Tournament Team Coach Selection

Jeff,

You certainly hit a sensitive issue with your question. Our board has been concerned over perceptions that we care more about the all-stars than the regular season. I don't see it that way. The regular season is a relatively simple thing to do and therefore occupies less of our time. Our coaches are set, our player agents are actively recruiting and the umpires are busy training. It's a simple matter to develop schedules and other routine league functions. The only thing left for us to plan as as a board are the all-star teams. For us, this task is monstruous. We participate in a UK tournament, which we host, then must be prepared to travel to Poland for the European Championships and finally on to Williamsport/Kissimmee for the World Series. In addition, we will send two teams (our all-stars and a developmental squad) to tournaments in Germany and Holland and elsewhere in England. This is a logistical and financial nightmare that requires dedicated planning if it is to be done properly. The tasks of hosting a tournament and planning several international trips are so complex that we like to settle on a manager early to help us with that effort.

What's more important to our league? Undoubtedly, the regular season. We take great pride in the continued growth of our program. What takes most of our planning effort? The All-Stars, because of the complex problems which must be solved if they are to succeed. However, if it ever comes down to which program will suffer (regular season or all-stars), it will without a doubt be the all-stars. Fortunately for us, we have not had to make that choice yet.

Steve Martin Alconbury Little League