WBA Travel Try-Out Board Meeting AgendaWelcome 2014/2015 WBA SeasonEvent Updates (Fall Skills and Drills & Westwood

Day)Important Dates (Travel & In-Town Related)New Board MembersCoordinator UpdatesTravel Try-Out DetailsUpcoming Board MeetingsOpen Discussion

Fall Skills & Drills Clinic Update1st – 3rd Boys and Girls – 33 (68) 4th & 5th Boys and Girls – 23 (62)6th – 8th Boys and Girls – 48 (57)2014 Total of 104 (41 Girls and 63 Boys)2013 Total of 187 (107 Girls and 80 Boys)

We were late with the registration and announcement due to Gym confirmation delays

We went from 4 sessions to 3 and also combined the Boys and Girls in 4th – 6th and 6th – 8th

Westwood DaySaturday, September 27th, 2014 – Outdoor

Basketball Court10 – 2 Free Throw Shooting Contest2 – 3 Super Knockout Contest

We need volunteers – CORI Background Check Required

Important DatesTravel Try-Out Registration is OpenTravel Player Registration will be Open after

the completion of each grade’s tryouts and team announcements and will be open through Friday, November 15th.

In-Town Player Registration will be opened on 9/25

New Board MembersPeg Harvey – Equipment CoordinatorMarlene Morris –Referee CoordinatorJohn Gaffney – Referee Training CoordinatorMark Jessup – 1st Grade Boys CoordinatorTodd Nicholson – 2nd Grade Boys Coordinator

Open Positions2nd Grade Girls CoordinatorHigh School Girls CoordinatorTreasurer (2014 as Treasurer in Training)Facilities (2014 as Facilities in Training)

Executive Committee Position ElectionsPresidentRegistrar

Both Michael Gay (President) and Maryanne Curtin (Registrar) ran unopposed and were re-elected by unanimous vote

Metro West UpdateBen Leder

Travel Schedule Starts on 12/7 and Finish on March 1st

No Games on 12/28New 4th Grade League Option

8 ½ Foot Hoops 27.5 Junior Ball This isn’t all or none $700 to $1,000 for Backboard Insert

Metro West UpdateVote #1YesNo – Let’s wait until next year and see how

this plays out

Vote was held and large majority selected No – Let’s wait until next year and see how this plays out

Gym Time UpdateJohn Cummings

Schechter was sold and is off-line for Travel Practices

We got a 2nd night at DCD Rand (Thursday)Hoping to get some time at XaverianTravel Gym Selection will take place at

October 28th Board Meeting

Safety UpdateSean Kennedy

CORI Process for 2014In-Town Coordinators Role

Equipment UpdatePeg Harvey

New Storage Container (Deerfield)

Travel Uniform Update Grades 4 and 5 will be using

the Badger Uniforms Grades 6 through 8 will

continue to use the A4

Travel Try-Out StructureThe High School Coaching Staff will run all tryouts. They

WILL NOT participate in any evaluations. They will simply be running the drills and organizing all of the basketball activities.

Grades 5 through 8 will include the previous year’s A and B Coaches as 2 of the 5 Evaluators. Grade 4 will include the previous year’s Grade Coordinators as Evaluators.

There will be 3 additional Independent Evaluators at each tryout

There will be at least 1 WBA Executive Board Member (Includes Past EC Members) present at each tryout.

All Evaluators including Independent Evaluators will be required to attend both tryouts and participate in the post tryout team selection process.

Head Coaches are responsible for securing one evaluator for their tryouts. They will submit their selection to the WBA EC for approval. The EC reserves the right to reject the Coaches selection and replace them w/ a different independent evaluator.

Travel Try-Out StructureThe EC Members who attend the Try-Outs are there

for 3 main reasons. Serve as the 5th Independent Evaluator, giving them 1/5

of the vote when selecting teams.Ensure that the tryout is run in a fair manner allowing

each and every child to have a fair evaluation. They will also ensure that team formation is considered when selecting teams.

Serve as a first hand participant in the try-out process should any parent have questions or concerns The EC Member attending the Try-Outs are not there to be the sole voice in selecting the teams. Again, they are 1 of 5 votes.

Try-Out Expectations Maryanne will provide a list of the Registered participants. You will

use that list to check in your players and assign them a number. If a player shows up w/ out being registered they need to register prior to the 2nd tryout in order to be considered for a team.

Evaluation sheets will not have any names nor should you write their name in.

Following the 1st tryout, the Evaluators will huddle to go over their Day 1 rankings.

Following the 2nd Tryout, the Evaluation team will get together to select the teams. This process can take anywhere from 60 minutes to 2+ hours. Any food or drinks that are needed as part of this process fall to the current A team coach ;)

All Tryout Information and Team Selection is CONFIDENTIAL and should not be shared w/ anyone (especially your own children)..!!

We will announce the teams shortly following the final tryout via email from the WBA. Emails are also sent to those who have not made a team.

As an Evaluator, you may get questions or negative comments from other parents. Please direct all questions or concerns to Michael Gay. Avoid these discussions as NO GOOD comes from them.

Reality of most Travel Try-outsAs we have seen in past years, there will be many more

boys and girls trying out for the travel teams than there are spots.

This means that there will be many cuts.Cuts are not personal but they are very real to the boy / girl

/ family of those cut.PLEASE take your role as Evaluator seriously..!! We owe it

to each and every child who tries out.

Travel Coaches Selection Once the travel teams have been formed, invitations will be sent

out to each players parent / guardian. When registering for the team on the WBA website, parents will

have the option of volunteering to be a Head or an Assistant Coach.

We are also open to non-Parent Coaches volunteering to be a Head or Assistant Coach. An email to the Travel Coach Selection Chair (Steve Harrington) will notify the EC of your interest in coaching.

We will hold a Travel Coach Selection Night on Tuesday, October 21st at the Senior Center

If there are more than one candidate interested in the Head Coach position, all candidates will be required to interview in person with the Coaching Selection Committee (WBA EC chaired by the VP)

Immediately following the interviews, the Coaching Selection Committee will notify all candidates of their selection

Head Coaches will be responsible for selecting their assistant coaches. The WBA EC reserves the right to reject the selection of an assistant coach

Upcoming Board MeetingsTuesday, October 28th from 7-9Thursday, November 20th from 7-9Thursday, December 18th from 7-9

Open DiscussionOpen Discussion / Topics for consideration at

next Board Meeting

Next Board meeting will focus on the Travel Team Gym selection for practice along with In-Town preparation.

No additional topics were brought up for discussion