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WESTON LITTLE LEAGUE

2020 Fall SEASON RULES

UNIVERSAL ITEMS:

• All coaches, umpires and other volunteers who interact with the players on the field during practices and games shall wear face coverings when not able to easily maintain a 6 foot distance from other coaches, players and umpires.  Gloves shall be worn if handling shared player equipment, players equipment or cleaning apparatus/materials.
• All players shall possess their own Bat.
• All players shall possess their own Glove. 
• All players shall possess their own Helmet (NO TEAM HELMETS WILL BE PROVIDED)
• NO shared equipment (helmets, gloves, bats etc...) All players must bring their own and not share.
• All shared catchers gear equipment shall be disinfected in between each individual players use.
• Players will not huddle at any time during practices or games.
• No Spitting, no sunflower seed eating and No Gum Chewing.
• No team snacks or meals.
• All players must supply their own water for practices and games, no “team” water coolers will be allowed.
• No handshakes, high fives or physical body contact allowed
• Players and coaches are advised to bring their own hand sanitizer
• Players are not required to utilize a face covering during play, but can be utilized at parent/player preference.  Players shall wear a face covering when not on the field of play or engaged in practice.
• All players, coaches, volunteers and umpires shall complete a daily health self-screening to check for symptoms.  If any symptoms are present the individual shall refrain from being present for league activities and follow local health guidelines.
• All balls (game balls and practice balls) shall be disinfected before and after each practice or game.
• Each team shall have a new volunteer role assigned to a parent to monitor compliance with these guidelines during practices and games.
• There should be no more than 2 teams per field at any one time
• No spectators are allowed in the bleachers.  Spectators must bring their own chairs and take them with them when they leave.
• As of now there are NO portable toilets (Weston Park and Recreation is working on getting this resolved with the health district)
• Only Weston Residents are allowed on fields.
• Please note that fields can be closed at any time by Weston Park and Recreation if guidelines are not being followed
• Families should not arrive earlier than the specified time and should vacate the premises as soon as the game/practice end.

PRACTICES:

• Coaches should be able to easily organize drills to include social distancing. This can be achieved by splitting the players up into small groups (2-4) placed at locations spread out around the diamond. Avoid queuing/stacking of players, but if this is necessary training aids such as cones spread 6’ or more apart shall be utilized to remind players about “social distancing”
• Practice spectators shall wear a face covering and maintain social distancing unless doing so would be contrary to his or her health.
• Practices shall be schedule with at least a 30-minute buffer to prevent overlap of players and allow for time to clean and disinfect commonly used surfaces and equipment.

BATTING PRACTICE:

• Queuing/stacking of players shall be avoided at all times. Provide time slots to players within the allotted batting cage time so there is no more than 2-3 players there at any one time.
• Batting Practice spectators shall wear a face covering and maintain social distancing unless doing so would be contrary to his or her health.

GAMES:

• Games will be scheduled with at least a 30-minute buffer to prevent overlap of participants and allow time to clean and disinfect commonly used surfaces and equipment (i.e. Benches, dugouts, catchers gloves and etc.)
• Dugouts are to be allowed for coaches and for batters who are “in the hole” or “on-deck” only.  Players who are otherwise waiting will be in a player supplied chair.  It is important for coaches to place chair at 6’ distances apart.
• Umpires shall be positioned appropriately distanced behind the mound, 1 Umpire per game only.
• As listed above and reinforced here. Balls shall be disinfected before and after each game or practice. Shared equipment (i.e. catchers gear) shall be disinfected before and after each player’s use as well as in between each game and practice.
• Bats handled by coaches after an at bat shall be disinfected prior to being put back in the bat caddy in between innings.
• No sharing of bats, non-catchers gloves, and helmets is allowed.
• No Post game handshakes, both teams shall line up along their base line appropriately distanced and tip the cap as a sign of respect for the other team’s performance.
• No catchers will be utilized for T-Ball Division. A coach will be positioned against the backstop to retrieve any baseballs or move bats to safe area after an at bat.
• No catchers will be utilized for the Coach Pitch Division. A coach will be positioned against the backstop to retrieve any baseballs or move bats to a safe area after an at bat.
• Game Spectators are required to bring and wear face coverings that completely cover the nose and mouth unless doing so would be contrary to his or her safety due to health condition. Spectators shall maintain 6’ social distancing at all times.

Facility Guidelines:

• Games, practices and batting practices will be scheduled with a 30-minute buffer between the end and start of each event for each field.
• All commonly used surfaces such as, but not limited to; dugout areas, benches, bleachers, door handles to concession areas, field houses and concession area counter tops will be disinfected/sanitized before and after events by coaches/volunteers.
• If the Press box on Bisceglie is used, there will only be one (1) adult allowed at any one time. All equipment  in the Press Box needs to be disinfected after use. 

Zero Tolerance Policy:

• If any rules above are not followed, you will be asked to leave the premises.

Little League International Best Practices:

Weston Little League is recommending all players, coaches/volunteers, and parents to following the “best practices” referenced here from Little League International: https://www.littleleague.org/player-safety/coronavirus-update/season-resumption-guide/best-practices/organizing-playing-watching-games/

As a reminder, we want to ensure that all players and families are adhering to the safety guidelines so that we can continue playing while mitigating the risks to all. 

1.   Self-Quarantine after visiting certain States. We know that some of you have summer vacation plans and may spend a week or two outside of CT.  If this is the case, we need to follow the State guidelines of self-quarantine if you visited certain States.  “Anyone traveling into Connecticut from a state that has a new daily positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average are directed to self-quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state.”At this time, this includes 22 states. Please read the full guidance here including what States qualify: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/Covid-19-Knowledge-Base/Travel-In-or-Out-of-CT . If this applies to your family, please inform your head coach so they can plan your child’s absence during the quarantine. 

For complete clarity, Weston Little League is strictly enforcing the 14 day quarantine period for those returning to Connecticut following a trip or vacation to one of the identified states with a high infection rate meaning that no player will be allowed to return prior to the 14 day quarantine.  In addition, any players, family members and visitors are expected to follow this directive if they are arriving from one of the 22 restricted states upon retiring to the fields and engaging with other players and families at Bisceglie.  We understand that the CDC guidelines offer a testing option alternative but they intended this only for  those travelers who, due to an extenuating circumstance, cannot quarantine for 14 days when arriving in Connecticut.  Weston Little League does not consider the testing option an alternative to the quarantine as baseball is not deemed an extenuating circumstance.  We made this decision through careful consideration and guidance from the WWHD, an excerpt of their guidance is attached below.

2.  Safety at Bisceglie Park

a) Social distancing: please ensure all players and families are adhering to the social distancing guidelines.  When social distancing is not possible, pleas ensure you are wearing a mask. 

b) Drop off: Please drive slow at Bisceglie as you drop off and pick up your child.  Also, please do not park on either side of the road near the fields.  This includes parking when picking up or dropping off your child. 

---------------------------------

Clarifying the Travel Advisory

The WWHD has received a number of calls from residents asking about Governor Lamont’s travel advisory. There seems to be confusion about the testing option versus the 14 day quarantine.  The State of Connecticut Department of Public Health recently clarified the intention of the testing option, so we thought it would be helpful to relay the information so that people can plan accordingly.  Per the State Department of Public Health, self-quarantine is the primary intention of the travel advisory.  If you return to Connecticut following a trip or vacation to one of the identified states with a high infection rate, you should self-quarantine upon return for 14 days.  Visitors, vacationers, or those staying with friends or family in Connecticut, are also expected to follow this directive if they are arriving from one of the 22 restricted states.   The testing option alternative is intended for those travelers who, due to an extenuating circumstance, cannot quarantine for 14 days when arriving in Connecticut.  An example of this would be someone coming to Connecticut to attend a funeral.  The intent of the testing option is to be a last resort used when quarantining is not possible.

Only travelers who are unable to quarantine for the required 14-day period should consider a testing alternative. Those travelers should have a negative test for COVID-19 in the 72 hours prior to arriving in Connecticut. If a test was obtained in the 72 hours prior to travel but the result is still pending at the time of arrival in Connecticut, travelers should remain in quarantine in Connecticut until the test result is received. If the test result is positive and the traveler is asymptomatic, the traveler should self-isolate for 10 days from the date of the test. Travelers who test positive for COVID-19 prior to traveling to Connecticut should delay such travel and consult with a medical professional.

The travel advisory applies to international travelers and to students arriving in Connecticut for college.  Colleges and universities will likely be informing their students about this directive.

Thank you,

Weston Little League Board

Please take a moment to read the following note from League Athletics, our website host:

Recently, major carriers like Verizon have begun throttling text message reminders to their customers, delaying or deleting texts sent from LeagueAthletics.com. Verizon in particular has asked us to drastically reduce the number of texts we send going forward. In addition, we've received complaints from parents, coaches and administrators about the volume of text messages being sent to them for events in their websites.

To increase sending efficiency for urgent and serious messaging, we will discontinue sending text reminders for Practices only, and change notifications for Practices sent via text message will only be sent if the change is made within 48 hours of the event’s start time. Below is a table that outlines the changes.

Practice Communications

Game Communications (No changes)

*Reminders are messages that are automatically triggered by the system and sent without any user actions.  Notifications are messages sent when an event is added or changed.

PARKING AT BISCEGLIE​

With pre-season practice underway and the season officially opening this weekend, we'd like to remind you of the parking and drop-off procedures at Bisceglie. 

There is no drop-off, pick-up or parking of cars anywhere along the upper roadway of Bisceglie Park at any time (games or practices).  

The entrance in and out of the park needs to remain clear of stopped or parked cars at all times.  It’s a safety issue for the players crossing the road and we need to keep cars moving in the upper roadway. 

Player drop-off and pick-up should take place in the lower parking area; please do not stop along the roadway, by the handicap spaces or the portables to let players in/out of your car.

All cars must be parked in the parking lot.  There are several handicap parking spaces available for those cars with a valid/current handicap parking permit - no exceptions!

We appreciate your support in adhering to these rules for the safety of all our players, pedestrians and motorists.

Thank you,
Weston Little League Board of Directors

Dear Parents of Weston Little League Players,
 
I'd like to alert you to potential products that may aid in the safety of our children.  These products are not mandated by Little League National of Williamsport, so Weston Little League is not mandating them, but our  board thinks that you should at least know about them so you can make your own informed decision whether or not to purchase them for your children.
 
First, there are batting helmets that come with a facemask.   When worn properly, these facemasks prevent the batter from taking a hit to the eyes, nose or mouth from a batted or thrown baseball.  
 
The second is a simple mouth guard.  Again not mandated by Williamsport, but some leagues are suggesting them.
 
The last is a "heart guard".  These are often T shirts that have a protective plastic shield which prevents a child from taking a direct hit to the heart from a batted or thrown ball.
 
All of these items may be purchased online or at local stores. Please consider this email in the spirit that it was sent.  All sports have the potential for injury of one type or other.  The safety of your children is our number one priority,  the play is secondary.  Your little league board has developed many practices over the years that try to ensure safety.  You may elect for your child to use one or more of the items listed above to prevent an injury.  That said, it's going to be a wonderful season.  
 
Thank you, Weston Little League

For those of you that need some help navigating our website, here is a step-by-step guide to accessing your team information and receiving email and/or text event reminders:
 
HOW CAN I GET EMAIL AND TEXT EVENT REMINDERS?
 

• From the main page of our website, www.westonll.com, scroll to the bottom of the home page and click on the left-hand menu item Edit My Account,
• Log in using your email address and password,
• When you log in, your family profile will appear.  You will see all family members and the programs each member has been registered in.
• Click on a Family Member name,
• Scroll down until you see Remind,

• Check the box for Games and Practices,
• If you want text messages make sure your cell phone number is listed and you select the carrier,
• Make sure the check box No Email box is NOT checked.  (If this box is checked your email address will not be included in ANY email sent from this site which includes reminders, game change notifications and other important messages),
• Be sure to click the Submit button when you are done,
• You will now get an email and/or text messages to remind you of games and practices for your team.

 
HOW DO I ACCESS MY TEAM ROSTER AND SCHEDULE ONLINE?:
 
To view your team page:
·         At the top of the homepage of the WLL website, www.westonll.com, click on the menu Teams,
·         Select the Season (Fall 2014),
·         Select your League (T-Ball, A, AA, AAA, American or National),
·         Select then select your Team,

You are now on your TEAM page!

To view your team roster:
·         Select the tab ROSTER to see coach and players
To view your team schedule:
·         Select SCHEDULE to see your team schedule.

Hope this help!