 |
 |
 |
 |
January 16, 2007 |  |
 |
Welcome to the January 16, 2007; edition of the MYAS Update In this Issue Pass it on Know anyone who might be interested in our newsletter? Click here to forward this email to up to 5 friends at once. |
|
|
Our newsletter is designed to provide timely youth sports information to coaches, athletes, parents and administrators. This includes notes from the Executive Director, calendar reminders, new service announcements and special events. Contributions from our sponsors assist us in delivering high quality youth sport services at the lowest possible cost; contributions partially fund this newsletter and certain sponsors will be featured. Dan's Notes - from Executive Director Dan Klinkhammer HERE WE GO AGAIN...
Between now and February 10, Eric (and other MYAS staff) will be dealing with about two dozen teams that do not meet the event's eligibility requirements. He’ll be dealing with all the renegade and all-star teams that are attempting to gain entry. Staff members will be checking rosters to verify that all 1,100+ teams are truly community- or school-based teams. They review each and every player on every Grade State roster submitted. What are they looking for? They're looking for potential all-star or renegade team entries. When they find a “questionable” situation, the coach or association director is contacted to help determine the legality of said team/player(s). If and when it is determined that the player(s) or team is ineligible, Eric has the unpleasant task of telling them that they will not be allowed to participate in the tournament. And that’s when the "circus" really gets going. Perhaps Eric’s biggest problem with the follow-up on these notifications is that no team wants to accept his explanation or rationale for denying entry. They always have to talk to someone else on the MYAS staff and they typically don’t stop calling until they hear the same answer come out of my mouth. I am constantly amazed at the persistence and "reasoning" used by some of these folks who are pleading their case. On one hand it is somewhat comical and on the other hand it is a sad commentary on our society’s state of mind. Basically, it boils down to the fact that some people just don’t think that the rules apply to them. For some reason, they believe their situation is unique or special and our eligibility rules should not apply to them. Over the past 16 years, I can’t begin to tell you how many times we’ve been threatened with a lawsuit or how many unflattering names we have been called. Here are just a few recent examples of some of the rationale that we hear: 1) “Yes, I know that the 10 players on our 7th grade roster live in eight different communities, but that should be okay because they are all planning on attending the same high school someday.” 2) “My son is one of the smallest kids in his 8th grade class, so why can’t he play with the 6th graders?” 3) “My kid should be allowed to play down a grade because he was born three weeks premature." 4) “My 7th grade daughter is never going to get the recruiting exposure she needs by playing with the local basketball program, and that’s why I put this team together.” FYI, to the best of our knowledge, the MYAS Grade Basketball State Championship is one of the largest (if not the largest) 5 on 5 youth basketball tournaments in the world. It started off with 23 teams in 1991 and currently boasts over 1,100 teams. This event is advertised and limited to community- or school-based teams. All-star or renegade teams are not permitted to participate, because it has been deemed unfair and inappropriate for school- or community-based teams to compete with metro- or statewide all-star or renegade teams. I would say that 99.9% of the existing community and/or school youth basketball associations are in agreement with this policy. In fact, that’s where this ruling came from; it was dictated to us by the other participating associations. Most of the spring, summer and fall basketball programs are open to all-comers but the regular season, from November to March, is reserved for school- or community-based teams. Occasionally a player or team slips through the cracks, but 99% of the time we catch them. Frankly, we rely heavily upon your reports of renegade and all-star teams. If you are aware of an all-star or renegade team, please give us a call. However, please don’t call us with an unsubstantiated rumor. We need to deal with fact and sometimes facts are hard to obtain. The Data Privacy Act is a wonderful thing - until you try to get a child’s legal name, address or phone number. Folks, we are youth sport administrators. We are not detectives and we don’t have the time to “stake out” an address to see if the athlete really lives there. Likewise, it gets pretty sticky trying to prove whether or not a husband and wife are legally separated and living in different communities, or are simply going through a trial separation. There are a lot of gray areas that we are asked to deal with and it is virtually impossible to have a rule or policy for every situation that falls within the gray areas. I’ve been administering youth sport programs for 30 years now and I’m still hearing new situations and “unique” circumstances. All we can do is adjudicate those situations in the fairest manner possible. Attention Traveling Basketball Associations! The MYAS staff would like to meet face-to-face with your association. We would like to discuss the changes we have made to our programs and other information regarding the winter basketball season. Topics would include MYAS programs, renegade teams, insurance options, coaches' certification, background checks, MYAS tournament services and any concerns you may have. Please let us know if we could attend one of your meetings. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to meet with your group. If you are interested, please contact Jeremy Innes at jeremy@myas.org or 763-781-2220 x 1720. The MYAS wants to assist your organization in any way we can. We have put together a services package that includes tournament scheduling, coaches' education, insurance options and criminal background checks. You are welcome to select any or all of the services offered. Let our expertise and know-how help you! For more information, contact Jeremy Innes at 763-781-2220 x 1720 or jeremy@myas.org. Invitational Basketball Tournament Books The MYAS still has a limited number of girls' and boys' basketball tournament flyer books available. The books include information for events through June, so there's still plenty of opportunity! Please click here to find out more or to download a copy of the tournament book order form. MYAS Super Saver Basketball Tournaments Need to get in some extra games to prepare for Grade State? MYAS Super Saver Basketball Tournaments provide a perfect opportunity to play three quality games in just one day! Please click on either girls or boys to access more Super Saver info. MYAS Grade State Basketball Championships Welcome to March Mania! Information for the 2007 MYAS Grade State Basketball Championships is available on our website. Please click here to download tournament info and registration materials. Don't delay - entry deadlines are approaching fast! MYAS Rec State Basketball Championships The 2007 MYAS Rec State Basketball Championships, sponsored by Grand Rios, are just around the corner! In-house teams from around the state will be showcasing their talent on March 23-25 as they compete for a state title. The event will play host to some of the top teams from the Northwest and Southwest Suburban Leagues as well as Minneapolis and St. Paul Park and Recreation departments. The championships offer divisions for 4th-8th grade teams and include 9th/10th grade and 11th/12th grade divisions for in-house high school teams. To receive more Rec State information, please click on this link or contact Kevin Wilson at 763-781-2220 x 1712 or kevin@myas.org. The 2006-07 MYAS Gopher State Wrestling season is in full swing. The Gopher State Championships and Gopher State Team Tournament are just around the corner. There are still opportunities to attend a Gopher State Qualifier - don't miss your chance to wrestle in Minnesota's toughest youth tournament! Please click on the links above to access the applicable Gopher State Wrestling information on the MYAS website. The 2007 Upper Edge Volleyball season is underway! For updated results, standings and other information, please visit the Upper Edge portion of the MYAS website. Information and registration materials for the 2007 Midwest Regional Swim Meet are available online. Please click here to learn more or to access event info. Don't miss out on one of the largest youth swim meets in the world! Youth Baseball Tournament Listings The MYAS baseball staff has compiled youth baseball tournament listings, which include events that are designated 2007 Gopher State Tournament of Champions qualifiers. The listings are age specific, and tournaments that are GSTC qualifiers have a blue "yes" to the right of the posting. You may view all the tournament listings by clicking here. 2007 Gopher State Baseball League Information
Gopher State Baseball Coaches' Clinic The 6th annual Gopher State Baseball Coaches' Clinic will be held on March 3, 2007 at Northwestern College in Roseville, MN. The clinic will feature a former Minnesota Twin (to be named after TwinsFest), Dr. Daniel Buss (Twins team physician), Todd Oakes (Gophers pitching coach), Paul Twenge (Minnetonka HS head coach), Greg Indelcoffer (Bethel University head coach) and Dave Nieb (Northwestern College head coach). A clinic brochure will be available soon on the baseball portion of the MYAS website. NEW Girls Super Saver Openings Hosts Needed for Upper Edge Volleyball League MYAS Boys Super Saver Basketball Openings Minnesota Baseball Academy/Gopher State Hitting Leagues available! Click Here to Read How Your Team Can Play at the Target Center Reebok Shoes, Equipment and Apparel 2007 Grade State Basketball Championships 2007 BROCHURE - Rec State Basketball Championships MYAS Guidelines for Traveling Basketball 2007 Gopher State Spring Basketball Calendar Now Available Important Association Services That Work! The Minnesota Youth Athletic Services offers three important services: 1. Association and Player Sports Accident Insurance Coverage The MYAS has partnered with the agency that handles the majority of insurance concerns for the Police Athletic Leagues (PAL) around the nation. There are two broad types of insurance coverage that are both included in the MYAS insurance program: General Liability and Player Sports Accident. This program is offered by the American Insurance Group (AIG) company and provides a liability and player sports accident insurance policy that, in some cases, is cheaper than what some associations pay for just a liability policy. We also offer Director’s and Officer’s Insurance for participating associations. For more information, please contact Mike DeWane at 952-393-1929 or mike@myas.org. 2. Criminal Background Checks In addition, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that $50 billion is lost annually due to employee theft and fraud. Youth sports associations must protect themselves from this threat as well. Don’t put your association at risk! Fortunately, youth sports associations now have a simple and inexpensive tool to avoid some of society’s worst fears. The MYAS, with its partner RHR Information Systems (RHR), has designed a criminal background check system that offers three affordable options to youth sports associations. RHR, a local Twin Cities company, incorporates a “user-friendly” process combined with flexible information delivery to make this system easy and inexpensive for your organization. For more information, please click here. 3. Coaching Education Program
• The Hurricane Plunge The Grand Rios Indoor Water Park Hotel offers multiple dining options to our guests. With two signature restaurants and a cafe, the Grand Rios offers everything from five star dining choices to ice cream and coffee. As an MYAS participant, you may receive an $89.00 rate valid Sunday – Saturday which includes four complimentary water park passes per room. In addition to our great room rates you will also qualify for discounted water park admission. Group event packages for MYAS participants include:
(Disclaimer: Offered Sunday – Friday; minimum number of participants – 40; not valid with any other specials or discounts. Subject to cancellation at management’s discretion.) To book your Groups, contact: Leah Wellnitz, Director of Sales at 763-367-5841; lwellnitz@grandrios.com ************************************************************************* 
Headline: Ankle Sprains - Early Treatment Helps An ankle sprain usually happens when the ankle rolls in, causing a stretch or tear to one or more ligaments. Pain and swelling usually happen right away, and there may be bruising. To speed healing in the first 48 hours, keep the ankle raised above the knee and wrap it with an elastic bandage. Put a bag of ice or frozen veggies on the ankle for 20-30 minutes every one to three hours. See a sports medicine doctor if you have a lot of pain and swelling that don't get better. For more information or to find a sports medicine doctor, call 612-273-4800 or visit the Minnesota Sports Medicine website. *************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
MYAS membership meetings are held at our offices (4111 Central Avenue NE, Suite 208 in Columbia Heights) on the last Tuesday of each month at 9:00am (unless notified otherwise). All MYAS members are welcome to attend. |
|
|
 |
|
| Having trouble reading this newsletter?
Click here
to see it in your browser. Click here to unsubscribe. |