MARCH NEWS
RETURN TO PLAY - WE'RE BACK!
From the 29th of March outdoor softball is once again permitted to make its post lockdown comeback and we could not be more excited. Our committee have been working extremely hard behind the scenes to digest the latest return to play guidance, as well as assess the feedback from our members in order to come up with a plan that supports as many players as possible to return to our fantastic sport.
This has been a complicated discussion involving changes in venue pricing, coaching resources, Covid 19 risk mitigation, and listening to the varied needs of our softball community. However, we are now pleased to be able to confirm details of plans for our restart on the 6th of April and get a step closer to welcoming past members and new faces on to the Diamond!
Find out more here.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
We LOVE this flyer from Mind, some brilliant tips and reminders for many of us. With just over a week until our sessions return here are some of our thoughts on the ways MK Softball can help with their suggestions... 01) Although due to Covid regulations we require people to register for sessions in advance now, if your situation changes or you just don’t feel up to it, we totally get it - Just drop us a message to say you can no longer make it & we’ll look forward to seeing you at a future week instead! 02) We are well aware that a lot of people might be feeling unsure of returning, we’ll be here all summer so join us whenever feels right for you.
03) Our coaches will be looking to ease everyone back into activity again, offering frequent breaks & being more than happy for people to opt in & out as suits during a session. 05) We have an option on our registration form to ask questions or provide feedback, and also like to think our coaches are an approachable bunch so please do speak to them (or a committee member) if you have any questions at any point. 06) We offer our membership fees on a pro rata basis for anyone who wants to join later in the year. 07) Feedback is always very very welcome, before or after our restart, & you can pass this on to whichever coach or committee member you feel most comfortable with! 09) The committee is working very hard to ensure all sessions comply to Covid regulations and we will share everything we have put in place prior to our restart. In the meantime you can find out more about how we have navigated the pandemic so far, along with the risk assessments & player code of conduct implemented for our 2020 sessions, here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP US
As always, we are looking to recruit new players, especially now following the lockdowns. We're sure there's plenty of people out there looking for a new, fun sport to join with their new found freedom.
We're asking everyone to be on the lookout for somewhere to share one of our new flyers: either pass it to a friend or colleague, post it on a local social media site, or print a few and pop through your neighbours letterboxes! Anything you can think of to reach more people would be massively appreciated!
You can download the image as a pdf here
Thank you!
CALLING ALL FIRST AIDERS
If any members (who will be returning) are first aid trained and qualified, we would love to hear from you. Also, if anyone who is not currently trained in first aid, but would be interested in becoming certified, then let us know!
Please speak to a member of the coaching team at a session, or send us an email, we'd be keen to have a chat!
NEW MERCH
Fancy some new kit for the new season? MK Softball is pleased to announce the launch of new merchandise to celebrate our 10th anniversary!
Choose from a selection of t-shirts, jackets, hats and hoodies in a range of styles and sizes. We also have youth and children's sizes for some items. Each item is made to order by our partners at Baseball Outlet and our club receives £3 credit for every item, so everyone's a winner!
Here's the link to the site, get ordering ready for returning to play, and see below for some pictures of our committee modelling some of the range:
PATCHES COMING SOON
In addition to the new merch mentioned above, we are also expecting a delivery of special 10 Year Anniversary patches shortly, which we will distributing to members.
Every member will receive a patch included in their membership fee, with the option to purchase more (one for each new bit of kit ordered from Baseball Outlet perhaps, or to pass on to friends and family) for £3 each.
MILEAGE CHALLENGE UPDATE - MISSION COMPLETE!
Our challengers did it! Between them they have clocked up a huge 2530 miles, and they did it in just 50 days - Less than half the time we had challenged them with!
A huge congratulations and thank you to everyone who has got involved so far. Our challengers have reported it has boosted their motivation to get active as well as helping them feel connected while we're all kept apart... So why stop now?! Having proved what we can do we've decided to go further.
We are now attempting to more than double the mileage and travel the distance (as the crow flies) between our own home field in Milton Keynes, to the World Series winners the LA Dodgers' stadium; a whopping 5396 miles. All before our 10th birthday on the 20th May!
It's not going to be easy so we would LOVE more of our members past and present to join in. Every mile ran, cycled, or plodded helps, so get involved here and let us know if you would like to join our challengers WhatsApp group for extra motivation & support!
REMINDERS
FITNESS VIDEOS - For anyone looking for a way of limbering up ahead of the season, at your own pace, in your own time, from the comfort of your home. A reminder that the sessions Kim Hanessen ran for us (along with some train at home drill videos!) are available on our YouTube channel.
EASY FUNDRAISING - Support MK Softball while you shop online! Over 4,000 retailers are signed up to the scheme including Ebay, Amazon, JustEat, John Lewis, Argos, Booking.com, M&S and Sainsbury’s. Once you sign up, you raise money by starting your online shopping at easyfundraising.org.uk and the retailers will make a donation to MK Softball at zero cost to you.
Our latest payment from you lovely lot going click happy with the Christmas shopping (and Christmas Curry!) netted us a cool £200, so it just goes to show that every little counts!
That's it for this month. Take care and stay safe! We hope to see you all in person very soon.
