This page offers information, advice and contacts for those players and parents
who would like to start a roller hockey team to represent their high school in
Seminole County. The effort of organizing a team can be quite
time-consuming and the help offered here is intended to help you organize
those efforts. Once you make the decision to start a high school hockey
team, please contact us to let us know of your efforts. One of the
benefits that Seminole County Youth Hockey Foundation, Inc. hopes to bring to
our community is a sharing of information and resources to grow the number of
teams, along with helping them to be successful. We can help facilitate
that sharing of resources, information and opportunities.
1st Steps: Things to Consider Before Starting
 | Do you have a responsible parent or adult who has volunteered to act as the Coach for your team? Consider a background check on this person if you are at all unsure about his/her background. Are there "backup" coaches available to help run practices and fill in when the Coach is sick, unavailable, etc. |
| Do you have a responsible parent or adult who has volunteered to act as "Administrator", "Team Mom" or "Team Dad"? This is an important function of any organized team, necessary to help pull all required paperwork together for the players and coaches, organize schedules for practices, notify players and parents when information needs to get out, collect funds, etc. Again, consider a background check if at all unsure about his/her background. We recommend using a web site (they are available free through geocities.com) to share information among coaches, parents and players. You'll need someone who knows how to put together a simple web page or two, but the benefits are significant. Make sure all your families have access to the internet and can agree to be disciplined enough to check the team web site frequently. |
| If you have not opened a dialog with your school administrators (Principal/Vice Principal/etc.), do so as soon as you are sure that you will put a team together. Your school can be a great help to you in getting organized and your players feeling like they are part of the high school experience. Let them know what you plan to do and ask for their support and advice. |
| How will you fill out your team roster? Do you plan to add players by invitation only or do you plan to hold tryouts for any eligible players who are interested? From our experience, if you want a program at your school that will be most likely to gain support from your school administrators and provide for a healthy number of new players each year, plan to hold annual open tryouts shortly after school begins in the Fall. |
| Where will you play and where will you hold practices? For leagues in the area, take a look at the Find a League page. For practices, the outdoor rink at Greenwood Lakes Park is Seminole County's only roller hockey rink. The hourly rental fee is reasonable ($10.00/hr before 5:00pm, $20.00/hr after 5:00pm) and can be arranged through Seminole County Parks & Recreation at (407) 322-6567. |
| Consider how you will handle your finances. All income to the team and expenses should be kept in a completely separate ledger. A separate bank account for team funds is recommended and there are banks that will give you a free account. |
2nd Steps: Plan and Prepare
Develop a realistic timeline. You would be wise to lay out your plans on a calendar, after you have investigated the leagues that you are interested in joining. Work backwards from the expected start date of the league you want to join. If you plan to organize open tryouts at your school, you should allow for at least 6-8 weeks to get through the following activities:
Itemize your expected costs for the team. Though it will probably change as you learn more through this process, you'll need a rough idea of the costs you will incur for your 1st season. All costs must be spread across the total number of players you expect to have. You should know what the fee is for the league you've decided to play in. To that you'll need to add:
* Practice fees for rink rental. Add up the fees for all the planned practice sessions.
* USA Hockey Inline annual membership fees for each player (should be $25.00 ea.)
* On-rink team equipment needed. Consider all of the following: pucks, cones, practice jerseys or pennies, first aid kit, a small tool kit with spare parts for skates and helmets, small white board to diagram instructions, clipboards for tryout evaluations and, of course, a whistle.
* Off-rink equipment needed. Include any bank charges to set up an account, cost of checks, receipt books, photocopy expense for birth certificates and forms.
* Costs for team jerseys. Don't forget shipping and printing costs, if separate.
* Any other expenses for your situation, such as team trophies, plaques for sponsors, end-of-year banquet, yearbook page for team picture, etc.Get your school on your side. Set up a meeting with your school administration to explain what you are trying to accomplish. Let them know how you expect to manage and run the team. Find out what their concerns would be and assure them that it is your intention that the administration be proud of the hockey team that will represent their school. Talk about the positive behaviors you will encourage and the benefits to the students and families. Ask if they would consider helping you to find a sponsor (must be a faculty member in Seminole County) to achieve "Club Sport" status on campus.
Plan your tryouts. Reserve time at the rink or other location where tryouts will be held, if possible. You will need to make sure that all players and coaches are covered with insurance for these activities. You should contact USA Hockey Inline (web site at www.usahockeyinline.com) at least 2 weeks before your tryouts to determine what you need to do to have your tryouts insured. USA Hockey Inline has special "Weekend Warrior" coverage that will provide liability and medical coverage for participants. Notes: "USA Hockey" membership is different coverage - that's for ice hockey and the roller hockey coverage is required.
If your tryouts are in 2 sessions across, for example, 2 consecutive Saturdays, USA Hockey Inline may agree to cover both days as one event with the same "Weekend Warrior" membership. Discuss this with USA Hockey Inline.Determine what forms will be needed at tryouts and make sure you will have plenty of copies. Some forms you will need are:
* Tryout registration forms (see our Resources page for an example)
* USA Hockey Inline "Weekend Warrior" formsOrganize the information that should be relayed to participants at your tryouts. You'll want to consider how you will notify those that made the team and those that did not. Other information-sharing to consider at tryouts:
* Background on your team officials
* Background information on the league you plan to play in
* Explain the criteria to be used to assess the players at tryouts
* Any team or coaching philosophy issues that you'd like players and parents to be aware of
* Team rules (general)
* What time commitments are required for practices and games
* What time commitments are expected for fund-raisers
* Review league and team eligibility requirements for players (sports physicals, GPA, Code of Conduct, Family insurance coverage, etc.)
* Review expected costs for season
* Set a date for a Parent/Player meeting for those that make the teamPlan ahead with the drills you will run, how they will be run, what supplies you will need (cones, pencils, clipboards, number tags for players) and how you will assess skill level for each drill. Develop a method or point system to evaluate each skill. A sample tryout skill evaluation form is available on our Resources page for you to get ideas from or to use, if you'd like. This will allow the coaches to write down evaluation scores for each player during tryouts. If possible, have more than 1 knowledgeable adult rating the players to get multiple opinions about each player. Even an experienced coach can benefit from other points of view. Do NOT include parents of players who are trying out as evaluators, as this will certainly elicit screams of protest from parents whose kids did not make the team. Keep the evaluation scores confidential. If coaches' kids are trying out, you should decide ahead of time how to present this to parents if these players are not going to be viewed as the more skilled players. This is a sensitive issue with many parents and is best addressed up front to avoid negative feelings later.
Make sure that you have water available at tryouts! Encourage players coming to tryouts to bring water bottles in all your flyers and articles (and on your web site!).
Advertise your tryouts. Place flyers around school (if OK'ed by your administration) and have players talk with classmates about the upcoming team being formed. If holding open tryouts, provide a lead time of 1-2 weeks to let potential players plan to be there. We recommend that you hold 2 sets of tryouts, so that players who are unable to make it on one date should be able to make it to another. After all, you are trying to draw out all the talent available at your school. Your school administrators may be able to allow a brief notice to be included in the 1st edition of the school paper, which can be a great way to generate excitement with the students.
Note: If you were able to put a web site together for your team, this is an excellent reason to begin using it. Publish information about your team, where you plan to play, expected expenses, information on the people putting the team together and information about tryouts. Use the web site address in all flyers and published articles.Information to include with your tryout advertisements:
* Dates
* Times
* Location
* Cost ("Weekend Warrior" membership, rink rental)
* Equipment required for tryouts (USA Hockey Inline requirements)
* Contact information (Coaches, Team Mom, etc.)
* Information about your team
* Importance of bringing water to tryoutsPlan for a Player/Parent Meeting. Set a time and place for a Parent/Player meeting to fill out all forms required for the league and collect fees. If you are ordering team jerseys, you'll need to find out the required lead time to have jerseys ready. Your Player/Parent meeting should be scheduled with enough time prior to the start of the league schedule to have jerseys ready. Plan to get size information and coordinate what number each player will have at this meeting. This meeting is where the rules and tone for communication across the team can be established. Good topics for discussion at this meeting include:
* required equipment for players at practices and games
* team rules (specifics)
* code of conduct for players, parents, spectators and coaches
* required sports physicals for each player
* the role of USA Hockey Inline
* how information will be distributed to players and parents
* how players and parents can contact coaches, Team Mom, etc.
* notification process for rainouts, if playing or practicing outdoors
* open discussion (answer any other questions that parents or players may have)This meeting is a great way to get your players and families together to have them see their teammates who have "made the team". You could plan to have each player introduce himself, along with his or her parents. This is also where your school administration can support you, if you have developed a good working relationship with them. Request the use of a room at school (cafeteria, etc.) one evening for this meeting. Invite your school administration to attend.
3rd Steps: Execute Your Plan
Hold Tryouts. Before allowing anyone onto your tryout rink, have players and parents fill out the necessary forms and pay for USA Hockey Inline "Weekend Warrior" coverage or prove current membership in USA Hockey Inline. Providing their USA Hockey Inline ID card will prove membership and you should examine the card to make sure that it's current. Write down the player name and Member Number for your records. Hold a brief meeting with parents to relay the information that you had planned to share at tryouts.
Evaluate tryout performance. We recommend you use a point system that you have worked out ahead of time for each skill you are assessing. If you have more than 1 evaluator with ratings on your players, meet to determine a compromise score for each player where your skill ratings differed or average the ratings. Some subjective assessment may be needed but, to the extent possible, stick with the tryout evaluation criteria that you planned out before tryouts.
Notify players that did/did not make the team. We recommend that the coaches contact each player to let know their efforts were appreciated and, if they did not make the team this year, tryouts would be expected to be held again next year (or next season). Do not relay specific scores to players, but advice on areas for improvement could be helpful to those players who may try out again in the future.
Hold your Player/Parent Meeting. Make sure all players are aware of your 1st practice session.
Order jerseys The process of getting jerseys ordered and printed can take several weeks or more. Hopefully, after getting size and number information from each player who is committed to play, you can immediately order the jerseys. Good advice is to get an extra jersey in each size, if possible.
4th Steps: Additional Considerations
Keep copies of all forms and notes. The Team Mom/Administrator or Coach should have a copy of all forms gathered from each player and family. Organize these carefully and keep them protected, since they contain personal information.
Be aware of the special expenses that goalies have. Goalie equipment is expensive and keeping a goalie on your team is, of course, a key concern. If the expense is an issue for the family of a goalie, consider defraying some costs for goalies on your team.
Yearbook pictures. Consider a team photo in the school yearbook. You may need to purchase a page or half-page, so include this expense in your up-front planning.
Look for sponsors. Talk to businesses in your area that might be interested in sponsoring your team. Sporting goods stores that sell hockey equipment can be great partners with you. Having a web site provides another good way to trade some limited advertising for sponsorship.
Consider fund-raisers. A great idea is to order t-shirts when you have your jersey printing done. You can usually get a good price break on the printing and maybe qualify for a better quantity discount. Have the players sell them to family and friends at school. Contact us if you are looking for additional fund-raising opportunities.