PONY
Bronco FAQs
Q. What does PONY stand for?
A.
PONY is an acronym for Protect Our Nation's Youth. The
concept for the name originally came from boys at the local YMCA
in Washington, Pennsylvania and stood for "Protect Our Neighborhood Youth," but
when PONY became an international program in the early 1950's
"Neighborhood" was switched to "Nation's".
Q. What age can participate
in the PONY Bronco Division?
A.
Bronco services playing ages 11 & 12.
Age is based on player’s age as of April 30th
in the coming spring season.
Q. Why start a Bronco
Division?
A.
Bronco as part of the PONY organization provides
flexibility to structure a program that meets the needs of our
community. Bronco
plays with longer base paths – 70’, a farther pitching
distance – 50’ and plays real baseball rules with lead-offs,
holding runners on and drop third strikes. These
are aspects of the game that most 11 & 12 year olds are
ready to incorporate into their game.
This also makes the game of baseball even more fun and
exciting by creating a more offensive minded game with more hits
and base running.
Q. What are the league’s
goals for the Bronco Division?
Our main goal is to develop a
league that is fun and challenging for the youth of Lake Forest. In addition we
have the following goals…
Ø
to allow the kids to play with their peers (same
age groups, similar talent),
Ø
to prepare kids for the next level of play with
the longer base paths and pitching distances.
Ø
to keep a relaxed, fun and developmental
atmosphere.
Ø
to focus on training and education for both
players and coaches.
Ø
to structure a league/division that will meet the
needs of the kids and families from our community.
It is difficult to provide one ‘cookie cutter’ league
that meets the needs of all the kids.
Looking at groups like AYSO with AYSO Plus, NJB with All
Net, and even the school system with GATE; we decided to develop
two leagues within the Bronco Division – Bronco League and a
Bronco Plus League. This
structure is consistent with our sister league, Irvine PONY.
Irvine PONY is an established league that has been
successful and growing every year.
Ø
to offer a choice within the City for families and
players.
Q. What is the difference
between Bronco Plus and Bronco?
A.
Bronco Plus is developed for the advanced player who
is looking for a more challenging, serious experience.
Players can register as part of a whole team or
individually. The
experience will be much like a travel ball experience in that
teams will self manage schedules etc.
Teams usually play a combination of league play and
tournament play. League games will be scheduled against
other 'Plus' teams in South Orange County. Cost per player in
Bronco Plus will vary depending upon the team’s need for
uniforms etc. Players
not drafted to a Plus team will play in the Bronco League.
Bronco
League is structured for the player looking for a more
developmental experience – fun and development are the key
words in this league. The
American League teams will bat through the order and have an
equal play time policy.
American League will have a regular season schedule consisting
of a weekday and a weekend game. Games will be played
interleague with Irvine Bronco American League and/or other
South Orange County Bronco Leagues.
Both
leagues help the players gradually
increase their skills and strength as they prepare for Pony’s
80 foot diamonds and 54’ pitching and Colt and high-school’s
90-foot diamonds and 60-foot pitching.
Q. What field(s) would
Bronco play on?
A.
We are working closely with the City of Lake Forest
in developing this league. The
City has committed to providing a fair share of field time at
Heroes Park based on our registration numbers.
We do not expect an overall increase in the number of
players at Heroes Park , the majority of the players participating in Broncos would
normally be playing on these fields as part of another league -
they will just be playing with a new structure/format.
We are also researching and trying to develop other
fields for practices and games.
In addition, depending upon the number of teams we
develop, we may be playing interleague with our sister league
Irvine PONY. Irvine
has some of the best fields in South Orange County.
Q. Is there post season play
in the Bronco Division of PONY?
A.
The board is still reviewing the post season play
options. One of the
benefits of the PONY organization is the flexibility of the
structure. National
PONY does host an all star tournament that goes to the National
Level and is televised. How
or if we participate in that is still to be determined.
At this time we do not anticipate
participating in any other District level post season
tournaments (other than all stars) as the focus of the season
tends to change with those goals in mind.
The Board is open to comments on this subject.
Q. How can I find out more
about the PONY organization?
A.
The PONY website is www.pony.org;
The Saddleback Valley PONY website is www.SaddlebackPONY.org.
Feel free to e-mail any of the board members with your
questions.
