Welcome to AABL Online! DOWNLOAD 2008-2009 REGISTRATION FORM REGISTRATION & TRYOUT (EVALUATIONS) INFO & SCHEDULES GREAT NEWS!!!  THE AABL IS NOW ACCEPTING 9TH GRADE GIRL & BOY PLAYERS IN THE LEAGUE!!! If you are in 9th grade this year and you are  not playing on the Oakmont freshman team, high school team or on a travel team, we have a place for you in the AABL!!!  We want you to join our co-ed league!  Our division levels have changed slightly to accomodate for older kids like you!!! Juniors 1st - 3rd College 4th - 6th Pro 7th - 9th Everyone makes a team, regardless of ability. Tryouts are in order for the league to balance the teams to make them as fair as possible.  TRYOUTS ARE AS FOLLOWS at OVERLOOK MIDDLE SCHOOL: TUESDAY, DEC 2ND:  4th grade 6pm; 5th grade 7pm; WEDNESDAY, DEC 3RD:  6th grade 6pm; 7th grade 6:30pm; 8th grade 7:15pm; 9th grade 7:30pm FOR TRYOUTS:  Please wear sneakers, shorts/sweatpants and a t-shirt. If you are not registered yet, we are holding registration open for all age groups through try outs!  Register that night! Juniors do not have tryouts.  Your practices/games will begin on January 10, 2009 and you will continue to play on Saturday mornings thru Mid-March. If your child is a Junior and you have not yet signed up, you can still come to tryouts and sign up, or download the registration form off of this website and mail it to our P.O. Box for us to receive prior to December 4, 2008.  Print the registration form from the link above and mail to our P.O. Box, or register at tryouts at Overlook Middle School on December 2nd or 3rd. WE'RE KICKING OFF OUR 2008-2009 SEASON! Calling all boys and girls grades 1 - 9, for a fun, exciting year of basketball. Join the AABL this year to learn how to play basketball, or if already a skilled player, hone your bball skills! Skill evaluations for team placement for children grades 4 - 9 will be held in early December. Children grades 4 - 9 must go to evaluations. EVERYONE who registers to play in grades 1 - 9 , makes a team! Evaluations are purely for placement of children onto teams to even out skill levels and make the competition as fair as possible. information on registration and skill evaluation days and times also went home in your child's school folder at Briggs the week of November 8th. Information for children grades 6th - 8th, can be found in the foyer of Overlook. Registration ends December 4, 2008. Registration forms may be printed from the links on this webpage and mailed to the AABL with the appropriate registration fee for your child's age group to: AABL, P.O. Box 601, Ashburnham, MA 01430 Again, thank you everyone for your support and all of your help keeping our league alive in this, it's 20th year!!!   The Ashburnham Area Basketball League or as it is more commonly known, The AABL, is an instructional coed league open to Ashburnham and Westminster (and surrounding area) children in grades 1-9. It's mission is to teach young players the fundamentals of basketball in a structured and nurturing environment. The league continually strives to help children develop their skills, while teaching the importance of commitment, teamwork and good sportsmanship. THANK YOU LAST YEARS SPONSORS!   We'd like to thank the following businesses for sponsoring teams last year. If you would like to sponsor a team this year please contact any of the board members listed on this site. We hope to have you back for 2008-2009! LVI Print Optimization Rick Ruberti Auto Sales Peterborough Oil & Mr. Mike's Calvano Sealcoating Patrick Durkee Painting Ashburnham Family Practice NEPACO (Northeast Promotion and Apparel Company Inc.) Advanced Glass & Mirror Paul's Plate Glass The Care Takers The Art Of Beads Mainfare Bed & Breakfast Wildwood Farm Village Pizza Creative Connections And a special thanks goes out to Dimacale Real Estate for providing a scholarship donation for a child in the league. DIVISIONS There are 3 Divisions in this league. The Pro Division - The Pro Division consists of players in the 7th through 9th grade. This division has one evening practice each week and a game on Saturday. Each player will receive a team shirt and a pair of shorts. The College Division - The College Division is made up of 4th through 6th graders. The College Division has an evening practice each week and a game on Saturday. Each player will receive a team shirt and a pair of shorts. The Junior Division - The Junior Division is for 1st through 3rd graders. There are no weekday practices. Each Saturday they will have a practice/scrimmage session. These sessions usually last an hour and 15 minutes. The first 45 minutes is devoted to learning skills and practicing them with drills. For the last half hour they will scrimmage the other team that is also practing during that session. Each player will receive a team t-shirt. The Junior teams will be randomly divided. Please let us know at sign-ups if there is a particular friend (not friends!) that your child would like to have on their team. The College and Pro draft is set up to try and create teams of equal playing abilities. Please be sure that you want to play before signing up. It is very unfair to the other children on the team when a player drops out after the draft has taken place. A missing player can disrupt the whole dynamics of the league. This is very important! Please do not sign up if you are not committed to playing. Thank you. ATTENTION!!! 1. ONLY water is allowed in both gyms (Overlook & Oakmont). This means no sports drinks or any other kind of drinks - and this includes coffee, parents! There is no food of any kind permitted. 2. There is NO bouncing of basketballs in the hallways or off the walls or in any other place in the schools except for the gyms. The league will provide balls for games and practices. Please leave all personal balls at home. 3. All children must be under adult supervision at all times. Parents - please do not drop children off until the coach is present. Siblings are not allowed to play in the halls or other area of the schools. These rules apply to everyone. We will lose gym privileges if these rules are not followed! If we lose the gyms then there will be no league. CODE OF ETHICS All parents signed a Code of Ethics when signing their children up. These rules are very important and they must be followed. Please treat referress and coaches with respect and only call out positive things to the players. Here is the Code of Ethics. Please review it and make sure to comply. Thank you! AABL CODE OF ETHICS This form is a "covenant" between parents, players, and coaches of the AABL and is meant to be a way of ensuring that the league can fulfill its mission of teaching young players the fundamentals of basketball in a structured and nurturing environment. If any terms of this agreement are violated during the course of the season, the league reserves the right to rescind a child's PRIVILEGE to play. By signing this form, I acknowledge and agree to abide by the following: 1. I understand that the AABL is an instructional league, whose mission is to teach young players the fundamentals of basketball while having FUN. 2. I understand that the AABL continually strives to teach the importance of commitment, teamwork, and true sportsmanship that should be exhibited not only in this sport, but in all athletic activities. 3. I understand that the AABL will not tolerate foul or abusive language/behavior from any player, coach, parent, or spectator (this would include, among other things: heckling, yelling, taunting, harassment, or the berating of officials or coaches). 4. I will set an example for the players by being a courteous and respectful spectator at all practices and games. I understand that I may be asked to leave a practice and/or game if I cannot fulfill this obligation. 5. I understand that gym time throughout the District is at a premium and that the league is very fortunate to have use of District facilities. I will honor the "practice rules" that have been established at each school and will help my child to adhere to these rules. 6. I understand that all coaches are giving freely of their time and talents and under no circumstances will I do or say anything to undermine their efforts. If I have a problem with a coach or coaches, I will bring this concern to the attention of the "AABL Board of Directors." If you have any questions, please feel free to call any of the board members listed on the BOD page. Any complaints, see Gary Robidouix. :o) DOWNLOAD 2008-2009 REGISTRATION FORM REGISTRATION & TRYOUT (EVALUATIONS) INFO & SCHEDULES