Vermont High School Girls Hockey Coaches Meeting

November 1, 2007

Hartford High School, Hartford, VT 6:00pm

Minutes

·        Welcome
 

·        Essex Rotary Senior All-Star Selection Process
Lisa or Mike could not make the meeting.  Luke shared a handout Lisa provided.  Please contact Lisa with questions.  Lisa will attempt to get the list of senior nominees at the beginning of the season.  Coaches MUST turn in the nominations ASAP.  Coaches should remind their opponents who their senior nominations are prior to the games.  A discussion of the purpose of the Rotary game and what it means to the seniors followed.
 

·        Association All-Stars
Please send Luke your top 5 players in ranked order #1 being your best.  It will get sent out prior to the start of the season.
 

·        Current Selection of new VGIHCA Executive Council Members

o       Current Executive Council: President – Luke Cioffi, VP – Brad Bessette,
Treasurer – Chris Turley, Secretary – Nelson Fogg, Past President – Dave Lamarre
 

·        Collection of dues: $20 per member
Please forward payments to Chris Turley
 

·        Coaches Association Webpage  http://www.vgihca.org/

o       Listing of College Players
Coaches please email Jeff Rouleau jrouleau@bfasta.net or Luke Cioffi lcioffi@bfasta.net with a list of your alumni that are playing or have played college hockey (club or varsity)

o       Coaches contact information

o       League Results
Continue as in the past.  Coaches please email Jeff with your schedules

o       Schedule Module
Could the webpage contain a mechanism that would aid in the creation of schedules?  Could help scheduling the few non-league games and scrimmages

o       Coaching Resources
Provide a list of resources for coaches use on the web.  Drill of the week?  We need to educate all coaches.

o       Player Opportunities
Provide a list of showcase opportunities for players to attend.  (i.e. N.E. All Stars, HNIB, NAHA Showcase, off season camps…)

o       View other coaches association / state websites for ideas
 

·        League News

o       Rule Modifications
Mouth guards do not need to be attached
New Standards of Play will continue

o       Scrimmages
I know I missed some times here…
Hartford has ice on Wed 11/21 3:00-5:10
Colchester is doing a round robin on 11/24 (need a team?)
 

o       MSJ?
Scott Matthews (Rutland) says MSJ is still having a team, but it could lose them
No word on coaches
 

o       MAW Donations
Please continue to consider giving to this organization.  Some schools collect money throughout the year for this cause.  The association needs to continue to help with this organization and the VT/NH game.
 

·        What can the association do to improve the girls’ hockey experience?

o       Chip Edson (BBA) discussed Northshire/BBA recruiting efforts.  The hockey community organized a girls in sports day at the rink!  Gave girls and opportunity to skate with and without hockey equipment, view a real game, play other things besides hockey.  They also recruited soccer and lacrosse players.  Lots of word of mouth recruiting.  Tripled their numbers for this season!
 

o       High school coaches need to help ensure that their local organizations are maintaining / growing girls programs.  Get your high school players involved with the younger teams.
 

o       A discussion of the VT Select program developed.  Will the association be asked to support a select program?  Nate Isham (VAHA) proposed the VT selects at our spring meeting.  The association discussed it there with no voting on the proposal.  Lots of opinions on this topic.  No consensus on this currently.  Luke wants to see the data that justifies the need for girls to go to the November & December tourneys. 
Nelson discussed the Hartford youth hockey situation.  They combined with Lebonon, NH to create the Valley Storm.  He questions whether this will “grow girls hockey” in Hartford.  Creating bigger organizations is not the answer.
Coaches must showcase their girls.  Make the girls and parents aware of the opportunities for high competition and the colleges that they could attend.
Chip mentioned talking to college coaches about which camps to attend out of the hockey season.

o       A discussion of how we could look into creating a showcase for public high school players.  We would have to make it a regional event in order to draw college recruiters.  We should investigate pulling in public school players from NY, NH, VT, CT, RI, ME.  Combine it with boys?  It could be an all-star break.
 

·        Nelson shared a book on small games.
Scott says we should share more drills, tips, systems amongst ourselves.  This would be a good use our meetings.  Also put them on the web!
 

·        Next Meeting

o       Network meetings a possibility again! LNV

o       Friday Feb 1, 2008  Luke will set this up.  Will test the system prior to the meeting with some schools.

• LNV (Learning Network of Vermont):
  Every school that was connected to the VILN (about 60 high schools) is part of the LNV, but they need to reconfigure their videoconference terminals (Viewstations) to do so. Northeast Computer Systems is currently the supplier of technical support and training for the LNV. That includes giving instructions and assistance to get connected, or coming to the site and directly getting things running (usually takes anywhere from 20 minutes to a day or two to get things set up). LNV uses the schools’ existing Internet connections, so there isn’t any other cost associated with it. Right now about 11 or 12 sites are up and running, we expect another 10 or so to be connected soon.
  
   

The great thing about the LNV is that you can set up video meetings by yourself (you don’t have to call us or have a technician set it up). It does take 10 or 15 minutes of training

 

In your case, if one coach knows how to schedule video meetings, the others only need to know how to turn on the Viewstation and sit in front of it (well, it helps if they know how to use the remote…).

I am copying this email to Bill Romond and Arlyn Bruccoli at the Dept of Education. Bill has been in charge of the LNV project since its inception, and is now transitioning that role to Arlyn. They can help you with any questions about policy, etc. In the meantime, take a look at the LNV website: www.learn.vt.gov

Paul Garstki