Some play only because they can

[mnmouth]

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports ... ve-survive

[elliott70]

Read it quick.
Nice story about both that applies to many.

But did the reporter say ML and Ely plat at the same level as DE and DM.

AA vs A

[BodyShots]

And that my friends is what class "A" hockey is all about. The hope to one day get a chance to play for section championships. And on the flip side we have Hermantown and their trophy hungry attitude. Good grief!

[Jeffy95]

And that my friends is what class "A" hockey is all about. The hope to one day get a chance to play for section championships. And on the flip side we have Hermantown and their trophy hungry attitude. Good grief!

MN Hockey created the Hermantown dynasty when they changed the Participation Rule in 2009. Open Enrollment was supposed to be about Education, not Sports. They owe MN Hockey a huge debt of gratitude.

[kniven]

Wow! It’s really strange to see Hermantown playing A hockey in the HS playoffs and state tournament when I bet over half of A schools are this. Denfeld no JV for several years now and Proctor bairly scraping by here in The Duluth area.

[kniven]

And that my friends is what class "A" hockey is all about. The hope to one day get a chance to play for section championships. And on the flip side we have Hermantown and their trophy hungry attitude. Good grief!

MN Hockey created the Hermantown dynasty when they changed the Participation Rule in 2009. Open Enrollment was supposed to be about Education, not Sports. They owe MN Hockey a huge debt of gratitude.

What is the partipation rule?

[Jeffy95]

Wow! It’s really strange to see Hermantown playing A hockey in the HS playoffs and state tournament when I bet over half of A schools are this. Denfeld no JV for several years now and Proctor bairly scraping by here in The Duluth area.

They don't want their kids to have to work or earn anything. Instead of preparing kids for the path in life, they would rather try to prepare the path. You saw the result in the State Tourney last year, they were all sleepwalking through it.

Hats off to those Moose Lake and Ely kids and Coaches. Persevering through this will make them all better people.

[elliott70]

And that my friends is what class "A" hockey is all about. The hope to one day get a chance to play for section championships. And on the flip side we have Hermantown and their trophy hungry attitude. Good grief!

MN Hockey created the Hermantown dynasty when they changed the Participation Rule in 2009. Open Enrollment was supposed to be about Education, not Sports. They owe MN Hockey a huge debt of gratitude.

What is the partipation rule?

B. PARTICIPATION RULE
1. Players must register and participate with the association whose boundaries incorporate the player’s residence. To participate on any other association's team, the player must obtain a waiver.
a. All waiver requests must be submitted on a current Waiver Form provided by MH.
b. The Waiver Form must indicate the reason for the waiver request. (school attendance, opportunity to play on travel team, co-op team, etc.).
c. The releasing and receiving associations may add conditions or restrictions to the waiver. Conditions must be indicated on the Waiver Form and initialed by all parties executing the waiver.
d. Waiver Forms must be signed by the releasing and receiving association presidents before being submitted to the District Director for approval. If the releasing and receiving associations are in two districts, the waiver form must be submitted to both District Directors for approval.
e. Non-Minnesota residents desiring to play for MH must follow the Inter-Affiliate Transfer Protocol.
2. Definitions Residence – the legal dwelling of the player’s parent(s) or court-appointed legal guardian(s) having custody of the player as substantiated by sufficient evidence to establish the location of the legal dwelling such as a valid driver’s license, lease, property tax bill, utility bills or other persuasive evidence as to where the player lives. A pending relocation is not considered to be the player’s residence unless the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have completed the purchase or executed a lease and moved into the new residence. In the case of foreign exchange students, the place the player resides while in the USA shall be considered the player’s residence. Players moving after tryouts begin can be assigned to teams on a space-available basis.
Association of Residence – the association whose boundaries include the player's residence.
Association of School Attendance – the association whose boundaries include the location of the school the player attends. Note: A player attending a public school that encompasses the boundaries of more than one youth hockey association has the following options: • Participate in his/her Association of Residence • If the player doesn't live within the boundaries of the associations the school feeds, the player may pick one of the associations as his/her Ass'n of School Attendance on a one-time-choice basis.
Home Association – either the Association of Residence, or the Association of School Attendance to which a player has been properly waived and continues to attend school.
School – the primary educational provider of the student to achieve progress towards a high school diploma, the equivalent of a high school diploma, or any post high school degree. If the provider does not instruct the student at a physical facility, the location of the school shall be the student’s primary residence. High school students taking post high school classes shall not be deemed to be attending school at the post high school provider’s location.
Mandatory Waiver – neither the releasing nor the accepting association can decline to approve a school attendance waiver that meets the requirements as described below.
Discretionary Waiver – an agreement between associations to transfer a player for reasons as agreed to by the affected associations and District Director(s). Any of the approving parties have the authority to reject such a waiver.
3. A Mandatory Waiver shall be granted to any player in good standing, without conditions except as described below, who wishes to participate in the MH association whose boundaries incorporate the school in which the player is enrolled and is attending, as follows:
a. For schools with multiple campuses, the "main" campus shall prevail unless agreed otherwise by the affected District Director(s).
b. Players waived based on school choice shall be deemed to be members of their Association of School Attendance and shall have full rights and privileges accorded to all members of that association, including voting rights. (Exception – see "Changing Schools" below.)
c. Players receiving a waiver based on school attendance shall register with their Association of School Attendance for as long as they are qualified students of that school (including the first year). If they stop attending school in that association's area, they revert back to their Association of Residence for participation or waiver.
4. Players waived for non-school attendance reasons are subject to the receiving assn's policies in accor- dance with MH governing documents (may not be eligible for highest team, may be assigned to

[elliott70]

lowest team, etc.). They shall remain members of their Home Association, not the assn. they were waived to, with full rights and privileges accorded to all assn. members including voting rights.
5. Changing Schools a. Players not living in the attendance area of the school they attend shall elect one of the following:
1. Have full eligibility to compete at any division in their Association of Residence; or
2. Be eligible at all except the highest division in their Association of School Attendance for one year beginning with the first day of attendance in the new school, with full eligibility thereafter. Exception: Players enrolling in 9th Grade for the first time are immediately eligible to compete at any division in their Association of School Attendance.
b. Players who have participated in their Association of School Attendance and desire to return to their Association of Residence without a related change of school shall elect one of the following:
1. Have full eligibility to compete at any division with their Association of School Attendance for one (1) year beginning with the first day that they notify in writing both involved associations of their intent to return to their Association of Residence; or
2. Be eligible at all except the highest division in their Association of Residence for one (1) year beginning with the first day that they notify in writing both involved associations of their intent to return to their Association of Residence.
c. For purposes of this rule, a team that is eligible to participate in "AA" level playoffs at the end of the season will be considered a higher division than a team within the same association that is eligible to participate in "A" level playoffs.
d. Submit unusual circumstances to the District Director for a decision, which is final.
6. A waiver must be obtained before a player can participate outside of their Home Association. During a season, a player that registers or participates with one assn. can't participate with any other assn. without a waiver. Trying out in an assn. is considered participation. A player that participates without a necessary waiver is considered an ineligible player. Refer to the Section entitled Eligibility Provisions.
7. Players denied a waiver or given a waiver with conditions by their Home Association may appeal in writing to the Home Association's District Director. The Director's decision is final.
8. Players having dual citizenship, one being the United States, must conform to this participation rule.

[elliott70]

Simple version

1. You play in the community in which you live.

2. A waiver to play in another association can be granted with approval of association presidents and district(s) director(s).

3. An automatic waiver is allowed to play in the association where the player attends school (with certain restrictions).

3. has and is debated on a regular basis with changes on occasion.

[elliott70]

Pretty straight forward, hey kniven.

[Jeffy95]

And that my friends is what class "A" hockey is all about. The hope to one day get a chance to play for section championships. And on the flip side we have Hermantown and their trophy hungry attitude. Good grief!

MN Hockey created the Hermantown dynasty when they changed the Participation Rule in 2009. Open Enrollment was supposed to be about Education, not Sports. They owe MN Hockey a huge debt of gratitude.

What is the partipation rule?

Prior to 2009 you had to play where you lived. MN Hockey changed it so that open-enrollees could play in the Association where they went to school. That's when the players started flooding in to Hermantown and smaller Associations started their decline, which brings us to where we are today.

[Jeffy95]

Simple version

1. You play in the community in which you live.

2. A waiver to play in another association can be granted with approval of association presidents and district(s) director(s).

3. An automatic waiver is allowed to play in the association where the player attends school (with certain restrictions).

4. has and is debated on a regular basis with changes on occasion.

Yes, it was actually changed this year to make it even EASIER for Parents to jump ship to a different program. Now 9th Graders who open-enroll are immediately eligible for the top Bantam team in their new Association.

[elliott70]

Jeffy makes it sound like this rule change originated and was designed for Hermantown.

The foundation was Metro. People wanted something that accommodated their daily routine as well as for other reasons. But in the metro people would rent an apartment, use a relative's address etc...
It was nearly impossible and a full time job to determine where a kid lived if the parents wanted something different. The directors in t he metro were pulling their hair out.

Thus a new rule and of course nothing works perfect the first time so thus the changes.

As far as the change this year for 9th graders, well that actually makes sense. If you will be playing in Minnetonka for JV Varsity in the next year why not let them play together as 9th graders.

There are plenty of sides to this story.

And if you want to imply my nephew does not work hard for what he's accomplished, well stay away from me, because I am known to get upset and irrational.

[kniven]

Pretty straight forward, hey kniven.

yes it is elliott70.....

[Jeffy95]

Jeffy makes it sound like this rule change originated and was designed for Hermantown.

The foundation was Metro. People wanted something that accommodated their daily routine as well as for other reasons. But in the metro people would rent an apartment, use a relative's address etc...
It was nearly impossible and a full time job to determine where a kid lived if the parents wanted something different. The directors in t he metro were pulling their hair out.

Thus a new rule and of course nothing works perfect the first time so thus the changes.

As far as the change this year for 9th graders, well that actually makes sense. If you will be playing in Minnetonka for JV Varsity in the next year why not let them play together as 9th graders.

There are plenty of sides to this story.

And if you want to imply my nephew does not work hard for what he's accomplished, well stay away from me, because I am known to get upset and irrational.

It's the information age, it doesn't take too long to figure out where someone lives anymore. Put it on the Associations to verify addresses, it's not that hard. Sanction them if they violate it. You would see a pretty good system in no time.

If it's your position that Open-Enrollment is about Hockey and not Education, then I can understand your Minnetonka example. If it's about Education, then who cares what Hockey team you're playing on?

[elliott70]

Jeffy makes it sound like this rule change originated and was designed for Hermantown.

The foundation was Metro. People wanted something that accommodated their daily routine as well as for other reasons. But in the metro people would rent an apartment, use a relative's address etc...
It was nearly impossible and a full time job to determine where a kid lived if the parents wanted something different. The directors in t he metro were pulling their hair out.

Thus a new rule and of course nothing works perfect the first time so thus the changes.

As far as the change this year for 9th graders, well that actually makes sense. If you will be playing in Minnetonka for JV Varsity in the next year why not let them play together as 9th graders.

There are plenty of sides to this story.

And if you want to imply my nephew does not work hard for what he's accomplished, well stay away from me, because I am known to get upset and irrational.

It's the information age, it doesn't take too long to figure out where someone lives anymore. Put it on the Associations to verify addresses, it's not that hard. Sanction them if they violate it. You would see a pretty good system in no time.

If it's your position that Open-Enrollment is about Hockey and not Education, then I can understand your Minnetonka example. If it's about Education, then who cares what Hockey team you're playing on?

Until you are in the position to go though all this information your comments about how easy it is do not mean that much. The guys in the cities and the local assn. work hard at it.

If I told you I live at 910 14th Street in Bemidji, yes, you could tell me which ward I should vote in. But how would you know I actually live there.
It is not an easy game.
This is the rule the metro DD's wanted.
Not Hermantown, definitely not me.

[pekyman]

Jeffy makes it sound like this rule change originated and was designed for Hermantown.

The foundation was Metro. People wanted something that accommodated their daily routine as well as for other reasons. But in the metro people would rent an apartment, use a relative's address etc...
It was nearly impossible and a full time job to determine where a kid lived if the parents wanted something different. The directors in t he metro were pulling their hair out.

Thus a new rule and of course nothing works perfect the first time so thus the changes.

As far as the change this year for 9th graders, well that actually makes sense. If you will be playing in Minnetonka for JV Varsity in the next year why not let them play together as 9th graders.

There are plenty of sides to this story.

And if you want to imply my nephew does not work hard for what he's accomplished, well stay away from me, because I am known to get upset and irrational.

It's the information age, it doesn't take too long to figure out where someone lives anymore. Put it on the Associations to verify addresses, it's not that hard. Sanction them if they violate it. You would see a pretty good system in no time.

If it's your position that Open-Enrollment is about Hockey and not Education, then I can understand your Minnetonka example. If it's about Education, then who cares what Hockey team you're playing on?

Until you are in the position to go though all this information your comments about how easy it is do not mean that much. The guys in the cities and the local assn. work hard at it.

If I told you I live at 910 14th Street in Bemidji, yes, you could tell me which ward I should vote in. But how would you know I actually live there.
It is not an easy game.
This is the rule the metro DD's wanted.
Not Hermantown, definitely not me.

Jeffy has Hermantown hate baked into his biased noodle. He could turn a post about the sky being blue into an anti-Hermantown rant. News flash jeffy, disrespecting Hermantown at your every opportunity isn’t going to make your program more desirable. If fact, it’s probably doing just the opposite.

[kniven]

A friend of mine in Hermantown let me know on Sunday their SquirtA squad was coming to play my kids on Monday night. I told my friend that I would be there to film it for the kiddos of both teams. I did and put it on YouTube for the kids and coaches from both squads. 80 views and counting ! I do what I do for all the kids.

[elliott70]

A friend of mine in Hermantown let me know on Sunday their SquirtA squad was coming to play my kids on Monday night. I told my friend that I would be there to film it for the kiddos of both teams. I did and put it on YouTube for the kids and coaches from both squads. 80 views and counting ! I do what I do for all the kids.

And how do I find it.

[Mite-dad]

So really this allows some public schools to do things that private schools could always do??? Kinda???

[kniven]

So really this allows some public schools to do things that private schools could always do??? Kinda???

That’s how I see it.

[Stang5280]

In many respects, isn’t this just a northern Minnesota version of the articles that have been written chronicling the death of hockey in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the inner ring suburbs? It essentially always boils down to demographics.

Ely has a declining population and has essentially become a retirement community. Moose Lake’s population has increased recently, no doubt due to the correctional facility expansion, but mainly consists of single males without children. Neither of these is a recipe for success in the modern era of hockey. Every once in a while there is a community like Greenway that beats the odds and and manages to put together a grassroots effort to revitalize hockey, but they are the exception rather than the norm. Even then, Greenway had a legacy of great success to build upon. Ely and Moose Lake are more akin to places like Fridley and Brooklyn Center, where hockey was never particularly relevant and slowly faded into obscurity. (Personal note: I grew up in Brooklyn Park, which once had a thriving youth program that is now all but dead.)

It’s sad to see the decline of hockey in many communities, and I applaud the effort of the families, kids, and coaches trying to make it work at places like these. But unless hockey can be made more affordable and more kids can be encouraged to try the sport, it seems inevitable that we will see more stories like this.

[karl(east)]

In many respects, isn’t this just a northern Minnesota version of the articles that have been written chronicling the death of hockey in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the inner ring suburbs? It essentially always boils down to demographics.

Ely has a declining population and has essentially become a retirement community. Moose Lake’s population has increased recently, no doubt due to the correctional facility expansion, but mainly consists of single males without children. Neither of these is a recipe for success in the modern era of hockey. Every once in a while there is a community like Greenway that beats the odds and and manages to put together a grassroots effort to revitalize hockey, but they are the exception rather than the norm. Even then, Greenway had a legacy of great success to build upon. Ely and Moose Lake are more akin to places like Fridley and Brooklyn Center, where hockey was never particularly relevant and slowly faded into obscurity. (Personal note: I grew up in Brooklyn Park, which once had a thriving youth program that is now all but dead.)

It’s sad to see the decline of hockey in many communities, and I applaud the effort of the families, kids, and coaches trying to make it work at places like these. But unless hockey can be made more affordable and more kids can be encouraged to try the sport, it seems inevitable that we will see more stories like this.

I can't ever pass up a chance to bring back this old piece:

https://apatientcycle.com/2015/03/18/a- ... ol-hockey/

It's a somewhat different dynamic in Greater Minnesota than in the Metro (or even in the Duluth or St. Cloud metros), where hockey success follows development and demographic patterns. History matters a lot more in small towns, where those that have it are often still relevant, though aging populations and economic shocks (Iron Range mining crashes, for example) have had an impact, and will continue to do so. Those that don't have the history, like the Moose Lakes and Elys of the world, will continue to face uphill battles, though Class A has certainly helped their cause, and we have had small-town non-Metro newcomer success stories like Luverne, Little Falls, Fergus Falls, Red Wing, and so on over the past 25 years. It's possible to turn the corner, though not easy.

[O-townClown]

Great article that focuses on the less followed side of HS sports.