U9
Welcome U9 Parents
Good day,
My name is Teela and I am your U9 director for the 2023/2024 hockey season. Along with the coaches and the Stettler Minor Hockey board, I will be involved with running the hockey season. I am very excited for this year’s season. This year is a bit different. I have a second year U9 girl who opted to jump up to U11 girls to support that team. I also have a second year U11 boy and a competitive swimmer. It is safe to say I am at the arena complex six or seven nights a week so please stop me and introduce yourself.
So, while you won't see me in the stands as often as last year, I will still be organizing from the background. Your managers and coaches can get a hold of me if needed or I can be reached at stettlerstormu9@gmail.com.
Today I am simply emailing to welcome everyone, to clarify some finer points, and start the ball rolling on a few things. We have not released a practice schedule as of yet. That will come later. Our season will start October 10th.
Coaches: If you’ve been interested in coaching please apply to be a U9 coach here http://www.stettlerminorhockey.com/form/649. Coaching a team will complete all your volunteer hours.
Managers: Each U9 team needs a manager. This is a great way to be involved in minor hockey, support your player’s team, and get to know the parents and guardians on your team. You do not need to know anything about hockey to manage a team. If you are interested in managing your player’s team, please email me with your name, your player’s name, and your phone number. We will need between four and six managers for this season depending on how the teams shake out. Managing a team will complete all your volunteer hours.
Special Requests: We will do our best to ensure that we accommodate when possible. That said, it is a balancing act forming so many teams and not all scheduling requests or team mate requests can be accommodated. Please send these requests in early. After teams are made, we will not be making adjustments.
Practice Schedules: We will keep you updated on the progress of scheduling. We expect to have it available in the coming weeks.
Respect in Sports: It is mandatory that our hockey parents and guardians complete Respect in Sports. This course needs to be completed successfully in order for your player to step on the ice. Please check to ensure that your certification is active in the link https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/members/respect-sport/
Apparel Try It Night: On September 26th from 5pm-7:30pm SMHA will be holding a try it on night for apparel at the Rec Centre. If you are interested in purchasing SMHA branded gear (track suits, hoodies etc.) this is a time to try it on for sizing. This is the only try it on night this year.
Finally, minor hockey can be confusing at times. I have found the best resources to be my fellow parents and the team manager. Many of the parents and managers in the stands have kids in older age divisions and have navigated through U9 previously. If for any reason you need answers though shoot me an email. I will do my best to track down answers in a timely manner and probably learn a thing or two along the way.
Cheers,
Teela Uffelman
stettlerstormu9@gmail.com
