------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Oct 1995 17:37:44 +0800 From: lmallory@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Louise Mallory) Subject: Re: Organizing tournaments At 4:18 AM 10/30/95, Gary Goldberg wrote: >We are looking into organizing a state-wide tournament for junior girls hockey >for spring 1996 for the state of Pennsylvania. Have never done anything like >this before. We have 4 teams in the Philadelphia area that will be approached >to participate and are looking for other teams throughout the state or in >neighboring states that would be interested in a one-day weekend tournament >somewhere mid-state around the Harrisburg area. Right now the idea is very >preliminary and will depend on the availability of interested teams, rink time, >etc. in terms of whether it will be possible to pull off. Thanks. What age categories are you thinking of including in your tournament? Do the hockey organizations in Philadelphia use the USA Hockey age divisions of 19 and under (midget), 15 and under (peewee), and 12 and under (squirt)? I don't know how it will complicate your plans that USA Hockey divides Pennsylvania somewhere down the middle - Western Pennsylvania is part of Mid-Am District, and I don't remember the name of the district you're in. Since you apply for tournament sanction permits through your district, will you need to have the tournament in the same district the host teams play in? A "state-wide" tournament can't be used as a playdown toward District and National championships, so you might find it better to invite teams from other states as well. Talk to the Girls'/Women's Section Rep for your district for advice about applying for sanction, getting contact addresses for teams, and other tournament organizing details. Some of the things that are important to consider when planning a tournament include: Refereeing. It is essential that your referees be above reproach. This includes impeccable uniforming, familiarity with the rules you are using (they should understand how to call a no-checking game), and respect for the athletes. Avoid hiring any referees who have no experience with female hockey. Hockey organizations with a commitment to development of the sport (Brampton, for example, or Mississauga, or Hamilton, in Ontario, Fraser/Team Michigan in Michigan) always make an effort to develop competent female officials and to have them work tournaments. Scheduling. You should have a small "cushion" of extra ice time, to allow for injuries, overtime/tie-breaking shots, and other delays. Your timekeepers, referees, and volunteers should all be aware of the importance of running on time. Decide on the length of the warm-up, put it in the rules handout, and stick to it. If you only have 4 dressing rooms, insist that teams clear their dressing rooms 20 minutes after their games, and have volunteers check that the rooms are clean. When you prepare the schedule, try to accommodate the teams which travel the farthest. (For example, you might have local teams playing their first games on Friday night, or playing in the earliest Saturday times.) Make sure the rules for determining first place and tie-breaking are clearly explained. Try to find out as much as you can about the calibre of the various teams (talk to their opponents and to convenors of other tournaments, ask them to give some game scores etc), and try to produce fair matchups. Hospitality. Provide maps of the area to out-of-town teams. Recommend some economical places to stay and some restaurants. Make sure that the arena snack bar is expecting crowds. In your search for tournament sponsors, try to collect some coupons from fast-food restaurants and include these in the team packages. Have all the tournament committee members wear name tags and be visible. Make signs to show new arrivals where the players should check in, where the manager can get a dressing room key, and where one can go to ask questions. Send press releases to the local media ahead of time and immediately after the championships. Make sure the out-of-town teams know where to get skates sharpened and where they can buy tape, mouthguards, chin-straps, sticks .... Income and expenses. Solicit tournament sponsors from local businesses, the recreation departments of municipalities (where the arena is, where your players live), service clubs (especially female ones), and your players' families. For a major sponsor you could include their name in the tournament name, or name one of the awards after them (e.g. The Play It Again Sports MVP Award ...). You can provide program ad space for all your sponsors. (At the Fraser tournament, they have pages and pages of "Good luck Jenny and Peewee Team-mates from Mom, Dad, and Bucky" ads ...). You could sell tournament souvenirs (t-shirts or something), or have a bake sale, or a raffle (check licenses required). You could ask a cell-phone/walkie-talkie company to lend you some equipment and air-time, for communications between the volunteers. In my opinion, it is counter-productive to charge admission to the parents and fans, because you want the tournament to be a showcase of female hockey to your community. Some organizations do charge admission, but this also means having volunteers to check tickets/hand stamps for every player or spectator all day long. My own criteria for a well-run tournament also include frozen pucks, adequate parking, clean bathrooms with enough toilet paper all day long, information available about the host hockey program, and well-balanced games. Whether or not you are able to put on a tournament this season, start planning now for next season. Set the dates, book the ice time, send notices in to USA Hockey so your tournament will get listed in the magazine and in the Girls'/Women's Newsletter. Visit other tournaments and talk to the convenors. Have fun! Louise *Louise C. Mallory Welding Engineering* *lmallory@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu The Ohio State University* * "No-one said it would be easy; no-one thought we'd come this far." * * -Sheryl Crow * ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 17:55:35 +0800 From: lmallory@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Louise Mallory) Subject: Re: tournament formatting At 6:04 AM 12/14/95, junior@televar.com wrote: >HELP !!! > >I am hosting a 6 team tournament. The 'our teams coach' is asking that I run >the tournament with a 4 game per team format. If you have any ideas on how to >do this so that it is fair to all 6 teams I would appreciate the help. > >Thank You > >Dave O'Leary 1. Have a partial round robin where each team plays 4 of the other 5 teams, and give awards based on standings after the round robin. An advantage of this is that no team will play the same team twice. 2. Have a partial round robin where each team plays 3 of the other 5 teams. Based on standings after the round-robin, have 1 play 2 for 1st place, 3 play 4 for 3rd, and 5 play 6 for 5th. An advantage of this is that the awards are determined directly by winning one game, rather than by counting up goals for and against, etc. 3. Change the format. Recruit 2 more teams, or reduce your entry fee and offer 3-games-guaranteed, or do something else creative. This 4-games-a-team assumes that you've got 12 game-lengths of ice time plus enough of a cushion for injuries, tie breaking, and so on. Do you really have this much ice? Why not 9 slightly-longer games (3 per team) instead? Or use the extra ice time to put on a clinic, have an open skate for players and fans, have shootout competitions and skate races, or invite two elite female teams to play an exhibition game? If you're in an isolated area and these 6 teams are the only ones able to travel to your tournament, consider putting on a Jamboree instead. In a Jamboree, all participating players are divided up onto fair teams for the day. That way, a wider age/skill range of players can participate in competition, and individual players can play even if the rest of their team can't. Louise *Louise C. Mallory Welding Engineering* *lmallory@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu The Ohio State University* * "No-one said it would be easy; no-one thought we'd come this far." * * -Sheryl Crow * ------------------------------