WINCHESTER YOUTH HOCKEY ASSOCIATION MINUTES OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING. Monday, August 16, 2004

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1 WINCHESTER YOUTH HOCKEY ASSOCIATION MINUTES OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Monday, August 16, 2004 Attendees Directors- Members- Tom Troiano, Dave DiCecca, Jim Leo, Scott Fusco, Joe Sacco, Dave Hennessey, Tim Smith, Chris Goodyear, Hugh Mullin John Cianciarulo, Jamie Hintlian President Tom Troiano opened the meeting at 6:45 PM. By poll of WYH Board of Directors members present, it was determined that a quorum was present to allow for the transaction of business. Message from the President Tom Troiano expressed his gratitude in being named President of this organization and subsequent supportive communications. He said that he takes the role very seriously and is available any time via or phone for any issues. is the best medium to contact him during business hours. In follow up to the discussion in our June meeting that involved contraction of the Program, Tom stated that in addition to receiving Mass Hockey's Program of the Year Award, the WYH Program has recently won the Valley League Overall Championship for the season. The Valley League Champion is the program with the highest winning percentage for all teams combined (i.e., the combined winning percentage of all our teams in The Valley League). Tom said that despite this success there has been a downside in that the program will contract this season. This is the first year in recent memory where we have seen significant contraction prior to the start of a season. 45 players will not be skating this season that were eligible for Mites through Bantams. We were forced to drop three teams that were previously entered into the Valley League based on an end of season forecast. In addition, the full season Midget program was terminated. Tom talked to some of the 35 families who are leaving the program. Of the players not returning from these families, 10% played on A or B teams last season and 90% played on C level teams (including Tri City, which is Mite C). Most families felt the season was too long with too many games. Feedback also indicated that the high cost of the program and the time burden to the family were factors that led to their decision. Tom also indicated in his discussions that he could conclude that the placement on a lower level team often influenced the families decision. 1

2 In Tom s opinion the program may have grown too fast over the last ten years and undercharging may have inflated prior participation, but the current drop appears to be the result of both demographics and economics. Tom stated he does not know if changes are necessary but he is looking for ideas. Chris Goodyear stated that in speaking with colleagues from other programs they are realizing similar contractions and in their opinion it is due to the Club Team options that are available. Tom Troiano noted that this is probably not the case in Winchester since very few of the children leaving the program are going to other teams/programs and 90% of the children who are leaving are playing at the C level. Tim Smith noted that he can see less of a commitment from parents at the earlier ages and maybe getting more parents involved may improve the continuity. The cost differential between the Tri-City player and Mite travel is approximately $1,000. Tim stated that maybe the answer is due to the costs of the program alone. Scott Fusco agreed with Tim s assessment. Dave Hennessey suggested that we survey of our members to provide the feedback and data the BOD needs to make appropriate decisions. Hugh Mullin agreed we need a survey if we cannot work with the available anecdotal data. It was agreed that a webbased survey would be the most feasible method to collect the data. Chris pointed out that there were 23 players who dropped off rosters after that start of last season and this information should be considered. Tom Troiano noted that regardless of the specific numbers we have one less Squirt and one less Pee Wee team than last season and we should have grown the Bantam bracket by one team (which we didn t). Dave Hennessey stated that until we have more ice we lose a lot of control. Poor usage at certain hours is a problem. Our weekend ice is in excess. We are experiencing the direction that is exactly what Mass Hockey wants (Recreational Town Programs). He asked what are other towns doing to offset these apparent trends. Chris agreed she will talk to other programs. Tom felt we could have more data through the on-line survey in 6-8 weeks and formed a Member Survey Committee made up of himself, Tim Smith and Scott Fusco. Minutes of June 14, 2004 BOD Meeting On reading of the minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting of June 14, 2004, a motion to accept the Minutes of June 14, 2004 BOD Meeting was made by Hugh Mullin, and seconded by Tim Smith. The motion was unanimously approved and the Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting of June 14, 2004 were entered into the record. Treasurer s Report 2

3 Hugh Mullin distributed the WYH 2004 Cash Flow Statement and a copy of WYH bank balances at Winchester Cooperative Bank. Checking balance was reported at $108, and the interest bearing CD was reported at $78, Hugh stated that the role of treasurer transitioned to him about a month ago. There has not been a lot of activity through Mid-August. There was very little expense with some tuition and registration fees coming in. The biggest activity was the transfer of $25,000. from the checking account to the 6 Month TD (CD) account. The CD account is now up over $78K and the interest from the CD account will remain in the CD. He will next begin to review the tuition models versus league actuals. Hugh reported that the on-line registration and payment program continues to work well and is user friendly. There was no response from the board or membership when Hugh asked if there were any questions regarding his report. A motion to accept the Treasurer s Report was made by Tim Smith and seconded by Chris Goodyear and approved by a unanimous vote of the Board. Registrar s Report Chris Goodyear reported that she needs the web link and a list of teams in order to implement collection of Coaches CEP information. She will have rosters available before the first game of the seasons. She is proposing that as an incentive, the first team that returns a completed and physically signed roster will be provided a pizza party. Chris has Mass Hockey Guides for all Directors and Coaches. The guide includes Playdown and Roster Change Applications. Chris noted that the program spent over $1,000 in roster changes last year. (Tom noted this is one area that we exceeded our budget on). USA Hockey/Mass Hockey Report Chris Goodyear reported that she has information regarding D&O liability coverage and suggested that we review the feasibility of taking on such a policy. Also, pamphlets are available through USA Hockey at no-charge. Tom would like Chris to obtain a quantity of these as he feels there is some value to them. Equipment Hugh Mullin reported that Jersey s from last year have transitioned over to him for storage. Two new sets are on order and one donated set will increase the inventory. It was noted by to Troiano there is budget available for 2 additional sets if necessary. Pucks and socks will be picked up from the supplier later this week. The Program is in good shape with goaltending equipment. At this time it was acknowledged that a set of used goalie equipment, delivered by John Cianciarulo to the meeting, is being donated to the program by the Balyozian family. Tom Troiano noted that a letter of thanks should be sent to the family. 3

4 Coaches Committee Report Tom Troiano noted that the Bantam C2 team is still in need of a Head Coach and is an open item for this committee to resolve. Tom suggested and took the action to post an ad in the Winchester Star to solicit local interest from the non-parent population. It was agreed that the proposed mandatory Coaches Meeting will be held on Monday, September 13, one week prior to the next BOD meeting on the 20 th. Ice Committee Report Tom Troiano reported that the Fessenden, Malden and Harvard ice will be available as usual in September with Belmont Hill opening later in the Fall. It is unknown at this time when the scheduled opening date of the Flynn Rink will be, as this information has not been made available by the MDC. The 4:00PM ice at Malden is still a potential problem. This schedule causes a serious crunch for coaches and parents to arrive on time and we should all be sensitive to this, as stress levels can run high during these sessions. It was pointed out by Tom Troiano that the program may have an excess of ice during certain times and may have to sell some to reduce costs. Girls Only Program Report Jim Leo reported that a meeting was held in July with other volunteers and agreed on an organization and roles. Coaches and Assistants have been finalized for the Squirt and PeeWee teams. Budgets have been reviewed to ensure that it is clear not to allow each league exceed our league allotment in our tuition model. The Middlesex Yankee League will be holding a meeting on September 30th. In regards to the Midget Program, Glenn Mills has obtained 8 hours or 1/3 of the budgeted allotment from the Stoneham Arena. He is working on additional hours that may be bundled with outsourced skills training. On the downside, the program is at risk at the Squirt 1 level where drop outs have left the roster with 8 players. At this point there is no choice but to move a few players from the Squirt 2 roster. Player evaluation during practices and league games will be used as criteria for any movement. Tom Troiano asked if it was reasonable to consider offering slots on this team (perhaps at a reduced cost) to girls playing in the Boys/Open division. A motion to accept the Girls Only Program Report was made by Tom Troiano and seconded by Hugh Mullin and approved by a unanimous vote of the Board. Dual State League Report Dave Hennessey reported that the leagues annual meeting was held at the end of June. The cost of each game for the season will be $195 (a $10 increase from last 4

5 season). The league will be run the same format, with the first 10 games being a parity round. The first schedule will be available for pick-up on September 2 nd (with games starting on Wed September 8 th ). They have added an additional rink where games will be held which will be the SuperSkills facility in Tewksbury. Dave stated that the program received a wake-up call when it received a bill for $3,330 for games postponed and not made up during the season. This was the first season we got hit with this fee, versus previous seasons when WYH had received a credit. It is the teams responsibility that postpones a scheduled game to offer two make up dates. We need to do a better job in this area. It is understood that there is sometimes a small window of opportunity to make games up and this past season was particularly unique with a large number of teams participating in State and National Tournaments late in the season. A motion to accept the Dual State League Report was made by Scott Fusco and seconded by Hugh Mullin and approved by a unanimous vote of the Board. Valley League Report Tom Troiano spoke with Mr. Gilmartin from the Valley League regarding the four teams that Winchester must drop from the league. The league will also meet the WYH request of moving a particular team to a less competitive division. Games will be scheduled to begin on Saturday, September 11 th. Costs of each game will be approximately $210; the exact amount that was budgeted for season. Tri-City League Report Scott Fusco reported that the league will have a name change for this season and will hold the initial meeting for the season in October. He projects that games will start the first weekend in November. Practices for the WYH players are normally held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5PM along with some Harvard practices on Saturdays. There normally is one game per week scheduled on Sunday at the Flynn Rink. Learn to Skate Report Nothing to Report Skills Report WYH is in receipt of a proposal from Wright Hockey to run the skills program and it is now under review. There were some general comments from directors regarding the quality of the sessions which can vary if they are not led by particular Wright staff members. It was agreed that this should be considered prior to the acceptance of the proposal. John Roderick has been asked to submit a bid to run the Midget Fall Skill sessions. 5

6 Fund Raising/50 th Anniversary Report Hugh Mullin confirmed that Casino Night will be held on Saturday, October 23 rd at the Elks Club in Winchester. He is waiting for final casino rental and food cost estimates before finalizing the event budget. We have provided a down payment to secure the Elks function hall rental. The cost to attend has been finalized at $50 per person. Hugh suggested that now is the time to solicit and collect auction items such as memorabilia, golf outings and Bruins tickets. He explained that the Live Auction will include a limited number of higher end items. The Silent Auction will include an unlimited number of lower end items. Committee on By Laws and Policies and Procedures A directors meeting to review the revised By-Laws will be held on Tuesday, August 24 th. The goal for the meeting will be to wrap up all changes for a final draft which will be put up for approval at a membership meeting in October. New Business Tom Troiano reported that he is working with Ed Interess on building the capability for coaches to enter required roster information such as CEP numbers into the WYH database. This should be on-line within a few weeks. John Cianciarulo asked the board if there were plans to honor a team that won a State Championship with a banner. Tom Troiano responded that it is standard for the program to do this and it will be done sometime this fall. September Meeting The next scheduled meeting of the WYH Board of Directors is scheduled for Monday, September 20, 2004, in the cafeteria of the Winchester High School, at 7 PM. Adjournment Tim Smith made the motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Tom Troiano, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 PM. 6