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Colorado Hockey Hub

VEHA President's Press - May 2011

By Alan McLean, 05/09/11, 10:00AM MDT

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Dear Players, Parents, Coaches, Families and Friends,

This year Vail Eagle Hockey looks forward to building on the successes of 2010-2011 Hockey Season. All 6 VEHA competitive travel teams competed in the CDYHL League Championships, with the Squirt B’s, Pee Wee B’s and Pee Wee A’s all moving forward to the AVS’s Cup inter-league championships. Congratulations to all our players and coaches!!

VEHA recently sent a survey to the members asking for their input and feedback. The Board of Director’s reviewed the survey results and comments made. The Board is making strides to address many of the concerns voiced by the members. If you would care to view the results of the survey there is a link to the results on the homepage of the VEHA website.  

Several members mentioned communication between VEHA and the membership needed to improve. VEHA utilizes email and the website as its primary communication tools to the membership. Email addresses and contact information is gathered from your login information on the VEHA website. If you have changed your email contact information please update your information on the website. Constant Contact is our primary email contact and information delivery service. It is important you open and read the information. As the saying goes “you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink”, likewise we can send you the information but we cannot make you read the information sent. However we do know who we sent it to and who took the time to open the email. 

Last year there were several bumps in the road along with the successes VEHA achieved. Steps have been taken to address issues that surfaced over the past couple of years. The Board spent many hours revising its bylaws, making them more dynamic and conforming to standards set by the IRS and USA HOCKEY. Board Member duties are better defined, in addition to instituting a “conflict of interest” bylaw which all members of the Board must sign. The Board also adopted a “Policies and Procedures” manual. Once both of these documents are edited and proofed they will be available on the website for reference.   Further, I hope to have a first ever handbook for players and parents by the time players take to the ice in the fall which you will be able to use as a reference guide. Additionally, there will be a mandatory parents meeting in the fall for all VEHA families to review VEHA’s Policies and Procedures. This will be in addition to the Coaches mandatory parent meetings.

Brian Houlihan has been appointed Chairman of the VEHA Coaches Committee with Dave Bishop and Barry Biegler the other two voting members. Mike Glennon will be the Ace Coordinator and liaison to the VEHA Board.   The Coaching Committee is charged with handling all on and off ice functions related to VEHA Hockey programs. This includes practice schedules, try outs, coaching, coaching curriculum, implementing the American Development Model (ADM), etc. VEHA is planning on naming coaches at their July meeting. Summer Skates have been arranged and an email has already gone out with dates and times. Mark your calendars.

VEHA is currently expecting to have 2 teams at the Squirt, Pee Wee and Bantam age divisions and a Midget Minor team playing in the combined CDYHL/CCYHL midget league. Battle Mountain Coach Gary Defina has stated he does not want to carry as many players on the Huskies as he has in the past and wants to give prospective High School players a chance to grow in size and strength playing in the proper age bracket. VEHA considers this to be the High School JV team but due to CHSASA rules we cannot designate the team as such. VEHA expects Coach Defina and his assistants to be involved to the extent that their schedules permit. If your Midget age player, High School eligible, is interested in a pre-season team please contact Dave Peel.

One concern voiced by some coaches and parents was the September and early October practice / roundup/ tryout schedule and the conflict with fall sports. Yet at the same time many parents wanted to keep the schedule the same or start earlier (see Survey). The Board and Coaching Committee are reviewing possible scenarios. One scenario is holding Skills and Drills through the month of September, having tryouts for Pee Wees and Bantams the first two weeks of October, and then 3or 4 night a week practices for 2 or 3 weeks. This scenario conflicts with League start dates and the VEHA Schedulers will do their best to not schedule games prior to the first weekend in November. Squirt teams under ADM do not have tryouts – teams are picked based on the player performance in the “skill and drill” sessions. Midget teams, Preseason Major A and the minor team, would have to start sooner; players and coaches would have to work around fall sports commitments. 

I am writing this while watching the Bruins and Lighting play game 5 in the conference finals. Great game so far. Those of us who still love the sport and are involved gained our love and passion of the sport as a youth, learning and having fun on the ice. I remember hauling my hockey bag to 6:00am practices through the cold and snow, walking from home. My point, VEHA is a volunteer organization, it takes all of the members of VEHA past and present to make the program we offer the children of the Vail Valley a success. The game has changed since I played as a youth, but the love and passion is still there. The Board, Coaches and Parents need to embrace the changes that have happened and are coming. As adults who watch the game we have long seen the domination of non-USA players in the NHL. USA Hockey has spent a great deal of time studying why other countries are more successful than the USA. To that end USA Hockey has instituted the ADM (American Development Model) and with it the LTAD (Long Term Athlete Development) program. I know each of you wants their child to have the best possible hockey experience. Take the time to study and learn what this program is about. Parents you have the toughest job of all, you need to be supportive of your child and the program, have a fundamental understanding of hockey and the changes, and let the coaches coach. Help VEHA in positive ways to be a better program. Help VEHA using your positive attitude, your skills, expertise and enthusiasm to support them in their efforts, the team in its efforts, and the association by volunteering your time to help raise funds for the program, help with organizing volunteers, or help VEHA create a positive image for all. 

VEHA is in need of a Registrar, a Volunteer Coordinator, volunteers who will help fundraise, and volunteers to help run the Sportsmanship Tournament making it even better, a volunteer to organize VEHA participation in Flight Days and July 4th Parade in Vail.   Ask a Board member how you can help.

To help with planning, below are tentative dates for Colorado Hockey:

8/27/11 or 9/3/11 – Scheduling meeting for Midget Minor Team

9/5/11 – Labor Day – Skill and drills may begin

9/17/11 – CDYHL Scheduling Meeting

9/23/11 – Midget minor gams can begin

10/15/11 – CDYHL League play begins

11/4-11/6/11 – 1st weekend of Sportsmanship Tournament – Midgets play – Probably Bantam A

11/11-11/13/11 – 2nd weekend of Sportsmanship Tournament – Bantam B – Pee Wee A–Squirts?

11/18-11/20/11 – 3rd weekend of Sportsmanship Tournament - Pee Wee B- Squirts?- Girls ?

1/14-1/15/12 – Youth Pond Hockey Weekend – VEHA Teams are expected to participate

2/17-2/19/12 – Presidents Weekend – Tournament play away

3/4/12 – Last day for League Play

3/9-3/11 – CDYHL Playoffs

3/17/11 – Preliminary games championships

3/18/11 – AVS Cup – Pepsi Center

In conclusion I welcome you to the 2011-2012 VEHA Hockey season. Together we can make the program bigger and better! To accomplish lofty goals all parents must be involved in positive ways to make VEHA happen, allow the coach to coach, help VEHA by volunteering your time and expertise to fundraise, recruit new player families to VEHA allowing us to expand our base, and offer more hockey opportunities to the youth of Vail Valley.

Sincerely,

Alan McLean
 
President VEHA