Starting in January 2016, all Tyke players will have the opportunity to make use
of an EXTRA hour of ice each week. Each team will be at the rink
for 2 hours. One week the development session will follow the game, and one
week it will run before your game.
Greetings Hockey Fans!
A big thank you to each our hockey families for responding so quickly and in numbers to the survey this week. The input of our parents was a huge help and very important, because ultimately YOUR enjoyment of this program and the development and enjoyment of your CHILD are the absolute most important factors.
I will start by saying that we received 45 responses. A very good response seeing as we have only 63 families in the Tyke program. A strong 60% of responses wanted full-ice games exclusively even if it meant giving up the development hour, and many very thoughtful comments and concerns were raised on both sides of the issue. Surprisingly perhaps was WHO voted for half-ice and full ice. A handful of our strongest players were among the 40% minority. Worth noting.
Last night, at the AMHL board meeting, we discussed the concerns and opinions that had been raised, and at the end of the night, we have reached what everyone in the room felt was a fair and respectful compromise - for the program, the kids, and the parents.
Beginning on Sunday, January 3rd, our game schedule will now look look like this:
All times at Spring Valley Arena:
- 7:00-8:00 - two teams playing a FULL ICE game
- 8:00-9:00 - all four teams participating in a development hour
- 9:00-10:00 - the other two teams playing a FULL ICE game
As a result, ALL kids will have the opportunity to make use of an EXTRA hour of ice each week (marking 22 bonus hours of ice for the TYKE program alone this year over last years' plan). Each team will be at the rink for 2 hours. One week the development session will follow the game, and one week it will run before your game.
I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the Development hour. While some comments painted this as "just an extra practice" - we have all seen our kids get better and better on the ice with every repetition. If you are a team helper - please do your best to join the coaches on the ice for this hour - the more helping hands, the more effective our sessions.
If you have questions or concerns about our FINAL plan for the remainder of the Tyke season, please pass them along - we are all striving for the same positive experience for our youngsters, I look forward to a VERY successful second half of the season.
Paul Empringham
Director of Initiation
([email protected])