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Blizzard Elite 2008/2009
…Minnesota’s Elite Traveling Baseball Teams
Our Blizzard Elite program (ages 10u – 18u) is designed to aggressively assemble the most dedicated and elite baseball players in the Midwest. Our tryouts start July 21st in White Bear Lake Township fields with practices starting in August with Sunday doubleheaders going through the month of September and into October.After our fall season, our showcase and tournament schedule begins. Historically, the Blizzard has done very well in their national traveling tournaments winning or placing 16 times since 2003. (See “Blizzard Results”)
Each player receives a full uniform, a full-time head coach, access to our facility at Competitive Edge in Rogers, MN, discounts on lessons, strength and conditioning programs, college showcases, college consultations, access to our slow motion digital analysis software, team transportation, hotels and tournament entry fees paid for.
Our goals are to:
- Expose players to the college recruiting process which includes college consultations and our fall and winter College Showcases where over 20 college coaches and pro scouts attended in 2007 and 2008.
- Compete on a national level – tournaments in Las Vegas, Florida, Utah, Minnesota and Iowa.
- Prepare them for their high school season through individual instruction, development and video analysis.
| BLIZZARD 2008/2009! |
| Minnesota Baseball Academy, in partnership with the Minnesota Youth Athletic Services, would like to announce the 2008/2009
fall and winter Minnesota Blizzard, Team USA (13U & 14U) and the Amateur Baseball Report (ABR) tryout dates!
A full description of the program including costs, schedules and sign-ups will be up on the website next week. Please mark your calendar with the dates below! Age cut-off is May 1st, 2009 (example: If you are 12 years old now and turn 13 before May 1st, you are considered a 13u player.) |
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| 10u - 16u will play in the Gopher State Fall Baseball League with DHs September 7th - October 5th |
| 17u - 18u teams will play a MN BB Academy Fall League including a Fall Showcase and double headers every weekend through September 6th - October 4th |
Amateur Baseball Report
ALL 12u - 15u players that tryout for the Blizzard will also have a player profile and will be featured in the ABR Magazine, a publication distributed statewide in paper and online. Check out www.amateurbaseballreport.com for more info. In addition, the top 13u and 14u players out of these tryouts will have a chance to be selected for a second tryout (National Team Identification Series) to play for Team USA, a team that travels internationally. There are two NTIS events held over Labor Day weekend (8/29-8/31), where players compete for one of 24 roster spots. Twelve teams from across the country are represented. Ten are chosen from participating organizations and two by USA Baseball. (Note: This would not affect Blizzard schedules.)
Blizzard and ABR tryouts will be held at the White Bear Lake Township Fields in White Bear Lake, MN.
All potential Blizzard players will go through a 5-tool tryout where we will be grading out
What happens if I don’t make the Blizzard Elite?
Players are not guaranteed a spot on any Blizzard teams.
Players who do not make the Blizzard Elite team will have a chance to be placed in our Fall Blizzard minor league
system which will consist of the Fall Blizzard AAA, AA, and A teams. Our Fall Blizzard program is similar to our
Blizzard Elite where each team is coached by an MBA instructor and will play five Sunday double headers throughout
September with one local tournament.
Please go to our Tryout page to download a brochure and “Fall Blizzard” page for a full description.
Results for both the Blizzard Elite and Fall Blizzard teams will be on our website the following Friday. (August 1st)
College Showcases and consultations
One of the hopes for all of our Blizzard players and students is that they have the opportunities to play at the next level whether it is at the college or the pro level. Minnesota Baseball Academy provides that opportunity by holding an invite-only player showcase for our junior and senior players. College coaches and pro scouts from around the Midwest are personally invited to watch all of our players go through a pro-tryout format. Below are the two showcases MBA will be running this year.
Fall Skills Day / Showcase – MN September 13th, 2008
Joe Schleper Field – Shakopee, MN (location subject to change with rainout date scheduled September 27th) This showcase will be a pro-tryout format followed by a double header with all Midwest colleges and pro scouts invited.
Winter College/Pro Showcase – MN January 10th / 17th
We are attempting to reserve the Metrodome for our Winter Showcase and will hold the showcase at Competitive Edge, Home of Minnesota Baseball Academy if the Dome cannot be reserved.
Additionally, MBA will be providing consultation services for college-bound athletes who might need some guidance regarding what steps to take in the recruiting process, what steps to take in choosing a college, info on what college coaches are looking for, how to interact with college coaches and recruiters, scholarship opportunities, etc.
Cost, Fundraising, Team Building and Scholarships
| Blizzard/ABR Tryouts: | $85 |
| Blizzard Elite Cost: | $2,000 |
| Fall Blizzard Cost: | $350 |
If players make either the Blizzard Elite or Fall Blizzard program, the tryout fee will go towards the overall cost of the program.
Fundraising
Fundraising plays a big part of the Blizzard program. Players who have participated in our main fundraiser, the Blizzard Hit-a-Thon, have raised their entire fee towards their Blizzard fund.
Players, who stay overnight at Competitive Edge, our 17,000 sq. ft. sports arena, raise money by receiving donations on a per/hour basis. Between our four practices, we order pizza, players watch movies, participate in our doubles pool tournament, play dodge ball, basketball, whiffle ball, sock hockey and many other games.
A player favorite is our Blizzard Skit where teams perform an impromptu parody of their team, other Blizzard teams or Blizzard coaches. It’s provided some of the best off-field entertainment for our players and it’s a chance to learn that although baseball is a serious and sometimes a humbling game, there is always time to laugh at yourself.
The Blizzard Circle, our team building experience, is where our players get to know each other on a more personal level. It teaches the players that the most important thing in baseball is playing for your teammates and that no matter what the outcome – you win together and lose together. The Blizzard Circle helps build that character and integrity our coaches and program believes in.
Dates for the Hit-a-Thon have not been set, but will take place before we head down to our first October tournament in Las Vegas.
Installments and Payments
Once you have made the Blizzard team, the first payment of $400 is due by September 1st with the following payments due October 1st, November 1st, December 1st and February 1st. You have the option to pay the entire fee up front, but most pay in installments. The Iowa NIT Kick-Off Classic (10u-14u), held in April, is an optional tournament with a separate fee. Failure to make a payment may result in dismissal from the team.
If a player makes more money in the fundraiser than the cost of the program, that player can use that money towards lessons, apparel or credit.
Donations should be written out to: CES – Blizzard fundraising
Scholarships
Everyone deserves to play the game of baseball. One of the goals at Minnesota Baseball Academy is never to turn down anyone because they can’t afford to play. Scholarships are provided on a per case basis and everyone who has applied has played. Some have assisted with camps, helped clean the facility, aided with Blizzard logistics and arrangements, etc. Parents have been used as chaperones, led fundraising events, etc. Hopefully, with our fundraisers, we can alleviate some difficulty, but we are always willing to work with you.
What does the Blizzard Fee Cover?
- Vehicle Arrangements
- The Minnesota Blizzard will have team vans for each tournament. We can also arrange to pick players up at the airport and take them to their flights if they are flying alone. Minnesota Baseball Academy will post flight and car rental information on this site, but the flights and meals will be the only additional expense the players will be responsible for.
- Hotel Arrangements
- Your fee hotel reservations for all the players and coaches. Players will stay four to a room and be checked on by our Team Leader or team coach. Each player will have bed check and curfew for every trip. Parents are encouraged to stay in the same hotel, but we want the players to get to know each other on these trips and feel rooming with each other will help that process.
- Coaches
- All of the coaches for the Minnesota Blizzard are our best instructors. Specific coaches for each team have not been determined, but it is our goal to provide the best coach possible for each team. Please visit our Instructors page to read some of the bios.
- Chaperones/Team Leader
- Each team will have a designated Team Leader this year. This will be a volunteer position where each team's leader will be responsible for communicating tournament details such as fundraising, games times, game directions, dinner outings, team outings, car pooling, bed check and any pertinent information that needs to be passed on if the coach cannot be contacted. Volunteers will either be chosen by each team's coaches or the Blizzard coordinators – Adam Barta or Steve Daugherty. If you would like to be a Blizzard Team Leader, please let us know. Team Leaders, depending on the circumstances and the time of their involvement, may use their time towards the Blizzard fee. (per case basis). All chaperones will have their room paid for.
- Facility Membership
- Although many of our players see the tournaments as the highlight of the Blizzard program, the bulk of the program is what happens between tournaments and before their spring season begins. Each player receives a Player Membership enabling them to come into our facility virtually any time they want to hit, throw, workout or even do their homework. Lessons, usually at $80/lesson, will be $65/lesson with all other events including camps, mini-camps, hitting leagues, etc. are 15% off.
- Tournament entry fees and Fall Baseball League + Itineraries
- All tournament entry (including the showcases for juniors and seniors) fees, including gate fees, insurance, etc. are covered by your Blizzard fee.
- Our fall baseball includes five Sunday DHs starting September 7th – October 5th including a Saturday one-day tournament is covered by your Blizzard fee. All of our Blizzard teams play in the MYAS Gopher State Fall Baseball League.
- All players and parents will receive a trip itinerary with game times, directions, hotel information, coaches contact information, etc. before we leave for each trip.
- Uniforms and equipment
- All players will receive pants, belt, socks, undershirt, jersey, fitted hats and pullover. Also included will be apparel and discounts on apparel for all the players and parents. We’ll provide team equipment, if needed, to the entire team. We will also be using wood bats during the fall for most of the age groups. (wood bats will be provided by MBA.)
- Practice Fields and practice times
- All practice fields are covered by your Blizzard fee. Practice times are usually on Saturdays at the Roseville Legion field. Once late fall and the snow flies, teams will practice indoors at Competitive Edge. An additional fee may be added if we can reserve Metrodome for practices or additional winter games.
- Tournament Info and Team Website, Game Times and Field Directions
- www.minnesotabaseballacademy.com
- We’ll link the tournament website so relatives are able to check back and see the updated scores. This also serves as a good tool for rules of the tournament, hotel information, shopping malls, restaurants and fun things to do.
- We are in the process of creating individual team pages with player profiles for each team member.
- Game times and tournament brackets will be posted on www.minnesotabaseballacademy.com when we receive them.
- Directions to all fields, including our tournaments will be linked here so you’ll be able to print them off.
- Communication – Blizzard Bible
- The Blizzard Bible, given to each family, will have all the essential information regarding the Blizzard program including team guidelines, the Big Ten, hitting mechanics breakdown and drills, pitching mechanics breakdown and drills, fielding drills, positional duties, signs, Blizzard / MBA membership info, Blizzard schedule and tournaments, payment plan, travel arrangements and contact information. This Blizzard Bible will have practically every answer to all your questions. This booklet is given out once you make the Blizzard Elite team.