Fairbanks Amateur Hockey Association

FAIRBANKS AMATEUR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

ALASKA ICEBREAKERS PROGRAM HANDBOOK
Revised 2009

Purpose: To provide an opportunity for any Alaska girl age 19 and under, of any skill level, to play hockey. To create a healthy and competitive environment in which the ideals of team play, loyalty and honesty are of utmost importance. To promote the positive aspects of good sportsmanship and citizenship among the participants, coaches and parents.

Fairbanks Amateur Hockey Association (FAHA) is comprised of three programs: the Recreational League, the Alaska Icebreakers, and the Northern Knights. The Alaska Icebreakers program is the girls program of FAHA.

GOVERNING RULES AND REGULATIONS

The Alaska Icebreakers program follows all rules and regulations of USA Hockey, Alaska State Hockey Association (ASHA) and the Fairbanks Amateur Hockey Association (FAHA). Alaska Icebreakers teams are required to participate in the Alaska State Hockey Association sponsored State league and are required to represent FAHA in any state, regional, and national USA Hockey tournaments.

THE ALASKA ICEBREAKERS COMMITTEE

The Alaska Icebreakers Committee is the advisory committee for the Alaska Icebreakers program. The Committee consists of seven members, and is headed by the Alaska Icebreakers Vice President of Girls. The FAHA General Board selects the Vice President after reviewing applications. The term of office for Committee members is one year starting October 1st.

The Alaska Icebreakers Committee shall be composed of:

Vice President of Girls
Financial Officer
Fundraising Coordinator
Ice Scheduler
Team Manager Coordinator
Secretary
Coaching Coordinator

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE

The duties and responsibilities of the Alaska Icebreakers Committee shall be:
1) To administer the FAHA Alaska Icebreakers program.
2) To recruit an Ice Scheduler to be responsible for scheduling all ice for the Alaska Icebreakers program.
3) To assign fundraising events including, but not limited to: Big Dipper Concession Stand, operation of the FAHA merchandise cart, Cash raffle, UAF Frisbee/Roster Sales and UAF concession stand operation based on team needs and expenses after evaluating team income.
4) To hear and resolve concerns or complaints that cannot be resolved at the team level.
5) To attend tryouts and make decisions concerning the number of teams within a division based first on “quality” then “quantity”, of players, and availability of ice.
6) To maintain a current set of operating rules and evaluate rule changes for the FAHA Alaska Icebreakers program.

7) To evaluate and implement ideas/changes made by the AIB Committee.

INDIVIDUAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS DUTIES

VICE PRESIDENT OF GIRLS
The duties and responsibilities of the Vice President of Girls shall be:
1) To govern the process of the membership electing Alaska Icebreakers Committee positions.
2) To hold a seat on the FAHA Executive Board, the FAHA General Board, and the FAHA Finance board.
3) To oversee the deliberations and activities of the Alaska Icebreakers Committee.
4) To maintain communication among Alaska Icebreakers Committee members.
5) To ensure that tryout ice is scheduled and tryouts are appropriately advertised.
6) To recruit volunteers to assist with tryout registration.
7) To chair the Alaska Icebreakers Coach Selection Committee as a voting member, and governthe process of each team selecting one parent from each current team to be the representatives.

8) To notify the FAHA Board of selected coaches.

9) To be available to discuss any problems that may occur during the season.
10) To be a liaison between the Alaska IcebreakersCommittee and the coaches.
11) To maintain a personnel file for all coaches and assistant coaches; including background checks, coaching evaluations, coaching certificates, etc.

FINANCIAL OFFICER
The duties and responsibilities of the Alaska Icebreakers Financial Officer shall be:
1) To work with and coordinate the activities of the individual team financial officers.
2) To be responsible for getting the ice bills from the Alaska Icebreakers ice scheduler, and the referee bills from the Referee Association. The Financial Officer will then submit the ice and referee bills to each team, and collect payment from each team.
3) To pay the ice rental and referee bills.
4) To assist in the collection of income and disbursements to teams from fundraisers as assigned by the Alaska Icebreakers Committee.
5) To provide a monthly report to the Alaska Icebreakers VP and to the FAHA Treasurer.
6) To assist team financial officers in preparing year-end Internal Revenue Service reports and give all year-end reports to the FAHA Treasurer by May 31 (end of season).

FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR
The duties and responsibilities of the Alaska Icebreakers Fundraising Coordinator shall be:
1) To schedule assigned fundraisers after the Alaska League schedule has been set.
2) To coordinate additional fundraising among competition teams to avoid any conflicts.
3) To coordinate cash raffles according to raffle criteria.
4) To gather and record all information needed for charitable gaming permit reports and give to the “member-in-charge”.
5) To communicate with the appropriate organizations concerning fundraising activities.

ICE SCHEDULER
The duties and responsibilities of the Ice Scheduler shall be:
1) To be responsible for scheduling all ice for the Alaska Icebreakers program.
2) To work in coordination with the FAHA ice scheduler and all Alaska Icebreaker coaches.
3) The ice scheduler shall submit ice schedules to the Alaska Icebreakers Financial Officer who will then submit a bill to each team on a monthly basis for their ice.

TEAM MANAGER COORDINATOR
The duties and responsibilities of the Alaska Icebreakers Team Manager Coordinator shall be:
1) To act as the Alaska Icebreakers program registrar.

2) To assist in getting registration and insurance forms to the registrar until the team manager is picked.
3) To oversee the Alaska Icebreakers individual Alaska Icebreakers Team Managers.
4) To plan and oversee the team managers initial team meeting.
5) To administer the ordering of all Alaska Icebreakers team jerseys, socks, and jackets.
6) To maintain a list of jersey sponsors.
7) Check all team Credential books before tournaments.

SECRETARY
The duties and responsibilities of the Secretary shall be:
1) To keep minutes at all Committee meetings, and forward those minutes to theFAHA Secretary.
2) To promote the FAHA Alaska Icebreakers program, teams and players through appropriate media releases.
3) To submit to the FAHA newsletter and the local media information about Alaska Icebreakers teams, members, progress, highlights, coaches, and where past players and coaches are now.
4) To promote Alaska Icebreakers team and jersey sponsors.
5) To oversee all AIB public displays, such as but not limited to, the Dipper display case.

COACHING COORDINATOR

The duties and responsibilities of the Coaching Coordinator shall be:

1) The Coaching Coordinator coordinates activities under the direction of the VP and Board.

2) The Coaching Coordinator conducts activities pursuant to the development of players and coaches.

3) The Coaching Coordinator provides technical assistance to the coaching staff through one-on-one discussions, or open sessions designed for the interchanging of views and philosophies

4) The Coaching Coordinator monitors the progress of teams and players by various means such as viewing practices, attending games and conferring with coaches, assistant coaches

5) The Coaching Coordinator is responsible for reviewing the on-ice portion of the try-out process, and to work in conjunction with the VP, Head Coaches and / or Evaluators to formulate, update and revise the try-out procedure as needed.

COACH SELECTION COMMITTEE
The duties and responsibilities of the Coach Selection Committee shall be:
1) To set timeline for the coach selection process.
2) To format and mail out coaches evaluations to all players/parents.
3) To provide local sporting goods stores and ice rinks with coaching applications.
4) To provide a set of guidelines outlining the criteria used to select the coaches.
5) To arrange interviews for ALL potential coaches.
6) To solicit, nominate and forward names of selected coaches on to the Alaska Icebreakers Committee.
7) To notify the FAHA Executive Board of the coaches selected for their approval of the coaches for legal liability reasons.

8) To establish salary for head coach on an annual basis.

ALASKA ICEBREAKER TEAMCOMMITTEE

The duties and responsibilities of the AIB Committee shall be:

1)To be comprised of one volunteer from each established Icebreaker Team.

2)To hold monthly meeting to discuss ideas and issues concerning the Icebreakers.

3)To make recommendations to the committee for changes in the Icebreaker Organization.

TEAMS, PLAYERS, PARENTS, AND GEAR

TEAM SIZE AND COMPOSITION
Each team is made up of a maximum of 20 players including up to three goaltenders per USA Hockey and Alaska State Hockey Association rules and regulations. A coach may elect to have a team with fewer members.

PLAYING TIME
Coaches have authority over playing time. The amount of playing time each player receives will vary based on the coaches’ philosophy;if you have concerns or reservations about playing time, consult with the coach about his/her policies before accepting a position on the team. Each coach will provide a written statement of his or her expectations of players and their parents including their best available estimate of travel and expenses at tryouts.

PARENTS/GUARDIANS
Parents/guardians are an important part of the Alaska Icebreakers program. Participation requires a serious financial commitment and a significant commitment of time and energy; please read the team finance and player fee sections below. FAHA recognizes the role of parents and encourages their active involvement in the Alaska Icebreakers program. Parents can help the program through the soliciting of sponsorships, actively participating in fundraising events, and by supporting their players emotionally and financially. Parents/guardians should keep the following points in mind when their child is a player on an Alaska Icebreakers team:

Players are expected to be on time for and participate in all team events unless excused by the coach.

When traveling, for safety and liability reasons, one adult (other than the coach) must accompany the team for every five players. In hotels one adult should be in each room or have ready access to player rooms.

Exceptions to this policy are made on a case-by case basis to be determined by the Alaska Icebreakers Committee.

The behavior of team parents/guardians should not in any way embarrass the Alaska Icebreakers program, FAHA, or the State of Alaska. Parents/guardians should be aware that USA Hockey Officiating Rules allow a referee to penalize a team for the unruly behavior or inappropriate language from the stands.

Parents/guardians should let the coach do his or her job during games and practices. If you have a concern about the team or your player, please speak to the coach or team manager after the game or practice.

Parents/guardians not traveling with the team are responsible for arrangements with a parent who is traveling with the team to accept full responsibility for their player including money for daily expenses, medical care, and transportation.
If you and your child elect to participate in the program, then you are accepting all the responsibilities associated with the program.

TEAM TRYOUTS/SELECTIONS
Player selection is the responsibility of the selected coaches. AIB teams will be encouraged to be age appropriate. In the event that a player wishes to “play up” an age level, both the coach from the team losing the player and the coach from the team receiving the player, shall agree that it is in the best interest of the skater. The VP of Alaska Icebreakers will facilitate and participate in the meeting between the coaches to confirm the decision.

Players must wear full gear for the tryouts. A nonrefundable tryout fee will be collected before the player may go on the ice. The fee will be assessed for each division for which the players tryout. If the player was not registered with FAHA the previous year they must show proof of USA Hockey Insurance or pay the current fee.

PLAYER HOCKEY GEAR AND JERSEY
Each player is responsible for providing their own hockey gear including but not limited to HEC approved skates, socks, shin pads, hockey pants, cup, shoulder pads, elbow pads, black helmet (exception of goalie), mouth guard.
Uniform colors for Alaska Icebreakers competitive teams shall be purple, black, gray and white. Individual team members must purchase their home and away jersey.
No patches are to be placed on any game jerseys other than the Alaska Icebreakers official logo, player name, player number. Player sponsors will not be placed on the jerseys.

FINANCES

PLAYER FEES AND EXPENSES

All players will pay the applicable FAHA registration fee and Alaska Icebreakers registration fee. The USA Hockey insurance fee will be paid online through USA Hockey..

All players will pay a Team fee (see current fee schedule). This fee goes into the team account for that team’s expense such as, but not limited to, ice rental, hiring of referees, head coaches, and assistant coaches. Additional funds may be required during the course of the year depending upon the game schedule and travel.

All players are responsible for soliciting a player sponsor (see current fee schedule). The sponsor will be prominently displayed on a banner to be hung at every game. If the player does not solicit a player sponsor, the player’s family must pay the fee. This fee goes into the team account for team expenses.

Players may solicit an unlimited number of banner sponsors to help offset individual player financial obligations to the team account. Banner sponsors are advertised at all league games and on the Alaska Icebreakers website.

All players must purchase their home and away jersey, which includes the basic numbering and lettering. All players must purchase team jackets and warm-ups if required by the coach.

A team may require cash-calls from all players throughout the season if fundraising efforts do not cover team expenses.

The team manager will make the coach and parent aware of any outstanding balances that are more than 60 days past due. The Alaska Icebreakers Committee and team coaches will enforce the no-pay/no play policy.

Unresolved bills from past year will disqualify a player from the Alaska Icebreakers program. The Alaska State Hockey Association has a reciprocal policy that precludes transfer from one association to another for players whose accounts are in arrears.

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REFUND POLICY
Refundable fees are the Alaska Icebreaker team fee. Apparel is a non- refundable fee unless there is a new player who can utilize the items. Refunds are prorated on the schedule below. This refund schedule applies to both voluntary and involuntary withdrawals that can occur anytime between team selection and December
31.

Withdrawal by October 1st: 2/3 fee refunded

Withdrawal by November1st: 1/3 fee refunded

No refunds after November 1.

Playersponsorships are given to the team not the individual therefore the Alaska Icebreakers Committee will handle refunding of the jersey sponsorship fee on a case-by-case basis.

TEAM FINANCES

Alaska Icebreakers teams are financially self-supporting. All costs incurred exclusively for participating in the Alaska Icebreakers program are the responsibility of the participants of the individual teams within the program. FAHA will not be responsible for Alaska Icebreakers teams that are delinquent in their bills nor will FAHA be responsible for internal team budget problems.

The team pays for ice, referees, game fees, tournament fees, salary for coaches (see Coaches Salary). The team will pay for the head coach and one assistant coach’s travel expenses for all out of town travel, for the use of one vehicle and one lodging room for the shared use by the coach and assistant coach for out of town travel (see Coaches Per Diem and Travel). Each team, contingent upon team approval and budget, can pay for more than one assistant coach expenses, more than one room and or more than one vehicle as their commitment and budget allows based upon a team vote.

Each team will need to solicit at least one team sponsor of at least $2,000. The team sponsor will be displayed on a banner to be hung at all games. The sponsor name will be advertised on the Alaska Icebreakers website.

Fundraising is an important element of participation in the Alaska Icebreakers program. All parents and players are required to be actively involved in fundraising events. All money collected by any team or group-representing FAHA must satisfy all IRS and non-profit corporation rules. In particular, contributors to the Alaska Icebreakers program should know that FAHA only accepts money donated to the team account.