11OCTOBER 2012 MEETING of the CONNY BOARD of DIRECTORS

CONNYlacrosse

11OCTOBER 2012 MEETING of the CONNY BOARD of DIRECTORS

The CONNY Board of Directors (BoD) met on Thursday, October11, 2012 in the Board Room of Stratford-Sterling House in Stratford, Connecticut. A quorum being present, President Mac McDermott called the meeting to order at 7:11p.m.

A.ATTENDANCE

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Program/PositionName

PresidentMac McDermott

VP-CompetitionPaul Farren

VP-Girls League PlayTrish Weber

AVP-CompetitionPat Corcoran

VP TrainingSteve Orban

TreasurerBetty Kelley

SecretaryJack Couch

AmityBetty Kelley

BethelDan Sieban

CheshirePete Greveldin

EliFred Groen

Fairfield-WakemanDrew Carothers

GreenwichPat Coleman

Craig Winjvoie

GuilfordPaul Farren

MadisonDave Newton

Tom Swank

MilfordKirk Knudsen

Dave Ivanovich

New MilfordMac McDermott
ProgramName

NorwalkJack Couch

PomperaugMatt Funk

Redding-EastonJay Starrett

RidgefieldDarren Muller

Monique Class

SimsburyLou George

StamfordMike O’Connor

StratfordDrew Viner

TrumbullPeter Tinnesz

Ted Chase

WallingfordCarl Koch

West HavenPat Reed

WestonMark McColl

WestportRich Ullmann

WiltonBrian Colburn

Chris Skillin

WolcottMike Whitney

VinnyThibeau

US Lacrosse CT Chapter PresidentRich Heritage

CONNY Girls OfficialsRandy Bayliss

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CONNYlacrosseBoard of Directors Meeting, 11 October 2012

B.MINUTES

1. Minutes of May15, 2012Meeting of the Board
   Approval of these minutes as presented was moved, seconded, and carried (msc) unanimously.
2. President’s and Executive Committee Report
   President McDermott reported on decisions and actions taken by the Executive Committee on the BoD’s behalf since the May15 meeting andalso described several pending issues:

• VP-Communications Vacancy: President McDermott reported that Lisa Hurst is stepping down as VP-Communications and webmaster for CONNYlacrosse.org, and asked member programs to help find a suitable replacement. Anyone interested in the position should contact Secretary Jack Couch (), who will pass the names on to Nominating Committee chairman Bob Russell. Ms Hurst, who has done an outstanding job wearing several hats since becoming involved with the advent of CONNY Girls play, will fully train her successor.
• Program Contacts: President McDermott asked that member programs make sure their critical contact information is current. At minimum, before the official start of scheduling each member program must provide one person within the program to which important CONNY notices and information can be sent with confidence that they will reach the right people in the organization. Ideally, they will also name their program’s representative to the CONNY Board, the primary contact for boys teams, the primary contact for girls teams, and any designated schedulers. One person may hold more than one of these positions. Without current contact information, important communications about league rules, schedules, meetings, events, etc., too often do not reach the people within local member programs who need to know about them. That annoys everybody, and on occasion has caused serious problems. Any contacts updates should be sent to Secretary Jack Couch and the VP-Communications when Lisa’s successor is determined.
• Parental Behavior:Since CONNY began requiring US Lacrosse CEP and PCA coachestraining, the sideline and practice behavior of coaches has improved significantly. However, reports of untoward behavior from parents reached alarming levels last spring. The Sportsmanship Committee and Exec. Comm. imposed harsh disciplinary measures against programs and parents for grossly inappropriate behaviors—including threats—toward officials, coaches, and even opposing youth players. Such behavior spoils the experience of the children, discourages people from becoming officials and coaches, and threatens to undermine the integrity of the game as these parents … and the children learning from their example … progress through higher levels of competition. This isn’t just a CONNY issue, but CONNY is taking a leadership role at US Lacrosse in addressing the problem. Mental health professionals tell us that parent misbehavior around youth sports derives from excess zeal and misplaced priorities, a lack of behavioral self-awareness, and often, ignorance of … or misleadingly partial knowledge of … the rules. In lacrosse, the girls and boys

guidebooks published by US Lacrosse and distributed to all youth player parents in 2012 attempted to address player/parent behavior through the Code of Ethics and some rules education. The 2013 editions of the guidebooks will feature the “Compete with Class, Honor the Game” initiative even more prominently, but unfortunately, the parents most likely to misbehave are probably those least likely to read the guidebooks thoroughly. Therefore, CONNY has led the initiative at US Lacrosse to produce a lacrosse specific video that directly addresses parental behavior and distribute it to the lacrosse community via multiple channels, including, but not limited to: access at links on league/club/local program websites; and formats that allow viewing/projection at preseason player/parent meetings, attendance at which could be made “mandatory.” This last may be the most powerful venue since it will allow discussion among parents, and may even make it easier to recruit parents to be trained as sideline managers. US Lacrosse is even exploring the possibility of integrating the video into the parents’ transaction when they register their children online for league play and purchase their US Lacrosse membership. This risks overcomplicating a process already viewed as, at best, confusing, but it deserves consideration. In the meantime, President McDermott asked member programs to consider how they can positively influence their parents’ behavior next spring.

• Make-a-Wish Lax and Sticks for Soldiers:President McDermott reported on the Lax for Wishes U11 boys team CONNY sponsored last summer with a starter matching grant of $2,000.00 and asked the BoD to authorize continued support for that program and the Sticks for Soldiers fundraiser over the Thanksgiving Weekend (also a $2,000.00 contribution). Lax for Wishes raised over $34,000.00. The October Lacrosse Magazine carried a feature story about the team. For 2014, Lax for Wishes plans to add a boys U13 team and a girls component. A proposal to again contribute $2,000.00 to Sticks for Soldiers and to authorize the Exec. Comm. to support Lax for Wishes again with at least a $2,000.00 matching grant against the first $2,000.00 raised by the 2013 teams, but with the option to contribute more if the expansion to include girls and U13 boys requires. The proposal was msc unanimously.

President McDermott had nothing else to report not covered elsewhere in these minutes.

1. AVP-Competition’s Report—Pat Corcoran presented a draft proposal for CONNY regional play (attached). The primary focus is to provide a better experience for under-squads (Tier 3 teams), but it has implications for Tier 1 or 2 caliber teams. Comments and suggestions for refining the proposal should be addressed to Pat, for discussion and resolution at the next meeting of the BoD.
2. Treasurer’s Report—Treasurer Betty Kelley reported that for 2012 total income was $162,731.67 and expenses were $164,655.51, of which $140,352.93 related to CONNY postseason activities at Yale. The ending balance was $87,699.34.
3. Secretary's Report—Mr. Couch reported on several initiatives in which CONNY will, or may, participate:

• Northeast Region Initiative: CONNY is joining with Mass Bay Youth Lacrosse (MBYLL), Connecticut Valley Youth Lacrosse (CVYL), Hudson Valley, and the new New England Coastal Lacrosse (NECLAX) to increase cooperation between leagues, exchange ideas and best practices, and explore competitive opportunities across the region.The first step will be a meeting November 10 that will explore boys rules standardization and improved youth rules officials training (subsequently moved to December 1 due to Super Storm Sandy).CONNY Rules Committee members JeffTousignant of Newtown and Bob Clarke of Shelton will help with this initiative going forward. At a later date to be determined, a regional meeting with a broader agenda will be held. Mr. Couch and President McDermott will report on these meetings at the next BoD meeting.
• US Lax Key Account Retreat—On November 30, CONNY will serve as host for thirteen youth lacrosse leagues from across the country to help US Lacrosse better understand the dynamics and needs of youth leagues, which they now recognize as their “key accounts.” This recognition is a major departure from US Lax’s previous focus, which relied almost exclusively on chapters to be the conduit for information flowing up to national and for programs and services to flow down to members. CONNY will be represented by President McDermott, VP-Girls League Play Trish Weber, AVP-Competition Corcoran, and Mr. Couch, who will report to the BoD at its next meeting.
• US Lax Gold Stick Recognition, Standards, & Timetable—US Lacrosse has invited CONNY to be a pilot program for their “Gold Stick” program to improve the lacrosse experience of youth players, and the Executive Committee has accepted the invitation provisionally. Eventually, there will be Gold Stick standards and recognition for club teams, summer travel teams, camps, clinics, etc., in addition to youth leagues. Gold Stick seeks to establish best practices for these entities, and to educate parents about what they should expect when they sign up their children. The Executive Committee has begun comparing the Gold Stick requirements to current CONNY practice to identify areas in which we currently do not comply … there don’t seem to be many. Any substantive changes to current practice will be brought to the BoD for approval, and a timetable for compliance proposed for anything that might require more time to implement (e.g., see VP-Training Report below). If the BoD finds any of the requirements to be too onerous, or inappropriate for CONNY, we are always free to withdraw from the program.

1. VP-Training’s Report—Steve Orban presented an exciting opportunity for CONNY, derived from CONNY’s possible Gold Stick recognition. One of the Gold Stick standards is Level 1 Coaches Certification for at least one coach on every sideline (presumably, but not necessarily, the head coach). Among other things, such certification requires attendance at a US Lacrosse Coaches Education Program in-person clinic. With only one or two such clinics available in our area, compliance would be near impossible. However, US Lacrosse has agreed to help CONNY develop it’s own “captive” CEP Level 1 trainers, who then will be able to conduct frequent Level 1 clinics across CONNY’s territory. As part of the regional initiative, these clinics will also serve other nearby leagues. The CONNY Executive Committee has agreed to cover all training costs for our clinicians. Mr. Orban urged member programs to identify people within their programs who might qualify as CEP Level 1 trainers, and send nominations to him as soon as possible at . The hope is that CONNY can host a “Train the Trainers” clinic at the end of 2012, or early in 2013.

Mr. Orban also reported that the United Athletic Center in Stratford, which was again to be the venue for CONNY CEP clinics, has gone out of business. He is looking for appropriate facilities. One benefit of CONNY gaining our own stable of CEP Level 1 trainers is that more frequent clinics can each be smaller, thus allowing more facilities to be considered.

1. CONNY Girls Report—VP Girls League Play Trish Weber reported on plans to form three committees to spread the load of work on the girls’ side of CONNY. They are: CONNY Girls Tournament Committee, CONNY Girls Officials Committee, and CONNY Girls Rules Committee. Volunteers should contact Ms. Weber.

Ms. Weber also reported that 107 girls games had been canceled at the last minute last spring for reasons other than weather, and vowed to establish penalties to discourage such cancellations in 2013.

1. CONNY Boys Report—VP Boys League Play Rich Greenwood being absent, there was no CONNY Boys report.
2. Vendor Relations Committee Report—This committee reported that negotiations with ComLaxto renew their contract as lead vendor at the CONNY Tournaments have begun, but that we should be prepared for a significant reduction in vendor revenue.
3. Competition Committee Report—VP-Competition Paul Farrenreported that talks with Yalehave begun for the 2013 CONNY Tournaments, and that CONNY has a tentative hold on the first three weekends in June. Costs keep rising, and Mr. Farren anticipates another year of difficult negotiations.
4. Girls Officials Committee Report—Randy Baylissreported that George Longyearwill help him in 2013. In 2012, 48 adult officials worked 669 CONNY girls games; 11 combination adult/youth teams worked 84 games; and 150 Junior Officials (high school students) worked 770 games.

He also discussed plans to offer umpire training for college players home for the Christmas holiday break. Training will be four hours, and will provide an expanded pool of knowledgeable umpires for the second half of the CONNY season, after the women’s college season ends.

1. Boys Rules Committee Report—Mr. Couch asked members to submit boys rules suggestions to him. Tom Swank of Madison commented on the utility of the Boys Rules Test, and volunteered to help develop the 2013 test.
2. CONNY 2013 Dues—In light of anticipated increased costs of CONNY postseason activities at Yale and reduced vendor revenue, the Executive Committee recommended increasing the CONNY dues as follows:

$300.00Basic Membership:Covers the first two boys teams and first two girls teams a member program enters in CONNY Lightning, Junior,and Senior play.
(Was $275.00.)

$125.00Fee for each additional Lightning,Junior, and Senior boys or girls team entered in CONNY play.
(Was $100.00.)

(No fee is charged for Bantam teams.)

The proposed 2013 dues,the first increase in over five years, were msc unanimously. Send dues by April 1 to:

Betty Kelley, Treasurer
CONNY Lacrosse Association
P.O. Box 4083
Woodbridge, CT 06525

1. FUTURE MEETINGS
   The next meeting of the CONNY Board will be in late fall, at a site to be determined.
2. ADJOURNMENT
   The meeting adjourned at 9:46 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Jack Couch, Secretary

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CONNYlacrosseBoard of Directors Meeting, 11 October 2012

PROPOSED CONNY REGIONS

New York Region
(11 teams) / Fairfield West Region
(11 teams) / Fairfield North Region
(10 teams) / Fair Haven Region
(10 teams) / Shore Haven Region
(10 teams)
Rye / Greenwich / New Milford / RELAX / River Ticks
Yorktown / Stamford / Danbury / Stratford / Madison
John Jay / New Canaan / Brookfield / Trumbull / Guilford
Bronxville / Darien / Bethel / Shelton / Branford
Eastchester / Norwalk / Weston / Bridgeport / North Branford
Scarsdale / Westport / Newtown / Monroe / North Haven
Larchmont-Mamaroneck / Wilton / Pomperaug / Milford / Cheshire
Harrison / Ridgefield / Litchfield / Amity / Wallingford
Chappaqua-Greeley / Wakeman (Fairfield) / Watertown / West Haven / Hamden
Somers / New Fairfield / Wolcott / Eli / Glastonbury*
DOCS NYC / Simsbury*

2013 Proposals:

1. Each CONNY team will be placed in 1 of the 5 regions shown above.
2. For Tier 3 level teams, a team must play a minimum of 7 CONNY games to qualify for the CONNY Tournament, but there is no requirement to play any games outside your designated region. In other words, if a program chooses to do so, it can limit the amount and distance of travel of a Tier 3 team to just nearby towns.
3. For Tier 1 and Tier 2 level teams, to qualify for the CONNY Tournament, a team must play a minimum of 7 CONNY games against 7 different opponents and at least 2 games must be played against teams outside its designated region. There is no requirement for a team to play any minimum number of games within its designated region so that a team is free to play more than the minimum 2 games outside its region if it so chooses.
4. Subject to Proposal 5 below, the priorities for seeding a team at the CONNY Tournament are as follows: (1) the seeding committee will seek to match teams to have even, competitive games; (2) the committee will seek to match teams that have not yet played each other; (3) if because a team only played teams within its own region such that comparison with teams from other regions cannot be reasonably performed, then the committee will bracket teams with other teams that it already played provided they would be even, competitive games.
5. For boys divisions only and only for the top two divisions (Tier 1) at each age level (U15, U13, U11), the seeding committee will select 8 teams. Recognizing the relative strength of the Fairfield West programs, the top 4 teams from that region get picked as well as the top team from the other 4 regions. This 8 team group is seeded and then they play one game during the week before the CONNY tournament at the higher seed. The 4 winning teams then get placed in Division 1; the other 4 teams are in Division 2. This way the brackets for the top two divisions are decided on the field. The remaining divisions are all seeded as they have always been – 4-team groups playing just at the CONNY tournament.

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