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4-11-2019 Meeting Minutes

By Nikki Gilbertson, 05/10/19, 8:30AM CDT

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Minneapolis Youth Lacrosse

Board Agenda
April 11, 2019 @ 6:00 p.m. - Community Gathering Space (Bryn Mawr)

Minneapolis Youth Lacrosse Board

Board Member Position Attendance Board Member Position Attendance

Volunteers / Guests

Name Position Attendance Name Position Attendance

Called to Order

06:08pm

Adjourned

07:36pm

Next Meeting

May 9, 2019 @ 6:00 p.m. @ Community gathering space - 36th & Bryant


Members present: Nikki Gilbertson, Eric Elgin, Staven Bruce, Allen Slaughter, Ashlee Miller, Melanie Faulhaber, Charles Johnson-Nixon, Molly Myers

Meeting called to order 6:08 pm.

Secretary: Notes from the March meeting were reviewed.  Slaughter moved to approve.  Bruce seconded.  A vote was taken and the motion passed. 

Registration Update:  Overall, the numbers are looking good, with the exception of having enough girls for a 12U team.  The Development Clinic did bring additional kids into the program.  As of April 11th for Boys Field, there are 11 at 8U – 11, 21 at 10U (there should be an opportunity to move kids between teams for games, as games are at the same location, but different times), 37 at 12U (Elgin is working with Aron Lipkin to get a couple of boys set up with donated equipment. There may need to be scholarships for some of these new players), and 38 players at 14U.  Girls Spring is at 10 for 10U, 4 for 12U, and 10 for 14U.  There should be 20 at 10U and 20 at 12U/14U for Girls Summer.  Registration will cut-off shortly.  A secondary jersey order will be placed soon.

VP of Lacrosse: Elgin noted that tryouts next week cannot be held outside next week due to the snow, so tryouts will be moved to Monday/Thursday at Northeast.  Details have already been communicated to parents. A tryout plan email should go out over the weekend.  All coaches were asked to participate in tryouts to ensure there are three to four coaches evaluating and two coaches can be on the field.  Parents are encouraged to help on the field for tryouts if their kids are not also on the field at the same time  (for example, 12U parent can help at 14U).

VP of Administration:  Johnson-Nixon is working with Elgin on coach and goalie equipment for both the boys and girls.  Elgin will pick it up for next week.  

Boys Program:  At the 10U level, Elgin is still looking for a parent to take on the role of 10U Coordinator, as well as two team managers. Four coaches have been placed, as well as two parent coaches, who will receive for coaching.  At 12U, Bruce noted that he’s working on the tryout process. Faulhaber has two parents that have offered to be team managers.  Bruce will also look to get a parent coach to help on the B team.  For14U, Dan Murphy will be the level coordinator, team managers will be recruited and coaches are set. 

Girls Program:  Ashlee Miller reported that the girls have been practicing with fewer players due to spring breaks, but should be full strength next week. The 10U co-op is going well with ten players from MAYLA.  Debby Van Eendenburg is the Minneapolis coach co-coaching with one of the Bearstangs coaches.  MAYLA was asked to contribute $300 to offset jersey and registration costs for the 10U team. Miller thinks this is a reasonable ask as the only things we are paying for are April field time and one coach.For Girls 12U/14U, Miller, Emily, and Myers are co-coaching due to size of team and coach schedules.  Karen Bruce is coordinating.  Games will start towards the end of April.  Miller doesn’t think it will be necessary for the girls levels to have managers.   From a summer perspective, the Bearstangs will not have a team.  Those girls are welcome to play with our program.  

Treasurer:  Slaughter will work at creating a budget process.  The most pressing need is to ensure that MAYLA starts filing taxes, which hasn’t been done in the past.  Tax filings are due in May.  Elgin noted that there will probably be a need to find a CPA that can help us on a pro-bono basis.  Expenditures should be sent to Slaughter’s yahoo account or the treasurer@mplslacrosse.com email.  

Fundraising:  Elgin noted that US Lacrosse provided a grant that allowed the purchase sticks and balls.  Steve Devereux and Elgin will be trying to work more with Native Community with South’s Principal Ray Aponte.  Gilbertson noted that Aponte may be retiring at the end of the season.  US Lacrosse also has some urban lacrosse programs in process, and Elgin and Devereux will work to get an application in for that program. Elgin has a few parents filling out additional grant requests.  

Volunteering:  Faulhaber has two parents that will start loading games to the calendar next week. Non-field positions will be emailed next week prior to the game day volunteer opportunities.  The picnic coordinators will be back from last year, with a date that needs to be solidified.  Coordinators are asked to throw out a couple of dates at the beginning of August that would work for the picnic based on game schedules.  Elgin said that all Dibs hours for the year should be given to Coordinators and Parent Coaches.  The group discussed potentially waiving player fees for parent coaches.   Options will be discussed and voted on in the May meeting. 

Recruiting:  Meyer reported that a survey was given at the development clinics, but only one response was received.  Meyer will be doing research to see how hockey is getting young players to register to see if it could provide direction for recruiting plans for lacrosse. A secondary survey will be sent after the season is over to see how we can improve and figure out why kids are no longer playing if they didn’t register this year.    Meyers is working with Nick Lucca about creating a girls-only goalie clinic in addition to the Coed goalie coaching clinics are that are planned for two times per month.   For the Development Clinics that were held in March, 12 boys (including two six-year olds) and 12 girls (including two six-year olds) have registered.    The clinics were run similar to Trylax events with passing, catching, cradling, dodging, and shooting drills and were staff by current coaches (both mend and women). T-shirts for the developmental clinics were purchased.    Planning will start for Fall/Winter TryLax and Development Clinics.  Elgin said that there is some excess time at Bassett Creek that could be used a recruiting clinic, but there are not enough coaches to run developmental camps or mini-leagues.

Executive:  Elgin discussed takeaways from what he’s learned from other associations over the last couple of months. Access to fields is a bigger problem in Minneapolis compared to other associations.  Elgin will also continue to work with the school district to get more lacrosse options to students.  Availability of coaches is another issue, but seems to be a problem for all associations, especially at the girls level.  There is also a need to get more parents involved, including getting board positions filled in the fall, as opposed to in December.  We should also get Box coordinators next season.

A motion to adjourn was made by Slaughter.  Meeting adjourned at 7:36 pm.

Next meeting: Thursday, May 9th, 2019 at 6:00 at the Community Gathering Space in 36th& Bryant.