Under COVID restrictions, the BoD finally came together to discuss the previous year, and plans for the next. This usually occurs the second Tuesday after the last night of hockey, but 2020 is no ordinary year. As you will see from the updates below, it will remain anything but ordinary:
Highlights:
Let’s start with the elephant in the room…start of season. There is no way, using common sense, that we can start in September. Too many unknowns. As such, the tentative start date for this year will be November 3rd. The BoD knows that will need to be re-evaluated in October before confirming. Additionally, we will be sending out a survey to get everyone’s thoughts on if they want to play. Different people have different circumstances that may prevent them from engaging in group activities even if such activities meet the provincial phase guidelines. Look out for that survey.
Finances: The Tomcat kitty is in fine shape so no concern there.
Once we start: Still $50 to start and a gift will be provided. $5 per night remains the standard. A beer schedule will be published.
Holiday Festivities: We will still have a Christmas celebration on the last night of hockey in December. However, no party with the significant others will occur this year. The hope is to bring that back in 2021. Maybe, in the spring/summer of 2021, if we get to a much better place with COVID, some gathering will be established to get everyone together and let loose a bit. Fingers crossed.
Tournament: Yes, there will still be a February tournament. It is the premiere Tomcat event each year, and Stevo’s Christmas, so it will go on. February 27th – Mark your calendars.
Captains will be: Shack, The Lizard, Bullwinkle and Big Ned – all first time captains!
The format will go back to the once-attempted “play everyone twice” idea. Still an 8:30am start with games being 2-9 minute periods. All games MUST be played. Since this year is so different, why not switch up the tourney a bit?!?!
Special Nights: Look for a return of “theme nights” on Tuesdays. There will be a couple of special one-night events:
– Big Nets Night – The goalies worse nightmare – we will use the larger nets up on the stage and see how the scoring changes
– Vets vs. The Kids – We are not sure what age to draw the line (45? 48? ?) but we will divide teams by age, and see who comes out on top. The early smart money is trending to the Vets 🙂
Rule Changes – No new changes but all rules will be re-iterated at start of season. Last year was very good, clean hockey and we want that to continue. We want to make sure no slashing or swinging of sticks, and that sticks stay down. We will use a referee to start the season and throughout as required to help set the tone. Each and everyone WILL abide by the calls made. We are adults, and arguing calls during a ball hockey game can be left to the 8 year olds.
Other items: We talked a lot about the last minute cancellations and the churn that creates. We are considering a system to confirm attendance and if cancel for any reason after a certain time, a fine must be paid. Tuesday afternoons are not fun for organizers as there is always a scramble to decide on goalies for mini vs. no mini, cancelling others to get the numbers right, etc. We want people to do their part to remove this frustration. Also, depending on the survey results, and restrictions, we may have to consider limits to how many players can play on a given Tuesday, so we may have to think about reserving spots each week and make sure everyone gets a chance to play.
That is all for now. We will be in contact to keep everyone updated. Enjoy the rest of the summer and early fall. See you all in November hopefully!
Tomcats Forever!
Rocky
Windsor Tomcats 