BANTAM A STATE TOURNAMENT

muckandgrind · Post by **muckandgrind** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:24 am

The tournament is only a week out and the city is STILL looking for accomodations for families??? Really??? How much time did TRF have to prepare for this? Was the location just announced last week or something??

If this is true, shame on them...

hockeyma · Post by **hockeyma** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:59 am

puckboy wrote:the pressing issue I hear is still the lack of rooms. I hear some teams might not be able to stay together- that would be bad. Part of the experience is hanging with your team. That needs to be resolved in my opinion. You cannot expect a team scattered all over NW Minnesota.

COMPLETELY AGREE.

conditioningsucks · Post by **conditioningsucks** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:04 am

Don't quite understand. I would think that for a tourney coming into town, the hosts would work with their hotel/hospitality members and lock up the rooms for eight teams. Thus, when the final teams are announced, they simply call the Tourney Director to find out which hotel their team should call to block off their rooms. Hotel folks are happy as they know they will fill the rooms. Teams coming to the tourney are happy because they didn't have to call all over the state to get accomodations.

Obviously, playing in the Twin Cities, or even St. Cloud and Duluth would be exempt from this as there are more than enough hotels to accomodate teams coming in for the weekend.

Am I missing something here?

Glovesreallysmell · Post by **Glovesreallysmell** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:16 pm

Sounds like some teams are staying 70-90 miles away to stay together. Is that true?

OnFrozenPond · Post by **OnFrozenPond** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:36 pm

I believe there were similar issues regarding the Hotels for the PWA State tournament in Willmar last year. By the time the smoke cleared, it was not a huge deal. The overall experience was excellent.

puckboy · Post by **puckboy** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:39 pm

Glove: I hope you are wrong. If that is the case they need to move this. That would be like holding the Tournament in Saint Paul and telling the teams they are staying in Rochester- NO WAY.

Elliot: I know this isn't your responsibility but any info on this topic?

sorno82 · Post by **sorno82** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:25 pm

About a year ago, there was an uproar over going to one state tourney for all "A" teams. TRF was held as the shining example of locally run state tourneys. Don't know if we can say that any more. Could be good ammo for the Xcel tourney supporters.

http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic. ... ht=#373957

mnhockey 15 · Post by **mnhockey 15** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:37 pm

TRF hosting tournament

cant even play in the top arena for the state tournament come on
not enough hotel space
and no room for a banquet why did they think they should host a tournament like this??

hockeyma · Post by **hockeyma** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 3:47 pm

sorno82 wrote:About a year ago, there was an uproar over going to one state tourney for all "A" teams. TRF was held as the shining example of locally run state tourneys. Don't know if we can say that any more. Could be good ammo for the Xcel tourney supporters.

http://www.ushsho.com/forums/viewtopic. ... ht=#373957

ah.... don't rule out all nonmetro areas just because there appears to be some bad planning in this case. Pretty sure that nonmetro areas can handle a state tourney with style. Not sure what happened in this case, but if you have towns like Bemidji putting on a 16 team tournament simulataniously with a National Curling Bonspeil and they are able to secure enough rooms for all 16 teams and their families and are able to wow people with all the extra's, I'm pretty sure that it doesn't take an Xcel center to hold a state tourney with class. It's more in the planning than the location. (of course the location DOES need to be large enough to accomodate folks. I don't think that is the problem in this case though, I think the rooms just did not get blocked as they should have been.) A tourney at the Xcel that wasn't well planned would get complaints as well. Hopefully people's needs will somehow get met this year and everyone can look beyond the pretourney glitches and have a wonderful experience watching and playing hockey!

council member retired · Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:06 pm

with a National Curling Bonspeil

What in the world is that?

hockeyma · Post by **hockeyma** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:18 am

council member retired wrote:with a National Curling Bonspeil

What in the world is that?

National means it is a national event as opposed to state, region or district.

Curling is a sport -- an Olympic event.

Bonspeil is the name of a Curling Tournament

None of this matters. The point I was trying to make is that it is possible for a nonmetro city to hold an event -- even multiple events at the same time and to do a good job of it. It just takes proper planning as is required regardless of the location. My comment was in response to the comment that the tournament needed to go back to the cities because the small towns couldnt handle it. Which I disagree with. However, that said -- of course it would be exciting to go to the Xcel center!!! .... but that is because it is exciting, not because other places cannot handle it! One committee failing to act properly does not mean all will.

Anyway.... enough of this.....anyone want to talk about HOCKEY??!!!!!

RFFalcon22 · Post by **RFFalcon22** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:03 am

This seems like very shortsighted planning by both Minnesota Hockey and whoever is in charge of the tournament in TRF. How long have they known they would be hosting the tournament? It's not like they found out two weeks ago that they would be hosting the Bantam A tournament and would need to have enough rooms set aside for all the teams. Also, the players participating in the state tournament this weekend will not get a chance to tryout for the Advanced 15/16's because the tryouts are next weekend for some sections. How hard is it to get a calendar out while you're planning everything to make sure activities aren't planned on the same weekend?

puckboy · Post by **puckboy** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:29 pm

Elliott: any update if all the teams found rooms in TRF. And did the get a new banquet spot that could hold all the parents and players?

hockeyjunkie2 · Post by **hockeyjunkie2** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:31 pm

Question about the Rochester team. Hoe does it shake up as far as what high school the players are attending?

elliott70 · Post by **elliott70** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:36 pm

conditioningsucks wrote:Don't quite understand. I would think that for a tourney coming into town, the hosts would work with their hotel/hospitality members and lock up the rooms for eight teams. Thus, when the final teams are announced, they simply call the Tourney Director to find out which hotel their team should call to block off their rooms. Hotel folks are happy as they know they will fill the rooms. Teams coming to the tourney are happy because they didn't have to call all over the state to get accomodations.

Obviously, playing in the Twin Cities, or even St. Cloud and Duluth would be exempt from this as there are more than enough hotels to accomodate teams coming in for the weekend.

Am I missing something here?

Have you ever tried to get rooms in these towns?
St Cloud and Duluth are very bad.
Twin Cities is not a problem because you can almost always get a room in Maple Grove or Bloomington when you are playing in White Bear Lake.

elliott70 · Post by **elliott70** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:41 pm

Glovesreallysmell wrote:Sounds like some teams are staying 70-90 miles away to stay together. Is that true?

One team decided they want to stay this far away.
They had options (provided by the work of the TRF people) (the last I knew they had not changed).

The banquet can accomodate 9% more than the highest attended banquet in the last five years at this level. If their is a problem with numbers they have an overflow hall for dinner and then all will be seated for the program.

TRF is doing as much or more than anywhere else in the state has done.

puckboy · Post by **puckboy** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:42 pm

hats off to the TFR for all of their efforts

elliott70 · Post by **elliott70** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:49 pm

puckboy wrote:Elliott: any update if all the teams found rooms in TRF. And did the get a new banquet spot that could hold all the parents and players?

Rooms - everyone that wanted a room in TRF has one.
There are still rooms available if you want to attend and want to stay in TRF.

Based on the response for # of tickets they will be just fine. If more are needed, they will eat in a separate but same hallway banquet room and then moved over to the main room for the program. TRF has covered all the bases and more. There have been places where people have showed up and been crowded in and then fed spaghetti when the chicken was gone. (And it was not in the out-state).

So don't load your shotguns yet.
After Duluth East steals the trophy away from the metro-area, then you can start loading (but we'll already have a couple of rounds off on ya'll by then).

Snappedshot · Post by **Snappedshot** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:36 pm

Don't let all this talk keep you from staying in TRF. I'm not sure how many rooms are left so don't procrastinate.

http://www.t59moteltrf.com/

northwoods oldtimer · Post by **northwoods oldtimer** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:37 pm

There will be some oustanding games in TRF this weekend. Great job elliot70 on handling all the criticism, concern and legitimate questions. You have done a great job. Best wishes to all the teams that earned the right to play this weekend.

mulefarm · Post by **mulefarm** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:01 pm

Just leave the championship trophy in Wayata, no use hauling it all the way to Theef River.

Glovesreallysmell · Post by **Glovesreallysmell** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:45 pm

Let the games begin. Once you hit that lockeroom and ice nothing else matters. Wish i could make the trip. Boy i wish i was a Bantam again!!!Please post lots of updates please. There has to be one upset???? Any predictions on upsets?

starmvp · Post by **starmvp** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 6:46 am

Glovesreallysmell wrote:Let the games begin. Once you hit that lockeroom and ice nothing else matters. Wish i could make the trip. Boy i wish i was a Bantam again!!!Please post lots of updates please. There has to be one upset???? Any predictions on upsets?

Apple Valley over Wayzata would be a good upset.

AVeagles5890 · Post by **AVeagles5890** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 4:31 pm

[quote="Glovesreallysmell"]Let the games begin. Once you hit that lockeroom and ice nothing else matters. Wish i could make the trip. Boy i wish i was a Bantam again!!!Please post lots of updates please. There has to be one upset???? Any predictions on upsets?[/quote]

Well one prediction/upset is highland over bemidji.
i heard that the two highland players that supposedly left for JV/Varsity were in europe for a developmental team but the team's season ended early and they were allowed back on the team.

But thats just talk.. ..

hockeyma · Post by **hockeyma** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:15 pm

AVeagles5890 wrote:
Glovesreallysmell wrote:Let the games begin. Once you hit that lockeroom and ice nothing else matters. Wish i could make the trip. Boy i wish i was a Bantam again!!!Please post lots of updates please. There has to be one upset???? Any predictions on upsets?
Well one prediction/upset is highland over bemidji.
i heard that the two highland players that supposedly left for JV/Varsity were in europe for a developmental team but the team's season ended early and they were allowed back on the team.

But thats just talk.. ..

WHAT? How does that work? MInnesota Hockey is okay with that? Seems odd. Can anyone verify?