Hello TAMHA,
On behalf of the TAMHA
executive, I wanted to reach out and share some thoughts as the 2023/24 season
comes to a close.
TAMHA has had an excellent year this year, with multiple
teams earning the opportunity to compete in championship games of tournaments.
TAMHA’s team success on the ice is only possible through the hard work and
dedication of our volunteer coaches, executive and most of all, parents. Congratulations to you all on another successful
season.
We are looking forward to our Spring 3 on 3
again this year and I hope you enjoy those opportunities to have some fun and
extend the season.
But with the
end of our year, many parents and kids will be faced with decisions on whether
they will attend spring Rep hockey tryouts. Prior to this decision, I wanted to
share some thoughts so you are all aware of how TAMHA can assist you as your
player progresses.
Firstly, for
those of you moving on to tryout at the AAA level, please be aware that
permission to skate forms are completed only by Rep centres. So you will need
to contact Dorchester, Ingersoll/Tillsonburg or St. Mary’s for that form prior
to tryouts depending on your home address.
TAMHA players
only at U12 and above have access to non-resident passports to tryout at the AA
level, please contact the AA centre you have in mind for more details but these
are limited spots and they are highly competitive.
If you are looking at trying out at Rep A
or Rep B, you will need to contact your Rep centre from above to register to
try out.
When TAMHA
lost Rep status in 2016/17, the organization really struggled as players left
to continue their Rep hockey journey. Our registrations dropped to 64, and
TAMHA needed to refocus on our new reality as a local league centre. Through
hard work and many volunteer hours, the quality of our program has rebuilt our
numbers to 166 registrations for this past season.
However,
regardless of our successes in rebuilding our registrations, I need to
emphasize that we are almost certainly always going to be a local league centre
but that in itself is not a bad thing. We have proven in the last few years
that this model is successful and can provide an excellent hockey experience
for our kids and their families. I don't take this statement lightly, but the
reality is that recent changes in the Rep hockey landscape have meant that the
over 30 smaller Rep centres in our area alone have voted on, or
negotiated, banding together to meet the 800-1000 registrations total needed to
be an ‘A’ centre to retain a quality Rep hockey program. As a local league
centre, TAMHA is not even considered in these amalgamation discussions because
our players Rep 'rights' are already owned by Ingersoll/Tillsonburg, Dorchester
and St. Mary’s minor hockey. We have already watched as Ingersoll and Tillsonburg
formed the South Oxford Storm program, and many other nearby centres larger
than Thamesford still offering Rep B/C hockey are quickly moving towards
partnering together with other centres to structure teams where ‘A’ is their
minimum level for Rep hockey.
Given this reality, myself and the entire
executive continue to support our TAMHA players and wish them every success as
they work hard at Rep tryouts this spring. Our hope is that as our players
progress through their Rep journey they remember that their love of the game
was instilled here as part of TAMHA. At the end of the day, all players will
eventually play for another team, some at age 8, some at age 18, others at age
38! The best we can hope for is that TAMHA is a fond memory they use in the
“where it all started” picture on hockey night in Canada one day.
I want to
close by thanking you all for all you do to make TAMHA a success and I look
forward to seeing you all at the rink soon enough.
If anyone has
any questions you can email me at [email protected]
Rob Cowan
President of TAMHA