Travel rosters will be released soon.
Welcome to Mahwah's travel baseball program
Visit your Travel Divisions Unique Page - click the menu items above this page.
Travel Baseball ContactsTravel Director
Neil Kurtz 201 637-3529 Neil.Kurtz@cbre.com Baseball Commissioner: Joseph Woelfel Other Contacts and Feedback BAT Check (Mobile Link) |
Registration for 2014 Travel Baseball is now open. Download the application at the top of this page.
Mahwah Travel Uniforms
 2013 Mahwah Hat
Click to Emlarge
Uniform Fittings - Mahwah Travel 2013 Jersey
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Mahwah Travel Baseball
Please visit the individual Team / Age page under the Travel link above.
Travel baseball for 2014 includes:
1. 10 winter workouts from January to March
2. Spring Season - 8 to 10 games
3. Summer Season - 12 to 15 games
4. Up to two tournaments
Some details are subject to change.
Travel baseball for 2014 includes:
1. 10 winter workouts from January to March
2. Spring Season - 8 to 10 games
3. Summer Season - 12 to 15 games
4. Up to two tournaments
Some details are subject to change.
Winter Workout 2014 Information
Winter Workouts begin Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at
Ultimate Sports - 12 Wright Way, Oakland NJ - Click for Directions
Ultimate Sports - 12 Wright Way, Oakland NJ - Click for Directions
About the 2014 Travel Baseball Program
The Mahwah travel baseball program is organized by Mahwah Youth Baseball, which is part of the Township of Mahwah Youth Sports Boosters (TMYSB). TMYSB and Mahwah Youth Baseball are all-volunteer groups that work with the township of Mahwah to provide an opportunity for youth residents to play baseball on local fields and facilities. Mahwah Youth Baseball is headed by a baseball commissioner who appoints a director to run the travel program. The organization follows the guidelines of the TMYSB.
The Mahwah travel baseball program is designed as a supplement to the Mahwah Youth Baseball recreation program. The goal of the travel program is to increase player skill development in a more competitive environment. Because of the increased competitiveness of travel baseball, the program is intended for players who
have a higher level of interest in the sport and are prepared to dedicate more time to the sport for practices and games.
The travel program assembles teams of Mahwah residents, by age, for the spring and summer seasons. These teams represent Mahwah against travel teams from other towns. The youngest age group, 9U, is for players nine years old and under. The program also has teams at the 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U age levels. It is the desire of the program to field as many teams as feasible by age group. The optimum team size is 12 to allow appropriate playing time for everyone. Teams can, however, be larger on a case-by-case basis. Also, teams will be placed in a travel league that is appropriate for their assessed skill level as determined by the Mahwah baseball commissioner and travel director.
have a higher level of interest in the sport and are prepared to dedicate more time to the sport for practices and games.
The travel program assembles teams of Mahwah residents, by age, for the spring and summer seasons. These teams represent Mahwah against travel teams from other towns. The youngest age group, 9U, is for players nine years old and under. The program also has teams at the 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U age levels. It is the desire of the program to field as many teams as feasible by age group. The optimum team size is 12 to allow appropriate playing time for everyone. Teams can, however, be larger on a case-by-case basis. Also, teams will be placed in a travel league that is appropriate for their assessed skill level as determined by the Mahwah baseball commissioner and travel director.
Player Expectations
Since the travel teams compete against teams outside of Mahwah, competition tends to be stronger and parents should note the following obligations before committing to join a travel team:
1. The Mahwah travel baseball program is designed as a supplement to Mahwah Youth Baseball's recreation program. Any child who wishes to play travel baseball must play in the town recreational league. Failure to attend recreation games could result in removal from the travel team.
2. There are two seasons for travel baseball. The spring league runs from early April through early June with one game generally played on Sunday afternoons. The spring league is used primarily as preparation for the summer league. For the summer league, which runs from early June to the end of July, two to three games are played a week.
3. Although it is expected that families will have other obligations and periodically take vacations, parents should consider that county/state/regional tournaments begin in mid-July and can run through the end of the month.
4. It is expected that any player on a travel team will attempt to make most, if not all, practices or games, and if he is unable to make a game or practice will supply advance notice his coach. Although coaches will determine distribution of playing time, it is common practice that playing time is influenced by a player’s attendance at practices and games.
5. If a player in the Mahwah travel program plans to play on another team not affiliated with the town, such as a club team, it is expected he make the Mahwah team the priority. If that commitment can't be made it's suggested the player not try out for the Mahwah travel program.
6. Every age group may participate in a Memorial Day weekend tournament, and additional tournaments in the spring and summer.
Team Selection
The players selected for travel teams are chosen via a tryout in which a player’s skills are evaluated in the areas of hitting, fielding, throwing, and running. Tryouts for the 2014 season will be held in December 2013. (see calendar of events page ) To allow for a proper evaluation of each player’s skills, the travel program will hold tryouts at a local door facility and conduct at least one outdoor session, weather permitting.
The player’s age for team participation is as of April 30 of the respective year. Because this age cutoff date spans multiple school grades, players must identify the team -- 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, or 14U -- for which they wish to be considered before the tryout. The player will be evaluated only for the team for which he selects.
It is the objective of the Mahwah travel program to provide an open and fair environment for travel team selection. Travel team selections will be made based primarily on performance at the tryouts. Playing on a Mahwah travel in a prior year doesn't guarantee selection for a travel team in the present year.
Tryout evaluations will be conducted and team selections will be made by a committee of at least three individuals. All evaluators and team selection decision makers will be chosen by the baseball commissioner. Avoiding apparent or potential conflicts of interests will be considered in choosing the tryout evaluators and team selection decision-makers. Travel team coaches from the prior year are perceived to have a conflict of interest since their children were likely on the team previously and because the player/coach bond may influence team selection in a subsequent year. Input from a prior-year coach may be requested on close calls. Demonstrated player attitude and motivation may be considered in the selection process. Further, a representative of the TMYSB executive board will review the travel team selection process to insure the process is appropriate.
COST:
Parents are obligated to pay an additional travel registration fee if their child makes the travel team. The 2014 travel registration fee is $200, plus an additional $150 for indoor winter workouts beginning in January. There is no charge for trying out. In addition, each player is obligated to pay for their own personalized uniform, which will be arranged through the travel director and respective team head coaches. Costs for the uniforms in the past have been $120. Costs, however, are subject to change depending on current prices. Financial assistance can be provided if needed. Payments will be collected after the teams are selected.
Travel Coaches
Travel coaches are chosen after the travel teams are selected. Coaching a travel team in a prior year doesn't guarantee a coaching position in the current year. Individuals who wish to be considered must submit a travel coach application form to the baseball commissioner. The deadline for the 2014 season for submitting the coaches application is Nov. 23, 2013. See the Mahwah Youth Baseball Web site, mahwahyouthbaseball.org, for a copy of the application and instructions on submitting the completed application. If more than one individual applies for a travel coach position, each applicant will be interviewed by a selection committee. This committee will consist of individuals determined by the baseball commissioner. The committee will have appropriate representation from the executive board of TMYSB. Upon conclusion of the interviews, the selection committee will choose the individual perceived to be the best overall coach, teacher, role model and leader of Mahwah’s youth for baseball. This selection will be made based on the findings in the interview and the coach’s evaluations from prior years, if available. Each head coach will then choose his or her own assistant coaches and submit those assistant coaches to the baseball commissioner for ratification.
Coaches application in PDF
Note: If a travel team coach from the prior year expresses a desire to coach again and is the only applicant for the position, then he or she doesn't have to submit a new application.
After being selected, the travel coach for the upcoming season will meet with the baseball commissioner and travel director to agree on objectives for the upcoming seasons. Coaches will be issued equipment provided by TMYSB and be responsible for returning that equipment at the end of the summer season.
Mahwah Youth Baseball believes the experience for the players, coaches and parents will be enhanced with an open dialogue among all individuals. Parents should know that because teams in the travel program play in a more competitive environment, equal playing time isn't guaranteed for all players. Decisions about playing time are made by the coaches. Coaches are expected to provide opportunities for development for all players. If parents or players have concerns or questions about the
coaching decisions, they are encouraged to discuss them openly with the coach. If concerns still remain, parents are free to contact the travel director to discuss. If concerns still remain, the baseball commissioner can be contacted. For contact information, see the Mahwah Youth Baseball Web site. If the issue is still unresolved to the parents’ satisfaction, the commissioner will notify the TMYSB vice president of Coaches and Players (CAP) Committee. See the TMYSB Web site, www.tmysb.org, for contact information of the vice president of CAP.
At or near the conclusion of each travel baseball season, evaluation forms for the travel coaches will be distributed to the parent(s) of each travel team player by a member of the TMYSB executive board, usually the VP CAP. Each parent will receive one form in which to evaluate the head coach and another in which to evaluate the assistant coaches. The VP CAP will organize the evaluations and provide a report to the baseball commissioner along with all noteworthy comments from the parents.
Note: Mahwah Youth Baseball considers the completion and submission of coach evaluation forms to be a requirement for parents. The goal is to encourage interest in baseball for all travel baseball players. These evaluations help the organization identify areas that worked well for the players and areas that need improvement.
RECREATION and TRAVEL BASEBALL INFORMATION:
For information about important dates, clinics and more, please refer to the Mahwah Youth Baseball Web site at www.mahwahyouthbaseball.org.
CONTACTS:
Joe Woelfel, Mahwah Youth Baseball commissioner, josephwoe@hotmail.com
Neil Kurtz, travel director, Neil.Kurtz@cbre.com
Other Contacts and Feedback
