Kennedy - Richfield Q & A
It’sYear Two of the Kennedy-Richfield Co-op. After a very successful first year, the Kennedy and Richfield Boards named committees to meet and confer about what went well and not so well last season, and how to make the Co-op even better for the 2012-13 season. The Committees met about a half-dozen times and came to agreement on co-op terms for the coming season. In many respects, the Co-op will function much as it did last year, with representatives of both associations involved in hockey development decisions including the selection of coaches and designing the process for evaluations. However, there will also be significant changes designed to make registration and invoicing easier.
The following Q&A should help answer many questions parents may have about how the Co-op will work in 2012-13.
Q. What levels are covered by the Co-op Agreement?
A. All boys and girls at the Squirt/U10, Pee Wee/U12 and Bantam/U14 levels are covered by the Co-op Agreement. The Richfield and Kennedy Boards decided not to merge their respective Mite programs at this time. However, Richfield’s Mite families interested in having their son or daughter play on a travelling team run by the Kennedy program may register their son or daughter to take part in Intermediate and Advanced Mite team tryouts in the Fall.
Q. Will the registration process change?
A. NoFamilies will register through their home association. All you need to do is go to your home association website and follow the prompts. If you don’t have access to a computer, both will hold in-person registrations. Kennedy’s in-person registration sessions will be at BIG in September Notice of in-person registration dates will be provided by email and posted on the Kennedy and Richfield websites.Richfield in-person registration will be Wednesday, August 22nd 5pm – 7pm.
Q. Will Richfield families pay the same fees paid by Kennedy families?
A. Yes. Kennedy requires registering families to make an initial on-line payment when they register in the Fall. The initial payment for travelling age players for the 2012-13 season will be $460, which will include a $50 USA Hockey fee, $160 Registration/Eval fee, and $250 as an advance payment against team fees for October and November.
Q. I am a goalie do I get any kind of a discount?
A. Kennedy provides up to a $750 goalie credit.
Q. What are my options for fundraising?
A. The Associations will work together to develop joint fundraising events and opportunities for the coming season. In addition to in season promotions, Kennedy’s largest single event – its annual Golf Tournament at Dwan - is coming up on September 8, 2012. The tournament is followed by a dinner reception and silent auction. If you would like to play, or you know of someone who might want to support Kennedy-Richfield hockey, please direct them to the Kennedy website ( to register.
Q. What is my volunteer obligation?
A. Regardless of home association, all Squirt through Bantam families will be required to contribute 10 hours of volunteer time. Richfield Mite families will be required to contribute 5 hours of volunteer time. Kennedy Mite families will be expected to volunteer to assist in during the regular season and Mite Jamboree all volunteer opportunities will be posted on the Kennedy and Richfield websites and families can “claim” shifts on-line via a DIBS process. Both associations will also have the dibs system in place through their respective web sites. All families will be required to write a deposit check at the beginning of the season. When a family achieves the required volunteer hours, the $150 deposit will be returned
Q. If I am a Richfield Squirt, Peewee or Bantam family why am I paying Kennedy?
A. Regardless of which association you are, all payments will be made to Kennedy. This process will eliminate unnecessary duplication of effort and should be more efficient for families. On a monthly basis, the two associations will settle accounts.
Q. Is it true that teams will be wearing Kennedy jerseys for home games and Richfield jerseys for away games?
A. Yes. To demonstrate the commitment to supporting the growth and success of both the Kennedy and Richfield Associations, Bantam, Pee Wee and Squirt teams playing at the B and C levels will wear Kennedy jerseys for home games and Richfield jerseys for away games. We know the fact that the associations handle jerseys differently will be a challenge, but we are confident we can overcome these challenges. If you have questions about how this will work, please contact Joe Vodovnik or Carin Folk.
Q. Who are the coaches?
A.Nick Hanrahan - BA
Sean Goff - BB2
Jon Fisher & Sam Botwinski -BC
Andy wallis - PWA
Jeff Merten -PWB2
Jerry Ulmer - PWC
Jeff Burton - Sqrt A
Travis Folk – Sqrt B
???? – Sqrt C
Q. Will all of my team's practices and games be at BIG?
A. No, Kennedy and Richfield are doing a combined ice draw. That means all of the teams will have ice at both BIG and Richfield.
Q. If we need some financial aid, should we apply to our home association or the association hosting our child’s team?
A. You should seek financial aid from your home association. If you have not already submitted an application, you should do so soon.
Q. If my son or daughter needs a set of jerseys, what do we have to do, and how much will it cost?
A. You will be leased a Kennedy and/or a Richfield jersey. Cost for one jersey is $20 plus $5 for a placard with your child’s name on it and affixed to the back of the jersey. So if you need both a Richfield and a Kennedy jersey it will be $50. You have the option to buy a set of Kennedy and/ or Richfield jerseys (est. cost is $140 for each set). If you are interested in buying a set of Kennedy jerseys, you should contact the Equipment Director for the Kennedy association – Garrett Smeltzer at -. Families will be charged the full purchase price for lost or stolen jerseys. We have used this process in the past with returned jerseys and the jerseys look great. If you are interested in buying a set of Richfield jerseys, you should contact the Equipment Director for the Richfield Association – Keith Godfrey at .
Q. What do I do with my aluminum cans?
A. Put them in a bag and dump them in the Kennedy Youth Hockey recycling bin. We recycle our cans and put the $$$ back into hockey development. The recycling bin is located in the parking lot of the armory just to the East of BIG. You can’t miss the big yellow trailer.
Last year was a great first step for Richfield and Kennedy kids. There is really no doubt that the benefits of forming the Co-op far outweighed the negatives for kids. The increased number of skaters gave all of our kids a better opportunity to play at the optimal level for their own hockey development, and to play on teams that competed well in District 6. We know last year was not perfect, and that there are areas in which we can improve. We hope the changes we have made going into the 2012-13 season will do just that. As always, parents should feel free to contact one of us to discuss any concerns and ask any questions.
Joe Vodovnik
KHBC President
Carin Folk
RYHA President