On behalf of the Skating Association of Maine board, I want to reach out and share that we all hope you and your family are healthy and safe during this unprecedented time in our country’s history.
As we make adjustments to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we want to communicate and update you on what we are working on. We also want to help answer any questions you might have.
Currently, the SAM board continues to plan for our annual meeting which has been rescheduled to a virtual meeting using Zoom on April 19 at 9:30 a.m. 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.
Zoom Meeting for the SAM Annual Meeting
April 19 at 9:30 a.m. (The meeting will take 30-40 minutes)
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/817606240
Meeting ID: 817 606 240
Note: Setting up a Zoom account is free to join a call. We prefer you join the meeting by Zoom, but if you are unable to join by Zoom, you can call the conference line at: 207-588-1820, when prompted, you will use the following access code: 0458758
Skating Association of Maine Annual Meeting Sunday, April 19, 2020 at 9:30 a.m.
AGENDA
1. Roll Call and Notification of Voting Members (Check In)
2. Reading of the Minutes of Previous Meeting
3. Ratification of 2019 – 2020 Actions of Board and Executive Board
4. Report of Officers a. President b. Vice President c. Treasurer
5. Report of Trustees
6. Reports of Committees a. IT/PR b. Figure Skating c. Hockey d. Fundraising
7. New Business a. None
8. Elections
9. Recognition
SKATING ASSOCIATION OF MAINE
PRESIDENT REPORT
April 19, 2020
On behalf of the Skating Association of Maine board, I want to again share with you that we all hope you and your family are healthy and safe during this unprecedented time in our country’s history.
We continue to hold our monthly board meetings and plan for this coming year’s programs. SAM will communicate with our members as we plan and look forward to skating again.
This year the SAM members 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 appreciated and we could not succeed without your support. We wish you great skating this coming season!
This is my final year as SAM President and I want to thank you all for the opportunity to serve SAM. I have especially enjoyed working with the SAM board and committee members. You have all been great to work with and I greatly appreciate how dedicated you are to the success of SAM. Thank you for your extraordinary efforts to make SAM a successful organization!
Respectfully,
Susan T Smith
Treasurer’s Report
April 11, 2020
The Skating Association of Maine has wrapped up another successful Fall/Winter season and welcomed skaters from many communities throughout the state to be a part of our many teams and classes.
Again this year, the Association held a variety of fundraisers that contributed to our scholarship and education programs and we thank all of our SAM members for their participation in these efforts. 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.
Due to COVID-19 our Spring/Summer programs have been put on hold, but we anxiously wait to get our members back on the ice so they can continue building their skills.
We congratulate all of our SAM members for their achievementsagain this year. Our figure skaters were part of successful competitions, exhibitions and test sessions and our hockey teams captured various state and local titles. 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
2019/2020 Ratification of Actions
Public relations and marketing update
The Skating Association of Maine saw an increase in publicity this year through successful promotion of several events, including Skate your Heart Out, Skate with Santa. By way of media advisories, press releases and pitching and new advertisements, the media covered and promoted more SAM events, such as the first ever Hockeyfest and also newsworthy stories including the donation of jerseys by EJP that led to an increase in exposure for SAM and its programs.
The association continues to invest in promotional items to increase awareness for SAM, including t-shirt, pucks, pop sockets and a new game board for use at community events to attract more people to the booth or table and learn more about SAM’s programs.
We have seen an increase in attendance and use of the Eventbrite account for SAM which has helped make registration easier for people who wish to register online and with mobile devices, such as their phone or tablet. For parents this also helps if their child is going with a friend because they don’t have to give their child money or coordinate payment with the friend’s parent.
Public relations also played a role in some decisions this year regarding coaches and their conduct. The board did a very good job gathering information and taking swift action to protect the integrity of the sport and our association. SAM continues to improve it’s outreach and engagement and will be working on a release about the events and new leadership appointed today as well as exciting news for SAM’s sled hockey program. The goal of the increase in public relations and marketing is to attract new members and drive traffic to the website www.maineskaters.com, and social media.
I look forward to the year ahead.
Greg
Figure Skating Nominations
| 2020 | |||
| FIGURE SKATING | NAME | TERM LENGTH | RENEWAL YEAR |
| Beginning July 1 | |||
| Chair | VACANT | 3 | |
| Vice Chair | Molly Patten | 2 | 2020 |
| Past Chair | Dawn Kilgore | n/a | |
| Secretary | Wendy Brotherlin | 2 | 2020 |
| Finance Director | VACANT | 2 | 2020 |
| Membership Chair | Melissa Emerson | 3 | 2021 |
| IT/PR | Stephanie Weber | 1 | 2021 |
| Test Chair | Julie Downs | 1 | 2021 |
| Fundraising Chair | VACANT | 1 | |
| Show Chair | VACANT | 1 | |
| Figure Skating Director | Kitrina Patterson | 3 | 2021 |
| Co-Director | Stephanie Weber | 3 | 2021 |
| Person nominated for position | |||
| VACANT | |||
| Not up for renewal |
SAM Hockey Steering Committee Nominations/Open Positions
|
Committee Member |
Title/Position |
Term Expiration |
|
Derek Wing |
Chair ** |
4/1/2021 |
|
Josh Lepage |
SAM Hockey Representative ** |
4/1/2020 |
|
DJ McNaughton |
Vice Chair – House ** |
4/1/2020 |
|
Ben Gray |
Vice Chair – Travel ** |
4/1/2020 |
|
Dan Foster |
Past Chair |
4/1/2020 |
|
Debra McSweeney |
Secretary ** |
4/1/2020 |
|
OPEN |
Finance Director ** |
4/1/2020 |
|
Brenda Nichols |
Girls Director ** |
4/1/2020 |
|
Phil Davidson |
Coaching Director ** |
4/1/2022 |
|
OPEN |
Player Representative |
4/1/2020 |
|
Janette Kirk |
IT/PR |
4/1/2020 |
|
Molly Davidson |
Scheduler |
4/1/2020 |
|
OPEN |
Fundraising |
4/1/2020 |
|
OPEN |
Fundraising |
4/1/2020 |
|
Alex Netten |
State Representative 1 |
4/1/2020 |
|
Molly Davidson |
State Representative 2 |
4/1/2020 |
|
Roger Collins |
Grow the Game |
4/1/2020 |
|
Jesse Beckwith |
Registrar |
4/1/2020 |
|
Corey Scott |
Tournament Director - House |
4/1/2020 |
|
OPEN |
Equipment Manager |
4/1/2020 |
SAM 2019-2020 Annual Tier IV Hockey Report
The Skating Association of Maine Tier IV hockey had another great year. Without the tireless efforts of the volunteers at SAM, we would not continue to have success year after year. The time and effort these volunteers put into SAM continue to make the youth hockey experience better. SAM hosted 4 mite teams, 2 squirt teams, 2 peewee teams, 2 bantam teams, and 1 fall midget team.
By offering the 1st 4 week session for free by securing sponsors and making equipment and skates available for most participants, the Atoms program continues to be successful. The atoms program is very important to the continued success of SAM. Over the course of 4 sessions of Atoms, we saw a total 94 participants. The success of this program can be accredited to a small group of dedicated volunteers, new and experienced, who gave of their time and equipment to make it a total success.
SAM hockey players should look forward to another exciting HNIM summer hockey program, pending the lifting of social distancing due to COVID-19. Games are scheduled to start in June. SAM will also be hosting another checking clinic that will be conducted prior to the start of school and open to peewees and bantams
The SAM Board approved the use of jersey sponsors. SAM received its first sponsorship from Everett J. Prescott, Inc allowing SAM to order new reversible hockey jerseys for 10U, 12U, and 14U. TEAM EJP is proudly displayed on every jersey. Due to the sponsorship, SAM was able to begin raising funds by selling the old SAM jerseys for repairs and replacements of the current set. SAM will also be seeking other sponsorship
SAM Hockey hosted HockeyFest in September of 2019 as a “welcome back to hockey” for new and returning hockey players within SAM. The event was a great success with several raffles, an on ice skills competition, public skate, touch-a-truck, dunk tank, and bbq. SAM Hockey worked closely with the Chair of the Trustees, Peter Prescott to host a successful book signing event for
Allan Globensky, former professional hockey player and rink manager of the Kennebec Ice Arena. SAM held a Boston Bruins Experience were parents were able to purchase tickets to a Boston Bruins game. The event included a ticket to a game, transportation, a 50 minute game on TD Garden ice and a Q&A with a Bruins player. Over 100 members participated in the event!
SAM Hockey is looking forward to another successful season and has several things in the works, to include revamping the atoms program, participating in the Bruins Academy Learn to Play program, and many other events and fundraisers to continue to improve the experience for all involved and make SAM one of the best organizations in the state of Maine.
I would like to specifically Thank the members of the Hockey Steering Committee for their continued support of the program and their tireless effort to continue to make SAM a great association. On behalf of the Hockey Steering Committee, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated coaches, volunteers, and parents which make the hockey experience at SAM a positive one for all.
Respectfully submitted,
Derek H. Wing
Hockey Steering Committee Chair Skating Association of Maine