This news item covers the following points:

• SMHA Competitive Tryout Policy
• Registration Deadlines
• Coach Applications & Other Volunteer Opportunities
• Communication re: Clinics, Pre-Season Camps & Tryouts

SMHA Competitive Tryout Policy

Work has been underway behind the scenes for several months to develop the a SMHA Competitive Tryout Policy. It can be found under the new "Clinics, Camps, and Tryouts" menu on www.FlyersHockey.ca, as well on our Bylaws Page.

A huge thank you to our VP Competitive Aaron Hiscock, the SMHA Board of Directors, and the Division Coordinators for taking the time to fine tune this policy document.

Questions or Concerns:

• Aaron Hiscock (VPCompetitive@FlyersHockey.ca)
• Melissa Berkvens (Secretary@flyersHockey.ca)
• Division Coordinators
  • Trisha Munroe (U9DivisionCoordinator@FlyersHockey.ca)
  • Morgan Spicer (U11Comp@FlyersHockey.ca)
  • Chris Fraser (U13Comp@FlyersHockey.ca)
  • Dennis Amirault (U15Comp@FlyersHockey.ca)
  • Mike Kennedy (U18Comp@FlyersHockey.ca)

Registration Deadlines

• Deadline is tomorrow - Friday, August 26th - at 11:59pm for SMHA Pre-Season Camps & Clinics. 
• Deadline is in two weeks - Friday, September 9th - at 11:59pm for SMHA Regular Season Registration.
• Click Here for Online Registration

Attention: Families with Players Trying Out for U13 AAA and U15 AA:
SMHA secured some additional ice time to accomodate an early Pre-Season Camp for most players who were already registered for the following:

• U13 AAA Tryouts AND U13 Pre-Season Camp
  • There are still a handful of spaces left in an Early U13 Pre-Season Camp, which is only for those players signed up for U13 AAA Tryouts.
  • The remaining spaces will be confirmed in order of the player's U13 Pre-Season Camp registration timestamp.
  • Players already confirmed in both U13 AAA Tryouts and the Early U13 Pre-Season Camp are posted Here, under the new Clinics, Camps, & Tryouts heading on our website. 
    
    
• U15AA Tryouts AND U15 Pre-Season Camp
  • An Early U15 Pre-Season Camp - only for those players signed up for both U15AA Tryouts AND U15 Pre-Season Camp - is already FULL as of August 23rd.
  • Players registered for both U15AA AND U15 Pre-Season Camp who are not on this list are considered to be on a wait list for the Early U15 Pre-Season Camp.
  • If space becomes available, families will be contacted based on their player's U15 Pre-Season Camp registration timestamp.
  • Players in both U15 AA Tryouts and the Early U15 Pre-Season Camp are posted Here, under the new Clinics, Camps, & Tryouts heading on our website.
    • If your player is on this list and will not be attending the Early U15 Pre-Season Camp, please reach out to Registration@FlyersHockey.ca as there is a wait list.

Questions can be directed to Helen Scammell at Registration@FlyersHockey.ca.

Coach Applications & Other Volunteer Opportunities

Reminder: Coach Application Deadline is tomorrow - Friday, August 26th - at 11:59pm

All potential Coaches must apply by tomorrow evening in order to be consiered for a coaching position this year. Folks will be contacted from this list to help with pre-season camps and evaluations/tryouts. By signing up, you are not committing to anything, but are demonstrating your interest.

We are still seeking self-nominations for other Volunteer Opportunities as well:

• Hockey Pool Administratior
• Metro Minor Hockey League Representative
• Tournament Committee Members

Check in with Melissa Berkvens (Secretary@FlyersHockey.ca) for more info or to put your name forward.

Communication: Clinics, Camps & Tryouts

To simplify communication and keep relevant messages in one place, VP's and Division Coordinators will provide updates in the coming days to be posted under the new Clinics, Camps, & Tryouts menu on our website.

There, you will already find the SMHA Tryout Policy as mentioned above, and pages already started for the U13 and U15 Divisions.

Once the Pre-season Registration closes tomorrow evening, more information will start to be released about groups and schedules.  

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There are two exciting off-ice volunteer opportunties for SMHA members looking to get more involved:

• SMHA Hockey Pool Coordinator
• SMHA Tournament Committee 

SMHA Hockey Pool Coordinator

On behalf of the entire organization, SMHA Board of Directors thanks Marc Lanthier for his time and dedication to the Hockey Pool over the last three years as the SMHA Hockey Pool Coordinator. Many SMHA Families have benefitted from the work Marc put in to running it. Thank you Marc!

The SMHA Board is now seeking a SMHA Hockey Pool Coordinator for this season. The SMHA Hockey Pool has been a successful low-cost fundraiser, helping to make Minor Hockey more affordable for many SMHA Families. The coordinator is responsible for liaising with the SMHA Board of Directors, with the 50/50 Coordinator (who maintains the Lottery License), and 30+ Team-level Hockey Pool Representatives. The Coordinator follows up with the team-level representatives to ensure the Hockey Pool Entries have been entered. The busiest time for this role is late October into early November with the Hockey Pool Entry deadline.

The SMHA Hockey Pool Coordinator should be very comfortable with technology and be an excellent communicator.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of the responsibilities of the SMHA Hockey Pool Coordinator:

• Responsible for managing the position's FlyersHockey.ca email inbox, which is a Google Account; Respond to emails in a timely manner
• Liaise with SMHA Board of Directors; Attend 1-2 SMHA Board Meetings in person or virtually  
• Be familiar with Google Workspace; The incoming Coordinator should be comfortable setting up Google Forms and editing Google Sheets to help with communication
• Be familiar with OfficePools, and support the team-level Hockey Pool reps with OfficePools questions. 
• Work with 30+ team-level Hockey Pool reps to ensure they have access to the platform so that they can enter the 1500-2000 Hockey Pool entries
• Ensure the rules of the Hockey Pool are followed as per our SMHA Lottery License

Please reach out to Melissa Berkvens (Secretary@FlyersHockey.ca) if you are comfortable with the skills outlined above and are interested in taking on this role. 

SMHA Tournament Committee

Our Director of Tournaments Blair Cole (Tournaments@FlyersHockey.ca) is looking to create a committee of volunteers to help pull off four Flyers Tournaments this season. 

The newly-created committee will be working with Blair - and other members of our SMHA Board of Directors - to successfully bring back tournaments to our association. Here are a few examples of items that committee members might help with:

• Long-term and Short-term Planning
• Communication (Assisting in drafting social media posts, website communications on a dedicated Flyers Tournaments website)
• Fundraising, Corporate Sponsorships
• Coordinating on-site volunteers during the tournaments

Please reach out to Blair Cole (Tournaments@FlyersHockey.ca) for more information and to join the committee.

The SMHA Board of Directors has set an August 27, 2022 deadline for the submission of Coaching Applications.

The Coaching Application has been posted for three weeks so far, and will continue to accept responses for two more weeks - until 11:59pm on August 27, 2022. Applications must be submitted by this time in order to be considered for coaching positions this season.

Thank you to the several dozen coaches who have already put their names forward. It is greatly appreciated. Members of the SMHA Executive and the various Division Coordinators will be reaching out in the coming weeks -  looking for help with Pre-Season Camps, Clinics and Competitive Tryouts. Note: Parent Coaches will never evaluate a tryout session for the level they coach.  

Again - this Coaching Application must be submitted by August 27th if you are interested in coaching this season. 

SMHA Gear & Stick Buy-Sell-Trade Event 

The Springfield Lake Recreation Centre is booked for a SMHA Gear & Stick Buy-Sell-Trade Event. 

SMHA Families can bring their pre-owned gear and sticks (and even swag) to sell, trade, or donate.

• When: 7-9pm, Friday September 9, 2022
• Where: Springfield Lake Recreation Centre (266 Lakeview Ave, Middle Sackville)
• Cost: FREE
• There will also be a first-come, first-served donation area. 

For more information, please contact:
Rod Sturge, VicePresident@FlyersHockey.ca
Melissa Berkvens, Secretary@FlyersHockey.ca 

SMHA Event Calendar | www.FyersHockey.ca

Thank you

Who will be the first team to hoist the First Annual Flyers Golf Tournament Cup?

Please see below for the following updates:

• Volunteer Needed: U13 Competitive Division Coordinator
• SMHA Events Calendar
• Make sure to review the last News Article from July 25, 2022. It contains vital information about the upcoming season, such as:
  • Registration Dates
    • Deadline for Pre-Season Camps & Clinics: 3 Weeks (Aug 27th) 
    • Deadline for Regular Season: 4 weeks (Sept 9th)
  • U13 AAA and U15 AA Tryouts: Starting September 15th 
  • Coaching Applications

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Volunteer Needed: U13 Competitive Division Coordinator

SMHA Board of Directors has an opening for the Division Coordinator for U13 Competitive. 

Division Coordinators are appointed annually by the SMHA Executive. They sit on the Coaching Selection Committee, and attend the Tryout Sessions for their respective division. The new Division Coordinator for U13 Competitive will be assigned an @FlyersHockey.ca email address, and will be responsible for monitoring and responding to emails. Being comfortable with technology and Google Workspace is a definite asset. 

Division Coordinators act as a liaison between the following stakeholders:

• SMHA Families
• Team Management (Coaches & Managers)
• SMHA Executive 
• Director of MMHL or CMHL administrators

If you are interested in this role, please reach out to Melissa Berkvens at Secretary@FlyersHockey.ca to put your name forward. Please let us know in a few sentences what experiences you'd bring to the position and why you want to help out.

SMHA Events Calendar

Please familiarize yourself with the SMHA Events Calendar.

It is accessible on www.FlyersHockey.ca, then under the "About SMHA" menu select "Events Calendar".

As you prepare for the upcoming season, keep in mind that SMHA is hosting a Gear & Stick Buy-Sell-Trade event at Springfield Lake Rec Centre on Friday, Sept 9, 2022 from 7-9pm.

Registration is Open

• Pre-Season Camps & Clinics
  • Deadline: 11:59hrs, Saturday, August 27, 2022
• Regular Season Registration
  • Deadline: 11:59hrs, Friday, September 9, 2022
• SMHA Registration Details Page
• Register Here: HCR 3.0

U13 AAA and U15 AA Tryouts

Attn: U13 and U15 Families

There has been a change initiated by Hockey Nova Scotia (as per this news release) regarding the Competitive Tryouts for U13 AAA and U15 AA teams this season.

• Overall Programming: Rod (VicePresident@FlyersHockey.ca)
• Competitive Tryouts: Aaron (VPComp@FlyersHockey.ca)
• Registration Process: Helen (Registration@FlyersHockey.ca)
• Finance: Tara (Finance@FlyersHockey.ca)

Coaching Applications

Are you interested in volunteering your time as a Coach? We'd love to hear from you!

Please Click Here to complete the Coach Application Google Form, or fill it in below.