On behalf of the Skating Association of Maine board, we want to reach out and share that we hope you and your family are healthy and safe as we continue through this unprecedented time in our country’s history.
We want to communicate and update you on what we are working on. We also want to help answer any questions you might have.
In an effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the SAM board continues to plan for our annual meeting which has been scheduled to a virtual meeting using Zoom on March 28th at 4:00pm. At the meeting, we will be making important decisions about the year ahead and electing new members of the figure skating and hockey committees.
Anyone is welcome to attend the meeting by using the information below.
The Skating Association of Maine welcomes Kevin Kaminski as a guest speaker at this year's annual meeting.
Kevin Kaminski is a former NHL hockey player who played for the Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques, and Washington Capitals. He is known in Maine as one of the most toughest minor-league players of the 1990s, including his championship season in 1994 with the Portland Pirates.
He is currently the head coach of the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey league.
SAM Board is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: SAM Annual Meeting
Time: Mar 28, 2021 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 996 2991 0167
Passcode: SAM
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Meeting ID: 996 2991 0167
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SKATING ASSOCIATION OF MAINE
PRESIDENT REPORT
March 28, 2021
On behalf of the Skating Association of Maine board, I would like to give a sincere thank you to both steering committees, all SAM families, and the Camden National Bank Ice Vault. As we continue through this unprecedented time, everyone involved with SAM did their part to keep everyone involved safe. We wish all of SAM a continued safe and healthy year.
Virtual monthly board meetings have been held and will continue as we plan for the coming year’s programs. SAM will communicate with its members our plans and any changes within the program and look forward to a more normal season for 2021-2022.
For the situation we all have been dealing with over the past year, we had another successful season on and off the ice. Thank you to the coaches and committee members who put in many volunteer hours this year. Many thanks to the SAM board and committee members for the numerous hours you dedicate to SAM. The amount of time you give to this organization is greatly appreciated and we would not of had a season without your dedication to the program. Due to the dedication of our members and volunteers we were able to continue with a successful, abbreviated hockey and figure skating season.
We look forward to growing and experiencing an even more successful coming season.
Respectfully,
Derek Wing
Skating Association of Maine
Annual Meeting
Agenda
Sunday, March 28, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.
1. Roll Call and Notification of Voting Members (Check In)
2. Kevin Kaminski
3. Reading of the Minutes of Previous Meeting
4. Ratification of 2020-2021 Actions of Board and Executive Board
5. Report of Officers President Vice President Treasurer
6. Report of Trustees
7. Reports of Committees a. IT/PR b. Figure Skating c. Hockey d. Fundraising
8. New Business a. None
9. Elections
10. Recognition
Treasurer’s Report
March 28, 2021
The Skating Association of Maine has wrapped up another Fall/Winter season and welcomed skaters from many communities throughout the state to be a part of our many teams and classes.
Due to COVID the Association was not able to hold all the usual fundraisers that contribute to scholarship and education programs, but were able to have the annual wreath sale. This fundraiser was a huge success again this year and we thank all our SAM members for their participation. We also had support from a number of local businesses and community members and we appreciate their continued help in keeping youth involved in skating and hockey.
As of right now we are not sure what Spring and Summer will look like or if we will be able to offer all of our normal programs, but as things slowly get back to normal we are hopeful that our members will be able to get back on the ice and continue working on their skills.
We are thankful to all our SAM members for making the best of this unusual season and appreciate their patience as we navigated this challenging time. Our figure skaters were not able to hold competitions or exhibitions this year, but they were able to hold their annual test sessions and our hockey teams spent many hours working on their skills and competing in games against other local associations. We are proud of all their accomplishments and successes this year and look forward to seeing them back on the ice soon.
Happy skating,
Heather Knowles,
Treasurer
2021 SAM Board of Directors Nominations/Open Positions
|
Committee Member |
Title/Position |
|
Derek Wing |
President |
|
Glenda Winn |
Vice President |
|
OPEN |
Secretary |
|
Heather Knowles |
Treasurer |
|
Kandra Foster |
Fundraising |
|
Greg Glynn |
IT/PR |
|
Sandra Prescott |
At-Large |
|
Steven Prescott |
At-Large |
|
OPEN |
At-Large |
|
OPEN |
At-Large |
|
Josh Lepage |
Hockey Representative |
|
Stephanie Weber |
Figure Skating Representative |
2021 SAM Hockey Steering Committee Nominations/Open Positions
|
Committee Member |
Title/Position |
|
Roger Collins |
Chair |
|
Josh Lepage |
SAM Hockey Representative |
|
Josh Lepage |
Vice Chair – House |
|
Ben Gray |
Vice Chair – Travel |
|
Dan Foster |
Past Chair |
|
Sarah Shultz-Neilson |
Secretary |
|
OPEN |
Finance Director |
|
OPEN |
Girls Director |
|
OPEN |
Coaching Director |
|
OPEN |
Player Representative |
|
Janette Kirk |
IT/PR |
|
OPEN |
Scheduler |
|
Alicia Collins |
Fundraising |
|
Rebecca Lambert |
Fundraising |
|
Alex Netten |
State Representative 1 |
|
OPEN |
State Representative 2 |
|
Roger Collins |
Grow the Game |
|
Jesse Beckwith |
Registrar |
|
Corey Scott |
Tournament Director - House |
|
Andy Lambert |
Equipment Manager |
FIGURE SKATING
FIGURE SKATING NAME TERM LENGTH RENEWAL YEAR Beginning July 1
Chair
Stephanie Weber
3
2023
Vice Chair
Molly Patten
2
2022
Past Chair
Dawn Kilgore
n/a
Secretary
Wendy Dunlap
2
2023
Finance Director
Carol Fuller
2
2023
Membership Chair
Melissa Emerson
3
2024
IT/PR
VACANT
1
2022
Test Chair
Julie Downs
1
2022
Fundraising Chair
VACANT
1
2022
Show Chair
VACANT
1
2022
Figure Skating Director
VACANT
3
2023
FS SAM Board Representative
Stephanie Weber
3
2023
SAM Hockey 2020-2021 Annual Report
As the date for open enrollment to register for SAM Hockey approached in September 2020, it was a struggle to even speculate what a hockey season may look like during a world-wide pandemic due to Covid 19. Without having any previous experiences to compare the hurdles we were up against; the SAM Hockey Steering Committee knew that the 2020-2021 season was going to be the most challenging and unique obstacle we had ever faced. However, it was without hesitation that our dedicated group of volunteers accepted the challenge.
Though remaining socially distanced, the Hockey Steering Committee became closer together than ever before and created the plans and guidelines that would bring SAM Hockey one of the most successful hockey seasons to date. Our registrations increased to 229 Tier 4 skaters which included (40+) Atoms, (3) 6U teams, (3) 8U teams, (2) 10U teams, (1) 12U team, (2) 14U teams, and (2) 18U teams. Our structure of creating a “pay as you play” format added comfort to many registrants, who like many of us, were uncertain what the season would entail. The “pay as you play” format provided the opportunity for SAM to pause or cancel future payments if necessary, due to any State Government mandated stoppage of play.
In early November 2020, SAM was notified by the State CDC that all hockey activities were to cease immediately. This, of course, was devastating news for our hockey family members. However, our HSC worked diligently in communicating with our members to remain active with hockey even while off the ice with contests and fundraising. SAM ran a “photo” contest using our Facebook page encouraging families to share photos of how they could bring their love of hockey to the Thanksgiving table. Many shared photos of wearing jerseys, puck placemats, eating with hockey sticks, and even shooting dinner rolls into baskets. Two images were randomly selected to win either a signed Charlie McAvoy puck or a SAM Moose hockey blanket. Our Christmas Wreath Fundraiser also took place during this time as skaters were encouraged to sell as many wreaths as possible to help decorate doors and windows and show support for hockey. Our members were amazing and sold over 750 wreaths which provided over $7500.00 back to our skaters.
It was not until late December that SAM was able to resume extremely limited hockey activities. Extreme measures were taken to assure that our entire hockey family remained as safe as possible while following all State guidelines. Teams were broken into small cohorts, scheduled games became individualized clinics, practice times were adjusted, and coaches were spaced out accordingly to limit any chance of cross contamination and exposure. It was also at this time that all skaters were mandated to wear masks and spectators were no longer allowed in the facility. Our HSC meeting that was directly related to returning to the ice during this time started with the quote “The easy thing to do is not always the right thing to do, and the right thing to do is to get our skaters back on the ice.” which we accomplished successfully.
To assure our registered members received the best possible hockey season under current guidelines and restrictions, it was unanimously decided to extend play through March 2021. We are hopeful that our season will end with the welcoming of limited spectators to the stands at the Ice Vault and each team having the opportunity to play their final game of the 2020-2021 with their families cheering them on and a stick salute from all our players thanking them for their unwavering support this season. Every person who took part in SAM Hockey this year should be extremely proud to know that SAM Hockey had a (0) covid 19 transmission rate for the entire season and our gratitude goes to every member for this accomplishment.
As we look forward to the upcoming season, we remain focused on continuing our growth as a program and offering some very exciting new and fun opportunities including a Moose Edge Skating program, Summer Golf Tournament, HNIM, and Adult Learn to Play Hockey. As we close the door on the 2020-2021 season, we want to express our sincere gratitude to all our coaches, members, volunteers, and especially our skaters, who endured through everything that seemed impossible to just lace up and play the best sport ever, HOCKEY! Go Moose!!!!
Figure Skating Report 2021
This year has been a significantly different year for our club as we navigate through the pandemic. With that, the Skating Association of Maine Figure Skaters currently have 59 members. We would like to congratulate those skaters who tested last season virtually and at our test session held at the Ice Vault in February. Virtual test sessions were a new experience for our skaters and coaches and we are very proud of our skaters who tested this year.
With this pandemic we had to make a few adjustments to our Learn to Skate sessions which meant less skaters on the ice per social distancing guidelines. We are still currently searching for a Learn to Skate Director. We will resume Learn to Skate in the fall of 2021.
Our 2020 camp was attended by SAM skaters and several other skaters around the state. Our skaters had a great time learning new skills. We look forward to hosting our annual Figure Skating Camp in July of 2021.
All of our Figure Skating programs are being reviewed and our budget prepared for the upcoming season.
Thank you to all the members who volunteered this year. We greatly appreciate your dedication and commitment to our program.