Saturday, August 1, is almost here.  It's time for the big finale for GVGS 2020!  This information is for those of you who pre-registered (by July 16) for our Saturday, August 1 session.

Check-in will begin at 8:00 am, with Juniors (just completed grades 3-6) by Field 1 and Seniors (just completed grades 7-12) by Field 3. All players need to check in to receive a wristband.  Check-in will be completed by 8:30.

Games will begin at 9:00 am.  Weather permitting, all teams will play four games (9:00, 10:25, 12:20, 1:45), with a lunch break.  We anticipate being done playing around 3:00 - 3:30.  Robert's BBQ will again be in the main parking lot throughout the day so feel free to enjoy lunch right at the park.

Teams have been pre-determined.  Several experienced coaches met recently to divide the teams to make them as balanced as possible.  In order to do so, friends who have played together on Wednesday nights may be on different teams. This is no different than what occurs during a normal GVGS season.

If you can no longer attend, please e-mail me as soon as possible.

Weather: I do not want to have to bring this up, but the forecast is not great for Saturday.  If we have to cancel in advance, I will send an email and will post it on our homepage.  If the weather turns bad while we are playing, we do not have access to the warming house.  So, please be available to promptly pick up your player.

We need parent volunteers to help sanitize equipment at each field, just like we have been doing on Wednesday nights.  If you can help, we would really appreciate it!  Please let a Board member or one of the coaches know at the field. Thank you.

Senior Celebration: At the conclusion of every season, we celebrate and honor our graduating seniors.  This year, we will do so following the end of our tournament, starting at about 3:30, on Field 1.  You are welcome to stay and help us recognize these kids, some of whom have been in the league since third grade!

A few important reminders: (1) Sunflower seeds and other food items that cannot be fully consumed are not allowed; (2) Bleachers, and the area running from behind the end of the first base fencing to the end of the third base fencing are off limits to spectators; (3) Send your player(s) with a water bottle and hand sanitizer; (4) Please maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from others (other than people in your own household) and remind your players of that expectation as well; (5) We strongly encourage and recommend that you wear a face covering (except when eating or drinking). Thank you for your cooperation!

Thank you all for making this shortened season a success!

​Lenny Segal, GVGS President

NOTE: Registration is now full and closed for GVGS 2020.  Walk-in registrations will only be allowed if there are pre-registrants who fail to attend.

GVGS will be back on the field on Wednesday, July 15, 22 and 29, and Saturday, August 1. Our plan for each session will include both a practice element and, provided we have enough players, actual games! For our Saturday session, if we have enough players, we hope to be able to play a tournament. All activities will take place at Lions Park in Golden Valley.

Check-in begins at 6:00 for the Wednesday sessions. If a player or spectator has COVID-19 symptoms, please do not come to the park.  Players will be asked health screening questions related to COVID-19 at check-in and if they have any symptoms, they will not be allowed to play.

REGISTRATION: You do not need to register for all sessions but, rather, can pick and choose which ones you want to attend.

Wednesday Sessions: Although not required, PLEASE PRE-REGISTER AS OUR SPACE IS LIMITED and registrations will be accepted on a first come-first served basis. Once we have reached our capacity, we will not be able to accept any more registrants and walk-in registrants will only be possible if there are no-shows. If you register and then determine you cannot attend, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can open up your spot.

Saturday, August 1: PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED BY THURSDAY, JULY 16. Again, OUR SPACE IS LIMITED and once it’s full, we will not be able to accept any more registrants and walk-in registrants will only be possible if there are no-shows.

To register, please click here

COVID-19 SAFETY PLAN:

Our COVID-19 Safety Plan, as approved by the city of Golden Valley, is posted below. It addresses a number of items, including equipment, player/game play, and spectators.  Please review the Safety Plan so that you know the parameters under which we will be playing.

While we will try to provide a safe environment, we cannot guarantee safety from this virus.  By participating in these GVGS activities, or attending as a spectator, you are agreeing to comply with the GVGS Safety Plan and are voluntarily choosing to assume the risk of infection.  Each family, spectator, and participant should make their own decision as to whether or not they feel comfortable playing or attending.

Here are a few key items in our Safety Plan:

• FACEMASKS FOR PLAYERS: Have your player bring a facemask that covers their nose, mouth, and under their chin.  When not actively participating (e.g., the player is sitting on the bench), players will be encouraged to wear their mask.  Players also can wear them while playing if they choose (I have seen Twins players practicing while wearing their masks).  If you want to require your player to wear her mask, please tell her.
• DUGOUTS WILL NOT BE USED/SOCIAL DISTANCING.  Players may want to bring their own chair.  Players who are not actively participating will be expected to follow social distancing recommendations (remain at least 6 feet from others).
• EQUIPMENT: If a player has her own equipment, please use it and do not share it with other players. If a player will be using league-provided equipment, please understand that it is shared equipment.  We also encourage players to wear batting gloves if they have them.
• SANITIZER: Please send your player with hand sanitizer/sanitizing wipes (and water).
• SPECTATORS:
  • BLEACHERS WILL BE RESERVED FOR PLAYERS.  Bleachers and the areas around and behind the backstop and dugouts will be OFF LIMITS TO SPECTATORS.  We need that space for players.  Spectators can watch from further up the baselines along the outfield, and also can sit in the middle of the park beyond where a ball reasonably could be hit.
  • NUMBER OF SPECTATORS: Please limit the number of spectators that you invite to the field.
  • FACEMASKS: We recommend that spectators wear a facemask that covers their nose, mouth, and under their chin.
  • SOCIAL DISTANCING: Spectators are encouraged to follow social distancing recommendations (remain at least 6 feet from others).
• RESTROOMS: The city will not allow the warming house to be open.  As such, those restrooms will not be available.  The city will provide one or two portable toilets.

Golden Valley Girls Softball has prepared the following COVID-19 Safety Plan which will be in effect in 2020. 

GVGS will be getting back on the field! So, have your kids pull out their gloves, swing a bat, and get ready to play softball! We will play three Wednesday evenings, and then conclude with a Saturday tournament. These will not just be practice sessions. We plan to also play games each session, with GVGS coaches, on the Lions Park fields.

More information will be provided in the coming days, but mark your calendars now.

Dates:

Wednesday, July 15, from 6:30 – 8:30

Wednesday, July 22, from 6:30 – 8:30

Wednesday, July 29, from 6:30 – 8:30

Saturday, August 1 during the day (exact time to be determined)

Registration:

In the coming days, I will send an e-mail with a registration link (I will post on our homepage when that e-mail is sent). Although you will not have to register for the Wednesday evenings in advance, doing so would be very helpful so we can make sure we have the right number of coaches and be prepared for each session. For Saturday, August 1, we will need advance registration.

Cost:

None. For families who are able to do so, a small donation would be appreciated to help offset some costs.

Who Can Play?

Any girl who just completed 3rd – 12th grade. Even if a player did not register for 2020, she can still play! So, invite a friend or two who has not played in GVGS and join us. Girls will be divided into Juniors and Seniors divisions, just like we do in a normal season.

On behalf of the entire Board, I can't express how much we have missed being with all of you this year and how much we look forward to seeing you! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Lenny Segal, GVGS President

For those of you who registered to play in 2020, an e-mail was sent to you tonight (June 21) regarding your options.  Please complete the google doc that was included in that e-mail by June 30 to indicate your preference.  If you did not receive the e-mail, please let us know by sending an e-mail to gvgssoftball@gmail.com. Thank you!

For the first time ever, GVGS now has an online store to purchase GVGS merchandise!  Check out our newly redesigned merchandise page here.  In addition to a link to our online store, you also can order merchandise that we still have in stock, some at a significant discount.

Hello GVGS Families,

After much agonizing and analyzing various possibilities, the GVGS Board has made the decision to cancel the 2020 GVGS regular season.

Why Now?

Many, if not most, metro-area softball leagues comparable to ours have made the same decision, some much earlier. We waited as long as we reasonably could to make this decision but it has become clear, even with the Governor’s turning of the dial on Friday, that we simply cannot do everything that is necessary to provide a safe environment for players and spectators while still making it a fun and enjoyable experience.

Limits on the size of gatherings, the challenges of enforcing social distancing among players and spectators, PPE requirements (wearing of face masks, sanitizing equipment, etc.), what to do in the event a player, coach, umpire, or family member becomes infected with COVID-19, and more does not allow an environment conducive to fun and learning. With our regular season scheduled to end on July 15 (Juniors) and July 16 (Seniors), even if we could play and start games on July 1, that would leave only two weeks for actual games.

We discussed the possibility of extending the season into August, but that creates its own challenges, including kids who will not be available to play due to school activities that start in August, kids who will be leaving for college and, of course, we would have the same challenges as noted above. We also, at this point, do not know what the city would allow us to do or what fields would be available to us in August.

What We Still Hope To Do

This league means so much to all of us on the Board and to all of you, and we do not want to have a lost season. While we will not be having a regular season in 2020, we are still going to look for opportunities to get on the fields in some fashion in July and/or August, if that is possible. What that may look like is not yet determined and is subject to the Governor’s Orders, city requirements, and health guidance. It may involve clinic-style practices, it may involve pick-up games, it may involve simply getting together.  We will keep you posted.

High School Seniors

We are heartbroken for our high school seniors for whom this would have been their last season playing for GVGS. Normally, we have a special night at the end of the season devoted to our seniors. We still plan on doing something special for our seniors. Whether that involves an actual game or not will be determined later, but we so appreciate what seniors have done and meant to our league ─ some of whom have been with us since 3rd grade. Thank you to all of you!

Your 2020 Registration Fee

For those of you who registered to play in 2020, you will have three options:

1. Apply your registration fee to the 2021 season;
2. Donate all or a portion of your registration fee to GVGS and have the balance refunded to you; or
3. Have the registration fee refunded to you.

Within the next week or two, an email will be sent to families who registered for 2020 with a link to indicate which option you choose. Most refunds will need to be in the form of written checks, so please bear with us as we undertake this endeavor.

Davanni’s Restaurant Night – Thursday, June 25

One positive announcement is that we are having a restaurant night at the Davanni’s in Golden Valley on Thursday, June 25, from 4:00 – 9:00. Mark your calendars now and we hope to see you there! Be sure to mention GVGS when you order (takeout or dine-in).

Conclusion

On behalf of the entire GVGS Board, we thank you for your support of GVGS. We are so sorry that we will not be able to gather on the field for a typical season. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Lenny Segal, GVGS President