MYAS Newsletter Template

A couple years ago, we added a pretty neat feature to our website by allowing coaches to register online and to enter their rosters online. This feature also allows you to verify a player’s birthday and grade the first time that you place them on your roster. By doing so, you only have to provide verification of a player’s age and grade once and the system keeps that information for future reference. This sure beats the old fashioned way of having to provide age and grade verification every time that you enter your team into one of our tournaments. As great as this system is, however, we have run into some problems.

Problem: When you register online and do your roster online, you choose a password and that password is unique to you. Nobody else can access your team information, so your team roster information is secure (unless you give your password to someone). One of the problems that we are having relates to coaches who forget their password and then go into the system and create a new account with a new password. When coaches do that, they create multiple accounts in the system, which results in multiple rosters in the system. Having multiple rosters in the system with different player combinations is a recipe for disaster and has led to several teams being disqualified for roster violations.

Solution: If you forget your password, please call our office and one of our staff will be happy to assist in retrieving your original password. DO NOT create another account/roster unless you are creating a new team.

Problem: Some coaches have multiple accounts and multiple rosters in our system because they coach different teams in the spring, fall and winter. Sometimes those team rosters are identical, but most often there are changes in players from one season to the next. If a coach isn’t extremely careful, they could add or delete a player on the wrong roster. This happened recently and it cost the team a disqualification from one of our events because the coach added a player to his spring roster and thought he was adding the player to his regular season winter roster.

Solution: If you are coaching multiple teams throughout the year, please identify each team with a different name and then make sure that you are making changes to the correct roster. It's a very simple solution but if you don’t do it, the consequences can be severe. Note: If you do make a change to your roster, do it online, run a copy of the new roster and bring it with you to the MYAS event and give it to the Tournament Director before you play your first game.

Problem: During the spring invitational basketball season, we allow players to participate with their community- or school-based teams AND an All-Star team of their choosing. For the spring invitationals, we do allow a player to play with either or BOTH teams on the same weekends and sometimes they are even at the same sites. However, it is very clearly stated that when you enter the Gopher State Spring Championships, a player may play on one team only and in only one division of play. In other words, players can’t play in the Division I competition and also show up playing for a D-2 or D-3 team.

Solution: Read the rules. Read ALL the rules. Read the fine print. Make sure that you know the eligibility rules for each of our program offerings. We didn’t manufacture different eligibility rules for our various tournament and league offerings to confuse you. We do it because the circumstances of our various tournaments and leagues dictate that the roster eligibility rules need to be different to allow a level playing field. Once again, the final answer to the problem is, “Read the rules or call our staff if you have questions.”

We spent a lot of time and money trying to create a system that was user friendly but nothing is foolproof. (No, I’m not calling any of you fools!) These are just a few of the pitfalls that everyone needs to be aware of. In the end, the answer to any problems that you experience with our online registration/roster system is the same: READ THE RULES AND CALL US WITH ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE! We would be delighted to help you as opposed to taking away your awards. I’m still losing sleep over having to do that.

In closing, I would like to welcome the Select Heartland Chevy Dealers to our pool of baseball sponsors and partners. They are the title sponsor for this year’s Gopher State Tournament of Champions. (The GSTC has taken on a life of its own and we believe that it’s one of the largest baseball tournaments in the country with an estimated 300 teams competing this year.) You will be able to kill some time between games by checking out the new GM vehicles that will be parked at the various game locations. We think this is a great fit for the Chevy Dealers, the MYAS and our participants. The good news for the Chevy Dealers is that my personal vehicle is a 2002 Chevy Tahoe. The bad news for the Chevy Dealers is that my wife and I like that vehicle so much, we intend to keep it for at least another five years!

On June 28th, the Chevy July 4th Sale kicked into full gear just before the release of Michael Bay’s new movie, Transformers. Steven Spielberg is the Executive Producer of this heavily anticipated movie that features cutting edge special effects and nonstop action. The new Chevy Camaro will play a featured role as Bumblebee, which makes for a great time to have the 4th of July sales event.

See your Select Heartland Chevy Dealers or visit www.ChevyDealOnline.com and Transform Your Ride with great deals on most Chevy models including the all new 2007 Silverado, Motor Trend’s “Truck of the Year”, the fuel efficient Chevy Impala or family friendly Chevy Tahoe, all featuring the GM 100,000 mile/5 year warranty. Hurry - the event ends July 9.

The MYAS would like to meet with your group to discuss the changes we have made to our programs, as well as other information regarding the fall/winter basketball season. Topics would include MYAS programs, renegade teams, insurance, coach certification, background checks, tournament services and any other questions or concerns you may have. If you are interested in setting up a meeting, please contact Jeremy Innes at jeremy@myas.org or 763-781-2220 x 1720.

The MYAS would like to take this time to say thank you and congratulations to all the teams that participated in the 2007 Gopher State Spring Championships! Listed below are our 2007 champions:

9/10U 3rd/4th Grade Division 3 - MN Bulldogs
10/11U 4th/5th Grade Division 2/3 - MN Heat Black
11U/5th Grade Division 2 - MN Jazz
12U/6th Grade Division 1 - Mpls. Hustlers
12U/6th Grade Division 2 - Eden Prairie
12U/6th Grade Division 3 - Chaska
13U/7th Grade Division 1 - 43 Hoops
13U/7th Grade Division 2 - Team MN
13U/7th Grade Division 3 - Regime Runnin' Rebels
14U/8th Grade Division 1 - Mpls. Hustlers
14U/8th Grade Division 2 - Eden Prairie Eagles
14U/8th Grade Division 3 - Andover Huskies
15U/9th Grade Division 1 - MN Lakers
15U/9th Grade Division 2 - MN Heat Black
15/16U 9th/10th Grade Division 3 - Norwood Young America
16U/10th Grade Division 1 - Red Eagles
16U/10th Grade Division 2 - Fridley
17U/11th Grade Division 2 - Flight 17U
17U/11th Grade Division 3 - ML Irish

The MYAS is in the process of collecting flyers for invitational basketball tournaments all across the state, and we will soon be putting together the 2007-08 boys' and girls' invitational tournament books.

If you are interested in having your tournament flyers included in this year's books or if you'd like to get your copy of the boys' or girls' book, please click here to download all the applicable information and forms.

High school boys' and girls' varsity and junior varsity basketball teams have been invited to participate in the 2007 Gopher State Prep Showcase on July 13-15 at Lakeville South High School. This summer tournament will be attended by college coaches from around the country. To view more information about the Prep Showcase, please go to the MYAS website.

The 2007 MYAS Gopher State Fall Basketball League is approaching fast, and we hope that you'll participate! This year's league will take place on September 23 & 30 and October 7 & 14. A program brochure and entry forms are available online now.

Begin planning now to participate in the second annual MYAS Gopher State High School Basketball Winter Training Series. This program began last year and is designed for 9th grade and high school varsity and junior varsity teams to give them an opportunity to play some games prior to the start of their high school tryouts.

Teams can elect to play just one weekend or they can sign up to play all four weekends. Teams play three “scrimmage” games each day. This year’s Training Series will be held on Sundays, October 21 & 28 and November 4 & 11th. Entry forms will be available on the MYAS website in July.

The winter basketball season is just around the corner. Updated information and entry forms can be found on the MYAS website for all of the traveling basketball programs. Click on the links below for more information.

Invitational Basketball Tournament Flyer Books
Boys Super Saver Basketball Tournaments
Girls Super Saver Basketball Tournaments
Boys Traveling Basketball League (BTBL)
Girls Metro Basketball League (GMBL)
MYAS Grade State Basketball Championships
MYAS Rec State Basketball Championships

The USSSA State Tournament/Gopher State Midsummer Challenge was a huge success. We had great weather for all three weekends of play and the baseball was even more exciting. Some qualifying teams accepted their berths to a USSSA World Series, while many more champions and runners up earned a berth to the Gopher State Tournament of Champions.

2007 Champion Teams
10AAA - Elk River Elks
10AA - St. Michael/Albertville Knights
11AAA - Chaska Hawks
11AA - Delano Tigers
12AAA - Burnsville Black
12AA - Delano Tigers
13AAA - Osseo/Maple Grove Storm
13AA - Osseo/Maple Grove Blue
14AAA - Centennial Cougars
14AA - Brainerd Warriors
15AAA - MYBA Millers
15AA - Eden Prairie Black
16 & Under - Burnsville
17/19 & Under - Thunder Bay

The MYAS Rec State Baseball Championhips are a great opportunity for in-house/recreational teams to particpate in a state tournament! The 2007 event will be held on August 3-5 for four different age groups and features a three-game guarantee.

Last year's tournament featured 95 teams from around the metro area competing for a state championship. We're expecting another exciting year of great fun and competition! Reserve your team's spot now for this year's tournament - click here to access tournament information and entry forms.

We are pleased to announce that the Ramada Minneapolis NW/Grand Rios is the proud sponsor of the 2007 Rec State Championships. They will have some awesome room rates with water park passes available for your entire team's season finale!

The 16th annual Gopher State Fall Baseball League will be kicking off this year on September 9 and will be held on five consecutive Sundays. We will once again be offering Competitive and Recreational divisions at the 10-15U age levels. For 16-19U teams, we'll offer a Traditional Competitive League and - new this year - a Wood Bat League. Please click here for more fall league information and entry forms.

The 2007 Midwest Regional Swim Meet took place at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center on March 31 and April 1. We witnessed some outstanding competition, and many old records were broken in several age divisions.

The team high point winner Ankeny (IA) Aqua Hawks faced great adversity in this particular meet, but their kids rallied around each other and found a way to succeed. To read a complete article, please click on this link.

Registrations are now being accepted for all MYAS Junior Golf events. We offer 9-hole and 18-hole tournaments from June through August at various golf courses around the metro area. There is no membership fee - just select the tournaments you'd like to play in and sign up! Click on the appropriate link to access information and entry forms for the Junior Players Tour and/or the Rookie Tour.

The Gopher State Wrestling program has witnessed explosive growth in a short period of time. While this growth has allowed for some great competition, it has also created some problems. The MYAS staff has been working diligently to improve the wrestling state tournament. We are excited about the 2007-08 season and believe that the changes we have implemented will solidify the MYAS Gopher State Wrestling Championships as the premier event in Minnesota. Look for more detailed information to be posted soon on the wrestling portion of the MYAS website.

1. Association and Player Sports Accident Insurance Coverage
Association liability and player accident insurance are always a concerns for youth sports organizations in our increasingly litigious society. Some associations spend a lot of money and others go into denial and “run naked” without even minimal liability coverage for their members. Yet if insurance is not obtained, the personal assets of the individuals running the association may be at risk. Many sports facility managers, especially municipalities and schools, will not permit the use of their property or facilities unless it can be demonstrated that youth sports associations are covered under an insurance policy. Without insurance, the opportunity for young athletes to compete in organized sports programs may be substantially limited.

The MYAS has partnered with the agency that handles the majority of insurance concerns for the Police Athletic Leagues (PAL) around the nation. There are two broad types of insurance coverage that are both included in the MYAS insurance program: General Liability and Player Sports Accident. This program is offered by the American Insurance Group (AIG) company and provides a liability and player sports accident insurance policy that, in some cases, is cheaper than what some associations pay for just a liability policy. We also offer Director’s and Officer’s Insurance for participating associations. For more information, please contact Mike DeWane at 952-393-1929 or mike@myas.org.

2. Criminal Background Checks
How do we protect our children? Reports of sexual predators and child abuse involving the clergy, day care workers and youth volunteers are all too familiar. Unfortunately, this includes a disturbing number of youth sport coaches who have a history of incidents of sexual misconduct and/or violence. This is a complex issue and many youth sports organizations are unclear about what to do or how to approach this threat, yet they must take proactive steps to prevent their children from becoming innocent victims. Don’t put your children at risk!

In addition, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that $50 billion is lost annually due to employee theft and fraud. Youth sports associations must protect themselves from this threat as well. Don’t put your association at risk!

Fortunately, youth sports associations now have a simple and inexpensive tool to avoid some of society’s worst fears. The MYAS, with its partner RHR Information Systems (RHR), has designed a criminal background check system that offers three affordable options to youth sports associations. RHR, a local Twin Cities company, incorporates a “user-friendly” process combined with flexible information delivery to make this system easy and inexpensive for your organization. For more information, please contact Mike DeWane at 952-393-1929 or mike@myas.org.

3. Coaching Education Program
The MYAS has partnered with the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) to offer youth sport associations and their coaches the Coaching Youth Sport education program designed specifically for youth coaches. It provides coaches with a solid foundation in coaching principles, sport first aid and sport-specific techniques and tactics. These courses are available for baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball and wrestling, and can be delivered in the classroom or online. For more information, please contact Mike DeWane at 952-393-1929 or mike@myas.org.

Fluids, Dehydration and Thirst Quenchers
Perform well and prevent dehydration

On average, the body loses more than two quarts of water every day - without exercise or lots of sweating. Water is a major part of our blood, which nourishes working muscles. Water also helps the blood and other fluids to flow through the body, and it helps the body cool itself.

For athletes and active people, drinking enough fluids before, during and after activity is a must. Losing just three percent of your body weight from sweat can affect your performance. And if you become dehydrated (lose too much water), you can become ill very quickly.

What's the best way to prevent dehydration? Start by making sure that you drink enough of the right stuff every day. Water, juices and milk can help maintain the body's fluid balance. Water-based foods, such as soup, oranges, melons and yogurt, can help. These can also double as after-workout snacks. Don't depend on thirst to tell you when your body needs water.

Avoid or limit soft drinks, coffee, tea and alcohol. These cause the body to lose fluids more rapidly.

Want to know more about fluids and dehydration? Visit mnsportsmed.org. Minnesota Sports Medicine (MSM) is a network of sports and orthopedic physicians who treat athletes at medical clinics throughout the Twin Cities metro area. To locate a sports medicine physician or for more information about MSM, call 612-273-4800.

MYAS membership meetings are held at our offices (4111 Central Avenue NE, Columbia Heights) on the last Tuesday of each month at 9:00am (unless notified otherwise). All MYAS members are welcome to attend.