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April 27, 2007 |  |
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Welcome to the April 27, 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. |
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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 sports 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 YOUTH BASKETBALL SUMMIT RECAP On April 18, we conducted the Youth Basketball Summit at the Grand Rios Hotel in Brooklyn Park. We had a pretty decent turnout for this meeting and we spent a little over two hours discussing the state of traveling basketball. Approximately 50 people, representing 25+ associations, took time out of their busy schedules to attend this meeting. We had a very open discussion about everything from All-Star and Renegade teams to establishing some sort of communication network for the associations, and everything in between. On one hand, I was surprised to find out just how divided we are in our philosophies on what is best for youth basketball. On the other hand, I wasn’t surprised at all to hear the variety of differing comments that were expressed. After all, we do live in a country that is pretty divided on our politics, religion, education, and just about any other topic you can name. So it really shouldn’t be much of a revelation to identify the youth basketball public as “conflicted among themselves.” It was quite obvious that we are not all on the same page and many of us seek different avenues for making youth basketball in Minnesota the best that it can be. The encouraging part of this meeting was the fact that everyone got to hear quite a few opposing opinions. We think it’s great when people are allowed to express their viewpoint because everyone in that room now understands what my staff and I hear on a daily basis. It’s no secret that some of the more opinionated people out there think that we are just a bunch of idiots for not agreeing with their stance on the issue of the day. As the "head idiot" here at the MYAS, I do listen to everyone’s side of the story and I also admit to sympathizing with many of the teams that we deny entry. We don’t necessarily agree with all of the philosophies of All-Star or Renegade teams but we understand why they feel the way they do. Far too often, there is more grey area than black and white. At the meeting, we covered the following topics:
This Advisory Committee will be a group of your peers that will review our current rules, regulations, policies and procedures and by majority vote will determine where we go from here. We hope to recruit representatives from the northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest metro areas and from Minneapolis and St. Paul. Hopefully we can get at least two representatives from each of those geographical areas, which would create a 12-person committee (with an MYAS representative voting only in the event of a tie vote). The authoritative parameters of this committee are yet to be established. How will committee members be selected? In a perfect world, we would break the seven-county metro area into districts, take nominations and hold an election. But that would take forever and I don’t want this committee selection process to drag out and cause everyone to lose their passion before we ever get started. Therefore, to expedite this process, the MYAS staff and I will be reviewing candidates and making these first time appointments. If your club, association or park district wants to nominate someone to sit on this Advisory Committee, please send me your endorsement and contact information for the individual. Some of our preferences for these individuals are:
This is a work in progress and it will take awhile to get everyone and everything in place, but I am encouraged that the end result will be good for youth basketball in Minnesota. I am constantly telling our staff that if you stand still you will fall behind, and that’s where we are right now. It’s time to re-evaluate all of our rules, regulations, policies and procedures so that we can move on with the confidence that we are heading in the right direction. Your continued support, assistance and cooperation will be needed to accomplish this mission. I realize that this isn’t the “fun stuff” that we all enjoy doing, but I truly believe that if we all make the effort now we’ll spend less time spinning our wheels in the future. Gopher State Boys and Girls Spring Basketball We sincerely thank all the teams that have participated in our Gopher State Spring Basketball program! Don't forget that the Spring Championships are just around the corner. The deadline for the Division I Girls Championships is May 1 (tournament is May 11-13), and the Division II/III deadline is May 8 (tournament is May 18-20). Click here for more info about Gopher State Girls Basketball. The Division II and III Gopher State Boys Basketball Spring Championships are scheduled for June 1-3 (deadline is May 15) and the Division I Championships are the following weekend, June 8-10 (deadline is May 22). Click here for more boys information. Don't forget that the MYAS Gopher State Summer Jam tournament is scheduled for June 15-17. Sign your team up to compete against teams from around the Upper Midwest!If you're looking beyond the spring/summer schedule, information for the Gopher State Fall Basketball League is now available online. The Gopher State Winter Training Camp will hold its second season in October and November and is designed as a warmup for 9th grade, junior varsity and varsity level boys and girls teams to help them prepare for their high school tryouts. More info will be posted soon. Best of luck to all teams this spring/summer and remember -- have fun and play fair!Gopher State Prep Showcase Basketball Tournament The 2007 MYAS Gopher State Prep Showcase will be held July 13-15 at Lakeville South High School. New for this year -- we will have separate championship brackets for small (A and AA) and large (AAA and AAAA) schools. Come compete this summer in the air conditioned Lakeville South High School in front of college coaches and recruiters! Brochures were mailed to every high school in Minnesota. If you didn't receive a copy or if you'd like more info, click here to access the Prep Showcase web page. You may also contact Rich Penick at the MYAS office (763-781-2220) with your questions. The 2007 Gopher State Baseball League recently held its 8th annual official scheduling sessions at the Ramada Minneapolis Northwest (formerly Grand Rios Indoor Waterpark Hotel). More than 260 coaches representing 10-15U teams gathered to schedule their regular season games. They are excited for another great summer and are looking forward to getting back on the field to enjoy America's pasttime! Important upcoming league dates are as follows: April 30 -- 10-13U coaches' meeting at Ramada Mpls. Northwest For more GSBL information, please contact Dawson Blanck at 763-781-2220 x 1719 or dawson@myas.org, or visit the GSBL portion of the MYAS website. Gopher State Spring & Summer Baseball The schedule for Gopher State spring and summer baseball is set, and we currently have openings in our Gopher State Spring Training Series and Gopher State Midsummer Challenge. The Spring Training Series events are two-day qualifiers (three games guaranteed, no Friday games) for the Gopher State Tournament of Champions, and the Midsummer Challenge is the USSSA State Tournament. Please click on the links above to learn more about each event, including dates, sites, entry information, etc. Gopher State Baseball Umpire Training Clinics The 2007 Gopher State Umpire Clinics offer a wealth of knowledge and are great training tools for umpires of all ages and experience levels. We have five excellent instructors who are excited to share their talent and knowledge with you. We have three remaining clinics: April 28 in Maple Grove (openings still available as of 4/25), May 6 in Lakeville and May 19 in St. Anthony. Please click here to view the Umpire Training Clinic web page. Local baseball associations are strongly encouraged to send their traveling and/or in-house umpires to a clinic. They recieve three hours of extensive training for just $21 - click here to download a registration form. North Star Rec Baseball League The 2007 season of the North Star Rec Baseball League is gearing up, and has grown to 62 teams in just its third season! Participating teams this year hail from Andover, Centennial, Coon Rapids, Forest Lake, Mahtomedi, Shoreview and Soderville. All teams receive a 16-game regular season schedule against teams from their own community and the surrounding area. Thanks to all the coaches and Community Directors who are involved in the 2007 campaign! MYAS Rec State Baseball Championships It's time once again to start thinking about reserving your local in-house/recreational teams a spot in the 2007 Rec State Baseball Championships! Last year's event featured 95 metro area teams in four age divisions having a blast competing for a state title. We are excited for another great year of fun and competition at the 2007 Rec State Championship - click here to view more information and download entry forms. You may also contact Tony Groff or Jeremy Barbe for details. Reebok has partnered with the MYAS to provide excellent pricing for team sports equipment and apparel. We are proud to have Reebok as the exclusive sponsor of the Gopher State Baseball League and the official baseball of the 2007 GSBL season. Reebok baseballs are available for sale to associations or individual teams. The NFHS baseballs are on sale for $33.99/dozen and the Youth baseball is available for $25.99/dozen. Supplies of baseballs, equipment and apparel are limited so act now! Check out the Reebok brochure on our website and/or contact Jeremy Barbe for ordering details. The MYAS would like to thank Reebok for their generous contribution in support of Minnesota youth sports! The MYAS would like to thank all of the athletes, their families and the volunteers who helped make the Midwest Regional Swim Meet another huge success! Fifteen new records were set this year and approximately 850 swimmers put on an outstanding display of talent at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. For complete results, please visit the Midwest Regional Swim Meet page on the MYAS website. Calendar Updates (as of 4/26/07) UPDATED Girls Basketball Openings (as of 4/26/07) MYAS Lynx Special Ticket Offer Girls Gopher State Basketball Spring Championships Seeding Meetings April 27-29 Boys Spring Basketball Openings (as of 4/26/07) Openings available for Gopher State BASEBALL tournaments How to Qualify for USSSA National Basketball Tournament 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 contact Mike DeWane at 952-393-1929 or mike@myas.org. 3. Coaching Education Program
Shoulder Pain and Baseball Players Throwing athletes place higher stress on the shoulder muscles, ligaments and tendons. Throwing forces can be as high as 80% of body weight, leading to injuries that include: • Impingement syndrome – pinched tendons or altered joint mechanics Symptoms of these conditions include upper shoulder pain that gets worse over time and/or difficulty sleeping on the shoulder. Pain with overhead motions or lifting the arm away from the body may also signal a problem. Treatment “first steps” include reducing pain and inflammation with rest, ice and medications, such as Tylenol™ or ibuprofen. If the pain doesn’t improve, see a sports medicine doctor. He or she may send you to a physical therapist for muscle stretching and strengthening. To find a physician who specializes in sports medicine, visit www.mnsportsmed.org. For an appointment, call 612-273-4800. Minnesota Sports Medicine is the official medical provider for the Minnesota Youth Athletic Services. ****************************************************************************** 
Roseville Visitors Association works directly with sporting events, teams and organizations to make your event in Roseville a success from start to finish. We can help you with all your event planning needs and best of all, our services are FREE! We will: • Research date availability and hotel room rates Call us direct at 651-633-3002 or toll free at 1-877-980-3002, or email jlarson@visitroseville.com. ******************************************************************************
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MYAS membership meetings are held at our offices (4111 Central Avenue NE, Columbia Heights) on the last Tuesday of each month at 9:00am (unless notified otherwise). All MYAS members are welcome to attend. |
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