It's time for youth to register for summer ball
BY JEREME HUBBARD SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR

Sunny skies and warmer weather can only mean one thing. The pinging of aluminum bats and the cheers of parents and family members will soon fill the air around the city of Rusk. The Rusk Baseball/ Softball Association is getting ready to kick off the 2007 season, with registration and coaches meetings set already, as well as the date for opening day ceremonies. The RBSA is looking forward to a great 2007 season, but we'd like to recognize a number of people for their accomplishments during the 2006 season.

There were 16 teams that advanced out of regular season play to playoff tournaments in 2006. The RBSA placed at least one team in every single age division in the playoffs. There were four T-Ball teams, two boys machine pitch teams, two 9-10 boys teams, two 11-12 boys teams, one 13-15 boys team, two girls coach pitch teams, one 10 and under girls team, one 12 and under girls team and one 15 and under girls team. And in what is the greatest accomplishment of all, there are five teams that advanced to the state tournaments in their age division, three of which went as the district champions, the other two making the state tournament as district runner-up. The teams that won the district championships were the Storm (boys machine pitch) coached by Rodney Hugghins, Allen Gilchrest and Brian Townsend, the Muckdogs (boys 9-10) coached by Greg Hamilton, Mike Stanley and Cody Roach, and the Attitudes (girls 12 and under) coached by Wayne Cummins, Jay Choate and Curtis Boggs. The other two teams advancing to the state tournament were the Heat (girls 10 and under) coached by Brian Townsend and Rodney Hugghins, and the Blue Crush (girls 15 and under) coached by Ruth Ann Ford, Darvin Collins and David Westbrook. All five teams will be honored at opening day. A special honor will be given to the three district champions.

In 2007, the RBSA Board of Directors has made a few adjustments to the organization, so it is very important that coaches and prospective coaches attend the annual coaches meeting which is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25 at the RBSA Complex. All changes will be discussed that day, and coaches will have their opportunities to voice their opinions and concerns.

Registration for the 2007 season will begin on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the Rusk High School gymnasium from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The next Saturday, Feb. 24, registration will be held at the same time and location. Saturday, March 3 and March 10, registration will be at the RBSA Complex from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Registration fees are set at $30 for Pre-T-Ball players. To be eligible for Pre-T-Ball, a player must have been three-years-old on Jan. 1 and cannot have been five-years-old on Jan. 1. For all other players, the registration fee is $50 per player, but only $40 per player for each additional player in the same household. Persons with questions about player eligibility or the registration process, can contact Jereme Hubbard at (903)262-4928 or Brian Townsend at (903)752-1525. There are a number of important dates to remember for the 2007 season, none more important than Saturday, May 5, which is the date of the opening ceremony for the 2007 RBSA season. After the opening ceremony, the rest of the day will be filled with the start of games in all age groups. The next important date to remember is Sunday, Feb. 25, the date of the coaches meeting. Also, the RBSA player draft will be held on Monday, March 19. Coaches will contact their players after that day, and practices will be allowed to start on Tuesday, March 20.

The new website of the Rusk Baseball/ Softball Association is located at www.ruskbsa.com. There is a message board for everyone to go and talk about the league and upcoming events. You can also find information about the Fund- Raiser for the 2007 season as well.

One last note, I personally would like to take the time to thank all of you who have put your time and sweat into making the RBSA what it is. Whether you are a coach, a parent, or even a past coach or parent, you have built the foundation for what we have now. The entire board would like to thank all of you for all of your support and hard work. The board members for 2007 are: Jereme Hubbard, president; Brian Townsend, vice-president (girls); Craig Ballew, vice-president (boys); Ronny Gates, T-Ball commissioner; Allen Gilchrest, boys machine pitch commissioner; Greg Hamilton, boys 9-10 commissioner; Mark Walley, 11-12 boys commissioner; Stacy Halbert, 13-15 boys commissioner; Stephen Berry, girls coach pitch commissioner; Mike Hamilton, girls 10 and under commissioner; Niki Acker, secretary; Sally Hubbard, concession stand director; Marks Lanham, umpirein chief (boys), and Brian Joyner, umpirein chief (girls).