AREA YOUTH SPORTS!

Serving the  towns of Livermore, Livermore Falls, Jay & Fayette

MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS

APRIL 2022
SPECIAL EDITION

Our AYS mission is to empower kids with healthy bodies and minds, instill strong sportsmanlike conduct and ingrain respect and modesty for what’s around them through energizing sports. In order to meet our mission and provide sports to our community’s youth, AYS relies on the generosity of individuals and businesses for support.


Whether it’s a cash donation, a sponsorship for the AYS gym or for one of our sports team, a purchase of equipment or uniforms for our athletes or hosting a fundraiser for our program, it is greatly appreciated. We are truly lucky to have their support. Without it, AYS couldn’t keep registration costs down or have a place to call home.

It is with everyone’s assistance that we continue to bring smiles and the promise of a happy healthy active future for our young athletes. It really does take a village to raise a child.


Our Current Sponsors: Bfit, KB Construction, DnD Maintenance, True Educator Insurance, Weber Insurance, Mainely Sandblasting, Jean Castonguay Excavation-Trucking & Logging, Brackett Mechanical, RB Performance, Otis FCU, Grondin Auto Body, Wood Pellet Warehouse, Ware Butler, Allie Bond Auto Body, Nichols Cleaning, Grimaldi Concrete, RCCM Cleaning, Don’s Stove & Chimney, Pallet One, Spruce Mt PTO, Livermore Concrete Foundations LLC, Barry’s Garage, Hillside Sports Club, A. Maurais & Sons Inc, Guild’s Country Hardware, Johnny Castonguay Logging & Trucking, Nichol’s Racing, Frazier Construction, Spruce Mountain Pharmacy, Mallard Mart, ReEnergy, Western Maine Behavioral, ZBON Fitness, Maine Power Wash Pros, Summit Support Services, Castonguay Meats, Knight’s Auto Repair, Expenet Technologies, T&T Landscape and Masonry, Hilltop Collision Center, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Androscoggin Bank, Paul Jackman Excavation, My Dad’s Place, Renovation CrossFit plus all the individuals who have supported us so far in 2022!


For everything our previous sponsors have done for us in the past, everything our current sponsors continue to do and everything our upcoming sponsors will contribute, we at Area Youth Sports just want you all to know how thankful we are for the generosity and support we receive.

APRIL 2022


AYS is happy to see the snow FINALLY going away and the ball fields opening up! As much as we love our time in the AYS gym, we are so ready to get back out on the diamond.


Our NEW spring basketball teams will be starting games with the MAINE HOOPS LEAGUE on April 9th/10th. We were able to make 2 boys teams from our tryouts. A 3rd/4th grade and a 5th-8th grade! Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough interest with the girls division! Hopefully next season there will be! We hope to grow this program to give our area basketball players more exposure to the sport of basketball!


Baseball, softball and tee ball will be starting before we know it! Our registrations were amazing and we are proud to say this season will be a great one!


For the first time in a log time, we will be having 2 BABE RUTH teams!! And our Cal Ripken league will have 5 teams: 1 major division, 2 minor division and 2 rookie division. All coaching needs were filled and I’m glad to say our coaching team will be phenomenal! We will be having a coaches meeting on April 7th and soon after you will be hearing from your coaches! OPENING DAY IS TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED TO HAPPEN AT BRETTUNS FIELD on SATURDAY, APRIL 30th!


Softball will be having 4 teams this season: one 8U, two 10U and one 12U! And by the looks of things, it should be a great season with great coaches! We will be having a coaches meeting on April 12th and soon after you will be hearing from your coaches!


Little Sluggers Tee ball numbers were HUGE! We will be having 8 TEAMS!! These little kiddos are so fun to watch. Our coaches are awesome with them and really get out there to show them the game of baseball! We will be having a tee ball coach meeting on April 14th and then they will be reaching out with information about the upcoming season!


AYS is excited to announce that one of our Spring sports sponsors, Dick's Sporting Goods has given our families an exclusive invitation to a special four-day Appreciation Weekend at the Augusta Dick’s Sporting Goods store on April 8th through April 11th. Make sure to mark your calendars! On this weekend you will receive 20% off ENTIRE PURCHASE. Discount will be good on all your baseball/softball needs including, gloves, cleats, batting gloves, baseball/softball pants, baseball/softball apparel, batting helmets, batting gloves, bat bags, eye black, and more! In addition to the 20% savings, AYS has a link on their website for additional savings per item using the other available coupon during this event. Just tell them to make sure they use the AYS coupons at the checkout counter. We hope that you will take advantage of this special team shopping event, so you can enjoy Dick’s Sporting Goods best baseball/softball gear at a great savings!


The Hillside ANNUAL Egg hunt is BACK!!! We are so happy to host this fun event at our gym again! The event is scheduled for April 16th from 10am to 12pm. First, register in the AYS cafeteria and do some fun activities before you head outdoors for a huge EGG HUNT!


As we end this edition of our newsletter. We like to give a BIG thank you to all our sponsors, coaches and volunteers. Nothing would be possible without you!




            MARCH 2022


AYS is happy that spring is right around the corner! We are so ready for warm weather and getting our athletes out on the Ball Field!!! Let’s Play Ball! Spring sports registration is now open. AYS offers t-ball, baseball and softball.


T-Ball is a coed league for boys and girls 4- 6 years of age. Signup fee is $50.00. This is for both boys and girls interested in learning the fundamentals of baseball and softball. Athletes must provide their own glove. Games are usually Saturday with one practice during the week.


Baseball is for kids age 7 to 12. The baseball league is made up of 3 divisions: Rookie League (ages 7-8), Minor (ages 9-10) and Major (ages 11-12). May 1st of the current year is the date for determining age. Sign-up fee for rookies is $60.00and for minors & majors it is $70.00. Athletes must supply their own baseball glove, cleats, baseball pants.


Babe Ruth Baseball is for boys 13-15 years of age. AYS Babe Ruth plays under Franklin Babe Ruth League and all games take place in Farmington. Athletes are required to supply their own glove, pants, socks and cleats. Registration fee is $150.00


Softball is for girls ages 7-12. January 1st of the current year is the determining age. The league is divided into 3 divisions: 8U (ages 7-8), 10U (ages 9-10) and 12U (ages 11-12). Sign-up fee for rookies is $60.00 and for minors & majors it is $70.00. Athletes are required to supply their own glove, pants and cleats.


Don’t miss the deadline to register. Registration ends March 27th, register online at http://www.ayssports.sportssignup.com



Do you have baseball or softball knowledge? AYS is looking for coaches for tee ball, baseball and softball. If you previously coached last season and would like to coach again please let us know. If you are interested in being a new coach, simply email us at board@ayssports.org.


We are also in urgent need for umpires for the spring baseball/softball season. Umpires must be at least 16 years old, $30 to $40 per game, certified umpires are preferred, but not required. Games are usually Monday thru Thursday 6pm to 8pm starting in May through the end of June. If interested please contact AYS at board@ayssports.org.


Our popular Indoor Soccer program is due to kick off on March 21st!! Both of our divisions were maxed out after just 2 days of registration!! We are thrilled to have former AYS & current SMMS Girls Soccer coach, Dave Nelson back and are excited to have SMHS Girls Soccer coach, Jake Turner joining him!! This season will be an amazing opportunity for our soccer athletes to strength their skills and their game performance! Sessions will take place on Mondays & Wednesdays! Division 1 (grades 1-4) 430-6pm & Division 2 (grades 5-8)630-8pm


FUN EVENTS HAPPENING AT AYS THIS MONTH!!! JOIN US!


On Sunday March 13th, Coach Mike Danforth and our AYS Sprawler wrestlers along with our amazing wrestling parents and the AYS Board of Directors will be hosting our first ever SPRAWLER BRAWL YOUTH WRESTLING TOURNAMENT!! This event will be huge!

It is a PK-8th Folkstyle Tournament with 4-6 man round robins. There will be 3 waves of wrestling: First Wave (K-2) 8 to 10am. Second Wave (3-6) 11-1pm. Third Wave (7-8) 2-4pm Awards will follow each wave of wrestling. Medals will be awarded for 1st-3rd. Admission Fee $5.00 and full concession booth will be open. Stop on by and see a why wrestling continues to be growing in popularity!

On Wednesday March 16th, Brett Frey from BFIT will be hosting The BFIT CENTRAL MAINE ALLSTAR GAME. This event will bring the TOP Middle School boys basketball talent in the Central Maine for a fun & exciting night of competition! 7th grade game will tip off at 6pm and 8th grade game will tip off at 7pm! Doors open at 5pm Admission is $5 and full concession booth will be open! Make sure to come watch and cheer on our local Titan/SMMS boys who will be participating that night!


Youth Sports would not be possible without our volunteers and sponsors. Thank you for all that you do! We are always looking for volunteers! If you like to volunteer please contact AYS at board@ayssports.org.

OLDER NEWSLETTERS

A big thank you to all our awesome sponsors this crazy spring/summer ball season! We were fortunate to be able to offer our softball, baseball and tee ball programs this season even during the coronavirus pandemic. We had to start late and modify our season but we are greatly we were able to play some ball!


Our 2020 tee ball sponsors were:

Spruce Mountain PTO

The Bluffs Campground & Mini Golf

RCCM Cleaning Services

Hot Colors Screen Printing & Designs

Johnny Castonguay Logging

Hillside Sports Club


Our 2020 softball sponsors were:

Otis Federal Credit Union

Spruce Mountain Pharmacy

Knight's Auto Repair

Guild's Country Hardware


Our 2020 baseball sponsors were:

Merrill's Garage

Summit Support Services

Paul Jackman Excavation

Hilltop Collision

Livermore Concrete Foundations LLC

Smitty's Tree Work


Another big thank you to the Towns of Livermore, Jay and Livermore Falls for allowing us usage of the ball fields to be able to offer the chance for our athletes to get out and on the diamond!


Also, a SHOUTOUT to all our amazing AYS coaches!! We wouldn't be able to do this without all your hard work, time and dedication. We appreciate you!!

Our 2020 Teeball coaches: Whitney Soucy, Forrest Morse, Danielle Welch, Chris Blodgett, Ashlee Giroux and Eric Gemelli.

Our 2020 softball coaches: Jake Turner and Lisa Dube

Our 2020 baseball coaches: Mike Chretien, Angela Hodgkins, Nicole & Shane Mason, Trevor Giroux, Forrest Morse, Josh Reichenbach, John Turner, Jenna Rocque and Eric Gemelli.


June 2020

BASEBALL & SOFTBALL
FINALLY GET GREEN LIGHT TO GO!!
SEASON STARTS
JUNE 15th!!

TEE BALL IS
SET TO START
JULY 1 ST!!
March 2020
AYS is happy to see the warm weather this means spring is right around the corner! Let’s Play Ball! Spring sports registration is now open. AYS offers three programs: t-ball, baseball and softball.

T-Ball is a coed league for boys and girls 4- 6 years of age. Signup fee is $40.00. This is for both boys and girls interested in learning the fundamentals of baseball and softball. Athletes must provide their own. Games are usually Saturday with one practice during the week Cal determining age for baseball.

Baseball is for kids age 7 to 12. The baseball league is made up of 3 divisions: Rookie League (ages 7-8), Minor (ages 9-10) and Major (ages 11-12). May 1st of the current year is the date for determining age. Sign-up fee is $60.00. Athletes must supply their own baseball glove, cleats, baseball pants.

Softball is for girls ages 7-12. The league is made up of 3 division. January 1st of the current year is the determining age. The league is divided into 3 divisions: 8U (ages 7-8), 10U (ages 9-10) and 12U (ages 11-12). Signup fee is $60.00. Athletes are required to supply their own glove, pants and cleats.

Don’t miss the deadline to register. Registration ends March 16th 2020, register online at http://www.ayssports.sportssignup.com

Do you have baseball or softball knowledge? AYS is looking for coaches for teeball and baseball and softball. We are also in urgent need for umpires for the spring baseball/softball season. Umpires must be at least 18 years old, $30 to $40 per game, certified umpires are preferred, but not required. Games are usually Monday thru Thursday 6pm to 8pm starting in May through the end of June. If interested please contact AYS at board@ayssports.org.

AYS is excited to announce that one of our Spring sports sponsors, Dick's Sporting Goods has extended an exclusive invitation to a special three-day Appreciation Weekend at the Augusta Dick’s Sporting Goods store on April 3rd, 4th & 5th for our community. Make sure to mark your calendars! On this weekend you will receive 20% off ENTIRE PURCHASE. Discount will be good on all of your baseball/softball needs including, gloves, cleats, batting gloves, baseball/softball pants, baseball/softball apparel, batting helmets, batting gloves, bat bags, eye black, and more! In addition to the 20% savings, AYS has a link on their website for additional savings per item using the other available coupon during this event. Just tell them to make sure they use the AYS coupons at the checkout counter. We hope that you will take advantage of this special team shopping event, so you can enjoy Dick’s Sporting Goods best baseball/softball gear at a great savings!

AYS Girls basketball season is going great and will end Mar 21st. If you haven’t had a chance stop on by and watch these young athletes battle it out on the court. Saturdays from 9am to 3pm at AYS Gym located at Cedar St. Livermore Falls. While you are there make sure to support your favorite girls’ basketball team during Penny Wars! Each girls’ basketball team will have their own JAR for collecting money. GAIN points by adding coins & bills to your teams jar! Jars will be available during home games throughout the whole season. Most points at the end of the season wins! Penny Wars ends March 14th.

Youth Sports would not be possible without our volunteers and sponsors. Thank you for all that you do! We are always looking for volunteers! If you like to volunteer please contact AYS at board@ayssports.org.
Goodbye January, Hello February!
AYS is excited to announce this years’ election of the Board. Dave Frey (President), Alan Mitchell (V-President), Heather Williams (Treasurer), Jenna Rocque (Secretary), Board members: Angela Newcomb, David Nelson, Charlene Nelson, Ashley Draper, Jake Nichols. We would like to give a warm welcome to our new board members Josh Reichenbach and Gary Payeur. We would also like to acknowledge Cindy and Nixon Ortiz. There is not enough words to express how grateful we are of the years of selfless dedication to AYS. Thank you for your 6+ years of service to the board, youth and community. You will be greatly missed and we wish you good luck in your future endeavors.

Don’t miss the deadline to register for our indoor soccer or indoor field hockey programs. Registration ends February 15th 2020 you can register online at http://www.ayssports.sportssignup.com. AYS indoor soccer is a 6 -week program for girls and boys grade 1st to 8th grade. The program will run on Sundays beginning March 8th, Division 1 Grades 1—4 will be 1200 to 145pm and Division 2 Grades 5– 8 will be 200 to 400pm at the AYS Gym. The cost is $30. AYS indoor field hockey is a 4- week program for girls’ 3 to 6th grade. The program will run on Saturday’s beginning March 21st from 10am to 1130am at the AYS Gym, the cost is $25.

AYS Girls basketball season has started and the girls are ready to play! This season we are happy to announce that 97 girls registered and AYS was able to create a little hoopster team Pre-k -1 grade, 3 minor teams 2 - 4 grade, 4 major teams 5 - 8 grade. First games are scheduled to kick off on February 15th at our gym located at Cedar St. in Livermore Falls. That’s not all, we are excited to announce that AYS will host the 3-4 and 5-6 girls travel basketball playoffs this year. Come join us as we support our local basketball girls battle it out on the court! Playoffs are scheduled the weekend of Feb 8 and 9th.

Let the Penny-Wars round 2 begin! Come support your favorite girls’ basketball team. Each girls’ basketball team will have their own JAR for collecting money. GAIN points by adding coins & bills to your teams jar! Jars will be available during home games throughout the whole season. Most points at the end of the season wins!

There is still time don’t miss your chance to win! The AYS Winter Raffle will be selling tickets until Feb 15th 2020. 6 Winners! 1st prize $300 visa gift card, 2nd prize $200 visa gift card, 3rd prize $100 visa gift card, 4th prize $40 sports signup fee, 5th prize AYS sweatshirt, 6th AYS t-shirt. Purchase your ticket(s) from an AYS girl basketball player, board member or at the AYS concession stand during girls’ basketball games.
Having the winter blues? No worries spring is right around the corner which means spring sports signups open up this month on February 22nd, mark your calendars! AYS offers three programs: t-ball, baseball and softball. T-ball is coed league for boys and girls 4- 6 years of age. Cal Ripken Baseball is for kids from 7 - 12 years old. May 1st of the current year is the date for determining age for baseball. The baseball league is made up of 3 divisions: Rookie League (ages 7-8), Minor (ages 9-10) and Major (ages 11-12). Softball is for girls ages 7-12. Teams are broken up by age as of January 1st on any given year and are divided into 3 divisions: 8U (ages 7-8), 10U (ages 9-10) and 12U (ages 11-12).

Youth Sports would not be possible without our volunteers and sponsors. Thank you for all that you do! We are always looking for volunteers! If you like to volunteer please contact AYS at board@ayssports.org.
JANUARY 2020
Happy New Year from AYS!
January is another busy month for AYS . Boys ’ basketball games continue until January 11th and our travel basketball teams have many games left with season ending at the end of February . If you havent seen these athletes play come on by you wont regret it!

Also, registration ends soon for a couple upcoming AYS sport programs,Girls ’ basketball registration will end on January 4th and wrestling registration will end on January 6th Dont miss the deadline! You may register on line at:
http:/ www .ayssports.sportssignups.com
or in person on Saturdays at the AYS building during basketball games. If you are need of financial assistance please contact us we have a lot of options available.

AYS offers two basketball programs a 6 week little hoopster program for girls grades Pre k to 1 st on Saturday mornings for $30 and a 8 week session for girls grades 2 through 8 for $40 . This 8 week session program will be divided into two divisions; grades 2 to 4 and 5 to 8 . Games will be on Saturdays with 2 practices during the week. We are looking for volunteers as basketball coaches for all levels and volunteers to work concessions. We are also looking for a qualified individual to be the girls basketball commissioner , the individual must be well
organized, with knowledge and love for the sport If interested please email AYS Board at aysboard@ayssports.org.

We are happy to announce that AYS coach Mike Danforth is returning and offering his 6 to 8 week wrestling program this winter for girls an d boys grades P re k to 8 for 40 residential and $50 for non residential. This program will teach basic fundamentals, techniques and rules of the sport. There will be 2 practice sessions a week and tournaments will be available throughout the season. Tournaments are optional and not including in fee.

Did someone say soccer? For the third year AYS and SMMS Girls Soccer Coach David Nelson will be offering an indoor soccer league. This years 6 week indoor soccer program is offered to boys and girls within grades 1 to 8 that are interested in playing small sided 7 v 7 games in a competitive environment. Games will start Sunday March 8 to April 19. ( Excluding Easter )). This league will consist of two divisions: Division 1 will be grades
1 to 4 from 12 to 1 45p m and Division 2 is grades 5 to 8 from 2 to 4pm . Registrations will open this month on January 18th and will be open until February 15 th , cost is 30 . You may register online at http:/ www.ayssports.sportssignups.com or in person on Saturdays at the AYS building during basketball games.

That s not all! AYS is excited to announce we are looking into possibly offering a 6 week indoor field hockey league this year . The league would start late February and run through March More information to follow.

Who doesnt like to win! AYS has two fundraisers running through February . This year the annual winter raffle will have 6 winners! 1st prize winner will receive a 300 visa gift card , 2nd place winner will received a $200 visa gift card , 3rd place winner will receive a $100 visa gift card , 4th place winner will receive $40 AYS signup , 5th place winner will receive an AYS sweatshirt and 6 th place winner will receive an AYS t shirt. Ticket prices are 1
ticket for $5 or 5 tickets for $20. Tickets will be available for purchase from AYS basketball player, board member, or at the AYS concession stand during basketball games. We will draw a winner the wee kend before Feb vacation.

AYS would like to present our new PENNY WARS fundraiser that will take place during boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball and travel basketball games. Each team will have their own jar for collecting money and will be put out during all basketball games throughout the seasons. “Even a little change can make a big one!” Each monetary amount donated coverts to points for the team example a nickel is worth 5pts, quarter 25 pts, and 1 dollar is 100 pts etc. The team with the most points at the end of season wins a pizza party! Come support your favorite ball players! Our winter fundraisers are used to keep the AYS Gym open during cold winter months, helps with building and grounds maintenance and most of all it helps keep registration cost down for our athletes. Our gym is home to 20 basketball teams, 2 indoor soccer divisions, wrestling program, softball and baseball spring assessments and pre-season training area and is also used for our healthy walking program available to the community. We want to hear from you! Our board meetings this month are Sunday January 12th and January 26th at 7am. If you have ideas, concerns or just want to see what we are all about, come join us on Sunday mornings. This closes another edition of our monthly newsletters. We like to say THANK YOU to all our sponsors, coaches and volunteers for your continued commitment to our youth and community. We couldn’t do it without you!

DECEMBER 2019


AYS Board is happy to announce that we brought back our monthly newsletter. December is a busy month for Area Youth Sports (AYS). We are getting ready to kick off our boys basketball program this week. This year we have a new boys’ basketball program commissioner, Jenna Rocque and we are excited to announce we had 105 boys signed up for this season. AYS was able to make 2 little hoopster teams (grade pre-k to 1st), 4 minor teams (grades 2-4) and 3 major teams grades (5-8). Basketball games are held every Saturday from Dec 7th thru Jan 11th at the AYS Building. Stop on by and watch some of our area youth athletes play some ball and grab a snack and/or beverage at our concession stand.


If you are wondering about girls basketball no worries, our girls basketball program will start immediately after the boy’s season ends. Signups for girls will begin this month on Dec 14, 2019 and ends Jan 4, 2020. Sign up fees are $30 for Little Hoopster grades Pre-k - 1st and $40 for grades 2-8th. You can register online at https://www.ayssportssignup.com. Currently we are looking for a qualified individual to be the girls’ basketball commissioner, the individual must be well organized, with knowledge and love for the sport. If interested please email a letter of intent to AYS Board at aysboard@ayssports.org.


AYS also has travel basketball program that is ready to kick off this week. The travel program is part of the Western Maine Youth Basketball League (WMYBL). The league plays every Sunday starting December 1st and runs through February 2020. AYS would like to welcome our new travel basketball commissioner Racheal Mastine and also congratulate the 33 athletes that made a team. This season AYS travel basketball has a 3/4 girls team, 5/6 girls team and 5/6 boys team competing in the league. We can’t wait to watch these talented kids play ball.



That isn’t all! AYS will host our annual Holiday Craft Fair with local artisans and vendors on December 7th in the AYS cafeteria from 10am to 3pm. There will be 50/50 raffle, potluck, bake sale and door prizes. They have close to 20 vendors registered for the event. You will not want to miss it!
Do you like to win? AYS will also be having our annual winter raffle fundraiser this year. This year the raffle will have 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winner. Ticket prices are 1 ticket for $5 or 5 tickets for $20. Tickets will be available for purchase by mid-December. You can purchase your ticket(s) from AYS basketball player, board member, or at the AYS concession stand during basketball games. We will draw a winner the weekend before February vacation.


We are excited to announce that AYS will be offering coaching seminars soon. Being a youth sport coach is not just teaching the kids how to play a sport it is so much more; the seminars will go over what it means to be a youth coach, conducting practicing, injury prevention, nutrition and hydration, and much more.


Don’t like the winter? Our gym will have open hours again this year for those of you who wish to walk during our cold winter mornings. Our doors will be open from 7 am to 1pm. Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Donations are greatly appreciated.
We like to hear from the community. Our next board meetings are Sunday December 1st and December 15th 7am. If you have ideas, concerns or just want to see what we are all about, come join us on Sunday mornings.


As we end this edition of our newsletter. We like to give a BIG thank you to all our sponsors, coaches and volunteers. Nothing would be possible without you!