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Traverse City North Stars

Updated Practice Days & Times

for

January 25 - 31, 2021

GTHA Member – 

As a result of the most recent Executive Order coming from Lansing, GTHA will be able to re-engage in our season.  Full competition/scrimmages/contact will not be allowed but we have been cleared for practice, skills skates, shooting drills, etc.  So please see below for how we will begin this process.  The Executive Order is effective until January 31, 2021 which means that we will be able to fully engage with games, scrimmages, contact on February 1, 2021 (as long as the order is not extended).  I know that we are all anxious to get this season completed and our various leagues, MAHA and District council have and will continue to make adjustments to year end tournaments in order for us to complete what has been a season with plenty of ups and downs.  I think we need to look at this two week period as a time to get our players ice time to get their feet under them and get them ready for competition.  We plan to use this time wisely so that on February 1, 2021 we will be well prepared to play the rest of our season to completion. 

Here are the policies and procedures that will be in play for GTHA members through January 31, 2021.  As we work through these, there may need to be adjustments so I ask your patience as we work through the coming two weeks:

1. Grand Traverse County has made the request of ICE to reclaim Howe arena to be used as a community wide vaccination clinic for the foreseeable future.  At the very least, we will not have this facility for the remainder of this season, starting on January 25, 2021.  The GTHA Board and Centre ICE board are working with the County to facilitate this transition in a positive way.  As we begin to exit this Pandemic our Community needs resources like Howe to get our community vaccinated so we are working in concert with them to accommodate their needs.
2. We will formally re-engage beginning on January 18, 2021.  For the first week (week of January 18, 2021) we will be using the schedule that has already been published by ICE so please check their website for your team’s schedule for this week.  Starting today, management at Centre ICE will begin to prepare a schedule that will accommodate all their user groups.  Keep in mind that this schedule will be required to get all the user groups into two rinks from three as a result of losing Howe (mentioned in 1 above).  As part of this change ALL team events on the ice will be shared with another team and will be 50 minutes.  This is the only way that all user groups will get their seasons completed.  Please be understanding as ICE works through this process.  Every user group will share in this process as the allocation of ice time will be fair and equitable.   Please do not reach out to Todd and Kurt about the schedule starting on January 25, 2021 as they will be crazy busy trying to get all of us scheduled.
3. Players can arrive no earlier than 15 minutes prior to their session and must be out of the facility within 15 minutes upon conclusion.  We encourage players to come as dressed as possible in order to facilitate a smooth transition.  Locker rooms will be available with no more than 8 players per room plus a coach and locker room attendant, however there will not be any showers in use.  Please plan accordingly.
4. We are asking that players be dropped off at the rink and that they are picked up when finished.  At this point we would like the player to be unaccompanied in the rink. The fewer people that are in the building, the less likely a COVID exposure may occur.  While we ask that the player comes alone, we also understand that we have some players that need help with equipment (such as getting their skates tied, equipment adjustments, etc.) so we will allow no more than one other person, per player, to be in the rink.  Please understand that we are trying to limit exposure to groups of people and if we all cooperate, we will be more likely to get going on February 1, 2021.
5. All team events will be NON-CONTACT!  This is specifically and repeatedly mentioned in the Executive Order.  We cannot let our guard down here.  The Executive Board expects all coaches and players to abide by this rule.  There is no exception here and violators will be ask to leave and return only when this rule is completely understood. 
6. MASKS ARE REQUIRED! This should not be a surprise to anyone.  Strick adherence to this is a must.  Again, the Executive Board expects all players, managers, coaches, etc.  to be completely masked up in accordance with the State order.  Once again, if anyone (coaches, players, managers, etc.) chooses not to comply with this, please stay away from the rink and all team events.  I understand that there are very passionate opinions about masks but if we want to get through this season we need to mask up.  Save adverse opinions for the politicians and not for rink personnel or GTHA personnel. I have attached the approved face coverings as delivered by MAHA.  These are available to purchase in our local sporting goods store and I would encourage the use of these as they have already passed muster with MAHA and State officials.
7. The COVID protocol that was in place prior to the shutdown will be restarted on January 18, 2021 (e.g. temperature checking, contact tracing, social distancing, capacity limits, etc.).
8. Do not come to the rink if you are sick or have been exposed to the virus.
9. The second session of the IP program will be cancelled in order to make room in the schedule to get others scheduled.  Effort will be made to accommodate IP players into teams to keep them on the ice and developing. 

Please be vigilant with compliance  and patient with GTHA/ICE as we move down the path of getting this season completed.

Thank you all for your understanding during this year.  My hope is that all of this will be gone by Spring and we will be able to assume normal operations at that point!

Have a great remainder of your week!

Warm regards,

Steve

Here is the latest from the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association.  Please take a moment to look these over.   

GTHA Membership –

What a year 2020 has been.  I hope this finds you healthy and well in what only can be described as an abnormal year!

Regarding the most recent announcement from the State allowing VERY limited activity in ice rinks in Michigan, guidance from MAHA indicating that there will be no sanctioned MAHA activities under the organized sports provisions in the order, GTHA is going to continue its pause until at least January 15, 2021.  I have had several conversations with members of the MAHA brass and there is a strong likelihood that District, State and National tournaments will be pushed back in order to get our season made up when we are allowed to return.  Additionally, as cases/deaths continue to rise and if this trend continues, the pause will likely continue.  This puts our season further and further out.  On a call I was just on with MAHA, they and USA Hockey DO NOT want to cancel the season.  Every effort will be made to get our season completed in the most healthy and efficient manner.  I ask for your patience while these events unfold.

Centre Ice has a plan that they will likely institute for PRIVATE rentals starting on Monday 12/14/20.  Management from Centre Ice has calls into the Health Department to make sure that their plan meets approval with the order.  Again these are private rentals and not to be construed to be GTHA activities.  GTHA is paused and will not act on behalf of any member to contract ice or to hold any team activities while under our pause posture.  Further, MAHA has issued very clear instructions, that any member, coach, official or representative of MAHA that deviates from this order, will have swift and significant disciplinary action taken.  This is not a time to jeopardize our Affiliate Agreement by thinking that any one person or persons is above the rules.   I will not advocate for anyone who is caught in this position and not only will disciplinary action come from MAHA, but the GTHA also can impose sanctions under our by-laws as well.  Just don’t do it! 

Regarding those of you who are wondering about the financial aspect of this season.  It is the policy of GTHA to refund all amounts paid (minus sunk costs like clothing, team fees that are not refunded from fees paid for tournaments and the administrative fee paid to GTHA) if the season is shortened by MAHA/USA Hockey.  At this point we are still planning on a full season and look forward to our return to play but I wanted to make sure that we communicated to our members that are concerned about finances and to let you know refunds will be forthcoming if our season gets canceled for those that are due refunds.  Parents will also have the option to carry over any credit balance to the following season if they wish to do so.  Team commitment forms were required to be submitted to District 7 in November and we have done so.  What this means, is that our teams are committed to play in Districts, States and Nationals (for our national bound teams) whenever these tournaments are scheduled.  We are currently working on a way to put a pause on accounts for those who do a monthly payment through Sports Engine.  We need to be flexible with our members and this is one way that we can help our membership by pausing payments until we return to play.  Once we are allowed back on the ice, we will resume the payments through Sports Engine.

Finally – for those who have reached out to me personally or other board members, please know that we have received your messages about mask wearing, social distancing, etc.  GTHA supports all of the mandates issued by MAHA and USA Hockey regarding these matters and have communicated this to our coaches, officials, players and parents regarding such.  100% compliance with these mandates is expected, period.  Any coach, official or player that is deemed to not be in compliance, our officials and members of the Board are authorized to remove that person from the playing surface until compliance is met.  Multiple warnings will result in the violator to be dismissed from the team for the year.

Not everyone agrees with how this pandemic is being handled and I understand that completely.  As a board we have a responsibility to follow our governing bodies orders and will continue to do so.  It is not fair to jeopardize our hockey community by circumventing the rules by some.  Let’s do our part to keep the game moving forward SAFELY.

Warm regards,

Steve Peacock
President
GTHA Executive Board
 

THE LINK BELOW WILL GIVE YOU INFORMATION ON HOW TO DEAL WITH COVID SHOULD IT AFFECT YOU OR YOUR TEAM ACTIVITIES.

FACE MASK REQUIRED

TO ENTER
CENTRE ICE ARENA/HOWE ARENA

Face Mask Must be worn throughout the Building
including Locker Rooms

Coaches / Mangers Registration Link

Update

On Coaching Certifications

Please Click Here for More Info

2020 - 2021 Regular Season  

Registration is now open

for more information on Costs Please Click Here

Good day everyone!

    As of April 1, at 7 AM Mountain Time, USAH will launch the national background screening program. The link with additional information on the national screening program is located at www.usahockey.com/backgroundscreen . This page has all the information about the new background screen,

Also below I have attached a file of FAQ about how the new process will work.

Mayo Clinic King Devick Test Video

Per USA Hockey and MAHA: Starting with 2010/2011 season, youth hockey player cell phones are not allowed in any locker room. With most kids having cell phones with cameras, there is a risk of inappropriate photos being taken and possibly being posted on the web. Hopefully, by keeping the phones out of the locker rooms, this can be avoided.

GTHA is taking this a step further and added to the policy by specifically saying any device capable of taking pictures or video are prohibited from the locker rooms.

GTHA thanks you for your understanding and cooperating with this new national rule.