Minutes from GTHLA General Meeting – Oct. 18, 2008

Attendence: Jeremy Harris, Cor Holubowich, Thomas Carrol, Sharon Harris, Adam Elliotson, Mike Loveless, Colin Aussant, Chris King, Tim Freeman, Paul Aucoin, Chuck Molgat, Luke Salomons, Brett Van Dyke, Dave Bidini, Luis Freitas, Richard Switzer, Dan Hickox, Louis Durand, Sal Knox, Tom Goodwin, Ray Henderson

1. Cor Holubowich (Black Hearts) volunteers to take minutes

2. general parameters of meeting.

core values

constructive discussion

3. scheduling future meeting.

a. self perpetuating agendas.

collaborative online tools. getting people to use them.

b. central source, communications.

- Luis - communication. feels we've lost communication avenues between teams, players, etc. could we streamline the online sites we've got going now?

- Dave B - feels our website doesn't reflect the creativity in the league. would volunteer to have a blog where teams could send in pics and game reports, etc. each week and he'd update it.

- Tom - easiest right now to have a Google group to maintain the discussions. Tom also working on a database to merge our stuff.

- would be good to centralize this info and pics, etc.

- Luis - let's prioritize the Google group so we can improve the communication. Can we send out a message to GMs with the URLs to pass to the teams. Tom and Ray sending out.

(http://groups.google.com/group/gthla. This is a brand new discussion group which has a link to earlier GTHLA discussion in the HAA discussion group(we’re flushing out some admin details))

- Richard - working on a site just like this right now for CBC grass roots hockey.

- Action...use Google groups discussion space now, but start a discussion about where we want to take this. Dave will begin working on this now. Sal volunteers to call a Communications meeting to get started.

next meeting - early January.

4. fair play

Greg Simone's is organizing the rules now and make them more readable. Working with Warren Scheffer. Working on a demerit system. Can be posted on Google groups when it's ready. Retrofit of demerit points as well. It's in the works. He'll post and there will be a chance for feedback.

Discipline issues have been difficult to deal with by committee. The FPC Chair (currently Greg Simone) will make final decisions after discussion and teams can later make an appeal,.

d. FPC proposing new rule of 4.5 PIM average over 2 consecutive years should be addressed. 5 is the current limit and the discussion centred around not making more rules, but simply manage what we are already doing. League and summit this year were both improvements, and the penalties are going down, so it seems the current mechanisms are working. Chuck thinks it would be good to publicize the penalties, and raised the issue that we used to have that on our stats pages. Where did that go? Raises the issue of stats reporting by GMs, and not being up to date.

Everyone in agreement to stick with current rules.

f. positive initiatives...fairplay reps coming into each dressing room at the beginning of the season. Rick MacDonald Fairplay Awards coming soon. Check out the blog for more details. Committee could use more members. Greg is chairing. Luis asked if he could send out a message asking for volunteers.

5. Membership.

a. Priscilla working on membership projects and will be asking for help with that. Team and player agreements have been posted for a year and half. Luis suggested printed agreements available in dressing rooms for all players on opening day. GMs take care of it. There is a page on the league site for membership agreements.

b. first aid. Sal and Lynn are going to organize a full day of training upstairs at the Rhino. Every team will be expected to have one rep with training. Looking at the end of November. League fees include this.

c. volunteering hours. no problems for reporting, but suggestion for an auto reply.

d. fee discounts. Priscilla and Julie Martin entering stats if GMs don't. discounts for that available.

$$ discounts for meeting attendance, social events, something creative? for encouragement.

Teams can be eligible up to a $700 discount for next season’s fee

The possible combinations include…

$10 for entering roster on league site

$2 everytime the team enters their game stats before a league statistician does

$30 per each General Meeting attended by a team member

$30 per low penalties. Same guidelines as before

$50 for hosting a social event for the benefit of the league

$30 for a team collectively contributing something creative to the league for its benefit

$500 for volunteering. Same guidelines as before

$200 for paying entire fee at first deadline

It’s decide that new teams don’t have to host social events.

6, timkeepers feeling threatened.

Gm;s need to address players.

More volunteers for timekeeping.

b. Extracurricular going well

Schedule looked at again in 3 months,

7. It’s confirmed that Sal Knox will head up a communication committee responsible for such things as website & Newsletter development

Aaron Brophy is organizing the Summit Program Guide

8. Everyone is content with either the El Mocambo or Lee’s as a venue for the next Summit Hootenanny

9. A Board of Directors is discussed