Wildcat Youth Hockey August 2013 Newsletter

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1 General Club News: Wildcat Youth Hockey August 2013 Newsletter Registration is open, online payment available!: Registration is open on the Home page for the 2013/2014 season. It is really important to register early or at least inform a board member if you plan to return or not. We need to secure ice based on the number of teams we will have and if we have changes we can end up not having enough ice or paying for ice we would not use with fewer teams. We have added an online payment option also so you can pay via a credit card or bank transfer through Paypal. Please help us out and get your skaters registered. Call for Coaches: We have added an online Coaches Registration to the web site. This will allow you to enter your information once and it will save it for future years. You will need to register with USA Hockey to complete the coaches application. If you are interested in coaching this season please head over to the website and fill in the application. Please register ASAP so we can an idea of coaches at each level and get information out to you in a timely manner. The direct application link is: Need Help on the Board! We have a couple board vacancies due to families departing the area / club. The current members are still present and able to train anyone willing to step up and keep our organization moving. Think about stepping up to fill these positions the rest of this season and next season. Director of Marketing and Recruiting Develop marketing and recruiting materials for the club and work with local communities to get our message out and recruit new families. They also help with program like Learn to Skate and Try Hockey Free days to help promote and grow the club. Much of this is in process with chairpersons in place so this person would just need to continue with what is done and have a plan for next season later in the year. Ice Scheduler - Determine and Schedule Ice needs for the club, including practice ice and game ice. Reschedule as needed due to conflicts with other programs working with the rink manager. This is nearly complete for this season and this will allow training so the person can comfortably step in next season and perform this critical role. Facebook Page Come Join Us Did you know WYHA had a Facebook page? It s been up and running for a couple months now and we have been posting some great pictures and information. There are some great pictures and information on how the ice is actually put in at the Ice Pond did you know rink is completely painted by hand? Come join us at UW Health Sports Medicine Concussion Seminar and Baseline Screening Workshop: UW Health Sports medicine will be holding a Concussion Information Workshop October 2nd at 7:00pm in the Small Auditorium at Waunakee High School. They will also offer Free baseline screening for Skaters 12 and over who were not screened last year. This is a very informative workshop presented by Doctors who work with all the UW Athletes. All parents should attend this seminar which includes a great question and answer session at the end. If your skater is 12 and over you can also sign up to have baseline screening done. The baseline results are used in cases where the skater may have a concussion to help determine when the skater can safely return to the ice. This is a great opportunity to get this done for free. If you would like your skater screened please contact Elizabeth Kluesner at: 4Klues@tds.net

2 Coaches Corner: (News from your ACE director for families) WYHA Goalie Philosophy Goalies seem to be at a premium here at WYHA. To help maximize the development of future goalies within our club, the following is an outline of the club philosophy towards this position. By following this from the U6 and U8 Mite level and beyond, I hope to keep every kid interested in playing Goalie in hockey and a Wildcat until the Peewee age group where they can prosper into a Bantam and eventual High school Goaltender. I have worked with Bob Houle, WYHA Goalie Clinic Coach, as well as taken information received while listening to local goalie instructors at our USA Hockey CEP Classes into account when developing this document. By implementing this, I hope to grow the base of kids who want to play the position, as well as eliminate the pressure and anxiety some skaters and parents see with this position that can negatively impact their love for the game of hockey. Equipment: Each team will be issued a set of equipment at the start of the year. Goalies will have the opportunity to borrow equipment from the Club for the duration of the season. Steve Lindley, Equipment Manager at WYHA, has been upgrading the goalie equipment over the last couple of years. If your team needs adjustments during the year, please contact slindley@hoopercorp.com or Goalie Camps: For 11 weeks, WYHA will be offering free Goalie Clinics to all WYHA goalies. For the season, they will be at: 6:30 PM 11/08,11/15,11/22 12/06,12/13 01/10,01/17,01/24 02/07,02/14,02/21 WYHA would also be willing to sponsor a Goalie at the Oregon Goalie Clinic if the skater so chooses. If interested please contact the Ace Director at WyhaAce@gmail.com for more information. Coaches. Each Team at the Squirt level and above will have one coach per team dedicated as the Goalie Coach. Their responsibility will be to work with the team goalie during practices so they will be better prepared come game day. U6, U8 Mites. Each skater will have the opportunity to play the Goalie position if they so choose. The more skaters we give the opportunity to play the position, the more likely they will want to play the position again moving forward. Squirts. For Squirts, we will not be holding goalie tryouts for the season. Ideally WYHA would like to have enough interest to be able to field two goalies per team. In the case of having two goalies per team, each goalie would rotate between skating out and playing goalie. Given that is not the case for the season, we want to attempt to maximize the number of goalies that move on to the next level. It is the job of the Head Coach to let all players on the team have the opportunity to play the position if they so choose. (Continued Below)

3 If there is one skater on the team who really enjoys the position, the Head Coach will let that skater play half the games, and rotate the other kids on the team in the other half of the time. It is important for all kids at the Squirt age to continue to work on skating skills. Goalies should be one of the strongest skaters on the ice. To help accomplish this, we need to remember that all skaters should still focus on ADM and Long Term Player Development that USA Hockey has laid out to help build stronger skating and athletic skills for our young athletes. The no tryout approach will allow the Kids to skate with kids of their similar athletic level. If we had only a couple of kids who enjoyed the position, they should have a positive experience at this level. Let s look at an example where we have a player with the nickname of Wild. Wild is a Squirt skater on the Blue Team. Wild loves the game of hockey, and also enjoys playing Goalie. During practice, Wild is able to keep up with his fellow Blue teammates when playing Goalie. When the Red team comes by and shoots on him, he has a much harder time keeping up with those kids and stopping shots. I would hate to push Wild up to a different team because he was the only kid who showed interest as a Goalie. That would only provide Wild with a negative experience and could lead to an unsuccessful year and push him away from the position, or the game itself just because of a numbers game. I would much rather help develop Wild at the Goalie position and keep him with his peers until things become more competitive at the Peewee and Bantam level. Remember our number one job as coaches is to teach our skaters to continue to love the game and pass on that passion like we have. It is not all about winning. PeeWee and Bantams If we have multiple goalies at each position, we will have a goalie tryout. Please see the tryout notes in the WYHA Parent Handbook for the official procedures of the tryout. After the evaluation, if we find goalies that are of equal skill level, we could possibility have multiple goalies assigned to one team. If that is the case, Goalies should also take turns playing the position, and when alternating they should skate out. Injuries happen, so it is important to develop multiple goalies on a team at this position. Also if this is done right, it can provide a position team building and friendly rivalry experience for all. Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing your questions, comments. Kevin Ducat, Association Coaching Educator (ACE) Director, Wildcat Youth Hockey Association. WyhaAce@Gmail.com

4 The Equipment Locker: (Equipment Information) The Pros and Cons of Used Equipment by Christine Casciano Burns When is it safe to scrimp and when should you cough up the cast to buy equipment fresh? The debate among my Facebook friends began with Skaneateles, N.Y., hockey mom Alyssa T. Her response? Pros Cost. Cons The stink of a stranger. You make a pungent point, Alyssa. Stink can sink any savings. There is nothing cheap about hockey equipment, and your wallet can take a hit when your kids are growing like weeds. Who can blame a parent for wanting to buy used? But buyers beware. I teams up with Pittsburg s frugal mom Data Vento, also from AHockeyMomReviews.com for some factors to consider. Our top concern: safety. Helmets, chest protectors, gloves and face masks are all pieces that are best bought new because material like padding, foam and straps cam wear out over time, and then fail to protect our kids. As padding is used over and over, it hardens and weakens. Did you know faces masks and helmets have safety guidelines prescribed by HECC? Avoid buying use because it s tough to tell how new the equipment is. Gloves have critical padding, which can withstand a hit of hockey sticks, pucks and skates. Holes in gloves or worn down padding on the outer part of the hand, can lead to serious injuries. Be sure to check the shells of used skates. They have to be in great shape for all those hits. At garage sales, the price may look right, but consider what you don t know. How long has the gear been in an attic, garage or shed? How much sun, heat or play time has the equipment been exposed to? There are some pieces of equipment you can purchase without worry, including hockey socks, elbow pads, knee pads (without cracks), sticks and pants with no rips, tears or missing padding. For Mite aged players who see less action, its probably more of a score to buy used. The pro in purchasing used equipment is saving money, but carefully inspect the gear. As Vento points out, When buying used, you can never be too careful. You may save a few bucks, but consider what it could end up costing. If your player is not protected, there are no second changes. (From USA Hockey Magazine) Rental Equipment: WYHA has rental equipment available for first year skaters at U8 Mite and below. Consult the Fees on the website for deposit amounts and rental costs. The Equipment can be used for the season and must be returned clean. Equipment Donations: Wildcat Hockey is always looking for donations of used equipment, especially goalie equipment. There is a drop box in the rink or contact Steve Lindley slindley@hoopercorp.com to make your donation.

5 Club Calendar: Important Dates 2013/2014 Season (watch for times to be posted later): Pre Tryout 1 (Bantam) Wednesday 09/11/2013 WYHA Board Meeting Thursday 09/12/2013 Pre Tryout 1 (Squirt - Peewee) Friday 09/13/2013 WYHA Mite Welcome Back Day Friday 09/13/2013 Mite Beat the Heat Camp Start Sunday 09/22/2013 Pre Tryout 2 (Squirt - Bantam) Sunday 09/22/2013 Tryouts Day 1 (Squirt, PW, Bantam) Sunday 09/29/2013 Concussion Workshop / Baseline Screening Wednesday 10/02/2013 Tryouts Day 2 (Squirt, PW) Friday 10/04/2013 Learn to Skate Starts Saturday 10/05/2013 Tryouts Day 3 (Squirt, PW) Sunday 10/06/2013 Tryouts Day 2 (Bantam) Sunday 10/06/2013 Coaches Clinic Tuesday 10/08/2013 Goalie Clinic Starts Tuesday 10/08/2013 S, PW, B Practice Start Monday 10/14/2013 LTP, U6 Mite Start Week 10/21/2013 U8 Mite Start Week 10/21/2013 Try Hockey for Free Day Saturday 11/02/2013 WYHA Photo Day Sunday 11/10/2013 Mark Your Calendars and see the website for additional events!

6 Monthly Board Meeting Minutes Topics discussed August 8 th, 2013 Board Meeting. Treasurer: Reviewed Current Bills and Statements. Approved outstanding bills. Learn To Skate/U6 Mite/Learn To Play: U8 Mite ALD : Squirt ALD: Pee Wee ALD: Bantam ALD: ALD General: Contact all un-registered families and determine if they are coming back Equipment : Discussion on deposit amount, table until next meeting if needed. Fundraising: Date for concussion seminar - 10/2/13 7:00pm Waunakee High School. Apparel: Nothing to report Registrar- Nothing to report Ice scheduler- Nothing to report Marketing- Need to find a replacement as Terrisa is moving Tournament Director: Reviewing the rules and updating the registration forms. Will get Tournament on WAHA site. Director of Concessions: Ace Director: Dave Espy Donation - Motion made to donate $100 to the foundation for Dave Espy s son. Motion passed unanimously. Pinneys - Motion made to purchase reversible Pinneys for tryouts up to $1500. Motion passed unanimously. Tryout Format / Timing Will send out the format and rules for this year and cover in the September meeting. First Aid Class for coaches Kevin Ducat to work with Steve Lindley to see if we can have a shortened basic course (about 2 hours max). Questions received about having kids play at a higher level: Discussed club policy we do not allow kids to play at a higher level and will not as it is in sync with USA Hockey policy. President Elect: Old / New Business: Registration Going well - updated website the 8/18/13 early registration cutoff. Locker Room Monitoring Ald s will work with team managers to assign 4 parents per practice for PeeWee and Squirt and 2 per for Bantam 20 minutes before and 20 minutes after practice. Stationed outside of locker room and only enter in pairs. No cell phone use will be permitted in the locker room, kids can have them in their bags. Any issues will be reported and follow the guidelines in the handbook related to codes of conduct. U10/U12 Status Have no one signed up Motion made to cancel the U10 and U12 for the season and work with anyone interested to find options with current programs or direct to Middleton or Patriot Rec programs. Motion passed unanimously. Donation to Hockey Hall of Fame Motion made a motion to donate $100 to the WI Hockey Hall of Fame fund. Motion passed unanimously.

7 Executive Board President Wade Hansen Past President Amy Luebke President - Elect Mark Stewart VP Fundraising Kelly Lyle Treasurer Matt Stafford Secretary Kevin Fons ACE Director Kevin Ducat ALD Bantam Mike Thompson ALD Peewee Jerry Reynolds ALD Squirt Heather Nett ALD U8 Mite Janine Gumley ALD U6 Mite / LTS / LTP Cammi Wolfe Appointed Board Members Apparel Manager(s) Jen Boyer Sue Pasinato Equipment Manager Steve Lindley Director Recruiting/Marketing Terrisa Mulder ACE Director Emeritus Bill Ripley Head Coach Elect. Pete Bachman Ice Scheduler Bill Paradisin Registrar Kevin Fons Tournament Director Christine Gruetzmacher Director of Concessions Kim Dubois NEXT WYHA BOARD MEETING Thursday, September 12 th, 7:00 p.m. TBD Open Forum Members will be allowed to have a 10-minute open forum at the board meetings to bring issues to the board if they are not resolved with their ALD. Please let a board member know ahead of time so it can be added to the agenda