Wild Tournament Schedule

farmdad · Post by **farmdad** » Tue May 16, 2006 7:48 am

Are there any other parents/coaches out there who were surprised and disappointed with the schedule for the Wild Tournament this weekend? Our team was given a schedule with a 1:20 PM game on Thursday and a 9:00 AM game on Friday. Sounds like other teams received similar game times. The U19 girls division is scheduled to be played in one arena (SuperRink 2). It looks like our team will not have enough players for Thursday and Friday and will have to drop out. It appears the organizers allowed this thing to get "out of control" from a size standpoint. Also, we did not receive our schedule until Saturday afternoon, only 5 days before the first game???

This situation did not occur last year.......anyone else feeling disappointed???

ghshockeyfan · Post by **ghshockeyfan** » Tue May 16, 2006 8:40 am

I have heard from a number of participants that this was not a good situation. Having coordinated a few teams that participated last season in this, I can say that we weren't thrilled at having the potential for even 1 late afternoon/post-school release game (i.e. 3-4-5 PM), but now I hear it's much more of an issue as your schedule illustrates. I think the organizers of this event are trying to keep the ice time costs as low as possible for fundraising purposes, but that too is problematic as far as striking a balance between acceptable game times and cost... I have to imagine that other teams are also having problems with this as I've heard from more than a few already...

SEMetro · Post by **SEMetro** » Tue May 16, 2006 8:49 am

I have heard that some teams may be dropping out and others forfeiting - and getting the $$ back is a problem.

Anyone know of other teams that are dropping? Anyone getting $$ back?

Sounds like the organizers are pretty short-sighted - this tourney won't be on anyone's list next year.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 16, 2006 8:56 am

As I write our team is considering dropping.....I can't imagine scheduling games during school hours....

D5

GoEV · Post by **GoEV** » Tue May 16, 2006 9:15 am

If your teams are out - maybe you should post the team and level here so people know what is going and whether there is any reason to show up at the rink for a particular game. I guess the only thing worse than trying to pull a kid from school is showing up for a game only to have a forfeit ...

ghshockeyfan · Post by **ghshockeyfan** » Tue May 16, 2006 9:31 am

My suggestion - team coordinators/coaches need get on the phone with the other teams involved in their bracket/early games to see what's up... It might actually help to bring a unified approach/front to the tourney coordinators as MAYBE some sort of compromise could be reached re: $/schedule/etc.???

guest · Post by **guest** » Tue May 16, 2006 9:37 am

Our team has concidered dropping also. Only problem is the kids really would like to play. Is there any way here that we can ban together and find some ice and make this weekend happen, for the kids that is?

D5Dreamer · Post by **D5Dreamer** » Tue May 16, 2006 9:56 am

Are the brackets posted online?

ghshockeyfan · Post by **ghshockeyfan** » Tue May 16, 2006 10:16 am

guest wrote:Our team has concidered dropping also. Only problem is the kids really would like to play. Is there any way here that we can ban together and find some ice and make this weekend happen, for the kids that is?

Exactly my thought. I can tell you that many arenas are sitting unused. It would seem that someone could approach them about a block of ice to do this at a more reasonable time re: school as needed. Maybe there would be a way to just rescheudle the school day times and keep the rest as is???

http://www.rinkfinder.com

Maybe try Vets in IGH or Wakota. I think both have some unused ice and both still have 2 rinks up?

GUEST · Post by **GUEST** » Tue May 16, 2006 11:04 am

This has been suggested to them, but they want nothing to do with it. BP, which is a close venue has plenty of ice.

keepitreal · Post by **keepitreal** » Tue May 16, 2006 11:04 am

There's plenty of prime time ice available elsewhere at a discount. The problem is, one could assume, the organizers have contracted this ice and are now committed to it. Many people have made suggestions and offered to help alievate the situation, but have received little or no response back. It's my understanding the Thursday and Friday games are all daytime and across all levels of play, yet the signup form mention the possibility of only one Friday daytime game.

I understand the spot the organizers are in now but one can only ask what were they thinking when they decided to move the bulk of this tournament to weekdays?

For a tournament that charges top dollar, this is a major dissapointment indeed.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 16, 2006 11:05 am

Sorry, but there is nothing on line for this weekend.

ghshockeyfan · Post by **ghshockeyfan** » Tue May 16, 2006 11:12 am

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, but there is nothing on line for this weekend.

I'd call Vets/Wakota?

D5Dreamer · Post by **D5Dreamer** » Tue May 16, 2006 11:14 am

Northern Lights coach just emailed me that our Thursday am game has been canceled (the other team forfeited). He also mentioned that the tournament directors are working to move our Friday game to sometime on Saturday.

D5

guest · Post by **guest** » Tue May 16, 2006 11:42 am

Everyone is in the same situation, the tournament directors don't answer phone calls or emails.

GoEV · Post by **GoEV** » Tue May 16, 2006 12:20 pm

I bet the issue over the tournament fees gets nasty.

Understand the Icecats U14 squad is out. Anyone else out for sure?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 16, 2006 12:55 pm

This is just a sad situation, that could be simply correct by buying some ice at another arena on Saturday and Sunday, and playing two games each day! If they won't answer calls, or email, what is our recourse?

keepitreal · Post by **keepitreal** » Tue May 16, 2006 1:30 pm

GoEV wrote:I bet the issue over the tournament fees gets nasty.

Understand the Icecats U14 squad is out. Anyone else out for sure?

The issue over the fees IS nasty and the lack of response is appaling. I have heard several teams requested refunds because they can't get half a team on the ice for two weekday games and the organizers have stonewalled them or refused refunds. Word is the Icecats U14 were trying to get teams together to create a solution, but received no reply from the organizers until they found a replacement team and removed them from the tournament with no refund. That's bad business.

A $1,000+ entry fee should get you more than bargain basement weekday ice times.

Schedule is still up in the air from what I've heard. I'm sure they will find a way to salvage this to some degree, but what kind of competition can you expect when half the teams are skeleton crews? As a parent, I don't like being forced to choose between pulling my kid out of class for two days or throwing my money down a hole.

If teams knew in advance this would be the schedule, they might not have even gotten their own Wild teams to sign up much less anyone else.

trilogy · Post by **trilogy** » Tue May 16, 2006 2:40 pm

It was heard at the rink this weekend....... the icecats were talking to other teams and heard all these complaints about the schedule. Other teams were all asking for refunds, so the Icecats did too. They copied all the U14 teams on an email to the tournament people and asked if everybody would stay in the tournament if they could work it out so the kids would only miss one day of school. Like move the Thursday games to Sat 2 games and all.

But the tournament people never answered the email and they kicked the Icecats out instead because they dared to speak up. sounds like they were only trying to offer help. Hard to believe. Last we heard, teams are still forfeiting games and will play what they can because the Wild won't give money back to anyone who has asked. Sure not worth it for 2 games when they guaranteed 4.

Teams are stuck. This solution would have been nice fo rsure. Major angry emails from parents on lots of teams! very frustrating.

D5Dreamer · Post by **D5Dreamer** » Tue May 16, 2006 2:46 pm

Like I said earlier.....WHAT WERE THE TOURNAMENT HOSTS THINKING?

SEMetro · Post by **SEMetro** » Tue May 16, 2006 3:25 pm

What are the tournament fees? Did they give them back to the team that they kicked out? Who is the person in charge of this mess/tourney?

GUEST · Post by **GUEST** » Tue May 16, 2006 3:46 pm

Hmmm, doesn't Mike Ramsey of the real NHL Minnesota Wild have a kid on the Icecats U14?

www.minnesotaicecats.com

That's a bit risky. Think the kid's old man might have something to say about that?

ghshockeyfan · Post by **ghshockeyfan** » Tue May 16, 2006 3:58 pm

There are a number of pretty influential people involved with various teams in this tourney.

I would hope that there would be some compromise to make things better.

Maybe some of the games could be played later and made up so that everyone gets what they paid for?

guest · Post by **guest** » Tue May 16, 2006 6:38 pm

Guest wrote:This is just a sad situation, that could be simply correct by buying some ice at another arena on Saturday and Sunday, and playing two games each day! If they won't answer calls, or email, what is our recourse?

Recourse? Keep emailing them and calling. If that doesn't work, how about an email to info@wild.com

Let the real Wild know what hockey families think about the tournament with their name on it.

We got a morning and an early afternoon game (2 pm) on Thurs and Fri. Everyone in our bracket got two day games. With 6 days notice!!!!!! Ridiculous! No schedule change for us when we asked, but others got one when they asked. How come some did and others did not?

Our parents are complaining already, the more that they hear from us maybe the better chance we all have to get our money back.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 16, 2006 8:08 pm

I will not do this tournament again. Everything that was done to build this up is flushed down the toilet this year.

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Wild Tournament Schedule

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