Hello all,
I wanted to send out a
note with some upcoming dates and information now that we are in the final part
of the season.
The executive has taken
on a number of initiatives over the last few months to improve on and update
executive functions which I will review below in the update section. Before we
get to that I just wanted to release the dates for our Awards Banquet and AGM.
Awards Banquet and Annual General Meeting
- The Awards Banquet will be held on Sunday, April 19th from 1:00-2:30 pm at the arena in the upstairs hall.
- The Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 28th from 7:00-8:30 pm at the arena in the upstairs hall.
Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
Updates
- By-Law Project-The current Executive has taken on the task of updating our by-laws, Executive Role descriptions and Operations manuals. We initiated this project as we felt that with the new technology the league has adopted some of our regulations were outdated. We also felt that there was room for improvement within the executive and having a thorough review of our by-laws, manuals and role description and updating them was a way that we could achieve this. The amendments have been proposed and the documents will be submitted to a lawyer for review and subsequently presented at our Annual General Meeting to be voted in.
- Coaching Applications- We are going to start the conversation and application process now for Coaching interest instead of mid-summer as we have in the past. The executive has made this decision as we felt that more time was needed to review applications, interview and make decisions and have coaches get certifications needed before the start of the season. Registrations determine how many teams we have and what coaching staff are needed and this information is not finalized until closer to the start of the next season however we would like to be more prepared in future. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a coach next season please reply to this email and we will send you the coaching application link
***Note-if you are unsure of where your child will be playing next year but would be interested in coaching if they do play in Grand Valley next season please still fill out an application and add your hesitation in the additional comments sections of the application.
- Executive Roles- Most of us have heard the whisper that “Don’t go to the AGM or else you will get roped into volunteering” and in the past that has been fairly accurate in my opinion as well as some people are committing to roles in the spur of the moment that they are not prepared for and are ill-informed in terms of what the duties are for that role.
Well, we have made a decision this year to try and remedy this and we feel that preparation and communication are the keys to helping resolve the issues mentioned above. The executive has made the decision to amend the process of selection for executive roles as follows:
- All Positions are technically available this year however we do have some current executive who would like to remain in their roles or switch to another role.
- Attached is an outline of all the executive roles please review.
GVMH_Executive_Role_Descriptions-Jan_2020
- 2 amendments to note in the executive roles that have been updated this year:
1) We have amended the previous stipulation that the President must have served on the GVMH executive in the past. We want to ensure that we have the best fit for the President to lead our executive and we feel that serving on this executive in the past should not preclude someone from applying for the position. (I stepped into the leadership role on executive this season when it was required to ensure that there was not going to be any interruption during the season for our players however this was not a role I was seeking and I will not be remaining in the leadership role on executive next season)
2) Executive Roles will be open to either:
- Adults who will have a player registered with GVMH for the upcoming season
- Adults who do not have a player registered in minor hockey at another centre (if you have multiple children and one will be registered to GVMH for the upcoming season you can still apply).....This is also open to adults who have no children/grown children etc...
- If you would like to fill an executive position please fill out this interest application by Feb 14th, 2020 at 11:59pm EST. Potential applicants can also be nominated by someone else however the nominee will need to fill out an application to confirm their interest. If you have any questions about the roles please email our Secretary Meghan (cc’d on this email) [email protected]
- The Executive will then review current applications and mark the applications as received. The Executive will discuss and decide the best fit with applicants who have shown interest in multiple roles or a role that has received multiple applications.
- The membership will then be sent a list of names along with the Executive Role that person is interested in. The membership will have 2 weeks to confidentially send in any feedback (positive, negative, concerns, conflicts etc…) to the secretary. Deadline for feedback will be outlined in that email.
- Once the deadline for feedback has passed the executive will meet and review feedback and confirm applicants and an email will be sent out to inform the membership of the tentative executive role placements for the next season.
- The Executive will then commence training and mentorship for the tentative incoming executive.
- At the AGM the incoming Executive will be officially voted in by the Association and after which point, if they have the majority vote they can officially step into their role.
***PLEASE NOTE that the roles are not official until the AGM and the current executive remains in their role until the AGM.
We as the executive have come up with the process above to help ensure applicants are in a role that they feel is a good fit and they also feel they have been properly trained and prepared for that role. We have found that this has not been the case in the past when new executive are voted in at the AGM and the departing executive may not have the availability to support and assist after they have vacated their role at the AGM.
Our hope is that this process will be a positive one for all involved. We are hoping to match skill set with role expectations and duties and feel that by doing so we will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our executive as well as limit frustrations.
Lastly, I want to mention that as always we need volunteers who are willing to step into these Executive Roles. Hockey in a small town cannot function without a dedicated team of volunteers. I volunteered to be on the executive a few years ago as I felt I could make improvements to our IP program. Honestly, I complained about how things were set up when my children were in the program and I felt if I was spending my time complaining then I had time to volunteer to help offer solutions. After a few years of volunteering on the executive, I now have a much better understanding of how hard all of our volunteers work to keep hockey in Grand Valley and make it accessible to all who live in this town.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected].
Good luck to all of our teams in the playoffs and I look forward to seeing you all at the Awards Banquet and the Annual General Meeting in April. Go Twisters!!!
Kind Regards,
Amy Steele
Acting VP & Ice Scheduler
Grand Valley Minor Hockey Association