Divisional Realignment

[NCRHA]

This thread is in reference to the article on www.ncrha.org and it's Member Organization websites: http://ncrha.org/article.php?article_id=52705

Please post any general questions here and the NCRHA will do it's best to answer them in a timely manner.

For information on how this specifically affects your team regionally, expect an email from your Member Organization (League) Director or send them an email.

Contact information for each Member Organization can be found at the bottom of this page: http://www.ncrha.org/members.php


--
Brennan Edwards
Executive Director, National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association
www.ncrha.org

[alex]

Well looks like ASU will be playing DII next year.

So much for playing the top teams in the country.

[Drexel63]

ECRHA has already prepared it's teams for this change... Take a look at the difference in divisional play between last season and the season before, specifically at which teams moved, and speak with them.

Also, I believe this change is aimed at placing teams where they belong organizationally, which should be independent of competition. Your budget and organizational administration should be driving your decisions here...

[ARHA]

UCI better get a coach or they wont be able to make it to the Division I semi's like they did this year. What a shame, it was cool to see the six man, no coach team play Lindenwood for a shot in the finals.

[alex]

Not sure about everyone else, but from our team's point of view...we want to play college hockey to play teams of our skill level, not teams of our same organizational level.

But under this structure, it doesn't matter if 90% of the high level teams are well organized teams who are in DI, we'll be in DII because we don't have a coach with USA Hockey certification or because we can't afford to outfit 10 guys in matching jerseys, pants, helmets, and gloves.

[MAmato]

so instead of complaining about it, go find a coach and go get matching gear. it's not rocket science, and before you start crying about costs, realize that everybody has these costs.

progress is painful, so chin up.

[alex]

so instead of complaining about it, go find a coach and go get matching gear. it's not rocket science, and before you start crying about costs, realize that everybody has these costs.

progress is painful, so chin up.

Right. Precious time spent posting concerns on message boards when I could be out on the coach search.

It's not a matter of finding a coach, it's a matter of finding someone with enough time on their hands to travel six hours one way to the closest tournament and spend their whole weekend there without asking the team to pay for their expenses in any way because we'll be busy buying jerseys, pants, gloves, and helmets along with regular league fees.

Without blindly dismissing all concerns as "crying", realize there can be legitimacy in issues people have with this new structure. The teams in the league and those trying to get in the league are the ones who have to adhere to the rules, so we should be able to voice our concerns right?

[jsp047]

before you start crying about costs, realize that everybody has these costs.

Yes everyone has the same costs, but not everyone gets the same amount of financial support from their school. For programs with budgets even around $10,000(I know some programs get way more than that) these new rules will not be a big deal. However, for teams like us who only get $800 for the entire season this is a very big deal.

[TUcoach]

Not all changes are implemented at the beginning of this season, some don't take place until the 09-10 season!

Effective January 1, 2009, all teams must have a registered coach behind the bench for all games.

Effective September 1, 2009, all registered coaches must have completed a minimum of Level 1 USA Hockey coaching certification.

Effective September 1, 2009, all players must have gloves that match the color scheme of their uniform or black gloves. All gloves need not be the same manufacturer or style.

I don’t think it much to ask that teams have matching jerseys, pants and matching color helmets at a college level. This is just another way of separating the NCRHA from the local house league. As far as gloves go, DI teams wont need them until the 09-10 season, plenty of time to scrape up the money. Coaches...we did have a few teams struggle with this last season in the ECRHA. What we suggested to those teams was to find somebody...anybody. Faculty/staff member, father, mother, alumni to suggest a few. As a result, major penalties were down, fighting penalties were down, teams were more organized and the staff/official had someone to go to if there were issues with the team other than the captain. Also, schools might more willing to fatten a clubs budget if they see the league is requiring stricter regulations, happened to a few club in the ECRHA.

[MBurke]

Off the top of my head, this is a HUGE change to be undertaken in the short time frame available before next season. I really don't see how it can be implemented effectively in the off season.

It looks like a lot, but the only additional requirements being placed upon DI teams are matching helmets (which will probably affect only several players per club), matching pants (likely the same issue as helmets), and a coach. We already require predominant pants and matching home/away jerseys.

Obviously the coach is the hard part of the equation for a lot of clubs, which is why the extra semester has been given. We did this in the ECRHA this past year and despite concerns of some teams, they were all able to get SOMEONE to man the bench for them. This could be a club advisor or parent if you're really in a bind and can't find a bona fide coach.

In order to make an informed decision, a lot more information is required, such as:
which teams are planning to play which division in a given region ? This might make a difference in a team's decision.

Chicken/egg scenario, assuming your argument is that teams won't commit until they know where everyone else is playing. I have a feeling you will see far fewer teams moving than you anticipate.

How much difference in cost from division to division ?

Varies regionally. Based on our discussions in Colorado, the general consensus seems to be to keep DI close to the same price and shorten the DII campaign by a couple games.

What benefits are presented to the school for the higher per game cost of div 1 ?

DI should not and (to my knowledge) will not cost any more per game. The only increase in fees should/would be due to a longer season.

Is travel forbidden if not div 1 ?

Absolutely not. Travel is always encouraged, but the DI teams will be prodded a little harder, as I think our intent is to make at least one weekend of DI travel a mandatory thing down the road.

[hockey1]

At the ECRHA spring ACC meeting we talked about possible having a 18 or 20 games season instead of 16 for DII, are you actually thinking about having a shorter season now?

[MAmato]

Right. Precious time spent posting concerns on message boards when I could be out on the coach search.

It's not a matter of finding a coach, it's a matter of finding someone with enough time on their hands to travel six hours one way to the closest tournament and spend their whole weekend there without asking the team to pay for their expenses in any way because we'll be busy buying jerseys, pants, gloves, and helmets along with regular league fees.

Without blindly dismissing all concerns as "crying", realize there can be legitimacy in issues people have with this new structure. The teams in the league and those trying to get in the league are the ones who have to adhere to the rules, so we should be able to voice our concerns right?

You should probably be voicing it to your league rep, not here on the unofficial forum.

With regards to school support, I can't think of a single school that pays for equipment (plus it's a one time expense), and getting a "coach" really isn't that bad. Hell, make one of the guys you cut a "coach", or rotate your scratches as "coaches." As far as I can see all you need is the USA Inline Coaching certificate ($10 extra).

I understand that the automatic reaction to change is usually an attempt to cling to policies of old, but really, these aren't hard things to do and aren't even that expensive. New pants/gloves/helmet is like $150 for pretty good stuff and the vast majority of us can forgo a couple nights at the bar or hiring some fat girl from the wrong side of town to take care of us for the night.

There are a number of schools with little or no funding that seem to be capable of DI play; these teams deserve to be there because they are dedicated. Again, you have plenty of time to figure this stuff out and make it happen, the amount one has to save until the deadline hits is minimal.

[MBurke]

At the ECRHA spring ACC meeting we talked about possible having a 18 or 20 games season instead of 16 for DII, are you actually thinking about having a shorter season now?

The season will be shorter than DI, but it is undecided whether that will be 16 or 18 games. We're putting together a new ACC area where we'll be discussing that over the next week or two.

[CSteamer]

I feel some of these sanctions are a little unfair. Like mentioned above..some teams only get around $1,000 from their school. Roller Hockey is a club sport. Requiring people to have matching gloves when you are a college student and having matching helmets in my opinion is a little ridiculous. And for some areas where hockey is not a popular sport whatsoever its a little difficult to find a coach willing to travel and spend an entire weekend somewhere. Also..thanks for all the notice.

[smiller]

Im not trying to be a jerk here but I want to say why is everyone complaining about this when the reason for all the changes is an attempt to make everything better? I understand that the cost may go up alittle and that sucks, especially for the clubs who get next to no money or no money at all from their schools. Im sure everyone knows to fundraise and all the good stuff. Now you just may have to go fundraise alittle more, or god forbid, skip one night a week of going out. I know that may seem like its not fair, but sacrifices may have to be made.

If anyone needs help with fundraising ideas, let me know. I helped run my club for 2 years.