Colorado Rubber

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CAHA’s annual meeting agenda taking shape

 

Come one, come all.

That’s the message leaders within the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) are reinforcing as they continue preparations for the organization’s reinvented annual meeting, which will be conducted at Pepsi Center on Saturday, Aug. 1.

“We want to encourage anyone who plays any role in hockey across our state – from players to parents to coaches to team managers to everyone in between – to attend,” said CAHA president Randy Kanai. “Our intentions are to make this an all-inclusive gathering with a lot of positive, meaningful discussions relating to every segment of the sport.”

The meeting, which is tentatively scheduled to run from 9 a.m.-9 p.m., marks a significant shift in format structure from previous years.

Instead of holding the annual meeting in June with each CAHA Executive Committee member traditionally presenting an update on their respective department, followed by a Q-and-A – which many on the state’s board felt left a lot to be desired – CAHA will break the day up into a series of focus groups, followed by the official annual meeting (see the tentative schedule below).

Those gatherings will be tailored to address a specific segment, which CAHA hopes will bring plenty more to the table in terms of participation and productivity.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for the hockey community to come together and be part of a discussion process that relates to a wide variety of topics,” said CAHA’s vice president of girls and women’s hockey Greg Johnson, who is leading the association’s effort to finalize the meeting’s details.

“It’s progressive, and that’s one element we continue to push within CAHA to better serve our membership.”

There are plenty of topics on the focus group menu, which is subject to change, including discussions relating to Sport Ngin Web sites and USA Hockey’s American Development Model, as well as talks on growing the game and organizational leadership.

Presentations from Positive Coaching Alliance – an organization that stresses competitive balance coupled with a healthy athletic, academic and social lifestyle amongst players, parents and coaches – will also be conducted as part of the focus groups.

Other topics include the CAHA State Recreational Tournament and sled and adaptive hockey, as well as discussions relating to on-ice officials and USA Hockey’s Safesport Program.

What’s more, meetings will be held focusing on the Rocky Mountain District and boys and girls tier hockey, as well as a general girls meeting.

High school hockey and the brand-new Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League are also on the focus group agenda, in addition to discussions regarding registration and insurance.

“We’re excited and encouraged to have so many forums for discussion,” Johnson added. “I think the new format will go a long ways in terms of providing our associations valuable information as we head into the 2015-2016 season.”

The focus groups and annual meeting are open to all CAHA members. A Board of Directors reception will be held towards the end of the day and is open to all CAHA board members, which includes league, association and independent team presidents or their one designated representative, as well as the CAHA Executive Committee members.

Registration is required to attend the focus groups and is now open at CAHA.co. There is no cost to attend.

“We’re encouraging member associations to bring as many people as they wish to the meeting, and each association can have at least one attendee at each focus group session,” said Kanai, who also asks for patience amongst its membership as CAHA transitions into its new meeting format.

Kanai is nothing but enthusiastic with the rejuvenated meeting platform and what it means for the growth and success of hockey across the state.

“I think it speaks to our continued mission of bringing the hockey community together while focusing on avenues to get more people engaged in the sport, young and old,” he said. “That’s what we want this meeting to accomplish.”

– Brian McDonough

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