A Message from the GMHA President, News (Guelph Minor Hockey Association)

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May 07, 2020 | Bryan Smith | 2403 views
A Message from the GMHA President
Please see the note below from the GMHA President. Including updates on GMHA's members accomplishments from the 2019-20 season, current plans for the 2020-21 season, REGISTRATION for the 2020-21 season, tryout updates, and other important details for GMHA members to review.

Dear Junior Gryphons families.


I hope this message finds you and your families in good health and staying safe during these unprecedented times.


On behalf of myself and your board, I wanted to reach out to provide updates about the past season and the upcoming one.  There is important information at the end regarding the upcoming season.


The end of the hockey season was abrupt and left many of our players, and parents, disappointed in not being able to compete for the championships they worked so hard for and unable to end the season with team celebrations with their friends and teammates remembering the fun times they had throughout the year.  We are all adjusting to this new environment with some having to adjust to managing at home caring for young children, helping them adjust to online learning and trying to manage and monitor their online gaming or social activities, life continues to roll on with people balancing these new day time activities while staying on top of work requirements.




2019-2020 Season:


Community Recognition:

I was honored to represent the GMHA in receiving an award from the Guelph Wellington Children's Foundation for our support of their Free to Grow Program.  This program supports low-income families enroll their children in support and arts programs that would otherwise not be able to afford these activities.  GMHA has been a proud supporter over the past 10 years and has helped 125 kids be able to enjoy the sport of hockey.


House League:

Your board congratulates all our house league players that worked so hard throughout the season and for ending the season with well played and fought round robbins.  Your board has decided to award championship and finalist trophies for house league based on the round-robin standings when the season was canceled.  For many of our midget players, this was your last season playing in the GMHA and we wish you well going forward in your educational and sports endeavors; and hope you leave the GMHA with the same passion for this sport as you had when you started.


Rep Hockey:

We would like to congratulate all of our rep teams for the great seasons you all had on and off the ice. Many of you made OMHA and Tri-County semi-finals this year and you should be proud of your accomplishments!  A special congratulations to our Minor Peewee AA team, you had a fantastic season with an incredible record, many tournament successes, and most importantly, earning your OMHA Red Hats as co-champions for the 2019-2020 season!  To our Midget AA team, this may have been a bittersweet ending to your season, and for many, to your careers as GMHA players.  But know this, your team had a tremendous season capped off with the ultimate success of earning OMHA Red Hats as co-champions for the 2019-2020 season.  What a fantastic accomplishment to both teams and for those that have ended their hockey careers with the GMHA, you should be very proud of this crowning achievement.  To our Minor Atom AE team and Atom AE team, congratulations on earning the title of Tri-County co-champions for your respective age groups.  Both teams had fantastic seasons and were leading their series 1-0 and I know how excited you were at the opportunity to be crowned champions.


AGM:

Given current restrictions on social gathering to remain at 5 or fewer people, your board has decided to postpone this year's AGM until a future date, yet to be determined.  This is an important event during our year as it allows your board to provide a season re-cap and wrap up and outline our plans for the coming season.  Please know your existing board members will remain in the role until our AGM is held and we elect new directors to the board to replace those who have come to the end of their terms.  If you are interested in joining the board we will be posting nominations to our website in the coming days so please keep an eye on the website.  If you would like to become involved but are unsure of what this entails, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or any other board member you may know and we would be happy for you to join one of our upcoming virtual board meetings which are held the third Sunday evening of every month.




2020-2021 Season:


We do not yet know when the season will begin for next year and this leaves many people with lots of questions.  Having said this, your board continues to plan and work through our regular season opening requirements.  These items include registration, equipment/jersey orders, tryout processes etc.  


We are watching closely for any word from Hockey Canada, the Ontario Hockey Federation, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association, and the Government of Ontario for signs of when our upcoming season may begin.  This could range anywhere from tryouts starting as early as sometime in August and lasting anywhere up 4-6 weeks after our kids return to school, or somewhere in between.  Will it start in time to complete a normal-length season or will it be shortened due to social gathering restrictions?  While the future is uncertain, please know your hockey association remains strong and is in a very good position to continue offering you the very best in hockey skills development in a fun and safe environment.  


While there are still so many unknowns regarding the upcoming season, what we do know is this; your board is committed to working hard to ensure we budget appropriately to respect the fact some of our members will be impacted financially by this pandemic, and we are in a financially strong position entering the upcoming year.  As such I am glad to let you know your board has agreed to cap the base registration costs at last year's levels and are committed to review this amount if the season is shortened.  


In order to help us plan we need to hear from you on your intentions for next season.  


Registration:

In order to help the board plan for next season, we need to hear from you. Having an advanced line of sight on registration numbers is crucial to planning for the upcoming season. Therefore, we have opened our registration system for the 2020-21 Season..  


To be respectful of the financial impact this pandemic may be having on you, your board has agreed that NO PAYMENT is required at this time. We are, however, asking that you look to register your child now, with the understanding that plans may change.  When we know when the season is going to start, what it will look like, and when the board has approved final registration amounts, we will reach out to those registered to confirm intentions and the payment required.    


The MAXIMUM registration fees are listed below for each age group:

Skating School: $395

U7 (Skills Development 1 & 2): $485

U8-U9 (SD3/Minor Novice & Novice): $500

U10-U11 (Minor Atom & Atom): $535 

U12-U18 (Minor Peewee to Midget): $560


IMPORTANT REGISTRATION NOTE:

NO PAYMENT IS REQUIRED TO REGISTER. YOU WILL BE GIVEN THE OPTION TO PAY VIA CHEQUE (AT A LATER DATE) OR ASKED FOR YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION AND A PAYMENT PLAN WILL BE ARRANGED FOR THE FULL BALANCE TO BE PROCESSED ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2020. You will be contacted by email before the payment is due. There will be an opportunity to withdraw your registration before that date if required. 


CLICK HERE to REGISTER


Tryouts:

With all tryouts now being moved to the fall, your board is making plans for how this will operate but everything is dependent on direction from our governing bodies.  We have been in touch with the city and the University of Guelph to start discussions with other ice users that will also see a need for increased ice availability in the fall.  For our players entering their first year of body checking, we are committed to running body checking clinics in the fall again to ensure they are prepared for tryouts.


To our ADP players, as per your player development pathways, plans will be made to offer pre-season skates before tryouts begin. 


Development:

Our development team has and is establishing web-based sessions to help our players stay active and physically fit during the summer and help them burn off some pent up energy and steam.  Communications will be going out via email with information on these sessions, which are open to all GMHA members.


Age Category changes:

Please note for the coming season there is a change to our playing categories.  The OHF is moving from the previous naming convention to age groups.  Please check out this link https://www.ohf.on.ca/news/2019/hockey-canada-announces-change-to-age-division-names for more information on this change.




While we need to remain physically distant with those outside of our homes, please remember to stay socially connected.  


Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and I look forward to seeing you all back in the rinks!


Yours truly,


Peter Guth

President

GMHA


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