Little League Offering Discounted Rates
One year after its snack bar and equipment shed were ransacked by vandals, West Valley Little League is offering discounted rates for its spring season to thank the community for its response to the incident.
First-time players who register today will receive a 50% discount off regular league rates and returning players will pay 25% less, said Joe Bua, a coach and league organizer.
West Valley is open to 5- to 15-year-old boys and girls who live within the area bordered by Roscoe, Victory and Topanga Canyon boulevards and Kester Street.
“After an article about the break-in came out in the [Los Angeles] Times, we received more than $9,000 in donations,” Bua said. “This year we wanted to give something back to the community for being so supportive.”
In February 1996, vandals broke into the league’s facilities at Oxnard Street and Louise Avenue, ripping doors off hinges, stealing equipment and leaving yellow, spray-painted gang tags on walls and kitchen equipment. The vandals even taped down handles on the soda dispenser, allowing a flood of sticky soda pop to cover the floor.
Bua said the damage was about $3,000. But when word went out that the league’s season was in jeopardy, dozens of Valley residents offered financial support.
After the damage was repaired, Bua said, the remaining money was used to buy new equipment, repair restrooms and improve the fields.
In addition to the discounted rates, the nonprofit West Valley is offering full scholarships this season to a number of youths involved in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Jeopardy program for at-risk children, Bua said.
Registration and tryouts will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Field No. 7. Fees range from $40 to $60.
Mid Valley Pony Baseball, also situated at Franklin Fields at Oxnard and Louise, will hold its registration and tryouts this weekend as well.
Pony Baseball is open to boys and girls 5 and 14 years old. Registration fees are between $80 and $150. Tryouts will be held between 9 a.m. and noon today and Sunday.