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Community Corner

EGSA Partners With Enfield's Community Softball Coaches Aiming To Revitalize Girls Softball

The Enfield Girls Softball Association (EGSA) is proud to announce an agreement to work together with Enfield’s local community softball coaches towards fostering and developing better communications across various independent leagues and town schools in an effort to improve youth coaching, foster player development and promote athletic excellence.

Following an EGSA scheduled board meeting on March 6, 2014 at the Knights of Columbus on Washington Street (all EGSA board meetings are open to the public), EGSA President Eric Pease, EGSA Vice-President/Chief League Director Jason Bradley together with EGSA board members: Fred Broxton, Debbie Martinez, Craig Menaker and Adam Formus met with: Albina Belisle Head Girls Softball Coach at Enfield High School, Sarah Pliszka Junior Varsity Girls Softball Coach at Enfield High School,  Matt Murray Head Girls Softball Coach at Fermi High School, Alan Maier President of Enfield Fireball (“Fireball”) who are part of The Northern Connecticut Girls’ Softball League  (“N.C.G.S.L.”) and Joe Canella former President of Enfield Fireball in a first of many planned meetings toward improving the level of play and competition of girls’ softball in Enfield.

The group jointly agreed that given the participation rate of girls in youth softball (approximately 170-180 girls in grades 1 through 8), the quality of play that ultimately reaches the high school level can and should be improved upon by focusing on enhanced and consistent coaching and placing a greater emphasis on fundamentals utilizing the groups broad experience levels across many different ages. In addition to EGSA’s independent efforts to develop quality coaching across its instructional, minors, majors, Juniors and travel (Extreme) divisions, EGSA’s coaches will have access to attend practices run by the High school and Fireball coaches as well as receive additional written materials to improve practice sessions and critical player skill requirements. The group agreed to further cooperate towards: (1) establishing player clinics utilizing the vast level of existing coaching experience across the various schools and leagues;  (2) foster informal Sunday “sand lot” play amongst the younger girls which may be attended by older high school players as mentors and role models and (3) coordinate town wide activities to promote girls softball.

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Presidents of EGSA and Enfield Fireball, Eric Pease and Alan Maier, both agreed that many girls in Enfield are eager to improve upon their level of play and that it is incumbent upon the participants of this meeting to use their collective leadership to provide as many resources as possible for the girls to succeed and reach their goals.  Additional meetings with this group will take place in furtherance of this objective.

The next scheduled EGSA board meeting is on Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 6:30 at the Knights of Columbus on Washington Street.  The EGSA invites any parent(s) who wish to attend to either observe the board’s proceedings or offer constructive comments towards the EGSA’s overall mission to provide the young girls of Enfield an opportunity to participate in softball, develop friendships and promote a healthy personal attitude.

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