Wednesday, April 14, 2004
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Wednesday, April 14, 2004 |
| Play ball? Tyrone youth assn. could be locked out if they fail to comply with park use agreement By MICHAEL BOYLAN Town Council members in Tyrone raised the possilibity that the Tyrone Youth Baseball Association could be denied access to the town’s ballpark later this week if certification and background check requirements are not met. What appeared to be a light agenda at last Thursday’s Town Council meeting quickly changed when a discussion of the TYBA and its failure to comply with the park use agreement was added to the agenda. The council expressed its frustration at the TYBA and the fact that this subject has come before council yet again, while TYBA President Beth Higbie and Vice President of Operations Mike Trebuchon tried to explain the situation. Town manager Barry Amos stated that the TYBA was not complying with the park use agreement because they did not have an accurate count of coaches who were National Youth Sports Coaches Association certified or had undergone background checks, both of which are required by the town. Amos also stated that the town needed a current copy of the TYBA bylaws and that there were tournaments scheduled that were not on the calendar and schedule that TYBA had submitted. “Does Tyrone Youth Baseball have any intention of complying with this agreement?” asked Councilman Paul Letourneau. “It doesn’t look like it. We don’t have these problems with softball.” “We have complied to the best of our ability,” said Higbie. She stated that the list of coaches given to the town was the most current one that they had and that some coaches had trouble tracking down proof of NYSCA certification. Mayor Sheryl Lee stated that all certified coaches should have cards and that she held six clinics for NYSCA certification and no coaches from Tyrone Youth Baseball attended any of them. To become a NYSCA certified coach, one must watch a video, take a quiz and pay a $20 fee. The certification is good for two years. As for background checks, Tyrone requires it of all youth coaches and instructors. According to the park use agreement, coaches need only submit an authorization form for a background check and the town takes the responsibility to have the background check done. Higbie agreed that the coaches who have not had background checks or were not NYSCA certified would not be allowed to coach. Councilwoman Lyn Redwood stated that she had been looking into the situation and was trying to separate fact from fiction. She added that there were 17 coaches in TYBA who had not had background checks and 21 without NYSCA certification. Some of the coaches were on both lists but Amos also stated that there are some coaches whose certification has expired and were not on the list. While certification is a big issue, especially because under the current conditions the town would be liable should something happen, the tournaments that TYBA teams sponsor brought an even more contentious tone to the debate. Several members of the council and the audience took issue with the fact that the tournaments often take away field time from other TYBA teams, and that all entry, concession and admission fees during the tournaments go to the teams sponsoring the tournament (after expenses for umpires and a weekend liability policy for the tournament). This latter complaint was a particular sore spot for some, as they were recently charged $10 for a weekend pass to watch the tournament. Many found it unfair that residents of Tyrone, who pay taxes which pay the utility bill for the concession stand and paid for park construction and maintenance, must also pay admission to watch little league baseball games. Councilman Mike Smola remarked that the admission price was absurd and must stop right away, while Councilman Letourneau suggested to Higbie that as a sign of good faith, Tyrone residents should not be charged admission for the Shamrock tournament, which was held last weekend. Trebuchon, coach of the Fayette Scorpions, a team in the TYBA and one of the four teams from Tyrone playing in and benefitting from the Shamrock tournament, explained that the tournaments served as fundraisers for the local teams, paying for equipment, uniforms and travel expenses among other things. He mentioned that the Scorpions will be traveling to Cooperstown, N.Y., this year to play in a tournament at the Baseball Hall of Fame and that raising money from tournaments was necessary to help with the cost of entering and traveling to Cooperstown. He said the total cost of the trip would be approximately $17,000. Higbie then stated all of the ways that the TYBA, a nonprofit organization, has worked with the town in the past, raising money for restrooms at the fields, providing new equipment for everyone in the league this year, including five helmets, four hats for coaches, and two tees per team, as well as batting nets for younger teams. She also stated that they have a large number of scholarship cases this year, meaning players that had the registration fee waived because they could not afford it. While the council appreciates the effort, Letourneau stated that if the TYBA is not in total compliance by this Friday, three days before league play resumes, the fields would be closed. Trebuchon guaranteed that they would be in compliance by the deadline and stated that he would make sure of it. To be fully in compliance, the town must receive a current copy of the TYBA by-laws, a complete tournament schedule with all dates that both the Handley and Shamrock fields would be in use, and have all active coaches be NYSCA certified and submit to background checks.
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