With Old Spanish Days Fiesta behind us, most Santa Barbara residents know that summer is on its last legs and fall is right around the corner. Don’t get left in the dust and miss out on all of the fun after-school activities for your child. That’s why this year’s ParentNooz After School Activites Guide is here to help you as we re-enter the school year.
Noozhawk took the opportunity to sit down with Matt Harvey, UCSB Baseball coach, to learn more about how to hit a home run for after-school fun.
UCSB Baseball
Question: Describe the activities involved in your After School Activity/Program.
Answer: UCSB Baseball runs baseball camps, clinics and lessons during the school year.
Camps happen occasionally on weekdays or weekends and would last several hours — instruction in the areas of hitting, defense and pitching along with competitive games.
Clinics are run in the evenings in our batting cage facility and on our field. We typically host hitting, pitching and catching clinics that are an hour each and run during the months of October through May. Clinics are two to five weeks long.
Lessons are set up individually based on our coaches and the participants schedules. We will work on any baseball skills during a lesson and length of lesson varies from 30 minutes to an hour. You can set up individual or group lessons.
Q: What is the age range for children to take part in your after school activity or program?
A: Ages 6-13.
Q: Describe what makes your after school program unique and worthwhile.
A: We run a program that is designed for any skill level and covers all of the skills required in baseball. The activities are affordable, designed by college coaches and have a good mix of skill instruction and competitive games. Our mission is to make each kid that attends a better baseball player!
Q: When was your program started and what was the inspiration for creating it?
A: We started this program seven years ago. The inspiration was to continue to grow the love for the game of baseball and give kids of all skill levels the ability to work on their game in a challenging environment.
Q: Has any part of the program changed since it was created?
A: We are always adapting what we offer and how we offer it to best serve the community. The baseball has remained the same!
Q: What is the best part, in your opinion, about your after school activity?
A: It is fun and all of the players that attend improve.
Q: What is the average program size or class size for your activity?
A: Teacher to student ratio? Depending on which activity you choose, we will have one to 100 kiddos.
Q: In what ways is your program educational?
A: We are teaching the game of baseball — there is a lot to learn! We are also teaching the skills that go along with playing a tough, team sport: teamwork, resilience, patience, hardwork, listening and trust.
Q: Is there anything else parents should know when deciding whether to send their kids to your program?
A: Be prepared for them to want to come more often!
To learn more about UCSB Baseball’s program, email Matt Harvey at matt.harvey@ucsb.edu.