2021 AGM REPORT April 17Th, 2021
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2021 AGM REPORT April 17th, 2021 Baseball Nova Scotia [email protected] 2021 AGM Report | Baseball Nova Scotia Table of Contents 1. Message from the BNS President, Andrew Downs 2. Finances 2.1 Income Statement 2.2 Balance Sheet 3. COVID Impact 4. BNS Staff Update 5. Strategic Plan 6. Bluenose League 7. Provincial Championship 8. Atlantic Championships and Invitationals 9. Coaching 9.1 NCCP 9.2 Continuous Learning Course 9.3 Introduction to Coaching 9.4 Virtual Coach Mentorship 10. SafeSport 11. Officials 12. Girls Baseball 13. Challenger Baseball 14. Rally Cap Program 15. High Performance 16. Newcomers to Canada Initiative 17. Virtual Regional Director Meetings 2021 AGM Report | Baseball Nova Scotia 1. Message from the President – Andrew Downs Welcome to the 2021 Baseball season! As an organization, looking back on the 2020 season, I would sum it up as a season of learning. We learned to social distance, developed new routines for work / school / sport, became experts in Zoom and learned the importance of washing our hands and wearing masks to protect ourselves, family and strangers alike. In the baseball community, we learned to adapt our game to meet the COVID-19 guidelines as provided by public health. Although, not perfect, we did learn a lot and, in most cases, changed how we do things to be more efficient and timelier. Once again, I would like to recognize the strength in our provincial baseball community. To the association leaders, coaches, umpires, volunteers, players, parents and supporters of baseball, thank you. Thank you for working tirelessly, harnessing all your energy and skills to be innovative, supportive, and proactive to provide a safe environment to play the game we all love. To the Baseball Nova Scotia staff, Executive Members and members of the Board of Directors, thank you for all your hard work, time, passion to get us ready for the 2021 season. I would also like to acknowledge the work Chris Lerette, Operations coordinator, has done for Baseball Nova Scotia over the past years. Unfortunately for us, Chris has elected to pursue another employment opportunity within the sport world. We thank him for his great work and dedication and wish him every success in his new role. Lets have a great 2021 season of baseball! Andrew Downs President, Baseball Nova Scotia 2021 AGM Report | Baseball Nova Scotia 2. Finance 2.1 Income Statement Baseball Nova Scotia Income Statement See attached 2.2 Balance Sheet Baseball Nova Scotia Balance Sheet As at 2021-04-17 See attached 2.3 Budget 2021 Baseball Nova Scotia See attached 3. COVID Impact: Moving Forward Baseball Nova Scotia continues to follow messaging from Nova Scotia Public Health when making decisions on protocols for programming. As the Nova Scotia Government assesses the ongoing COVID pandemic, protocols are continuously changing. Baseball Nova Scotia’s current COVID Protocol document is available on our website. This document outlines all current guidelines. Unless otherwise stated, all other regular Baseball Nova Scotia rules apply. Should the COVID situation change within the province, BNS will update the COVID Protocol document as needed. BNS will immediately notify member associations regarding any major changes. The 2021 Calendar of Events is also available at our website. This will be a living document, as BNS will adapt to the Public Health guidelines as they evolve. All events and deadlines listed are subject to change. All BNS membership ($20 per athlete, coach, volunteer, and official) , Bluenose League ($150 per team), and Provincial Championship ($150 per team) fees reflect a normal season. Should COVID severely impact programming, BNS will communicate adjustments to association leaders. 2021 AGM Report | Baseball Nova Scotia 4. BNS Staff Update Baseball Nova Scotia will see some changes this summer. Long time Operations Coordinator, Chris Lerette, has accepted a position with another organization. As Chris was an integral part of the office, there will have an impact in roles and responsibilities in the short term. Bailey MacDonald will be returning as the Program Coordinator. Bailey’s responsibilities include coordinating scheduling for the Bluenose League, managing communications from associations and coaches regarding Bluenose League matters, ensuring league websites are up to date, maintaining the BNS membership database, communicating with members on all matters relating to registration and payments (for BNS membership, Bluenose fees, and Provincial fees), collaborating with the BNS VP of Finance and Executive Director on the maintenance of BNS financials (including bill payment, receiving of payment, and general bookkeeping), and assisting with BNS Provincial championship coordination (including scheduling and communication with hosts and participants). The Administrative Coordinator (TBD) will have multiple responsibilities in the office. Responsibilities include developing and maintaining all BNS social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), maintenance of BNS website (including news updates, special interest stories, etc.), communicate with members (regarding special events, news stories, and any other special interest story that membership may want communicated through our various channels), assisting the Technical Director in organizing BNS programs (Rally Cap, NCCP, coaching courses, etc.) and assisting the Technical Director in tracking coaching certification, criminal record checks, and the maintenance of the NCCP database. Our Technical Director, Cory Boutilier, will continue to be the point of contact for coaching (NCCP, etc.), High Performance teams, and development programs (Rally Cap, etc.) The Executive Director, Brandon Guenette, will continue to work with staff on all aspects of the organization. 2021 AGM Report | Baseball Nova Scotia 5. Strategic Plan Baseball Nova Scotia is in its third year of a four-year strategic plan cycle. The document is updated annually to establish yearly outcomes that push the organization closer to its overall goals. 2020 made for a challenging year for the organization to achieve its annual outcomes. Yearly outcomes are determined in February, and the COVID pandemic shut down the province one month later. The organization’s focus completely shifted to the Return to Play plan and getting the sport back on the field in 2020. As we see the light at the end of the tunnel, Baseball Nova Scotia will strive to fulfill its commitment to the plan. On February 6th, 2021, the BNS Executive, Board, and staff met to identify outcomes for the year. Every aspect of the organization’s initiatives moving forward are impacted by the identified outcome in the plan. To learn more about the BNS Strategic Plan and the yearly outcomes, visit the Baseball Nova Scotia website (under the Members tab, and Strategic Plain). 6. Bluenose League During January of 2021, a committee was struck to review the Bluenose League’s current structure. The committee was tasked with providing recommendations to the BNS Competition Committee to better align the league’s structure and rules to Baseball Canada’s LTAD principles. The outcomes from the committee were: • Provide an age-appropriate competition schedule that can allow for better alignment of training to competition ratios. • Address pace of play issues that align with LTAD recommendations for competition length by age category. • Allow for additional flexibility in the spring for clubs to finalize their rosters. • Consider the benefits and implications to health and safety from such changes. 2021 AGM Report | Baseball Nova Scotia Bluenose Schedule Modifications Division Registration League Start 1st Half End 2nd Half Approx. Deadline Date Date Start Date # of Games 11U A, May 31st June 14th July 10th July 11th 18-20 AA, AAA 13U A, May 24th June 9th July 10th July 11th 20-24 AA, AAA 15U A, May 17th June 2nd July 4th July 5th 24-28 AA, AAA 18U A, May 17th June 2nd July 4th July 5th 24-28 AA, AAA 22U AA, May 17th June 2nd NA NA 24-28 AAA • For the purpose of cutting down on travel weekends, when possible, miniature tournaments scheduled (3-4 teams) with teams from various areas. • 18U AAA and 22U AA/AAA standings to impact Provincial Championship seeding (in 6 and 8 team formats) Bluenose Game Modifications Division Time Limit (plus Runs Per Inning Time completion of Limit between inning) inning 11U A, AA, 1:45 5 90 seconds AAA 13U A, AA, 2:00 5 90 seconds AAA 15U A, AA, 2:15 5 (A/AA) 90 seconds AAA 18U A, AA, 2:15 5 (A) 90 seconds AAA 22U AA, 2:15 NA 90 seconds AAA • Catchers will be limited to 1 visit with the pitcher per inning. A visit is defined as an interaction that involves the catcher leaving his/her position to visit the pitcher. Does not include catcher giving signs to fielders or any interaction where the catcher is exchanging the ball with the pitcher. 2021 AGM Report | Baseball Nova Scotia • All rules are applicable to Bluenose League play (not Provincial Championships, Qualifiers, or National Elimination events) 8. Provincial Championships After a year without Provincial Championships, Baseball Nova Scotia is planning for the return of the year end tournament. As of April 17th, tournaments are permitted in sport, provided they involve teams who compete against each other as part of their regular schedule. Should these protocols remain in place, a championship tournament can be held for teams who participate in the Bluenose League. Protocols from Public Health may change, so Baseball Nova Scotia will decide on participation for non-league teams at a later date. Tentative dates are as follows (22U AAA TBD): August 20th- 22nd 18U AA (all Tiers) 13U AAA 11U AA 12U Girls Intermediate A Intermediate AA Intermediate AAA August 27th- 29th 18U AAA 18U A (all Tiers) 14U Girls 11U AAA 11U A (all Tiers) September 3rd-5th 15U AAA 15U AA 15U A (all Tiers) 13U AA 13U A (all Tiers) 2021 AGM Report | Baseball Nova Scotia 9.