By Tim Schmidt Record Managing Editor Gametime Tournaments representatives and Warrenton officials are asking for patience and some time to make improvements to the city’s athletic programs. That was part of the message expressed last week at a meeting to discuss the new direction of the Warrenton Recreation Department. Around 30 people, most of them coaches, were in attendance at a meeting held July 8 at city hall. The meeting allowed attendees to hear from representatives of Gametime Tournaments. The St. Charles County-based company has reached an agreement to manage and oversee the athletic programs moving forward. Todd Hamlett, one of the two co-owners of Gametime Tournaments, said he is excited about the opportunity. “We will be quick to address concerns, recognize the problems and communicate,” he said. Gametime Tournaments was formed in 2013, Hamlett said, and has experience in running tournaments and leagues in other cities. Hamlett serves as co-owner with Rob Worstenholm. The city turned to the company after it provided some assistance during this summer’s youth baseball and softball leagues. City officials are hoping that familiarity pays off now that the recreation department has been eliminated. The change was prompted by the absence and subsequent departure of Recreation Director Dottie Phillips. She accepted a severance package last month after taking a medical leave of absence in April, on the same day games were scheduled to begin for the summer youth baseball and softball leagues. Phillips’ absence forced other staff to fill the void once it was discovered the city was not prepared for the season. As part of the agreement with the city, Gametime Tournaments will keep all of the registration fees, while paying the city $4,200 this year and $15,000 in 2015 to use the athletic complex. Gametime Tournaments will handle hiring all game officials, scheduling games and other details related to running the athletic programs. For the fall, the company is offering leagues for youth soccer, youth baseball and softball, adult men’s softball and adult coed softball. Participants can sign up for any of the fall leagues at city hall or at www.gametimetournaments.com. For this fall, the baseball and softball leagues are scheduled to start Aug. 11 and will include games against teams from Wright City. Games for the youth soccer league are scheduled to begin on Sept. 6, the first Saturday after Labor Day, according to Hamlett. Looking ahead to next summer, Hamlett said he is in negotiations to have Warrenton join the New Horizons league, which consists of baseball and softball teams from Wright City, Wentzville, Lake St. Louis, New Melle and Dardenne Prairie. As a backup plan, forming a league with teams from Hawk Point and Troy could be another possibility, Hamlett said. Other improvements that are planned and had been sought by coaches include allowing complete teams to register and remain intact from year to year, and better training for game officials. “I believe there are a lot of teams going elsewhere to play right now,” Hamlett said. “That is not right. You have a beautiful complex right down the road that is seriously one of the best in the area. I’m not talking Warren County. I’m talking St. Charles County. We would like to see it filled. We want to give folks a better opportunity to become more competitive, have more teams to play and a chance to excel.” Warrenton Ward 2 Alderman Eric Schleuter, who helped facilitate last week’s meeting, said he has heard nothing but positive comments about the performance from Gametime Tournaments. He hopes that leads to a better outcome for the city’s programs. “I know we have lost a lot of faith and a lot of people,” Schleuter said. “We are trying a new direction. We have to try something new. What we were doing, it wasn’t working.”
Meeting held to go over new direction for recreation department
