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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:05 pm
by bestpopcorn
I was on the board years ago. My youngest is now a Jr in HS. We did participate in AAA in the summer, loved it.
As a non athlete myself I was glad when my kids asked to play. I was looking for some physical fitness and character building that I always heard was found in sports. The fitness came, but I really didn't see much of the character part.
Players leave for any number of reasons. We lost families due to practice and games on Sunday. I know we lost some due to a lack of discipline on teams.
I know AAA has made a big difference. Years ago those kids that played 30 miles up the road were your mortal enemies, now you play in the summer with them.
It is hard for a small assn to compete with a team that is able to pick and choose from players willing to drive 100 miles for a practice. They build better teams for obvious reasons. I would prefer my kid play for this team too.
I often wished the youth season was more like the summer. No BS politics, no concession stand hours, on and on. That said, we paid 800.00 for 3 or 4 weekend practices and 3 tournaments (15 games). Doing the math based on this hourly rate our bantam program could charge 3000.00 and we could offer a similar experience. We paid 600.00 for bantams.
My favorite response on one of our parent satisfaction survey's was "it costs to much and you ask too much of the parents"
MIGHTY DUCKS
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2014 10:21 am
by mp#99
MIGHTY DUCKS
Re: Open enrollment happening at the youth hockey level
Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 6:42 pm
by nobody
yesiplayedhockey wrote:I have a question...Would it make sense for a youth hockey board to come up with a policy so that any family open enrolling their kid into another association, that skater can only make a B team? AA spots are held for kids that live in the community
Do hockey board members have a responsibility to their community? The community that pays taxes that fund the ice rink?
Is open enrollment an issue in your community? what is being done about it at the youth level?
This is exactly what kills association hockey......
Perhaps it is time for AAU year round.
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 7:20 am
by old goalie85
Something I never saw untill the last two/three years are the folks who jump from multiple assc. The kids end up playing under three or four flags during youth/high school. Some people are never happy. If your never happy why wouldn't you just stay where you are. Thus only making one assc miserable.
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:14 am
by observer
No kidding. Always difficult for the player. They're kids. Fallout very rarely measured correctly by parents.
And, rarely makes a difference in development. Train hard and play AAA in the summer and play with your neighborhood and school friends during the school year.
Re: Open enrollment happening at the youth hockey level
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:57 am
by jg2112
nobody wrote:yesiplayedhockey wrote:I have a question...Would it make sense for a youth hockey board to come up with a policy so that any family open enrolling their kid into another association, that skater can only make a B team? AA spots are held for kids that live in the community
Do hockey board members have a responsibility to their community? The community that pays taxes that fund the ice rink?
Is open enrollment an issue in your community? what is being done about it at the youth level?
This is exactly what kills association hockey......
Perhaps it is time for AAU year round.
AAU Hockey is already in the Twin Cities. Hundreds of families take part.
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:59 am
by yesiplayedhockey
Sad part is things will never change until either boards step in and make changes to their policies or the Districts do...You will always have hockey parents claiming they are open enrolling for "academics"....I say fine, go to school at the town down the road for the "academics" but your kid will either play on the B team or you go back and play association for town you live in....Associations and Districts need to be the ones to stop this madness otherwise parents will keep doing it. It's bad enough at the high school level but nothing is stopping Districts or associations from coming up with their own policies regarding youth hockey
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:51 am
by Lace'emUp
yesiplayedhockey wrote:Sad part is things will never change until either boards step in and make changes to their policies or the Districts do...You will always have hockey parents claiming they are open enrolling for "academics"....I say fine, go to school at the town down the road for the "academics" but your kid will either play on the B team or you go back and play association for town you live in....Associations and Districts need to be the ones to stop this madness otherwise parents will keep doing it. It's bad enough at the high school level but nothing is stopping Districts or associations from coming up with their own policies regarding youth hockey
Participation rules and requirements are not governed by Districts or Associations. They're governed by MN Hockey. Districts and Associations sign affiliate agreements that bind them to the rules of MN Hockey. To comply with your thoughts, MN Hockey would be required to revise the rule to state that kids must play within the boundaries of their residence (as it was before they changed the rule about 4 years ago). If MN Hockey were to change the rules to allow Districts and Associations make their own participation requirements, in my opinion, you may see some association allow for more open enrollment in their association rather than to restrict it. Again, that’s just my opinion.
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 11:09 am
by SCBlueLiner
Something to chew on:
I can sympathise with a parent who wants to get away from association A because it is dysfuntional or has truly miserable coaching. I look inside my own association and have concern about some of the coaching at some of the levels. It's getting better but I would still like to see more quality up and down our levels. Some have good, strong coaching, some are a little weak. You'll never guess which level is strong (hint: I coach
) Such is the life in a small association. Lots of times the coaching is hit or miss. Players spend a lot of time and effort developing their game throughout the years. Good coaching is an integral part of that development.
Now, on the flip side, if you let open enrollment go crazy, a player can try out for and sign up for any associations anywhere, we would have a complete mess and a disaster on our hands. The system would collapse over time and the overall product would suffer in the long run.
Obviously some sort of middle ground needs to be established. How about taking schools out of the mix? Association hockey and high school hockey are seperate entities, right? So it shouldn't matter where you go to elementary, middle, or jr high. How about you play in the association of your residence but you have the option of a one time transfer to any other association. It's a one time shot, so parents, you better think long and hard about the long term ramifications of where you send your player.
Just some thoughts.
Re: Open enrollment happening at the youth hockey level
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 11:40 am
by Froggy Richards
yesiplayedhockey wrote:I have a question...Would it make sense for a youth hockey board to come up with a policy so that any family open enrolling their kid into another association, that skater can only make a B team? AA spots are held for kids that live in the community
Do hockey board members have a responsibility to their community? The community that pays taxes that fund the ice rink?
Is open enrollment an issue in your community? what is being done about it at the youth level?
Some Associations do have this rule for incoming open enrollees. However, it seems to be conveniently overlooked at times, depending on how good the player is. Every Association President also has this option for open enrollees who leave their Assocation. If a player open enrolls into another school district and wants to play hockey there, they have to get a signed waiver from the President of the previous Association. On that waiver the President has the option of not allowing the player to play on the top team for one year. This is at the sole discretion of the President and cannot be challenged. This happened in our Assocation last year. The player's parents appealed to MN Hockey and were denied.
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 11:50 am
by Froggy Richards
[quote="SCBlueLiner"Now, on the flip side, if you let open enrollment go crazy, a player can try out for and sign up for any associations anywhere, we would have a complete mess and a disaster on our hands. The system would collapse over time and the overall product would suffer in the long run.[/quote]
What do you mean, "if you let open enrollment go crazy?" Open enrollment is what it is. The above scenario is exactly what we have right now. Anyone can open enroll anywhere as long as the new school has room for them. USA Hockey allows that student to play hockey in the new school's Association, no questions asked. Does it hurt Association Hockey? Absolutely. But you kind of have to allow a kid to play with his classmates if he wants to.
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 12:27 pm
by nobody
edit
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2014 4:30 pm
by SCBlueLiner
Froggy, I meant open enrollment in its purest forms. No having to switch schools, no nothing. Go try out for and play with whichever associaiton you want. Complete free market, free choice. You know there are some who want it and wh advocate for it.
My idea was that the player plays in his association of residence. If he wants to play elsewhere he has a one time transfer option. If he wants to play where he goes to school rather than where he lives he still ahs that option, though the one-time transfer option. Maybe the player has close relatives at an associaiton that is not wher ehe lives and not wher ehe goes to schol but really wnat s to play there, one-time transfer rule can get him there.
My whole point was to break that link between school and hockey. People shouldn't be choosing where they go to school based on what association boundaries that school is in.
It gives "free choice" to those that want it, with limitations. You can choose to play where you live or one other option, that's it, one time, no hopping.
ETA: my spelling is terrible but I don't have time to clean it up. You get the idea.
Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 2:41 pm
by tourneytickssince59
Bluewhitefan wrote:BadgerBob82 wrote:I'd read it that they could in theory change associations every year if they change schools every year.
Then read again, because you're only reading what you want to read:
5. Changing Schools
a. Players who change schools
without a related change of residence shall elect one of the following:
1. Have full eligibility to compete at any division in their Association of Residence; or
2. Have full eligibility to compete at any division in their Association of School Attendance if they
completed the grades offered in the school they were previously attending; or
3. Be eligible at all
except the highest division in their new Association of School Attendance for
one (1) year beginning with the first day of attendance in the new school if they did not
complete the grades offered in the school they were previously attending. 25
4. "Completing the grades offered in the school" is defined as completing the grades offered in
Elementary, Middle School or Junior High School. Typically there is a change of building
involved, but a building change alone (such as a change between 3rd and 4th grade) does
not constitute completing the grades offered in the system.
This happened in Stillwater yet player was allowed on A team after possible litigation was threatened.
Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 9:03 pm
by Defensive Zone
SCBlueLiner wrote:Froggy, I meant open enrollment in its purest forms. No having to switch schools, no nothing. Go try out for and play with whichever associaiton you want. Complete free market, free choice. You know there are some who want it and wh advocate for it.
My idea was that the player plays in his association of residence. If he wants to play elsewhere he has a one time transfer option. If he wants to play where he goes to school rather than where he lives he still ahs that option, though the one-time transfer option. Maybe the player has close relatives at an associaiton that is not wher ehe lives and not wher ehe goes to schol but really wnat s to play there, one-time transfer rule can get him there.
My whole point was to break that link between school and hockey. People shouldn't be choosing where they go to school based on what association boundaries that school is in.
It gives "free choice" to those that want it, with limitations. You can choose to play where you live or one other option, that's it, one time, no hopping.
ETA: my spelling is terrible but I don't have time to clean it up. You get the idea.
I Like I said in another thread...Youth soccer players can play for any association in the state. Ex: One year a player can play for Bloomington and the next they can play for Edina. I wonder if this is a good model to follow? Just my thoughts.
Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 6:37 am
by Defensive Zone
Defensive Zone wrote:SCBlueLiner wrote:Froggy, I meant open enrollment in its purest forms. No having to switch schools, no nothing. Go try out for and play with whichever associaiton you want. Complete free market, free choice. You know there are some who want it and wh advocate for it.
My idea was that the player plays in his association of residence. If he wants to play elsewhere he has a one time transfer option. If he wants to play where he goes to school rather than where he lives he still ahs that option, though the one-time transfer option. Maybe the player has close relatives at an associaiton that is not wher ehe lives and not wher ehe goes to schol but really wnat s to play there, one-time transfer rule can get him there.
My whole point was to break that link between school and hockey. People shouldn't be choosing where they go to school based on what association boundaries that school is in.
It gives "free choice" to those that want it, with limitations. You can choose to play where you live or one other option, that's it, one time, no hopping.
ETA: my spelling is terrible but I don't have time to clean it up. You get the idea.
Like I said in another thread...Youth soccer players can play for any association in the state. Ex: One year a player can play for Bloomington and the next they can play for Edina. I wonder if this would be a good model to follow for hockey? Just my thoughts.