SAMM Board of Directors
Newsletter!

Moose Happenings December, 2008

From the desk of the President,

I want to wish all of you a Happy Holiday! We have reached the official halfway point of the season and everyone is progressing well. We have seen progress in player development in all age groups.

December's Marine Corps Toys for Tots Jamboree was a smashing success. Players and parents made it one of the most successful events for Toys for Tots in Alaska, giving the Marines almost 400 toys for kids to have a Christmas. This will be an annual event. In January we will be holding the Food Bank Jamboree and shortly collection bins will be in the rink. The Food Bank's cupboards are bare after the holidays but their mission still goes on. With youth sports we have the responsibility to not only develop the skills but do it in a way that builds character in the players. I personally felt great watching the response and felt even better to see others thinking with the same spirit. The story that brings it home was from a Moose parent who told me that in the past they had a Christmas because of Toys for Tot.

There has been some reaction to the higher standard that Moose players are being held to on checking from behind. The policy was written with input from both Keith Morris and Mike McAleese. It is in response to an incident that happened during The Turkey Shoot Out. A player was seriously hurt and another is much traumatized. I believe strongly that this was a very unfortunate accident. We have been under scrutiny to provide a game plan to prevent further incidents. This policy is one part of that plan. I believe we have the most experienced and qualified house coaches in the state. We are the only association which has checking clinics. We are doing more to prevent serious injuries and encouraging other associations to come up to our standards.

I am leaving for work starting January 5 and returning approximately February 16. Annetta Powell , the Association Vice President, will move up to assume the President duties during my absence. I will still be reachable by email and phone but will be 3 time zones away. Hopefully I'll have time to see some Colorado Avalanche games while I'm gone.

The two fund raising events for the Association will be the basket Auction during Moose Fest and the Moose Poker night. The baskets are going good and I appreciate your involvement in those. Tickets for dinner and poker will be available shortly and can be purchased at the Moose office. That event will be held on February 20, 2009 at the Days Inn Downtown.

I want to thank all the volunteers that have made this a successful year so far. Many more have asked to help and as officers of the board we have to do a better job of providing those opportunities. We are going to be looking for individuals with Quick Book experience to volunteer for helping with the bookkeeping. We are looking for individuals with TAM cards to help on Poker Night. There will be numerous volunteer opportunities during the Bantam State Tournament that we are hosting in March.

Again that you all for making this an enjoyable year and have a great New Year!

Mike Walsh
President, SAMM