NobleKing hopes to up the ante with renewed vision

April 1, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons &?Jeff Doner
Helping improve players’ on-ice skills is a key priority for the newly installed board of NobleKing Minor Hockey.
And a newly elected director of development will help further the cause and try to come up with some innovative ideas to up the skill levels.
Kevin Riley was elected as the new development director after he and the other candidate, Anthony Fasullo, gave their presentations about what they will bring to the ice for next season.
There was some confusion about the election process, and it was sorted out with ballots and Riley had the edge with a 40-29 vote.
Riley can be seen at the rink with his signature red hats and hockey has been in his family for generations.
He said it’s time to give back and share to see the kids improve. He said he’s spoken with parents and there’s a need for visibility and vision in the club. He’s come up with a “balanced score card,” a road map of sorts for standardized skills.
He would like to see skill videos posted on the club’s website as well as clinics for both players and goalies, and equipment clinics, too.
On-ice training is key, according to Fasullo, who wants to “make it better for kids.”?He wants to see a better ratio for training and get more trainers on the ice. He works part-time at a development school, so he has plenty of expertise to help put it all together.
Parents wanted to know how much money is allocated to player development. Player costs, fees and any other ideas, will be discussed and voted on by the new board when the executive meets in April.
Last season, roughly $4,600 was directed to development, which all agreed is simply not enough.
As the new director, it’s up to Riley to make sure they’re addressing the issue.
When the group irons out the fees, the breakdown of just where the dollars go, will be spelled out on the website.
The 2014 board of directors includes Mike Baldesarra, president; Jacques Panneton, vice-president; Jeanine Harrison, treasurer; Tom Diceman, head coach director; Helen Bazzo, equipment director; Michael O’Meara, house league director; Sabrina Critelli, tournament director; Rob DeRose, fundraising and sponsorship director; Paul?Voorn, risk management director; Janesse McPhillips, public relations director and Danny Macedo, past-president.
Macedo said the organization had a lot of ups and downs this past year, and a lot of growth, hitting 400 kids with 80 skaters in the Junior Knights program. Older players are returning to their hometown league. They’ve asked the Township for an extra 8 hours of ice time for the coming season to accommodate the growth.
They’re also redefining the novice and tyke division and will likely see 100 or more in the house league ranks.
He said the group wants its membership to be more involved.
He commended the executive, the “most dedicated and committed group”?he’s seen in years. He also extended thanks to Mayor Steve Pellegrini and Chris Fasciano of the parks department for their assistance.
The group also ratified its brand new constitution, which is streamlined and more in line with OMHA?policies.
Joe Petrungaro noted back in 2009 the provincial government updated legislation which instructed non-profits to become incorporated entities with updated constitutions. NobleKing members put a lot of time and effort into the new constitution and its good practices.
New this season is a risk management director who takes care of legal matters and possible exposure (risk)?to the organization, its players and coaches.
It’s a committee-based constitution and any changes require board approval.
Treasurer Loris Tomada noted their major sources of income are from registration fees and sponsorships, while user fees for ice are their major expense. Of their budget, a total of $262,760.90 went to renting ice at Nobleton and Schomberg this past season. As it stands, the group has a profit of just under $5,000.
The Knights also discussed launching a new website that would be hosted online (be it via Canberra servers or any other option) and brought up the OMHA’s mandate that one parent from each family must complete a PRS (Speak Out!/Respect in Sport).
“That is an online course to help educate parents out there not to be so involved with the game and take a step back, cheer for your child who is playing, but don’t take out your frustrations on officials or coaches or whatever,” Macedo said. “It’s a mandatory course that you have to take by Aug. 31 this year otherwise your child will not be able to roster on a team. This is across the OMHA and we brought that forward to make sure all of our members were aware of this.”
Macedo said he fully supports the OMHA’s initiative that has already been made mandatory in British Columbia and Quebec.
“This year more than any other years, maybe it’s because of the winter, it’s been long, we’ve been indoors for months, I think people’s fuses have been shortened and we have noticed a lot of disciplinary action happening,” he said. “Not only with coaches, but also with parents, so we’ve had scenarios this year where we’ve had to discipline parents because you know what, they were not being themselves and they were taking it out on the officials and coaches.”
The AGM is a forum for their ideas and concerns.
“Every year we have certain parent groups who are not happy with how the year progressed and this is all volunteer positions. When you’re not happy with the way things are going you challenge things and the AGM is there for the greater good for the entire association. We’re there as a membership, we’re there as volunteers and we’re there to put the best program possible on the ice for the kids.”
Macedo said there were parents who voiced concerns over the direction of the club, to which he responded those parents should get involved and volunteer to be a part of the process.
“We only got one nomination for every director except one position had two nominations,” he said. “I would love to see where you have two or three nominations for every director that would be phenomenal. That would be the ideal and you would have voting for every position, but if you only have one person put up their hand to take that position, if you’re complaining about what we’re doing, I say, ‘come on our side and be part of making decisions and get involved.'”
For more information on the NobleKing Knights, visit www.noblekinghockey.com.