Babe Ruth Softball Registration

Registration  for the Newtown Babe Ruth Softball League will be held on Saturday, January 22, from 9 am to 3 pm, and on Tuesday, January 25, from 6 to 9 pm, at the Newtown Middle School cafeteria, and on Saturday, January 29, from 9 am to 3 pm at the Edmond Town Hall in the Old Court Room.

Travel Softball Training

Any girl registered with Newtown Babe Ruth Softball and who is eligible by age for the U10 through U16 travel programs is welcome to sign up for the new Winter Training Program. This program is designed to provide advanced skills training for the competitive fast pitch player who intends to try-out for the travel team, and is provided at an additional cost of $100 per player. Training sessions will begin Saturday, January 29, and continue though February 26 (five sessions, 90 minutes each). Alicia O’Brien, the head softball coach at Western Connecticut State University, will lead the program. Training will take place at the WCSU O’Neil Center and the WCSU Williams Gym located at the Main Street campus. U10 and U12 players will train at 3 pm and U14 and U16 players will train at 4:45 pm. Times may change due to WCSU basketball games. Registration is limited to 50 girls, so please sign up early (deadline is January 22. Any questions call Nancy Bowen, Newtown Babe Ruth Softball Travel Director, at 426-7101.

Collecting Soccer Gear

The Newtown Soccer Club, in conjunction with Samba TTP, is coordinating a drive to collect soccer gear for lots of young players who have none. A member of Friends of Futbol International (FFI) will be traveling to Minas Gerais, a region of Brazil, to bring all the soccer gear collected. A collection day will be held on Saturday, January 22, from 9 am to 12 noon, in the Newtown Middle School cafeteria. Donated items should be in good, usable condition. Cleats, shorts, jerseys, warm-ups, bags, balls, socks, shin guards, complete uniforms or other individual items will all be accepted. Donated items are tax deductible. For further information, contact Anne Kugielsky at 426-7123 or Vicki Weiss at 270-1918.

Tsunami Relief Fund

NighthawkNation.com is teaming up with Newtown High School to create a relief fund for those people still suffering in Asia from the tsunami. With the approximate 1,600 students who attend Newtown High School and the 25,000 Newtowners that live here, a goal $5,000 is possible. Please email Kyle Lyddy at Lydkid@aol.com and he will email you back with a form on how and where to send your contribution.

Babe Ruth Baseball Registration

Spring baseball registration for the Newtown Babe Ruth League is currently in progress. Walk-in registrations will be held Saturdays, January 22 and 29, at the Edmond Town Hall. Visit www.eteamz.com/newtownbaseball for further information.

National Scouting Open House

Learn all about scholarship money and financial aid packages available for student athletes at the National Scouting Report (NSR) Open House on Saturday, January 22, from 10 am to 1 pm, at Orange Community Center. Topics will include college recruiting process, the NCAA clearinghouse, how Title IX affects you, differences between Division I, II and III, and scholarships. Call Dan Hammond at 203-393-1099 to make an appointment.

Adventure Racing

An Adventure Racing Clinic – featuring discussion on pre-race training, putting together a team, and choosing the correct equipment – will be held Saturday, March 12, from 10 am to 2 pm, at Eastern Mountain Sports in the Danbury Fair Mall. Call 794-1043 to register.

Greater Danbury Half Marathon

The Greater Danbury Half Marathon/5K will be held Sunday, April 3, with more than 1,000 runners expected to participate. The event is sponsored by Housatonic Valley Sports.