait by increasing challenges to the

athletes and pushing them to succeed. If an athletes gives us during that a daily challenge, they

will fail to achieve the “M” star.

O - The Outstanding effort star correlates to the internal asset of a strong work ethic.

Program leaders will develop by mandating the boys are responsible for ensuring balls are picked

up after rounds of batting during practice sessions and general clean-up of the field after club

practice. Positive reinforcement of this life skill would be to make the boys run or sit out of

practice if they refuse or fail to participate in these activities, in addition to failing to achieve an

“O” star for that day.

R - The Responsibility Star correlates to the internal asset of personal responsibility. It

will be developed by issuing a team standard that everyone is responsible for having caps on

straight, tucking in their shirts, bringing a water bottle to each practice, and wearing a protective

cup. Failure to start practice with any of these requirements not met will be met with sitting out

the first 30 minutes and not achieving the “R” star for the day.

A weekly chart will assist program goals in emphasizing responsibility, as nobody wants

to fall behind and miss out on a check mark.

Below is the sample of a weekly chart that will also be used as an evaluation tool:
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 14

Week: Oct 7-11, 2016 Coach: Coach Sandemeier *Denotes Captain's Leader for October

ATT = attendance A = Attitude R = Respect M = Mental Strength O = Outstanding Effort R = Responsibility

MONDAY - 7th TUESDAY - 8th WEDNESDAY - 9th THURSDAY - 10th FRIDAY - 11th
TCB balls Football Toss TCB balls Football Toss TCB balls
Participant Ping Pong Hit-A-Way Ping Pong Hit-A-Way Ping Pong
TOTAL
Catching/Throwing Basepath Sprints Catching/Throwing Basepath Sprints Catching/Throwing
STARS

Att A R M O R Att A R M O R Att A R M O R Att A R M O R Att A R M O R

L. Johnson* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 17
J. Desmangles * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 23
A. Ruiz
A. Sandemeier
R. Ta
C. Fox
A. Strauch
A. Kirchgesser
J. McCloskey
S. Radder
S. Buchanan
K. Benson

Groups should be rotated daily, so each athlete can get to know other athletes and a solid

group dynamic can evolve in a positive manner. Adolescents can develop emotionally through

experiences, both positive and negative. (Larson, 2011) He included examples of developmental

processes that occur within the context of sport and extracurricular involvement, including

adolescents learning emotional group response, relationship between emotion and expressed

behavior, and learning how to manage emotions to focus on goals at hand.

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 15

As a coach, implications of this research are making sure to foster a positive environment

and eliminate quickly any dissension or cliques in the group to avoid negative emotional

development. Also, I would be more aware of subtle behaviors within seemingly positive

athletes to determine whether they are experiencing an environment that leaves assists them

developmentally in a positive manner. Coaches can design drills where athletes have to say out

loud the names of their teammates. For example, in baseball when infielders make a throw to a

base they might call out the person’s name that will receive the ball. (Fry, 2010)

Along with character guidelines, our coaches will be sure to stress improvement in

baseball skills developed through the year. This will be done by issuing progress reports every

three months to ensure children are advancing through the program at the appropriate

developmental levels. The goal of a double-goal coach is to not only develop life skills but

additionally to ensure athletic progress is made to assist young athletes in positive youth

developmental traits like positive self-image that occurs organically when achieving success in

an area. It has been shown in studies that children respond well to coaches who critique

performance and offer solutions to improve.

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 16

A sample report card issued to each student would look similar to this:

December 2016

Lucas Johnson
East Sac Spartans
Baseball Club
5th grade

Progress Report
4 – Athlete excels/shows advanced understanding

3 – Athlete consistently demonstrated understanding

2 – Athlete is approaching standards/shows steady progress

1 – Athlete demonstrates minimal understanding

Subject/Activity Name Score Coach/Instructor Comments

1 TCB Balls 2 Good, but needs to improve hip rotation during follow-through

2 Ping Pong 4 Excellent improvement in hand to eye coordination. Keep it up!

3 Football Toss 3 Solid job – can work on tucking elbow more consistently

4 Base path sprinting 3 Good effort through bases, can improve rounding bags
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 17

Furthermore, in an effort to align programs as consistently as possible, as well as

emphasize academic achievement, club coaches can work with START teachers to ensure only

those kids who have completed their homework are able to attend baseball club that day. START

teachers currently work with the children on their homework, as it is an emphasis of the program

to allow homework time, so it should be a seamless transition to working with coaches to

allow/disallow participation based on homework completion.

Coaching skills needed to be implemented in program design will be reliant on assessing

support versus challenge developmentally appropriate for the fifth/sixth grade developmental

stage. Each element should be weighed appropriately when determining program content suitable

for maximizing PYD in young, elementary-school aged athletes. It would not be appropriate to

simply incorporate the concept of FUNdamentals as you would in younger aged groups. Children

are still young, normally between 10 to 12 years of age at this point, but are developing increased

motor skills and a higher propensity to develop skill. Young athletes should be challenged

slightly more than the 8u age group, especially as sports becoming increasingly dangerous

without an elementary understanding of how to play on a certain level. Whereas in younger

groups support is slightly more integral than challenge, at this age it would be more suitable to

weigh them evenly at 50/50. Support and challenge, should likely be weighed evenly during this

pre-teen adolescent age group. The reasoning for this distribution in program design is because

self-esteem is recognized slightly more in skill level and improvement than at previous age

levels.

Mentoring is a structured and trusting relationship that brings young people together with

caring individuals who offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing the

competence and character of the mentee. (Hamilton, 2006) Through research, evidence suggests
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 18

there is growing evidence that indicates that an environment that prioritizes quality mentoring

has an increased potential to add to young people's intellectual, psychological and emotional,

social, and physical assets. We shall develop these and maximize youth potential in this

program.

We will utilize the school website for club description and disseminate flyers throughout

the campus to advertise opportunity and potentially recruit interested students. A maximum

number of students will be set during our initial assessment year, 15 in this case, the mean of the

other after-school clubs endorsed by the school.

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 19
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 20

Start-up funding for the initial program has been accomplished via community outreach.

Through various organizations/sponsors, I have secured limited funds to ensure the program can

operate as a travel program would. First, I reached out to River Park Cal Ripken baseball league

in Sacramento, where I volunteer as a coach, and the Lopez Family who runs the organization

have agreed to assist in providing equipment needed. The organization holds a gear swap each

spring prior to the recreation season and consistently have an abundant supply of gear leftover in

the form of gloves, bats, etc. that they have agreed to donate.

Next, there was a need to be realistic about entering 1-2 tournaments a month, a pretty

standard schedule for travel teams in the area. At an entry fee of approximately $550 per

tournament, there simply is not enough funding to sustain that model, at the levels of privately

sponsored travel teams, at least early on. So in lieu of a bevy of all-day tournaments, scrimmages

with travel teams could be set up to enable those teams to practice and still give the kids a game

and in different venues. Setting up scrimmages is the easy part; from my experience tournament

teams jump at the chance to scrimmage during an off weekend. However, I needed to secure a

solid baseball facility to host teams in scrimmages, rather than using the school where we

practice since that site is not the optimal setup for actual baseball games (lacking fence, dirt base

paths for chalk, entrenched holes for stationary bases, etc.) and would not deliver the appropriate

feel for the boys to emulate a travel program. The gentlemen who renovated Sacramento

Capitols field were contacted and have agreed to allow us to use the facility a maximum of one

time a month to host scrimmages, in return for the coaches/boys devoting time to field

maintenance (e.g. cutting grass, picking up debris, etc.) for each game played. Scheduling

home/away scrimmages with specific travel teams, and having a dedicated venue on our end will
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 21

allow each side to be responsible for picking up facility costs for the game, resulting in zero costs

to our program.

The last step was to secure funding for actual tournament play, which is essential to

differentiating from a glorified recreational program to an actual travel program. With 9 months

in the school year, the goal would be to enter three tournaments, one every three months. The

team requires approximately $1,650 to accomplish this goal. After surveying different options, I

reached out to Bull Ah-Yun, a friend (and fellow River Park coach) who owns the Swiss Buda, a

bar and grill in the Hollywood Park area of Sacramento. His bar has hosted several crab feed

fundraisers for different causes, including cancer - which his father died from, and to assist in

funding his son’s Boy Scout troop activities. He agreed to allow the team coaches and parents to

organize and hold a crab feed at the bar/grill, with 50% of the profit going to the club and 50%

going to an organization of his choice. According to Mr. Ah-Yun, the average profit normally

derived from a crab feed in his venue is approximately $2,200. After further discussion, Mr. Ah-

Yun agreed to allow two crab feed nights, which should yield the team $2,200. This would be

enough to cover three tournament entries, as well as miscellaneous costs for practice equipment

to assist in program objectives.

Partnerships

River Park Cal Ripken Baseball League

377 Moddison Ave, Sacramento, CA 95819
http://riverparkbaseball.org/

Swiss Buda (bar & grill)

2342 Fruitridge Rd, Sacramento, CA 95822
https://www.facebook.com/Swiss-Buda-470992183014283/

Sacramento Capitols (facility)

Location: 1000 La Sierra Drive, Sacramento, CA 95864
(916) 289-4429
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 22

We could mitigate/eliminate costs in several areas to ensure this program is affordable.

Umpire costs are inclusive in tournament fees, and coaches could handle the scrimmages.

Facility costs would be minimal if anything, with daily practices held at Theodore Judah after

school. Games can be held at the Sacramento Capitols field, with the boys helping maintain and

beautify the field to eliminate costs and the travel academies have contracts already in place for

facilities for their use.

Equipment for the program, specifically baseball related items, will already be covered

by some parents as some will already kids already playing recreational ball. Those kids who are

new to the sport can be equipped through our partnership with River Park Cal Ripken Baseball

league. Each spring league the league has a gear swap and has agreed to donate excess gloves,

bats, cleats, etc. Balls can be bought from Play-It-Again sports, a local used equipment store, at

minimal expense. Uniform shirts can be the TJ jog-a-thon shirts given to the students for

participating, as well as pants/socks from the gear swap. Non-baseball equipment, such as the

ping-pong equipment/table, would cost the program money. However, Play-It-Again sports has

most of those items available at approximately 40% of normal costs.

There is potential to increase funding for the program by redirecting existing funds for

more staff members to correlate with an increased ratio of children requiring access to

participation, based on evaluation results. With an abundance of academic clubs to choose from

it’s unlikely that more than one additional staff member at 4 hours a day, 5 days a week (20

hours*minimum wage) would be needed. These additional wages can be supported by

redirecting existing funds, via an additional school fundraiser (e.g. Jog-A-Thon) or private

donations from school boosters solicited to help maintain program. If additional funding cannot
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 23

be solicited to hire additional staff members, it will not affect program viability, however it may

have a slight impact on benefits to the participants with the ratio of athlete to coaches increasing.

In my view, the benefits far outweigh the risks in this case.

The initial 2016-17 school year budget is as follows:

E.S. SPARTANS ATHLETIC BUDGET 2016-17

BASEBALL CLUB

PROJ PROJ
TYPE EXPENSE ITEM DIFFERENCE
EXPENDITURE REVENUE
Gen Equip (gloves,
Expense 250.00 $0.00
bats, etc.)
Game Equip (ping pong,
Expense 350.00 $0.00
etc.)
Facility (Sac Capitols
Expense 0.00 $0.00
Field)
Expense Tournament Fees 1,650.00 $0.00
Expense Uniforms 0.00 $0.00
Expense Staffing 0.00 $0.00
Fundraisers (2 crab
Revenue $2,250.00
feeds)
Revenue Donations $0.00
Totals 2,250.00 $2,250.00 $0.00

There is a need for quality program assessment to justify and continue the program and

analyzing data and creating tools to assess can take many forms. (Martinek, 2003) For this

program, student-athletes in the club will be asked to write journals each month for submission

to administration. In addition, exit interviews will be conducted with coaches involved to

document program improvement ideas. Aforementioned athlete progress reports will be analyzed

to determine athletic improvement as well. Lastly, a Spartan Survey will be disseminated to

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 24

students prior to the end of the school year and will be a major component of program

assessment.

Spartans Survey

1. Did your coaches make the club fun for you?

 Home Run
 Triple
 Double
 Single
 Strikeout

2. Do you feel the games/activities involved were enjoyable?

 Home Run
 Triple
 Double
 Single
 Strikeout

3. Did your coaches encourage you to respect others?

 Home Run
 Triple
 Double
 Single
 Strikeout

4. Do you feel you respected others more by the end of the year?
 Home Run
 Triple
 Double
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 25

 Single
 Strikeout

5. Did your coaches encourage you to give your best effort?

 Home Run
 Triple
 Double
 Single
 Strikeout

6. Do you feel your effort level improved by the end of the year?
 Home Run
 Triple
 Double
 Single
 Strikeout

7. Did the program increase your interest in baseball?

 Home Run
 Triple
 Double
 Single
 Strikeout

8. Were you asked to encourage and motivate other team members?

 Home Run
 Triple
 Double
 Single
 Strikeout

9. Please add additional comments about the program. Thank you!

East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 26

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Ideally, dependent on if the program is a success after a couple years based on

developmental assessments tools, the goal would be to expand through outreach. The vision from

the beginning is to start small, with one program consisting of 15 kids maximum on one site;

then develop assessments to determine viability and quality of program then pitch concept of

underprivileged travel ball to other school sites/after-school programs. At first this type of

program would be tied directly to the START program, then possibly expand even further to

other after-school ventures if the program grows in nature. To do this, the program must have

competent, prepared coaches ready to lead these other sites. Coaching education (mentor

program) is a must through mentorship program designed to garner experience for less

experienced coaches in the art of PYD. Considering the size of the START program, 38 sites, the

goal would be to pitch expanding to 50% of the sites within 10 years. That allows a coach to be

groomed each year for eventual program lead status after an initial two year assessment is

conducted and approved. Each two year period, an assistant would be promoted to head coach,

receiving a new assistant to mentor for the next site expansion opportunity. Ms. Hathaway

indicated a new staff member couldn’t be added per the grant received by START for such a

small program, however she stated that groups could be reconfigured to allow an interested staff

member to be groomed a couple days a week without impacting the program financially or

functionally. Since no additional funding would be needed, this makes this a viable option to

begin a program without additional cost prior to success determination. According to Ms.

Hathaway, if the program is found to be successful with quantitative data to measure positive
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 27

youth development objectives, additional funding could be lobbied for and potentially fund an

additional lead coach at each site.

This pattern of doubling expansion sites every two years would continue through Year

10, unless assistants decide not to promote to lead at another site, or discontinue their

employment. If that is the case, it would delay expansion projections, unless a suitable outside

candidate with the appropriate experience was found. Assuming that does not happen, expansion

of the program would encompass 16 of the 38 sites where START operates, and ideally could

make a positive impact on up to 240 children. This potential impact should not be marginalized

and would allow these boys and girls access to similar programs that travel ball kids are

afforded. Granted, unless fundraising occurs, the kids may not be able to play in more than one

tournament, but scrimmages can be arranged with travel teams during those teams’ off-weeks to

offer a similar experience.

Please consider this proposal as a means to jointly collaborate on a wonderful positive

youth development experience for elementary school kids that not only can impact them greatly

in the short-term, but more importantly is a long-term venture that should yield many positive

assets as they navigate their way into adolescence and into adulthood.
East Sacramento Spartans After-School Baseball Club proposal 28

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