Parent Information

As the parent of a youth baseball player, you are committed to making your child’s sports experience as rewarding as possible. Jacksonville Beach Baseball offers some tips on participating as a volunteer in our local league, as well as ways you can help develop the concepts of character, courage and loyalty in your baseball player.

Parent/ Volunteer Pledge

• I will teach all children to play fair and do their best.
• I will positively support all managers, coaches and players.
• I will respect the decisions of the umpires.
• I will praise a good effort despite the outcome of the game.

A Few Things You Should Know

Injury Prevention

• Make sure that all team equipment has been inspected by a league official to ensure that it is functioning properly.
• Make sure that children do not climb on fences surrounding the playing fields.
• Check playing fields before games and practices for holes, large rocks or sticks, and anything else that may cause interference for players.
• Make sure that players warm up and stretch before practices and games.
• Make sure that your child drinks plenty of fluids not only while playing, but also throughout the day before practices and games.
• Treat minor injuries with RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
• Post warning signs in foul ball areas.
• Enforce bike helmet laws if children are riding to/from playing facilities.
• Be sure that you have enough seatbelts for everyone in the vehicle when you are transporting players.
• Watch for signs of heat exhaustion when playing in extreme heat.
• Schedule practices before noon or in the evening to avoid the hottest hours of the day.
• Schedule multiple drink breaks during practices and games.

Inclement Weather

Be aware of threatening weather. Practices and games should be stopped immediately at the first sign of lightning and shelter should be sought immediately.

Your child’s coach should contact you via phone/email regarding the postponement or cancellation of games. Occasionally, the umpire is required to call a game prior to its completion. When this occurs, your child’s coach will inform you about make-up dates.

Stranger Danger

Teach children the dangers of talking to and accepting anything from strangers. This includes someone who may offer to play “catch” with them or to give them a ride home.

Tell children to report any stranger who approaches them. Make sure that at least one adult remains until all children have been picked up from practices and games.

Give your child a code word to use when you have someone else pick him/her up. This way your child will know not to go with a stranger who does not know your code word.

Do not put the names of players on uniforms or openly on equipment. This will prevent strangers from being able to convince children that they know them.