Subject: Rye Little League 2020 Season Canceled
Hi everyone. Many of us had hoped and were prepared to quickly restart our plans to take the field shortly after the expiration of the May 11th suspension date implemented by Little League International. However, following the announcement by Governor Cuomo last Friday that our schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year, and given continued uncertainty around when it will be deemed safe to resume organized youth sports, we have decided to cancel our Rye Little League season. The decision by our Board of Directors to cancel the season at this stage was a difficult one and was not unanimous, given some hope that we can still salvage some portion of the summer to get our players onto the fields. However, the Board was in full agreement that the prospects of taking the field in the foreseeable future are slim and that the safety of our community is paramount.
While this pandemic has taken a toll on all of us in one way or another, it has been especially taxing on our local businesses, many of which are sponsors of Rye Little League. With this in mind, and as we shift to the process of issuing refunds, we would like to offer two options. The first option is a full refund of your registration fees, including any late fees incurred if you registered after Jan. 15, 2020. The second option is a partial refund plus a donation of the remaining portion of your registration fees. Donations will not be retained by Rye Little League, but rather we will accumulate all donations and contribute one lump sum to the Rye Chamber of Commerce. The Rye Chamber of Commerce, www.ryechamberofcommerce.com, is a volunteer organization made up of Rye business owners and professionals that work with local Rye merchants to help them promote their businesses and the overall Rye community.
TO REQUEST A REFUND, either full or partial with donation, please reply to president@ryelittleleague.com with the following information: Family Name, Mailing Address, and your preference for Option 1 – Full Refund or Option 2 – Partial Refund, indicating how much you would like to contribute to our pooled donation to the Rye Chamber of Commerce. We will need to mail these refund checks individually as we cannot process refunds electronically, so please allow us a few weeks to process them. Also, please respond with your preference by May 10, 2020.
Lastly, as I alluded to earlier, despite our disappointment that we will not be able to roll out a full season for the approximately 500 children who have registered this year, we remain hopeful that organized youth sports will be deemed safe at a point this summer at which we can still salvage some opportunity to provide a baseball experience to our Rye Little League players. If we do find that opportunity, you can expect to hear from us with some options to get your children some much needed time playing with their friends. In the meantime, please continue to run individual practices with your children. Even just playing catch for a few minutes and taking some swings off a tee can make a big difference, and these one-on-one experiences really are where many baseball players develop their skills and love for the game.
Please take care of your families and feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Regards,
Ben Bubeck
President, Rye Little League
