January 2007

Dear White Oak Athletic Club Member,

The White Oak Athletic Club (W.O.A.C) was organized over 50 years ago to provide the youth of White Oak a fun and safe environment to play Baseball. Over the years, the club has grown considerably from its humble beginnings, and now boasts a membership of approximately 1200 families and has expanded its sports offerings to include Baseball, Softball, Basketball and Soccer.

The W.O.A.C is an all volunteer organization. This means it is run exclusively by volunteers. All Board Members, Sports Coordinators and coaches are volunteers and are the very heart of our organization. Without volunteers, this club could not and would not exist.

The W.O.A.C is a non-profit, non-discriminatory organization supported entirely by area residents and businesses, as well as many dedicated parents and grandparents of the youth of our community.

All children who wish to play any of the sports offered are welcome. Every child is eligible to play, regardless of athletic ability. W.O.A.C has playing time guidelines for all sports and we want to be informed if anyone believes these rules are not being followed. If it comes to the attention of the Board that a child is not receiving playing time within the guidelines, we will investigate the situation and rectify any problems in a timely fashion. Always feel free to speak to the coach or the Coordinator for that specific sport, or any one of the Board members, should a question about playing time arise.

For clarification purposes, the following are the club's guidelines for playing time:

 Baseball/Softball: Two consecutive innings in the field and one at bat
 Soccer: Two quarters
 Basketball: At least one continuous quarter

These guidelines are by no means a ceiling for playing time, but a minimum that we require for every player in our club. We are not an organization formed exclusively for winning, but to provide recreational sporting opportunities for our children. Participation is our biggest concern - winning is always a bonus.

The W.O.A.C is a member of organizations that set rules we must follow. We are a member of the Northwest Board of Recreation and Northwest Cincinnati SAY Soccer area. These organizations set the age restrictions for which your child must comply regarding their participation in our sports programs, and they also set restrictions for the formation of teams that we must and always will comply with to maintain a fair and safe environment for our children. Accordingly, the W.O.A.C can not make exceptions to these rules. During our instructional sports (T-Ball, Instructional Soccer and grades K - 2 Basketball), team requests can be honored, numbers permitting. When your child moves out of the instructional program, teams in all sports are formed by a blind draw. What this means is that with the exception of the coach's child, all forms are dealt face down. In Baseball, Softball, and Basketball, the teams formed when your child is young will stay together as long as the numbers permit. You can request a change of teams for your child at any sign-up by indicating your wishes on the form. In Soccer, your child will be redrawn at least every two years according to SAY rules. The W.O.A.C has no control over this. We have, and always will, play by the rules.

In the Spring, the W.O.A.C offers Baseball, Softball, and T-Ball for boys and girls ages 5 - 18, and Soccer for boys and girls ages 4 - 18. In the Fall, we offer Soccer for boys and girls ages 4 - 18. In the Winter, we offer Basketball for boys and girls in grades K - 12.

If your child participates in Baseball, he should hear from his coach no later than April 1st. If your child participates in Softball, she should hear from her coach no later than April 15th. Boys and Girls T-Ball teams will not hear from their coach until the beginning of May. Spring Soccer participants should hear from their coach by March 15th, and Fall Soccer participants should hear from their coach by July 30th. Instructional Soccer participants will not hear from a coach until August 16th. Basketball participants should hear from their coach by Oct 30th. Instructional Basketball participants will not hear from a coach until Dec 18th. Please keep these dates in mind and be patient while you wait to hear from your child's coach. Some coaches call much earlier than others, so don�t be alarmed if a friend or neighbor has heard from a coach and you have not. You will. If for some reason you have not heard from a coach by the dates specified above, please do not hesitate to contact the Sports Coordinator by e-mail or leave a message on our voicemail.

As you are aware, our club must raise funds to continue to provide our children with the proper equipment, uniforms and playing fields. One such way is through membership fees. Our annual Membership Dues are $50 per family, paid on a calendar year basis. Any family with a child participating in Baseball, Softball, T-Ball or Spring Soccer will pay their dues in January. If your child does not participate in Spring sports, but plays Fall Soccer, your annual dues would be due at the Fall Soccer sign-up in May. If your child only participates in our Basketball program, your annual dues would be due at Basketball sign-ups in September. Every family with a child participating in W.O.A.C sponsored sports must be a member.

The W.O.A.C makes every attempt to control the costs of participation. This is accomplished through sponsorship, fundraising and our concessions stand. When you patronize our sponsors, funds continue to be collected and costs defrayed through continued sponsorship. Additionally, patronage of our various fundraisers (Spring Raffle, Buddy Cards and Coupon Books) and the concession stand at Haubner Field provide the club with the funds necessary to keep the costs we charge our members to a minimum.

Members are in complete control of their family membership fee. Each member can reduce or completely defray their annual Membership Dues � just by getting involved. For each General Membership meeting attended, a $5 credit is earned toward the following year�s Membership Dues. In addition, $5 credits are also given to each person who attends and participates in any of our Spring or Fall clean-up days (usually March and November), as well as to those who come to help at any of our sports sign-ups (January, May and September). If the willingness is there, you can defray your entire membership fee of $50 each year � just by getting involved. Please see our Newsletter and/or check our website for specific dates and times. Another way to earn membership credits is by becoming a Board Member or a Sports Coordinator. Elections are in October and positions are always available. Contact a Board Member for details.

In addition to Membership Dues, each sport has a fee. This Sports Fee is based on the number of games, referee fees, league fees, uniform costs, etc. that the particular sport incurs. This fee does not even come close to covering the cost of putting the team on the field. Sponsor fees and fund raising cover the rest of the cost. Search our website for more information on Sports Fees.

Our club consists of approximately 1200 families and, as you can imagine, a great number of volunteer hours are invested to provide your children with year round sporting opportunities.

You can contact me or any member of the Board through our website at www.woac.org, by voicemail at 929-2050, or by regular mail at P.O. Box 53413, Cincinnati, OH 45253. Our General Membership meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month at 8:00 p.m. at Joe Betsch Fieldhouse at Haubner. Please stop by and see how you can help the greatest Athletic Club in Southwest Ohio.

Respectfully,