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October 27, 2006 |  |
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Welcome to the October 27, 2006; 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. |
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Dan's Notes - from Executive Director Dan Klinkhammer THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY That same e-mail took a few shots at a couple inner-city programs that have repeatedly been accused of eligibility violations and a few more stones were thrown at a couple local associations for “stacking” their tournament brackets so that the local teams would end up in the championship games. Once again, the message was loud and clear. The author(s) wants a fair and level playing field for the regular winter basketball season, which is designed for school or community based teams, NOT for renegade (independent) or all-star teams. In principle, we agree with their basic complaint. Community or school based teams shouldn’t have to compete with all-star teams, and we also recognize that renegade teams hurt the efforts of the local youth basketball associations. However, the author(s) made some assumptions and some accusations that were founded on rumor and innuendo, which hurts the overall integrity of the complaint. Here at the MYAS, we deal with the facts and the facts are not always as easy to obtain as the author(s) would have you believe. For example: Try calling a school and asking for a student’s birth date, address, phone number or grade level. You can’t get that info from the school because it violates the Data Privacy Act. If I addressed all of the issues, rumors and accusations that were in the e-mail, this would be a 10-page article. Here is our condensed response to the author of that e-mail and to all its readers. All-Star Teams: We agree that All-Star teams should not be allowed to participate in the regular season programs that are designed for community or school based programs. However, some of the teams being accused of being All-Star teams are not All-Star teams. Here are just a few examples of legitimate roster entries of children NOT living in the community where the team originates. 1. Kids coming from split homes have the option of playing with the closest basketball organization to where their mother or their father lives 2. Kids living in one community but going to school in another community may play with either association 3. If an association doesn’t have a third, fourth or fifth grade travel program, those kids could go wherever they want to play traveling basketball. If you don’t have a level of play for their particular grade/age level, your association has no rights to them. Renegades/Independents: We agree that “true” renegade teams shouldn’t be allowed to participate in the regular season programs designed for community or school based programs. However, we have seen a rash of renegade teams being created over the past few years. Some of those renegade teams have been created because some parent(s) were not able to artificially manufacture success for their child by following the rules, regulations and policies of their local association. We have no sympathy for those types of people or teams. However, some renegade teams have been created because their local association were not getting the job done in a fair and impartial manner. Specifically, we hear a tremendous amount of complaints from parents and coaches that their local association does a terrible job of coach selection and a poor job of conducting fair and impartial pre-season tryouts. Far too often, we hear about how the “good ole boys” are taking care of one of their friends or have figured out a way to keep everybody else off of the Board. Is this the norm? We hope not, but we have been seeing and hearing more and more of this type of accusation over recent years. So much so that we have established a Review Committee to determine the acceptance or denial of these teams into our programs. The Review Committee is a “jury of your peers” and rotates membership to give each situation a fair and unbiased hearing. In the majority of cases, the Review Committee sides with the Association, but we see about 20% of the decisions in favor of the renegade team. In each case where the Review Committee sided with the renegade team, it was apparent that the Association had failed to conduct their business in a fair and unbiased manner. Minneapolis and St. Paul: These two communities have a very unique problem. They are the two largest cities in the state and neither of them has a youth basketball association that serves the entirety of their respective communities. As a result, they can draw players from anywhere within the boundaries of Minneapolis and/or St. Paul. We agree that this does not seem to be a fair playing field, but it’s probably going to stay this way until a Minneapolis and/or a St. Paul Youth Basketball Association is created. We agree that Minneapolis and St. Paul should be divided into inner-city districts, but we aren’t sure about how to go about doing that. Minneapolis and St. Paul have some unique problems that contribute to the perpetuation of this situation. If there was an easy fix, we would have done it already. For the time being, we are looking at this problem and we intend to address it sooner than later but we will need the cooperation and understanding of everyone involved. The Solution: Youth basketball and youth baseball share the same unique problem - neither of these two sports really has a singular governing body. For example, in Minnesota, hockey is governed by Minnesota Hockey, which is the recognized chapter of USA Hockey, which is the National Governing Body for hockey. USA Basketball is the governing body of basketball in the United States but they are on record as saying that they are not focused on grass roots basketball. In other words, they have not designated any youth basketball organization to act as the governing body for youth basketball. So as we see it, it’s really up to us (you, MYAS, MSF, MRPA, etc.) to create our own governing body. Perhaps the first step would be to create a “Statewide Eligibility Committee.” That committee could replace our current MYAS Review Committee and that body could help set the template for the future of youth basketball in Minnesota. It’s a big job and it will take some time, but we believe that the end result would be better than the current situation. The key to the success of this initiative would be to make sure that everybody is represented. If nothing else, I bet that we’d all have a better understanding of everybody’s position on the important topics of All-Stars, Renegades and the Inner-City. Sponsor Scoop - from Marketing Director Dan Craighead Thank you all for your continued support of the MYAS. I am the new marketing director and already have more than a month under my belt. We wanted you to be aware there are many sponsor opportunities with us – from putting a link to your company on our website to sponsoring one of our major events. If you (or anyone you know) are looking for an opportunity to market to our program participants and more importantly their families, please send me an email (dc@myas.org) or give me a call (763-781-2220 x 1727). In future issues I hope to be sharing the new companies with which we have sponsorship agreements. We hope you will support those who support us. 2006 Summit for Youth Sports Leaders SAVE THE DATE! SPORTS ALLIANCE OF MINNESOTA ANNOUNCES THE 2006 ANNUAL SUMMIT FOR YOUTH SPORTS LEADERS WHERE: Hopkins Eisenhower Community Center; 1001 Highway 7 (West of Highway 169) TIME: Registration @ 8:00 am * Conference from 8:30am–3:00pm COST: The registration fee is $35, which includes lunch, conference materials and a conference gift. PROGAM & REGISTRATION INFO: www.sportsalliancemn.org Attention Traveling Basketball Associations! The MYAS basketball 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 fall/winter season. Topics will 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 ext. 1720 or jeremy@myas.org. Invitational Basketball Tournament Books Are you looking for a basketball tournament this fall/winter? You’re in luck, because the MYAS has once again put together girls’ and boys’ invitational basketball tournament books. There are flyers for events from September through June, so there’s something for everyone! Please click here to find out more or to download a copy of the tournament book order form. Gopher State Fall Basketball League The Gopher State Fall Basketball League wrapped up on Sunday, October 8. Congratulations to all participants for another fantastic season! We also want to thank all of the host facilities and organizations that participated this year – we couldn’t do it without you. For complete results and standings click here: http://myas.org/gm/program.asp?SportID=2&ProgramID=12. MYAS/U of M Men's Basketball Coach Clinic a Success The MYAS and the University of Minnesota Men's Basketball coaching staff partnered to provide an interactive youth coaches' clinic on Saturday, October 21. The clinic was well attended, with 80 coaches receiving the opportunity for an inside look at how Coach Dan Monson prepares Golden Gopher practices. The clinic also featured two 45-minute sessions on offensive and defensive drills. Sessions were held on the Williams Arena floor with live demonstrations led by Gopher assistant coaches Vic Couch and Jim Molinari. The MYAS would like to thank everyone who attended the clinic, and especially the U of M Men's Basketball coaches for their time. The MYAS is accepting registrations for the 2006-07 traveling basketball season. We offer tournaments and leagues from November through March each year. Super Saver tournaments are one-day events that guarantee each team three games. The Girls’ Metro Basketball League (GMBL) and the Boys’ Traveling Basketball League (BTBL) offer 12-game schedules in a league format. For specific information and/or entry materials, please click on the following links: GMBL: http://myas.org/gm/program.asp?SportID=2&ProgramID=16 MYAS Gopher State Basketball Winter Training Camp Tournaments The inaugural MYAS Gopher State Winter Training Camp Tournaments are underway and are being received with great enthusiasm. This new program is for 9th grade, junior varsity and varsity level boys and girls to help them prepare for their high school tryouts. Please click here to learn more about the Winter Training Camp Tournaments, or contact Rich Penick at 763-781-2220 x 1724 or rich@myas.org. Youth Day with Gopher Women's Basketball Please join us for Youth Day with the Gophers on January 7, 2007. Your discounted ticket price includes a pre-game reception in the Williams Arena Club Room with prizes, snacks and a visit from a member of the Golden Gopher women's coaching staff. Don't miss this chance to see Senior Kelly Roysland and heralded freshman Ashley Ellis-Milan as they take on conference foe and rival Wisconsin. Former Minnesota prep star Sarah Ingison is in her first season with the Badgers - be there to welcome her back to Minnesota! Click here to download a registration form for Youth Day with the Gophers. If you have questions, contact Jessica Christopherson at jessica@myas.org or 763-781-2220 ext. 1733. MYAS Rec State Basketball Championships The MYAS is currently accepting registrations for the 2007 MYAS Rec State Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball Championships. There will be two tournaments held in 2007! The first tournament will be held on January 12-14 and the second tournament has been changed to March 23-25. Click on this link (http://myas.org/gm/program.asp?SportID=2&ProgramID=15) to access a Rec State Tournament brochure. Contact Kevin Wilson at the MYAS office at 763-781-2220 x 1712 or kevin@myas.org for more information. Gopher State Fall Baseball League The MYAS baseball staff recently wrapped up the 15th annual USSSA/Gopher State Fall Baseball League. This year's edition was the most successful since the league's inception and consisted of more than 2,600 athletes playing on 217 teams. The Competitive Division was broken down geographically into 26 sections, while the Recreational teams comprised three divisions of play. Click here to view more information on the divisions, teams, standings and other league info. We'd like to thank all the participants for a fun and exciting 2006 Fall Baseball League! MYAS/Gopher State Baseball Staff to Set Meeting Dates The MYAS/Gopher State baseball staff is in the process of setting up informational meetings in communities around the metro area and greater Minnesota. At these meetings, we are excited to increase awareness about the comprehensive baseball program we provide for youth ages 10-19. These meetings allow us to go out to associations/communities that may not participate in all of the MYAS/Gopher State baseball programs. By creating awareness, the hope is to show more communities the positive impact our programs have on youth playing America’s pastime year-round. If your association would like to know more about the MYAS / Gopher State baseball programs or would like the staff to attend an upcoming board meeting, feel free to contact the Senior Baseball Director, Dawson Blanck at 763-781-2220 x 1719. Updated 2006-07 MYAS Gopher State Wrestling information is being posted daily on our website. Start planning now, as the first Gopher State Wrestling Qualifier is slated for early December. Please visit our website at http://myas.org/gm/program.asp?SportID=12&ProgramID=75 for more information or contact Jeremy Innes at 763-781-2220, ext. 1720 or jeremy@myas.org. Registration is now available for the 2007 Upper Edge Volleyball League and Winter Carnival Volleyball Tournament. For more information, please visit this link: http://myas.org/gm/program.asp?SportID=5&ProgramID=6. Remember to check back often for updated information and opportunities. Please contact Jessica Christopherson at jessica@myas.org with your questions. 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 see the following link: http://www.myas.org/gm/sport.asp?pageID=113. 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, go to http://www.myas.org/gm/sport.asp?pageID=112. 3. Coaching Education Program Latest MYAS News (as of 10/27/06) MYAS Boys Super Saver Basketball Openings Youth Day with Gopher Women's Basketball 2007 BROCHURE - Rec State Basketball Championships MYAS Baseball announces the 2007 GSTC dates Still Accepting Entries for HS Winter Training Camp NEW! Minnesota Baseball Academy/ Gopher State Baseball Hitting Leagues 2007 Upper Edge Volleyball League MYAS Guidelines for Traveling Basketball Traveling Basketball League Information Now Available 2007 Gopher State Spring Basketball Calendar Now Available Featured Sponsors of the 10/27/06 MYAS Update
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