WINTERBALL
The Concept:
WinterBall is an “indoor” program designed to attract new participants to the sport of baseball. The primary focus of the WinterBall is to introduce the basic fundamental skills of baseball to students in a fun, non-competitive manner while providing a positive learning experience for all involved.
The program is targeted primarily at elementary schools throughout Ontario with possible application to community centres, local recreation departments, along with boys and girls clubs across the province.
Designed for students in Kindergarten - Grade 6, WinterBall progresses through activities in eighteen different lesson plans. There are a set of nine lessons for Kindergarten - Grade 2, for Grades 3 and 4 and another set of nine for students in Grades 5 and 6, to ensure students are being taught skills at an appropriate skill and ability level.
The program is designed to fit easily with the current curriculum outlined by the Ministry of Education, ensuring the activities being taught are expectations-based and measurable. The program is designed to be completely “turn-key” including: complete lesson plans with warm-up activities, games to introduce skill techniques, cool down activities, teaching tips, diagrams, and a glossary of terms. The teacher's manual includes gender-neutral terminology and is designed to fit within the guidelines of the education system.
Why WinterBall?
WinterBall promotes an active healthy lifestyle and participation in sport.
WinterBall gives the students the opportunity of working in a teamwork setting, teaching them the importance of working together to achieve a common goal. It also helps students realize individual progress on a continual basis.
The sport of baseball is easily adaptable to almost any setting, including indoors, and meets all of the requirements of the educational system.
With reduced government spending on education, and a decrease in class planning time for teachers, schools are forced to look for programs that are new and exciting for students and are “turn-key” in their delivery system. It is important that the program builds life skills and provides added benefit to both students and society.
Over the past few years, participation in baseball at all levels in the province of Ontario has been decreasing. In surveys conducted by Baseball Ontario, there have been a number of factors identified as contributing to the overall decline in registration. Such things as coaching expertise, program availability, and length of schedule and skill development are all points that have been raised by youngsters who have played organized baseball and are not now involved. Baseball Ontario has taken significant steps in addressing these areas by introducing new programs and increasing communication.
Sporting activities of any kind, including recreational pursuits, require movement skills that are almost universally the same. With this in mind, Baseball Ontario originally developed WinterBall as a program that allowed these movement skills to be presented to students in a school program using baseball equipment, terminology and games.
Goals and Objectives:
The goal of WinterBall is to introduce baseball in a recreational non-competitive environment where the students have fun and attain success performing the skills.
WinterBall provides students with the fun sport experience inclusive to all, regardless of gender or physical ability.
Once the student realizes that they are able to perform the fundamentals of baseball, they may be interested in playing the game with the local organized baseball association.
Program Content:
The WinterBall Kit arrives in a large equipment bag and it contains:
Teacher Manuals – Eighteen lesson plans that may be delivered by a teacher to a class in a gymnasium with very little planning and preparation time.
Baseball equipment - Sufficient equipment that is very safety conscious and will enable all lessons to be carried out.
Baseball worksheets – These worksheets help teach baseball’s fundamental rules and concepts through fun and interesting exercises in reading, comprehension and math.
Implementation:
The WinterBall Program has been discussed with teachers, principals and educators from across the Province for their input. Out of these discussions came a Pilot Program.
Today, WinterBall has now been implemented in over 500 schools across Ontario and it has been growing across Canada, with over 1,650 schools utilizing the program coast to coast.
Sponsorship:
WinterBall is a self sustaining program. There are numerous costs associated with it, but a sponsorship program has been developed to raise the funds required to operate the WinterBall Program.
Baseball Canada, with the support of Baseball Ontario, has moved the program forward by delivering it across Canada with the help of many national sponsors, especially Major League Baseball
Provincial sponsorship packages are available to interested corporate partners at various levels if they wish to be involved in the WinterBall Program.
How do I apply for the WinterBall Program?
Participating schools will receive $500 worth of equipment and print material, including the latest in safety balls and bats at no charge.There is no cost to the school to utilize the program. If your school Is interested in participating in the WinterBall Program, please contact us at:
Baseball Ontario
131 Sheldon Drive, Unit 3
Cambridge, Ontario N1R 6S2
(519) 740-3900
Fax: (519) 740-6311
winterball@baseballontario.com
