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Connecticut Stars
2007-2008 Season Update
June 2007
We have terrific momentum on many fronts leading into next season and I thought it was timely to update all our players, families and friends on how our plans are gelling.
We had a great turnout at tryouts this year. Five teams have been formed for next season and we are very excited about the talent and enthusiasm at all levels: U12, U14-1, U14-2, U16 and U19. Eighty-four players will wear the Stars uniform this year.
Our U12 and U14 programs are proceeding as planned. Our regular ice becomes available on September 1. These teams will practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at the times described below. We are also considering an optional off-ice conditioning program during the week. The U-14s will have some of their practices coached by 'guest' prep school coaches. All our younger teams will have some professional 'power-skating' instruction during their regular practice times. Our U14-1 team will play in a prep jamboree that will take place at Hotchkiss and Berkshire Schools in early November. They will also have a weekend in Boston in early February where they will play at Boston University. We are working hard to schedule some other games for the U14-1s at other New England prep schools. As we have in previous years, all of our teams will play in the RI Panthers tournament over Thanksgiving and the Polar Bears tournament in late December. We are also considering the possibility of entering all three of our younger teams in the Lake Placid tournaments in the fall.
The U16 and U19 teams will kick off the season early this year. Both teams will be playing in the Chowder Cup tournament in Massachusetts on July 20-22. This is a very competitive tournament and a great opportunity to play in front of college coaches. We are planning a series of practices, clinics with college coaches, and games in the fall, all of them on Sunday afternoons per our usual practice. Both teams will also play in the RI Panthers and Polar Bears tournaments and our Sunday schedule will extend into the balance of the season. We expect to post our schedule for the first half of the season during the summer so everyone will have plenty of notice about our plans.
We expect all of our teams to be competitive this year. Players and families should be aware that, assuming success in the regular and post season, participation in State, Regional and National tournaments is mandatory for all players.
We have completed our arrangements with Shelton about our ice times for next season which are:
· Tuesday: 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. through mid-October; 8:00 to 9:10 p.m. thereafter
· Wednesday: 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
· Thursday: 8:30 to 10:00 p.m.
· Saturday: two game slots from 1:00 to 3:45 p.m. through December; 4:00 to 6:45 thereafter
· Sunday: two game slots from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
(Note: all of the above times include 10 minutes for ice cleaning for each slot.)
The U12 and U14 teams will share the weekday practice slots. A rotational practice schedule is currently being developed.
Steve Altschuler, our scheduler, will be working with the coaches, team managers and Shelton to make sure we optimize the use of our ice. This is our single largest budget item and it is important that we manage it well.
All of our players should have completed online registration with USA Hockey by now. All girls who played with a different program last season need a Release from their previous team. These should be sent to our Registrar, Kathy Ludwig (details on the website). There will be other USA Hockey documents to sign before the season commences. Please keep an eye on your emails and our website for instructions.
Joe Katz has been making a number of improvements to our website. We need all of your help with this process. Joe welcomes stories and pictures to keep everyone informed about our teams and how they are doing. You should be receiving an email soon from Joe outlining how each family can manage their own contact information on the website to make sure it is up to date.
All of you should know your team manager(s) by now. They have a lot of responsibilities and will welcome other volunteers to help with specific tasks, such as website communication, photographs, clock managers and score keepers for home games, tournament assistance, etc. Please let your manager(s) know if you are willing to pitch in.
We are finalizing arrangements with Harrow as our primary equipment supplier. Sheri Kimiecik has kindly managed this project and we are excited about the quality and price of the products Harrow will be offering us. A customized website will be available soon for Stars users so you can purchase your equipment online.
We are putting together a Stars alumnae organization under the leadership of former Middlebury Captain, Shannon Tarrant, and former Harvard Captain, Jenn Sifers. We have an increasingly large group of former Stars who have offered to give their time and energy to the organization which we warmly welcome.
Stars Hockey is a non-profit organization and we rely on the generosity of our participating families and friends to make sure we have adequate resources to continue improving the quality and competitiveness of our programs. Fundraising will be an important component of our volunteer activities this year. Mike Lockwood has agreed to spearhead our efforts which will include:
· Sponsorships – we are looking for corporate and individual sponsors to help us with a range of initiatives, including: third game jerseys, practice jerseys, gloves, sticks and other equipment; Stars banners/posters/pictures at Shelton; some of our events and publications. All donations and support are welcome.
· A mini-golf tournament next to the Shelton Rink to kick-off the season.
· Merchandise sales to Stars families and friends.
· A yearbook to serve as a keepsake for our players.
· A year-end banquet (and auction) to celebrate the season.
Mike will be sending out an email shortly to further elaborate on some of these fundraising efforts. All of these activities will require creative ideas and the time of volunteers. If you have thoughts or time to give to these efforts, please let Mike know:
Next season promises to be an exciting one. The Stars organization is committed to doing everything we can to develop our girls as hockey players and individuals. We exist for them and hope their Stars experience will be fulfilling and fun. We welcome and thank all of our families for their support of this important effort.
Doug Greenwood
President
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