A Letter from the President

I hope this letter finds you well. For those of you who do not know me, my name is Bob Johnson, and I was elected the president of CGYBS on November 1, 2022. I previously served as the vice president since the end of 2019. I have been a member of the board serving in various positions for nearly 10 years.

I am honored to serve as your president. CGYBS is an amazing organization that has been an important part of my family for the past 16 years. Not only have my family and I met outstanding players and coaches throughout the years, I have also had the privilege to work with dedicated board members who have volunteered their time tirelessly serving the needs of CGYBS. As a coach and assistant coach, I can tell you I would not trade a minute on the fields with my sons for all the money in the world.

I want to thank Scott Smith. Scott served as the CGYBS president for 13 years and set an extraordinary example for all those who follow. I have big shoes to fill.

2023 is an exciting year for CGYBS. It is our 70th anniversary. CGYBS amazes me. The organization has successfully provided baseball and softball to our youth without the financial support of any government or other organization since 1953. Additionally, CGYBS has employed many of our young people in field crew, concessions, and umpiring. Possibly the most amazing part is CGYBS is run by volunteers.

We have begun massive field improvements. See the photos on our website. These improvements would not have been possible without the careful financial planning of our treasurer, Barb Saylor, and the efforts of our travel director, Greg Case. Please thank them if you see them. Once we learned Maplewood hadn’t sold. . . again, we doubled our efforts to improve all our fields for our players.

2023 will also bring struggles which we will work through together. Inflation and cost of living has affected every one of our families. We continue to recruit umpires as the shortage has affected youth sports across the country. If you are interested or know someone who is interested in umpiring, please contact umpire@cgybs.org.

Our nation has devalued volunteerism and service. I am so grateful for the example my parents set for me while I was growing up. Each of you has the opportunity to do the same for your children. The biggest excuse we hear about volunteering is people being too busy. The members of the CGYBS board are some of the busiest people I know. If you have ever thought about volunteering, now is the time. Now is the time to continue a rich tradition. Becoming a coach, assistant coach, or board member not only allows you to have a positive impact on our children, but you also have the honor of meeting and working with some wonderful people. Please give it some thought.

Lastly, please know the members of the CGYBS general and executive boards are dedicated to serving the needs of our young people. We are constantly striving to improve and grow. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any of our board members if we can be of assistance.

Until we see each other at the fields, be safe and well.

Respectfully,

Bob Johnson

A Letter from the President

I hope this letter finds you and your family well. I intended to write a letter closer to the start of the season, but recent developments have necessitated reaching out to you now. This letter addresses those developments while also addressing the start of our 2023 season.

Last Thursday, members of the CGYBS general and executive boards learned of the Village’s plan to put a road through Maplewood. Apparently, this is part of a proposed TIF district. Additional information can be found on the Village of Cary website under “Maplewood Access Road Extension Website.” A few things you need to be aware of:

• CGYBS has been planning for the loss of the Maplewood fields for 10 years. While we have been told there will be no interruption with the 2023 season, we have a plan and there is no reason to panic.
• You have a voice. I imagine such a project would cause concern for nearby residents and CGYBS families alike. I intend to represent our organization and speak at a village board meeting when the time comes. The loss of six fields (ultimately) is one component, the loss of a place where families have gathered and baseball and softball have been played for 70 years is another.

At last Thursday’s CGYBS general board meeting, board members were advised this will be the last year for the lease of the indoor facility CGYBS uses on Factory Road in Crystal Lake. The owner has been wonderful to work with, he simply now needs the space back for his business. Some of our members have been diligently working on a replacement for the indoor facility. While I cannot announce anything yet, we have an exciting opportunity to move operations to a facility which will truly benefit all aspects of our organization. Stay tuned for more information once plans are finalized.

The start of our season is right around the corner. This is the 70th Anniversary for CGYBS so I hope you will join us for our parade and opening day ceremony on 04-29-23. Picture Day is scheduled for 05-20-23. Positive Coaching Alliance training will be provided to coaches on 04-05-23.

Help us get the word out about registration for those children at the Stallion/Fillies level. Many times, parents just are not aware of the opportunity to join us. This division is key to the future of our organization. Registration is currently scheduled to close on March 14th.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to a board member or me if we can be of any assistance to you. If you can volunteer in any capacity, please do. Working with this organization is incredibly rewarding.

Until we see each other at the fields, be safe and well.

Respectfully,

Bob Johnson