Mark Antonello, the head coach, diagrams a play on the board for his team last season. Antonello, the president, has big plans for SOMHA under his helm in 2015-16. (Photo supplied)
It’s warm and sunny outside.
It’s spring – although it already feels like summer in the South Okanagan.
Baseball, soccer, and golf are the sports taking the local spotlight.
Hockey, except at the higher levels, is all but over until fall.
Or is it?
According to Mark Antonello, hockey season is just beginning.
“I grew up playing hockey – I love hockey,” gushed Antonello during a recent sit down to discuss his new role as president of the South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association. “And you certainly never want to make it unaffordable for any kids. You want to make it fun for all kids – and at all levels as well, not just for the rep player or the rec player. You want to make it so they can develop in all the levels.”
Antonello was officially elected as president of the Association at the SOMHA Annual General Meeting, which was held April 21 at the Oliver Community Centre.
The room was packed with parents and hockey people with a common goal of building the sport, and the organization.
With 2014-15 president Dean Maynard finished his term, and 1st vice president Daryn Pottinger stepping down, there was a void to fill at the top of the organizational chart.
“To be honest, when I went to that meeting, I wasn’t planning on putting my name forward,” admitted Antonello. “Jason (1st vice president Jason Bartsch) had asked me. I said to him, you look over at me, and if I shake my head yes, nominate me. That’s basically how it played out.”
And so, Antonello is now the president of the SOMHA for the 2015-16 season.
It’s a challenge he truly looks forward to.
“While I’m only one vote, I’m hoping that as the head of the ship I can kind of steer it moving forward. We made some great progress last year. We didn’t make a lot of money, but we had a balanced budget. We had some tough choices that were made last year financially, and I thought, this would be a good time to jump in and try to carry that through for another year,” said Antonello, indicating he received motivation from the fact the local communities support minor hockey in many ways. “The two towns – with the businesses and volunteers, and all of the donations. It’s just amazing to see these small towns and how much they support – not just hockey – but all sports in the area. That’s another reason. It makes it easy for us.”
Antonello’s task somewhat mirrors that of new Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, who may have a few experienced MLAs, but needs to train and mentor many new faces in the Alberta legislature.
“The board members we’ve got this year are a great mix of returning and new – lots of experience, and some brand new people,” indicated Antonello. “A lot of the members have young kids, so I think they’re in it for the long haul as well, which is nice.”
Parents, who must fork out the dough for their kids to play, are certainly in it for the long haul. Parents are always concerned about the cost of registering their children for minor hockey, and other sports.
While SOMHA has kept its registration fees as low as possible, Antonello hints at a potential increase for the 2015-16 season.
“Everyone always talks about fees. We’re probably one of the least-expensive associations in B.C., but at the same time, we need to have moderate increases to cover ice fee rental increases, wages for our refs and timekeepers, which all creep up slowly, so we want to keep up. We won’t be looking for a huge increase – but something,” indicated the new man in charge.
Registration for the 2015-2016 is expected to open in the next week. A new online payment option will be available, as well as ability to auto pay in three instalments through the PayPal system.
“It’s important to register early not just for the reduced rate, but to help the board get an idea on player numbers which are used to help plan the number of teams at each level, reserve practice ice required, and order additional equipment if needed,” added Antonello.
During the AGM April 21, the idea of association teams jumping up from Tier 3 to Tier 2 competition was floated by a number of parents. Antonello says no decision will be made until the association opens up registration.
A decision has been made to add at least one team. Yes, the SOMHA is going to attempt a female only hockey program. The team will be an option to select females only once registration opens, and will be dependent on registration numbers. Antonello says a full refund would be made available if there are not enough girls registered.
SOMHA is now accepting coaching applications for all levels. The Rep application deadline is June 1, and the association hopes to have Rep coaches in place for July 1st. Recreational team coach applications will be reviewed as received.
Antonello believes there are some talented and dedicated people on the board, and he believes the ones which have left their positions will also be available to help out.
“First, some of the people who have left. They are leaving with a lot of experience and knowledge, and it’s unfortunate that we’re not going to have them anymore. While they may not be on the board, their information is always available to us. I’m trying to put people into the right spots right now, and I’ve noticed, and other people have noticed, that we typically have one person doing one job, so we’re going to try and have a little crossover this year and try and juggle it up a little. Some people might not agree with it, I think we need to have a contingency plan. Nobody knows what’s going to happen tomorrow, so that was part of my thinking this year,” said Antonello. “We’ve got four new members, a head coach for multiple years, a manager for a couple of years – and all with younger kids, so they’re going to see what goes on behind the scenes now, and hopefully they’ll realize it’s not all fun and games.”
Although, it was a lot of fun and ‘winning’ games during the 2014-15 hockey season.
A trio of South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association teams advanced to the Provincial Championships in March, with the Peewee and Bantam teams finishing fourth and the Midget team taking sixth place in the province.
“So, three teams go to provincials, We’ve got our Atom group moving up that has some great players, and the Novice and Pre-Novice kids that are coming up. You see the dedication from the parents, and the talent that’s already starting to show. The next five or six years are going to be a lot of fun in this association.”
And with that, Mark Antonello is off and running – making plans for another three SOMHA teams – minimum – advancing to provincials, and this time, bringing home gold.
DALE CORY
Osoyoos Times
