District Newsletter President Message

Transcription

1 July 24, 2018 Volume 1 Issue 1 Page 1 - President Message Page 2 District Meeting Highlights Page 3 - Women/Girls Section Page 4 - Coaching Page 5 - Coaching Checklist/Clinic Info Page 6 - USA Hockey Spotlight Page 7 - High School Page 8 - Roger Sharrer Page 9 - Boys Select Page 10 - Continue Boys Select President Message Paul Day -President Lori Billings- Mid Am Administrator administrator@midamhockey.com Roy Davis- Publishing/Layout rdavis9874@midamhockey.com Website Please send all article in word format to: rdavis9874@aol.com At the start of each new season all Member Associations Youth, High School and Disabled are required to return the Annual Disclosure form you received via . All member associations are required to complete and return to remain in good standing with Mid American District Hockey, Inc. Likewise, during the season any changes to the composition your association leadership are to be communicated to Lori Billings, District Administrator. If your association has not received this form, please contact Lori or one of your State Vice President. This requirement was instituted for the 2017 / 2018 season and is a continuing requirement for all members. Thank you Paul M. Day President

2 2 Disclaimer The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information within this newsletter was correct at time of publication. The author does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions resulted from the Mid-Am District. The Mid-Am District held its Annual meeting June 23, 2018 at the Columbus Marriott at The Ohio State University. Over fifty youth hockey leaders attended the meeting. These administrators heard reports regarding changes in SafeSport, playing rules and much more. The featured speakers from the Columbus Blue Jackets were Cam Atkinson, Connor Murphy and Sean Kuraly NHL players who reside in the Columbus area and provided insight into their paths and experiences growing up with the sport. Elections were conducted at this meeting the following people were elected to serve on the board: Tim O Shaughnessy was elected to a three-year term as Vice President Tom Cline was re-elected to a three-year term as District Director Tom Gawlik was elected to a three-year term as Treasurer General Elections: Ohio Vice President Mike Mankowski Western PA Ohio Vice President Ryan Patrick With Mr. O Shaughnessy and Mr. Gawlik assuming new roles on the board, openings were created at VP in Ohio and Indiana. Pursuant to Mid-Am s By- Laws the President appointed the following volunteers to fill the remaining terms in office: Gui Bradshaw, Ohio VP to fill the unexpired term of Tim O Shaughnessy. Doug Losure Indiana VP to fill the unexpired term of Tom Gawlik.. There was an additional opening on the board created by the resignation of Elgine McArdle as SafeSport Coordinator, Todd Naylor was appointed to that position.

3 3 Womens/Girls Section With my committee meeting in August, I developed contacts throughout the district in various cities. I have broken down the district (with Keith & Kaye s help) as W PA (including WVA), NE Ohio (including Cleveland & Kent), NW Ohio (encompassing Toledo/Sylvania/Bowling Green), Indiana (South Bend/Ft. Wayne), Indianapolis (including N Kentucky) and Columbus. Most of the areas held 3 events including on ice as well as off ice activities. We had budgeted for 125 girls. In the end, we had 71 girls, but Columbus and Cleveland didn t materialize this past season. Indy was overwhelming with 40 of our 71local participants involved there. Some dryland activities included pizza parties, watching college women s games, broomball, and Indy Fuel game. We have more time to prepare this season to continue this effort. Each player received 3 sessions skating and dryland activities for $25. If any of the local areas would like me to include some area not mentioned, please let me know. Originally planned was the IIHF Girls Weekend Try for Free as well as the Hockey Across America Try for Free. The IIHF weekend got somewhat blurred with the promotion planned above. For the March event, it was closely tied into the Olympic period and we all know what the ladies did in Korea!! Indy had some fantastic publicity during the Olympics with Kris May showing her Learn to Play program on the local news spot. As growth continues, District Playoffs had at least 2 teams at each age levels for both Tier I & II. I can t say for sure but I m certain that we haven t had that for the last 8 years. I expect to see some Tier II teams coming out of Indy at 14U & Columbus 16U next year. Gilmour/Barons was a nice addition this season for various levels. On the 14U rec level, it appears that we may be getting something moving in Erie. America s Showcase Team participated in St. Louis which, because of increased expense, affected the number of players trying out. The good news is there was over 30 scouts attending. By Ladd Wagner Girls/Women s Section

4 4 Coaching Section: The following is some coaching information to help you prepare for the season. Level 4 Clinics We will have two more Level 4 Clinics this year (We had one in Pittsburgh back in April) o September 22 & 23 in Columbus, OH o December 29 & 30 in Cleveland They are posted to the USA Hockey website at Goaltending Symposium: On July we will be having a Dave Peterson Goaltending Symposium. A coach who attends this clinic will advance one level in the Coaching Program and this will fulfill the requirement for the season This also includes a coach going from Level 3 to Level 4 o The only exception is this will not count toward Level 5 The Cost is $125 and includes meals and one-night stay on the campus of Kent State. The Symposium is posted on the USA Hockey web site as a High- Performance Coaching Clinic at Level 1, 2 and 3 Clinics: In the months of July and August we will be posting clinics on the USA Hockey web site at under the coaches section. There will be many more clinics posted as we set them up in the summer The clinic season starts in late August and goes until late December Coaches have until December 31 st to attend a clinic. Note: Coaches ARE allowed on the ice before taking a clinic since they have until December 31 st to attend one. By Bill Switaj, Mid-Am Coach-in-Chief

5 5 Coaching Section: Coaching Checklist: The following are the five steps that a coach needs to do to be eligible to coach: 1. Register as a coach with USA Hockey for the season. A coach only has to register once. If a coach is registered as an Adult hockey player, he/she does not have to register a second time. Registration is done at 2. Do the appropriate background screening. This is good for two years and this can be done at 3. Register and attend a coaching clinic (If it is required). Level 3 is good for two seasons and Level 4 is good for life 4. Complete the Online Module (If it is required). Online modules are already up and running online. 5. Take the Safe sport training. All coaches have to take Safe sport training which is done online. There is no charge, but your USA Hockey membership number is needed to register and is also your ID for having completed the course. Registration is at a. Safe sport is good for two years If you have any questions, feel free to me at wswitaj@kent.edu By Bill Switaj, Mid-Am Coach-in-Chief We are always updating our clinics listing. Please see the updated listing of our clinics and registration information for these clinics at:

6 6 USA HOCKEY SPOTLIGHT Q: What should summer hockey look like for my 8U player? A: Most young athletes in any sport come prepackaged with a ton of passion to play that sport as much as adults will allow them. The challenge for those adults is to make sure they don t overfeed that passion. When I tell parents to step away from hockey for a large portion of the spring and summer and allow their children to experience other sports and activities, the most common response I get is, But my son/daughter loves hockey. The goal, however, should be to make sure that your child has that same response when they are age 14 and beyond. On too many occasions, we ve seen children who had a ton of passion to play hockey at an early age, but because they played it much too often and, in many cases, year-round, that passion gradually diminished due to burnout. Usually those children ended up getting surpassed later in their teens by players for whom the passion still burned just as bright as it did when they were 8 years old. And typically, those still-passionate players were the multi-sport kids whose passion for hockey wasn t overfed in their early years. So, the answer is this: There s nothing wrong with a young athlete playing a little hockey during the offseason. Some unstructured, fun summer hockey experiences are perfectly OK, if they look nothing like the traditional hockey season, which is too often over-coached, overloaded with travel and time commitment, and shackled by adults dictating everything that happens. This axiom always applies, but especially in the summer: Let kids be kids. Let them play other sports and experience a variety of activities. Don t worry so much about whether they ll fall behind. Focus instead on giving them a wellrounded childhood and a broad base of all-around athleticism. In the long run, those kids are usually the ones who end up winning the race that matters most. Courtesy of USA HOCKEY

7 7 High School 2019 USA Hockey National Championships coming to Mid Am For the second time since its inception USA Hockey will host its High School National Championship in Cleveland, March 28-April 1, The Championship features two boys divisions and one girl s division. State s interested in having a team participate must make a commitment to send a team by November 15, no team name is required. High School Nationals 2018 Plymouth, Minnesota were held on March 22 through March 26, with Wayzata Youth Hockey as the host. Santa Margarita (CA) won at Division I; Division II Champion was Sioux City (IA) and Premier Prep (MN) was crowned as the first ever High School Girl s Champ. Mid-Am had three teams participating: Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky (for the first time!) America s Showcase was held in St Louis, MO April with Mid-States Club Hockey Association as the host. Mid-Am s High Section Rep, Kathy Santora, and her husband Lenny traveled to St Louis to lend a hand at this year s showcase and to witness Team Pittsburgh defeat Team Illinois 4 3 (OT) to claim the championship. Additionally, Pittsburgh Penguins Elite will host 14U Tier I Nationals and Irish Youth Hockey will host 14U Tier II Nationals. By Kathy Santora High School Section. Tell us about your association and let us spotlight you in the Mid-Am District newsletter. Please send your information to Roy Davis rdavis9874@aol.com

8 8 Roger Sharrer Grow Hockey Award The 2018 committee was comprised of state vice presidents Roy Davis, Biff Cummings, Dalton Haas, JD Hobbs, and Jim Smith along with Keith and chairperson, Kathy Santora. An application deadline of April 25, 2018 was established with review of the applications completed in time for the June Annual Meeting. This year 23 awards were recommended (and approved by the board) with a funding total of $56, Certificates were awarded during the Annual Meeting. Funding to the programs whose applications were successful in meeting the requirements setforth was to be completed in time for the beginning of this season: note that September 15 th is the final day to submit receipts or purchase orders for approved items only. Checks will be sent out the first part of October. By Kathy Santora Committee Chair Photo Courtesy of Indy Junior Fuel hockey assocation

9 9 Boys Select Boys 14 Tryouts Sylvania Boys 15 Tryouts Sylvania Boys 16 Tryouts Sylvania Boys 17 Tryouts Sylvania Boys 14 Camp Sylvania Boys 15 Camp Kent State Boys 15 MultiDistrict Camp Kent State n/a The Boys tryouts is to provide a platform for evaluating the top players in the District and to move those players on to in-district camps at ages 14 & 15 and to national camps at 15, 16 & 17. Additionally, the tryouts attract coaches who scout players for Junior and College opportunities. Kudos to Bill Switaj and the 15 Camp staff for their work in selecting the 15 players advancing to the 2017 National Camp; this year we had two A rated players and 13 B rated players. The rating scale translates as A = legitimate National Team candidate; B = a solid National Camp player; C = not a prospect. Other 2017 National Camp results: At the 16s, there were two A rated players, seven B rated and three C rated. The C rated players were spread evenly across positions; 17s ratings reflected two A rated players, ten B rated players and one C rated player. This is as good a report card as I can recall. Our allocated numbers to the national camps will be updated by the National Office. Our National spots at the 16s were reduced by 1 goaltender and 1 defenseman this year and by one forward at 17s; all districts had reductions in allocated numbers in order to open at-large spots available to all deserving players. Dates for 2019 tryouts are: 14s & 15s April followed by the 16s & 17s May 3-5. Tryouts will be in Sylvania, Ohio again. For 2019 tentative dates for the 15 Tryout Camp at Kent State are June 9-13; and for the 14 Development Camp at Sylvania June The final reports for the 14 & 15 Boys Camps were submitted to the National Office for the Player Development Grants and proposals for the 2018 Camps in January. In 2018 the 14 Camp made a small profit ($180.00) and the 15 Camp had a small loss ($2,120) after application of the grant money. Note that the grant money is calculated into the overall budgets which are targeted to be run at breakeven.

10 10 Boys Select The costs to bring in outside camp staff are variable and can result in overruns in any given year. The purpose of these tryout camps is to provide a National Camp experience for the 14s. This is accomplished by conducting on-ice training utilizing age specific drills aimed at providing these players with feedback on their skills, identifying strengths and weaknesses. All players are provided with a sit down exit interview. The 15 tryout camp uses the same overall format but has the added dimension of identifying those players by position to fill spots at the National Development Camp. In addition, other players will be identified to be brought back for a 15 Festival with players from Michigan, Southeast, Atlantic and Pacific Districts. Bear in mind that the turnover experienced in those selected to participate at National Camps between the ages 15 and 17 ranges from 50 to 70% nationally. Information on the tryout process is updated on the website; nominations, again, will be sought through the state vice presidents beginning in mid- January. Invitations will go out to prospective players in early February with registration open until 7 to 10 days prior to each tryout weekend. As usual we will need helpers during the process on the tryout weekends, particularly with bench coaches. Feel free to sign up by sending an to Lori, administrator@midamhockey.com. If you have a son trying out, we would ask that you not actively work in the rink where he is playing. Also, all tryout help will need to have been screened and passed SafeSport. If you are a member of an association as a coach/volunteer and have completed these requirements, please include them with your to Lori. There were several video conference meetings with the other District Player Development Reps to discuss processes used in each district in an attempt to create best practices and conformity across the country. The last meeting focused entirely on goaltending including a drill package to be used and a listing of evaluators available to help in each of the districts. We have used one of our indistrict goaltending coordinators and a few experienced volunteers to assess and workout the goaltenders at the tryouts in the past year. By Tom Cline Camp Director/District Director

11 11 Please note our revised date below for the remaining of this year: Due Date Posting Date August 15 August 25 September 15 September 25 October 15 October 15 November 15 November 25 December 15 December 20 Please feel free to send us news about your association. It must be in word format. It can be sent to Roy Davis at