Attendance: Mark Chelli, Cori Distler, Mark Duclos, Rich Heritage, Paul Hylan, George Longyear, Darren McGowan, Ted Murphy, Phil Schneider, Pat Thibadeau.
Call to Order: 7:05 PM by Rich Heritage, President
President’s Report
Rich welcomed those in attendance and spoke about the idea of alternating in-person meetings with conference call meetings to make it easier on everyone.
Rich reported that Chapter funding from US Lacrosse will be changing from a “per player” allocation to an amount based on certain criteria, including what our Chapter offers to our membership (coaching education, grants, etc.). This new format will be implemented in 2014.
Rich reminded everyone that the Boys Youth Rules Conference date was rescheduled for December 1st. Part of that conference will be dedicated to discussion about grade-based vs. age-based divisions. Currently CVYL is grade-based, CONNY and NECLax are age-based, and some programs do both.
Rich stated the Hall of Fame dinner went well. There were 7 inductees and approximately 150 attendees. He commended Rob Hoynes and his HOF committee on a job well done.
Rich states that he’s waiting for confirmation on a location for the CT Coaches’ Conference which has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday, January 6th.
VP Women and Girls
Phil reported that initial planning for the 2013 Super Juniors has started. Wesleyan will host again, with Monday, June 10th as the tryout date and Thursday, June 13th as the game date. He stated that there is always a need for evaluators. Anyone interested can contact him. There was a suggestion that the Chapter send out a “Save the Date” notification to college coaches in hopes to increase the number of attendees. He said there were approximately 6 who attended this year. It was also suggested that the SJ dates be highlighted on the Chapter website calendar.
Discussion ensued re: the purpose of the SJ event and if it would be more beneficial to hold a Super Sophomore event instead. It was suggested that the Chapter get feedback from the college coaches via a survey. It was also suggested that it be discussed at the boys’ and girls’ HS Coaches’ Association meetings. It was agreed that the purpose of the event needs to be defined: is it a recruiting tool or is it more an event to capture “the diamond in the rough.”
Committee Reports:
Training and Education
CEP (Coaching Education Program): Rich reported that there is effort being made by USL to hold “train the trainer” classes for the larger leagues, so that they can then provide Level I and Level II Coaching Certification courses to their members. The classes would be open to all, not just to their league members.
Rich stated that in the meantime, the Chapter’s goal again this year is for there to be a Level I and Level II course offered both in the northern and southern parts of the state. The Chapter is budgeted to subsidized $20 for Level I and $25 for Level II for CT Chapter member. We also pay for the gym rental (~$700-$1000) and provide lunch. If anyone is interested in hosting, they should contact Rich ASAP. At this time, there is a Level I course being offered in Oakdale on February 2nd for women and on February 3rd for men. Anyone interested can sign up via the USL website. One member asked if coaching certification is a requirement at the youth level. Some youth leagues require coaching certification, others don’t.
PCA (Positive Coaching Alliance): Rich stated that the Chapter subsidized 5 PCA’s per year. Anyone interested in hosting should contact him.
Grants
Mark reported that the Grant Committee is in need of 3 new members. It is a small commitment: a few conference calls twice per year to review the grant applications. Anyone interested should contact him.
Mark reported that there were no grant applications this September (deadlines are September 30th and
January 31st ). A reminder will be sent out for the upcoming deadline.
Officials
George Longyear reported that information on girls’ youth official training will go out to program coordinators this week. He’s been working on getting officials rated this fall, which is a good step towards being prepared for the spring. He will also be training college players who are home over the winter break so that they are ready to officiate as soon as they are out of school in May.
The boys’ youth officials training information will be available soon and will again be publicized through the Chapter. The goal of the CLOA this year is to have on-field training as well as classroom training.
New Business:
Inner City Lacrosse: Rich talked about the program, founded by Michael Gary, who grew up in New Haven’s public housing projects and credits his involvement in sports as the foundation to his successful academic career. Inner City Lax is Gary’s way of giving back. He approached manufacturers, got equipment, recruited the help of Yale and Trinity coaches and players, ran fall clinics in New Haven and Hartford, and held a big final event, for which the Chapter provided officials. His vision for Inner City Lax is to expand to more CT colleges and universities, using players as volunteers to instruct and coach during the fall when they are not in their season. He states this framework not only provides a unique physical and educational opportunity for inner city kids, but also allows collegiate lacrosse players to be good ambassadors for their school and for the sport of lacrosse. Rich encouraged everyone to visit the website: innercitylax.org
First Stick Program. Rich stated that there were 2 CT programs that were awarded development grants through USL’s First Stick Program this year: Montville Girls High School and Youth programs, and St. Paul’s Catholic Boys High School program. Darren McGowan from St. Paul’s stated they received 25 sets of equipment this year and will receive 10 additional sets next year. They also received goalie equipment, USL memberships for the players, a defibrillator, and admission to the USL Coaches Convention in January for their coaches. He said they are very appreciative of the assistance and are excited about their upcoming season.
Make-a -Wish Foundation. Rich reported that Bill Giugno of Monroe and a group of U-11 boys raised over $30,000. It far exceeded their goal of $8500.
Adjourned: 9:00 PM
Next CT Lacrosse Foundation Meeting: December 12, 2012, 7:00 PM, location TBD.
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