 |
 |
 |
 |
June 1, 2007 |  |
 |
Welcome to the June 1, 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 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 REEBOK PARTNERS WITH THE MYAS You are going to be seeing a lot of Reebok logos on the MYAS website, bracket boards and other event information, as they are now the official ball for MYAS basketball and baseball. The Reebok deal gives us access to more equipment and apparel at a price that can't be beat. No, we are not becoming a retail store, but we will be able to pass on some great savings on Reebok basketballs and baseballs. Prior to signing with Reebok, we did some independent testing of their basketballs and baseballs and we are convinced that they are equal to (if not better than) the Spalding line. Plus we can sell you the Reebok product at a better price. Sounds like a win-win to me! You may start ordering your Reebok balls beginning June 1. To purchase basketballs, contact Buddy Hemric (ext. 1717); to purchase baseballs, please contact Jeremy Barbe (ext. 1731). The MYAS phone number is 763-781-2220. BASKETBALL SURVEY UNDERWAY In our last newsletter, I reported on the results of our Youth Basketball Summit that we held in mid-April. Since then, we have been taking nominations for our proposed Advisory Committee and have begun conducting a survey of all youth basketball associations in the metro area. Once we have finished with the metro area, we will focus on the rest of the state. The purpose of the survey is to identify the existing boundaries of these associations and to find out how various associations conduct their try-outs, coach selections and Board elections. Once we have all of this information, we will be sharing our findings with you. It is our hope that we will eventually establish a list of “best practices” for youth basketball associations. This information will also be shared with the members of the Advisory Committee. By giving the Advisory Committee the facts, we think that we’ll be able to progress a little faster than by relying on what we think we might know. It’s going to take some time to complete this survey. We are currently reviewing as many Association bylaws as we can find on the Web. Once we have exhausted all of those options, we’ll be doing a telephone campaign to get the rest of the information. We will be needing your cooperation throughout the survey process. Don’t be afraid, we are just trying to find out what’s working and what’s not. We are also keenly aware that several communities have some very unique situations and we hope to find a way to live with those unique situations or, at the very least, make people understand why everyone can’t be painted with the same brush. We’ll keep you posted on our progress. We are still accepting nominations for the Advisory Committee. If you have a Board member, coach or Association volunteer who might have an interest in serving on this Committee, please call me at 763-781-2220 ext. 1714 or send me an email. We are looking for level-headed people who are open minded and willing to look at the “big picture.” BASEBALL BENCH AND FIELD CONDUCT During the off-season, our Gopher State Baseball League Advisory Committee got tough on unsportsmanlike conduct issues. Here’s what they adopted for the 2007 season: “Anyone ejected during a GSBL league game will be immediately suspended for the remainder of the 2007 season, pending an appeal to your home association's Board of Directors. A second ejection during the same season will not warrant an appeal and will result in suspension from the remainder of the team’s regular season and playoffs.” Personally, I really like what they have done with this rule. By handling it this way, the associations will get notification of any unsportsmanlike conduct by their players, coaches or spectators because they won’t be allowed to participate again until we get approval from the local association. Knowing that a coach has to answer to their local association might make some of the “Lou Pinella Wannabe’s” think twice before they go into their dirt kicking tantrums. And knowing that a second ejection isn’t even worthy of an appeal should be enough to keep most people from crossing the line twice. We’ll see. Gopher State Girls Spring Basketball Championships Congratulations to all the teams that participated in the 2007 Gopher State Girls Spring Basketball Championships! For a complete listing of the teams that qualified for the USSSA National Tournament, please click here. Thanks to all the teams that played in this year's Gopher State spring basketball season - we hope to see you again in 2008! Gopher State Boys Spring Basketball The 2007 "Quest for the Rings" will be held over the next two weekends around the metro area. The Division II/III Gopher State Spring Championships take place on June 1-3 at Hopkins, Bloomington Kennedy, Benilde-St. Margaret's and Farmington. The Division I Championships will be held on June 8-10 at Rogers and Bloomington Jefferson. Tournament schedules can be found on the boys Gopher State Web page, and results will be posted throughout each weekend. Good luck to all the participating teams! Gopher State Prep Showcase Basketball Tournament High school boys and girls varsity and JV basketball teams are invited to attend the 2007 Gopher State Prep Showcase on July 13-15 at Lakeville South High School. This summer's tournament will be attended by college coaches from around the country, so players are sure to receive some collegiate exposure! Prep Showcase information and registration forms are available on the event's Web page. Sign up now and get a jump on the 2007-08 high school season! Gopher State Fall Basketball League The MYAS is already looking forward to the 2007 Gopher State Fall Basketball League, and we invite you to participate! This year’s league will take place on September 23-30 and October 7-14 at various sites throughout the metro area. The entry application and brochure are now available online. The 2007 Gopher State Baseball League (GSBL) recently began its eighth season for 10-18/19U players. More than 300 teams make up this traveling league that stretches east to Baldwin, WI, north to Cambridge and west to Sauk Rapids. Coaches are excited for another great season and getting back on the field to see their players enjoy "America's Pasttime." Be sure to catch a GSBL game at a field near you! All league information, including schedules, standings and maps, are available on the GSBL Web page. Feel free to contact Dawson Blanck, League Commissioner, at dawson@myas.org or 763-781-2220 x 1719. Gopher State Baseball Tournament of Champions Summer baseball tournaments are underway and many teams have already earned their berth to our "crown jewel" baseball tournament - the Gopher State Tournament of Champions. The GSTC boasts great facilities and a wide variety of competition to make for very exciting events. Check out the GSTC Web page for all sites and dates, as well as a picture of this year's championship Jostens ring that will be awarded to every player on each championship team in all ages/divisions! USSSA State Baseball Tournament / Gopher State Midsummer Challenge The USSSA State Tournament / Gopher State Midsummer Challenge is the one place teams can qualify for both the Gopher State Tournament of Champions and a USSSA World Series event! The Midsummer Challenge has become a very popular tournament because of the great venues and tremendous mix of competition at each division of play. The USSSA baseball program is a terrific option for traveling baseball teams looking to play against other teams from around the country. Go to the USSSA Baseball / Midsummer Challenge Web page to view dates, sites and other details. For more info, you may also contact Dawson Blanck at 763-781-2220 x 1719. MYAS Rec State Baseball Championships The MYAS Rec State Championships are a great opportunity for in-house/recreational teams to participate in a state tournament! This year's event will be held August 3-5 and includes divisions of play for four age groups. Reserve your spot in the 2007 Championships! Last year 95 teams battled it out for a state title, and we're looking forward to an even large field this year. Registration information is available on the Rec State web page. Contact Jeremy Barbe or Tony Groff with your questions or for more details. The Ramada Minneapolis NW / Grand Rios Indoor Water Park is the proud sponsor of the 2007 Rec State Championships. They'll have some awesome room rates and water park passes available for your entire team's season finale! Gopher State Baseball Umpire Training Clinics The MYAS recently concluded the 2007 Gopher State Baseball Umpire Training Clinics. We're pleased to report that we trained nearly 250 umpires throughout the metro area at our clinics; approximately 75% of them were first-year umpires. What a great outlook this is for Minnesota umpires in the future! We'd like to thank everyone who participated and give a huge thanks to our six instructors who volunteered their time for the betterment of Minnesota's youth baseball umpires! Registrations are now being accepted for all MYAS Junior Golf events. We offer 9-hole and 18-hole tournaments from June through August at golf courses around the metro area. There's no membership fee to pay - just select the tournaments you'd like to play in and sign up! Simply click the appropriate link to download more information and registration forms for the Rookie Tour and the Junior Players Tour. See you on the course! Calendar Updates (as of 5/31/07) June 8-10 Boys Basketball Opening Boys Spring Basketball Championships and USSSA National Qualifier 2007 Junior Golf Entry Form now online MYAS Lynx Special Ticket Offer 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
Student Athlete Use of Performance Enhancing Supplements and Drugs - Talk to Your Children! The good news is that some parents and coaches are more aware of the health risks of such drugs as steroids, creatine and ephedra. The bad news is that these supplements may be unduly glorified in the eyes of young athletes seeking to perform at higher levels or improve their physique. Surveys Give Parents Pause Key survey results showed that:
What's A Parent To Do? Parents have an important role to play in helping to reduce student athlete use of performance-enhancing products and foster ethical play. First, educate yourself: learn more about the health risks of products your child can easily access. Good starting points include: www.healthycompetitiontn.org, sponsored by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, the National Center for Drug Free Sports at www.drugfreesport.com, and www2.ncaa.org. Next, talk to your child about performance-enhancing substances. State your expectations and discuss the health risks associated with common products. Get a handle on what they are buying at the store or over the Internet. Last, determine if your child's coach, athletic trainer or school has rules in place to reduce the use of such products and learn what the school is doing to help educate your son or daughter about PED use. Minnesota Sports Medicine (MSM) is a network of sports and orthopedic physicians who treat athletes at medical clinics throughout the Twin Cities metro area. To locate a sports medicine physician or for more information about MSM, call 612-273-4800 or visit www.mnsportsmed.org. MYAS Sponsor Spotlight - Dick's Sporting Goods
In 1948, Dick Stack opened a modest bait & tackle shop in Dick’s Sporting Goods has five Twin Cities locations: 1178 Burnsville Center Burnsville, MN 55306 (952) 898-0743 Maple Grove Minnetonka Richfield Woodbury Visit Dick's Sporting Goods online at www.dickssportinggoods.com. Watch for Dick’s Sporting Goods team packets that include coupon sheets for each player on your team at your next MYAS event. There’s even a special coupon sheet for the coach. Whether purchasing for yourself or the entire team – check out Dick’s Sporting Goods!
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
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. |
|
|
 |
|
| Having trouble reading this newsletter?
Click here
to see it in your browser. Click here to unsubscribe. |