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Board Minutes Archive - MY2013

MINUTES FOR JUN 19, 2014

PRESENT: Walt Mahaffee, Toby Westberry, Eric Gleske, Kelsey Walker, Dan Stephens, Juan Fernandez, Andy Ungerer, Bob Carleski, Benjamin Carleski, Leanne Henriques, Kristin Francisconi, Bob Vingelen, Rema Robinson, Nichole Stucki

MINUTES FROM MAY 15, 2014: The minutes from the May meeting were approved. (motion by Kristin, 2nd by Juan)

SAFETY REPORT: Kelsey spoke briefly on behalf of Gibby. The AED and walkie-talkies are currently offsite with Gibby. There was a brief discussion as to whether they were needed for the AYSO camp the following week, but it was decided that they were not. We need to have a plan for the new concussion forms submitted with player registrations. Where should they reside? With coaches? On a related note, what will we do about players with missing concussion forms? Questions need to be answered.

REFEREE REPORT: Walt is trying to schedule referee training in conjunction with Albany region. Details are forthcoming. In other exciting referee news, Walt attended the Davis Cup tournament near Sacramento and has become a new National Referee!. Gibby also became a new National Referee Assessor. These are great achievements, congratulations to both! The major item from the referee report was an imminent change in the way U8 games are refereed. There will be only one referee required per U8 team. The "home" team for each match will provide the center referee. The primary advantage resulting from this change is the reduced scheduling burden (now U6 and U8 will not have to be "scheduled"). However, Benjamin requested that the U8 (and U6!) referees be reflected in the master referee schedule that is posted. Currently many U6 referees get confused by the fact that their games are not included there. One aspect of this change that requires further attention is that John (Williams) will have to be aware of which teams are "home" and "visitor" when making up the schedule, so as balance the referee assignments across teams and throughout the season.

CONCESSION REPORT: Nicole mentioned that there has been increasing interest in gluten-free options at concession stand. She has some things in mind and will likely start carrying them in the fall (sorry, no more details).

REGISTRATION UPDATES: Currently, there are ~1000 kids registered with ~75 additional incomplete applications. In order to comply with a RAP requirement, Leanne wrote out a Late Registration Policy. There was some discussion about the details of priority. The highest priority is given to players whose parents are willing to fill one of the key volunteer positions. However, after that consideration, we must balance practice location preference, order in which applications are received, and a number of exceptions for special circumstances. There was some extended discussion about this latter point which highlighted exceptions associated with families new to town, misunderstanding due to language, health/sickness-related problems, and problems unique to the spring or fall portion of the season.

We also discussed late registration events/dates. Leanne initially proposed 6 dates, as early as next week (6/23). Andy/Kristin immediately said this is too soon and too many! This led to discussion of benefits of doing late registration sooner versus later. The idea was floated that if we do it sooner, late registrants could be included in the team formation process now. Andy/Kristin were not too keen on idea. It seemed clear that the registration/team formation process is exhausting and coordinators need a break. Ultimately, it was decided to forgo the first few proposed dates and have three dates in July: Tues/Wed 7/1-7/2 and the following Monday 7/14, all from 5-7pm (at the Safety shed?). Applicants collected from these events will technically be put on a wait list and not guaranteed roster spot. However, should they be included on a team, these dates will still allow them to get the "letter" in late July. Eric suggested that Bob C. sift data to find registered players from MY2013 that are not currently registered for MY2014 and send a reminder email about late registration dates.

On a related note, we discussed how to deal with late registration within eAYSO. National encourages us to leave registration open indefinitely. This did not work out so well last year, albeit an accident. However, just opening registration for a few days prior to each late registration event is not ideal either. It was decided that registration will be left open, but it needs to be made VERY CLEAR that no mail-in registrations will be accepted. Benjamin and Bob C. will craft a message to convey this on the website and hopefully avoid the bulk of these problem applicants.

FIELDS REPORT: It was proposed that we purchase some "Blades" which would advertise Kidzone, but also have field identifiers (A-H) on them. Options were presented to purchase just 2 for the main entrance with no field designation (13' each, $230/each) or alternatively, to purchase 10x at a slightly discounted price ($206/each). There was some discussion as to whether this was a good use of money, where the money would come from, how durable they are, etc. Walt motioned to purchase them, Leanne 2nd, vote passed! (So, we will be spending ~$2K from the Fields budget). Mike M. was not present, but provided a lengthy description of recent happenings at the Adams fields. Most significantly, they have successfully watered! See his letter for further details.

TEAM FORMATION: Team formation is almost done. On the boy's side there are still a number of coaches (~8), assistant coaches (~13), Team Managers (~2), and lots of referees are still required. Kristin detailed what she has been doing to fill these positions. On the girl's side the overall picture is a bit better. Only ~1 coach per division is still needed at this point. For U12, there are even more coaches than required! Lots of referees are still needed though. Leanne reiterated that the the August Parent Meeting is too late to be getting these key positions filled and that in order to fix this problem, we first need to understand why the problem exists. It was suggested that a survey of present/past coaches might be informative (action required??). Further discussion centered on how to better recruit more coaches and key volunteers. Andy suggested that certain head coaches could be "leaked" rosters in advance to see if they recognize any parents that might be willing. It was pointed out that letting this kind of information out before teams are made official is socially dangerous. Andy pointed out again that team balancing is difficult in the U12/14 due to the discretization of practice zones. We should consider breaking our region up into fewer, larger pieces (e.g., Philomath, and E/W/N/S Corvallis).

COACH REPORT: We will push discussion of OSU research project until next month.

RC TOPICS: There were several topics covered and additional details can be found in the Appendix of the Agenda.

  1. Parent Handbook – Hasn't been updated since 2012, need feedback. We are hoping to distribute it with the Newsletter ~4 days prior to August Parent Meeting.
  2. Board Safe Haven - Only 1 Board member remaining that is not currently Safe Haven certified. Getting all Board members certified is obviously important, but also counts towards our RAP.
  3. Parent Meeting – Will be August 6/7. Proposed to use CHS Theater with the Cafeteria area for registration/paperwork. Cost is $240 total. Benjamin motioned to spend, Walt 2nd. Vote passed unanimously.
  4. Logo Update – ongoing
  5. Changes in eAYSO – Since access rights have changed significantly this year, many people are having difficulty and/or are unaware of certain capabilities. Benjamin as offered to help people work through these.
  6. Trusted Data Manager and Secretary job descriptions – Over the years, Elaine and Rich (and now Bob) have taken on many duties that might not necessarily be considered within their job descriptions. This may be an issue should they ever resign and new people need to take over their positions. We need to better understand and define their roles.
  7. Open Board Positions – There are many open positions. Walt commented that if many of the positions were not actually considered "Board" positions (and all that entails), they might be more attractive. That is, some people may be more willing to volunteer if they don't think they have to attend monthly meetings, vote, etc. Benjamin clarified that there are already 3 "layers" of Regional Management: voting board members, non-voting board members, and staff. Perhaps some of the proposed "Board" positions could actually be considered "Staff".
  8. Board Meeting Location - Have we outgrown the Oceanography Admin. Building? The last few board meetings have been pretty full. The CPI location was proposed as an alternative. It is bigger and has a kitchenette. Andy mentioned that scheduling there can be a bit difficult because you can only schedule 30 days in advance. However Sean Z. (Asst. Trusted Data Mgr.) works there and might easily facilitate getting keys and access.
  9. Summer Camp Housing – We are still in need of housing for ~5 UK Coaches for the AYSO Summer Camp.

MISCELLANEOUS: There is a free paper shredding day coming up this Saturday (6/21). Some people accumulate soccer-related paperwork. Spread the word. Dan will email a reminder to all coaches.

Benjamin motioned to Adjourn meeting at 9:41pm, Toby 2nd.

NEXT MEETING: The next scheduled meeting will be held on Thursday, July 17 at 7:15pm. Location TBD, but will likely be at CPI. Andy will contact CPI for room availability to host the stuffing "party" followed by the board meeting.

Respectively submitted,
Toby Westberry, CVPA
AYSO Region 149

MINUTES FOR MAY 15, 2014

PRESENT: Walt Mahaffee, Marc Betz, Toby Westberry, Eric Gleske, Kelsey Walker, Dan Stephens, Juan Fernandez, Andy Ungerer, Ronda McLean, Bob Carleski, Benjamin Carleski, Leanne Henriques, Kristin Francisconi, Bob Vingelen, Mike Middleton, Aaron Rock

MINUTES FROM APRIL 17, 2014: The minutes from the April meeting were approved. (motion by Ben, 2nd by Juan)

BUDGET: Money spent on scholarships far exceeds that taken in from fundraising. We have been operating at a loss, but luckily have had a healthy reserve accumulated from recent years. However, as a non-profit we are not supposed to be making money each year (we should have a net zero income). We will continue the status quo with respect to scholarships for MY2014, but starting in MY2015 we will only grant scholarships according to dedicated funds raised in the previous year (MY2014 in this case). This decision led to a larger discussion of potential fundraising activities, some of which have been considered in the past. In particular, team sponsorship (as is done with Little League) was discussed. There were mixed feelings, but it seemed that the main problem in the past has been that there was no dedicated used for these monies. Putting this $$ toward scholarships might be a viable reason (not applicable this year since jerseys have already been ordered).

Budget needs for travel were discussed. Dan and Eric will not be going to Golden Gate. Walt and Gibby are going, but Walt kindly pays his own way, and Gibby is an instructor and thus his expenses will be paid for by National(?).

Other budget line items were discussed: coach uniforms, tournament/summer camp costs, Expo. These aspects were an open-ended discussion.

Motion to approve MY2014 budget by Dan, 2nd by Benjamin. Approved unanimously.

SAFETY REPORT: Nothing to report :^)

REFEREE REPORT: Walt presented an idea to provide some mentoring of adult referee volunteers, based on the success of mentoring youth referee volunteers. However, the problem is that the U10 and U12 fields that they start on are spread out. This led to a larger discussion of field layout. It was suggested that if Field A were moved to an open spot near Field F and Field H, they would all be together and within eyeshot of the Referee shed/tent. We noted that this is no small feat, but does present additional advantages. The current Field A is one that is actively used by Adams and pest controls issues are in direct conflict with the school district. Additionally, there are tree roots beginning to impinge on the edge of the field and Field A is the most difficult to water. This issue certainly requires further discussion. Two related comments were made. Lacrosse practice is much harder than us (AYSO) on Field E, where they currently practice. Maybe we could ask (who?) that they move to the current Field A, which would be particularly great if we did migrate Field A to a new location. Last, if this field re-arrangement were to ever happen, it was suggested by Eric that we rename the fields to be in a more intuitive order :^)

REGISTRATION: Leanne discussed registration results. In total, we have >900 registered for MY2014 in eAYSO, which is on par with past years. Monday garnered ~25-50 new registrants at the Safety shed.

Bob V. raised the issue of kids who are not currently registered for MY2013, but want to play Progressive, which spans MY2013 and MY2014. This is a problem, but there is no real way around this. To play the full slate of Progressive games, players will need to registered in both membership years, even if they do not play in the regular AYSO season.

TEAM FORMATION: Issue of team sizes for U6 and U8 was brought up. There will be no changes for this year, but likely for 2015-2016. Details need to be worked out. There was also some discussion of team balancing and the merits of moving away from emphasis on practice location, which inherently leads to less "balancing". A compromise might be to split Corvallis in half or into quadrants, rather than the many-fold 6+ regions currently used. Leanne, Eric and Bob V. will discuss offline.

Regarding this year and the compressed timeline of registration and team formation, Andy has not yet scheduled "work sessions". The delay has been in part due to Andy's reluctance to involve coaches in the process. Regardless, these work sessions have to be the last week in May at latest. Andy will check with CPI to schedule dates.

YOUTH REFEREE REPORT: Kelsey reported that the pizza party was a great success! Approximately 17 kids attended and ate 7 whole pizzas. It was noted that they were engaged and talking amongst each other quite a bit. The older youths sounded receptive to mentoring younger refs than themselves.

SECRETARY REPORT: Benjamin reported in place of Elaine. Hayden Rock was nominated to receive the AYSO Volunteer Recognition Scholarship. Kelsey has received this award in the past and will present it to him. Details about where/when are TBD. Walt motioned to accept the nomination, Juan 2nd the motion. Congratulations Hayden!

COACHES REPORT: Dan and Eric comprise the "Paper Volunteer Committee" designed to address the problem of paper volunteers. Several ideas were floated that might help. First, the role of the team manager needs to be made more prominent. Ronda will have a Team Manager Meeting, dates TBD. It really is part of their job to make sure the other volunteer positions are filled. Another thought was to have the volunteers initial or sign the form turned in at the parent meeting when the teams are "registered". That is the point at which someone's name is put down, and then often forgotten. Marc also suggested the idea of a Coach Card, which has been discussed in the past (I gather). Leanne also made reference to the GoogleDocs lists that Benjamin has set up to keep track of coaches/referees that we do not want to volunteer.

BIRTHDAY PARTY: Vicki has mad a "Wheel of Fortune"-like device for the kids/volunteers to spin for prizes. There will also be Dole Squishums to distribute and birthday cake. They will likely set up a tent near the main entrance across from the equipment shed. Ronda suggested inviting somebody from the Gazette-Times.

LOGO CONTEST: There were not many submissions, but voting results have been compiled. Sports Pins International (SPI) will make a professional design(s) incorporating elements from submissions and we will re-vote. Ronda suggested that any mountain element be in the image of Mary's Peak. It will be done in ~mid-July in time for August parent meeting.

SOCCERFEST: Region 149 contributed ~1300 players to the advertised ~17,000 participants in SoccerFest. This is great, but also frustrating that Dole would not send a dedicated person to help give out the Squishums given our level of participation. It took a lot of volunteer effort to give these out, at the expense of advertising our area tournament, for example.

AREA TOURNAMENT: As of today, there are ~20 teams in some stage of registration, most from our own region (~3 from Albany and 1 from Lebanon). U10B and U10G are the only viable divisions thus far. Juan expressed frustration at inability to communicate with coaches, etc. outside the region and overall lack of support at the Area level. Currently, the tournament is not viable. Options for downscaling the tournament to 2 days might be one way to make it work. Juan has requested a few more days from Dan Haak to rally interest in the U8 division, in particular. We will know by Saturday whether the tournament can happen. Juan will let board know by Monday 5/19 whether this is the case or not.

CORVALLIS SOCCER CLUB: If any board member has any questions/comments, please relay them to Leanne. It is better to have a single point of contact at this point. This request was spawned by an incident involving an AYSO board member approaching a CSC member directly.

BOARD COMMUNICATION: Just a reminder about email etiquette. Always be polite and start with "thank you". Anything with legal implications technically needs to be checked through the CVPA. For example, if you were to say, "…to be in compliance with Oregon State Law…", the CVPA needs to ensure that this is indeed correct. Walt also suggested having some pre-approved boilerplate language at the ready in order to avoid much of this double-checking.

MISCELLANEOUS: Benjamin, Leanne and Vicki meet every Tuesday from ~8:30-11:00am at Imagine Coffee. Everyone is welcome to join, but please give some forewarning to ensure that there will be time to discuss your matter of interest.

Dan reminded us that coaches need to turn in equipment this Saturday after games.

Benjamin motioned to Adjourn meeting at 9:17pm, Walt 2nd.

NEXT MEETING: The next scheduled meeting will be held on Thursday, June 19 at 7:15pm at the OSU Oceanography Administration Bldg.

Respectively submitted,
Toby Westberry, CVPA
AYSO Region 149

MINUTES FOR APR 17, 2014

PRESENT: Walt Mahaffee, Elaine Markley, Rema Robinson, Toby Westberry, Anton Grube, Eric Gleske, Kelsey Walker, Dan Stephens, Juan Fernandez, Gibby Reynolds, Andy Ungerer, Ronda McLean, Bob Carleski, Benjamin Carleski, Leanne Henriques, Kristin Francisconi, Joan Reukauf, guests Jamie Hansen and Casey Fries from Corvallis Soccer Club

MINUTES FROM MARCH 18, 2014: The minutes from the March meeting were approved as submitted.

CORVALLIS SOCCER CLUB: Jamie Hansen and Casey Fries presented their vision for the Corvallis Soccer Club and AYSO to work hand-in hand to promote soccer in the Corvallis/Philomath communities. They feel that the common goal is to have more kids playing soccer in our area. The two previous "club" soccer groups have dissolved and have now merged as one club. Jamie spoke about how CSC can serve AYSO:

  • Help train and work with coaches
  • Have a booth at club soccer tryouts
  • There is room for both AYSO and CSC
  • Would like an AYSO liaison at their meetings and CSC liaison at AYSO board meetings
  • Have an access point on the field to inform players about CSC. They will not recruit on the sidelines of the game fields as has been done in the past.
  • Have a booth at the AYSO fields two consecutive Saturdays before their tryouts, but the AYSO Progressive Coordinator will have a booth next to theirs so families can compare the programs and ask questions.
  • There will be 2 teams at each age level from U10 and up.
  • Currently there are 275 players and 17 teams who practice at Ashbrook, Wilamette Park, CHS turf and OSU turf.

It was made clear that AYSO wants it known that CSC is not affiliated with AYSO in any way and AYSO will also publicize that CSC is not affiliated with AYSO in any way. Walt and Anton will act as the liaison for AYSO at the CSC board meetings. It was moved by Benjamin and seconded by Walt that we allow CSC to set up an information booth at the field April 26 and May 3 and that someone will attend their try-outs. The motion was carried unanimously.

BIRTHDAY PARTY: Leanne briefly touched on the plans for the Region 149 35th birthday party. There will be a prize wheel, volunteer gifts for coaches, referees and team managers as well as food. Vicki, Ronda and Leanne will be on the committee and will use Special Events volunteers to help out.

LOGO CONTEST: Ronda will post the information about the logo contest on Facebook. Posters are at the field, half sheets for every player have been in team folders and entry forms are at the safety station. The rules are also posted on our website.

TREASURER REPORT: Joan reported that very few Board members have submitted a budget for their position at this time. Please do this ASAP. Joan discussed the reimbursement form and encourages everyone to use that when asking for reimbursement. Be sure to give Joan the receipts or you can scan them and email them to her along with the form. As soon as Leanne has been accepted as the Region 149 Commissioner this month, new signature cards for the bank will need to be signed by Elaine, Rema, Joan and Leanne.

REGISTRATION: We will no longer be accepting mail-in registration since there were so many problems with incomplete information and the lag time between getting the forms from the PO box and to the Board member that needed the information. We will have multiple walk-in opportunities for people to come to Adams to register in person (just like "the old days!") It was moved by Benjamin and seconded by Kristin that the player card be eliminated from the website and all data will be stored through eAYSO. The motion was passed unanimously. Volunteer forms will have to be turned during the registration events and will not be received through the mail. Toby will need help checking ID and volunteer applications on May 3 and May 10. He will train other Board members to do that. All board members need to be on hand for helping in the gym or computer lab those two Saturdays since we are going to the arena registration concept. Elaine will ask Luke to put together a Doodle Poll for Board members to indicate when they can be available to help those days. There will be a "packet party" at Adams gym on Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30pm for anyone who can attend.

FIELDS REPORT: Mike was unable to attend the meeting but supplied the Board with a written summary of what has taken place over the winter months. He shared the good news that the old lines (trenches) are now all filled in, but the bad news is it made it impossible to find any markings for the lines so every field had to be measured before painting lines. The fertilizer has kicked in and the fields look great. He will be utilizing more fields volunteers over the summer months to learn how to use the water cannons. A storage unit will be placed in the "bone yard" south of Field C East and West to store the water cannons. Joan has donated an old golf cart that will be used to pull the water cannons into place. The golf cart needs repairs.

One Board member will be responsible for seeing that all the buildings are locked at the end of each Saturday. Other Board members, along with the fields volunteers are to help as well if you are there at the end of the day. The following will be responsible for closing up:

  • April 19 Walt
  • April 26 Toby
  • May 3 Juan
  • May 10 Joan
  • May 17 Eric

Elaine will post these names in the safety/information station along with the checklist of what needs to be done.

YOUTH REFEREE REPORT: Kelsey reported that she is having difficulty communicating with the youth referees. Email does not seem to work since they don't check it regularly. The legalities of texting and having a "cc" to parents will be looked into with Karen from National. In order to help the growing number of youth referees, Kelsey will be training intermediate referees to help monitor games and offer feedback. She talked about the Zero Tolerance policy in other regions and wants to make sure the youth volunteers are not feeling threatened by comments from coaches and spectators. Spectators can not be asked to leave the game, but the presence of a Board member can help calm them down.

SOCCER BALLS: Walt checked on prices of balls at the EXPO conference as did Dan. Dan will contact Melissa with the information he received from Baden and suggest the type of ball to order for next year. The cost was under $8.00 per ball.

REFEREE REPORT: Walt reported that we are still missing 20-25% of the referees that as supposed to be certified and scheduled. The 109 or so that completed all training and turned in a data sheet are safehaven certified this year. Walt reported that ALL referees have now turned in their data sheet. Most Saturdays are looking good for game coverage except April 26 when there are advanced training courses being offered. Next year there will be one referee assigned to U8 games and the lines will be covered by a lines volunteer.

TRACKING VOLUNTEERS: Benjamin has a tool that he will share with Toby and Anton to make sure the coach, assistant coach, referee and team manager are registered in eAYSO , have taken Safe Haven and are certified at the proper level to volunteer. Dan talked about the "Paper Volunteer" who signs up on paper so the team can get their uniform but never follows through with the commitment. With the "app" that Benjamin has, this will be easier to monitor.

COACHES REPORT: There was a discussion from the Coach Administrators about changing the number of players on the field and not have goalies at U8 next year. It was moved by Benjamin and seconded by Anton that we move to a 7 v 7 format next year in U8 and eliminate the goalies to align with National Guidelines. The motion carried unanimously. With that decision, Eric, Mike, Gibby, Dan, and Leanne will need to meet to discuss the field size in order to accommodate more teams and not extend the length of our day on the field each Saturday.

SOCCERFEST: Juan reported that we will receive (actually he will receive at his house!) 250 pinnies, banners and 2400 Squishims for the Soccerfest. He will submit a note that he wants placed in the Gazette Times to Elaine and she will see that it gets to the proper reporter. Mike, Dan, Juan and Eric will need to get together to work out the logistics of the field layout and rules. Walt will send Juan the 5-A-Side rules. Each coach will divide their team into two equal teams. All teams report to their assigned field as shown on the schedule.

RAP: The nominating committee for the next season will be Eric, Juan, Elaine, Leanne and Bob.

CANCELLATION OF PRACTICE: Due to the time of day, the discussion about what is fair or not fair when it comes to fields being closed was tabled until the next meeting. Hope for good weather!

NEXT MEETING: The next scheduled meeting will be held on Thursday, May 15 at 7:15pm at the OSU Oceanography Administration Bldg.

Respectively submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

ADDED BUSINESS: The Board was informed the week of April 21, 2014, that Leanne Henriques' nomination to serve as Region 149 Commissioner was approved by National AYSO. It was moved by Walt and seconded by Toby that Leanne begin the duties of Region 149 Commissioner effectively immediately. In an Executive Board vote by email, the motion carried unanimously. Leanne will now need to meet with Joan to get bank signature cards changed to remove Vicki Guenther as an approved Board member to sign checks for Region 149.

MINUTES FOR MAR 18, 2014

PRESENT: Vicki Guenther, Leanne Henriques, Benjamin Carleski, Marc Betz, Bob Carleski, Andy Ungerer, Dan Stevens, Juan Fernandez, Sean Ziniker, Kelsey Walker, Eric Gleske, Kristin Francisconi, Toby Westberry, Anton Grube, Elaine Markley, Gibby Reynolds, Daniel Haak, Walt Mahaffee, Rema Robinson

MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY MEETING: It was moved by Gibby and seconded by Benjamin that the minutes from the February 20, 2014 meeting be approved as written. The motion was unanimously approved.

TREASURER REPORT AND BUDGET: Joan was not able to attend the meeting but supplied the Board with the financial report. Vicki reminded everyone that they need to submit any budget items ASAP so we can review the budget next meeting. Golden Gate Camp for coaches and referees should be considered as a budget item if we plan on sending any representatives from our Region. Commissioner training will be added to the budget.

CVPA REPORT: Toby reported that he contacted Hise Studio about the pictures of Region 149 players shown on-line for placing orders. Jock Edblom, owner of Hise Studio took them off his business website immediately. Toby discussed the sex offender registry and has been in contact with Rich (former CVPA) about this information.

FIELDS REPORT: Mike was not present to give a report. It should be noted that there are gopher holes on the east side of Field C East that need some attention. Elaine will purchase bee traps for the concession stand, safety station and equipment shed. Porta-pots will be ordered for the regular season, Area Tournament and AYSO camps by Elaine.

COACH REPORT: Dan reported that he has sent out two reminders to coaches and assistant coaches about concussion information. Players 12 or older must read and sign the information form (parents sign as well). These forms will be collected and turned into the Safety Station on April 5.

REFEREE REPORT: Walt has sent out information to referees about completing any necessary training before the spring season begins. Very few have filled out the referee data sheet, therefore a game schedule can not be developed.

REGIONAL GUIDELINES: Benjamin presented changes that had been made since our last review of the Regional Guidelines. It was moved by Benjamin and seconded by Gibby that we accept the Regional Guidelines with the edited changes. Thanks for all the input and to Benjamin for taking the lead on this project.

NEWSLETTER: Leanne and Vicki will put together a newsletter for the spring. We will continue to advertise for a newsletter editor for future editions. Articles for this issue include:

  • Boys Progressive - Bob
  • Schedule Revision #4 - John
  • Concussion and Safe Haven requirements - Dan
  • Soccer Fest - Juan
  • Area Tournament – Daniel
  • Team Formation – Andy
  • Welcome New Board Members – Vicki
  • Scholarships – Leanne
  • Shoe Swap – Elaine

U19 REPORT: Marc would like a meeting with Albany Region 870 to discuss the interplay. Vicki, Leanne, Dan and Benjamin will be a part of this meeting as well. It was noted that the U19 numbers are growing in other regions.

OPEN BOARD POSITIONS: We will advertise a need for U19 Coordinator, Newsletter Editor, Social Media Coordinator. Vicki had asked an applicant for Webmaster to do a "mock-up" of a new website, but she has not heard back from this applicant yet. This position may still be open. There was a discussion about having two levels of the webmaster. One would have the rights to edit the front face for current information and a back-up administrator for behind the scenes.

PLAYER CARDS: Discussion is still underway about the use of player cards and the security of data. Benjamin will find out at the Expo if each Region can customize one section to add to the eAYSO data. The group going to the conference will try to get answers to questions we have about merging the data we need with what eAYSO is already able to provide.

SOCCERFEST14: Juan reported there are three different levels for the SoccerFEST14.

  1. Pick-up game like 5-a-Side for only registered AYSO players
  2. Registration for outside AYSO members for a one day experience
  3. Use as a fund raiser for the program.

He selected option #2. Registration will take place at the Safety Station on May 3. Players will be directed to a field to play. The schedule will be followed as printed. Dan and Walt will be in communication with the referees and coaches about how this will be run.

AREA TOURNAMENT: Daniel Haak (Area Referee Administrator) came to report on the progress of the Area Tournament that will be held June 6-8. Friday will be a short day with only a few games being played. The proceeds will be a fundraiser for our Region and the Area. It was decided that the money will be split 50/50 between the area and the region. The money raised for Region 149 will go into the scholarship fund. The remaining 50% will go for the Area training. The fee structure for the tournament will be:

  • U10 will pay $100 and play a 9 v 9 format
  • U12 will pay $115 and play a 11 v 11 format
  • U14 will pay $115 and play a 11 v 11 format

Local Board members volunteered to serve in various capacities for the tournament. Marc will be the Registrar. Vicki will be the Safety Director. Leanne will be the Assistant Tournament Director. Toby will be the Treasurer. Although he was not present, hopefully Mike will help with the Fields.

U5 JAMBOREE: Dan, Eric, Leanne and John met to discuss the needs of the U5 Jamboree and any changes that need to be made for spring. Better scheduling will occur in the spring with ½ hour between the end of the U5 Jamboree and the beginning of the next game. Support to the Master Coach will be provided by the Coach Administrators. U19 players will be asked to help coach small groups. Assigning volunteers to help set up and take down fields will also be done. It is great to have so many interested in starting at this level!

CORVALLIS SOCCER CLUB: Vicki, Leanne and Benjamin met with representatives from the Corvallis Soccer Club. All "club" soccer groups have come together under one umbrella to better serve the players in the community. An additional meeting will take place on March 25 at 11:00am at Imagine Coffee.

NATIONAL GAMES: Gibby reported that the National Games will be held in Torrance, CA. this summer. Gibby, Kelsey and Daniel will be attending. Walt suggested we support three youth referees out of the referee training budget to attend the National Games and attend the referee courses to advance their levels. There appears to be money in the 2013-14 budget to do this.

NEXT MEETING: Our next scheduled meeting will be Thursday, April 17, 2014 at 7:15 at the OSU Oceanography Administration Building.

Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

MINUTES FOR FEB 20, 2014

PRESENT: Vicki Guenther, Leanne Henriques, Benjamin Carleski, Rich Raleigh, Toby Westberry, Elaine Markley, Kristin Francisconi, Rema Robinson, Sean Ziniker, Juan, Fernandez, Luke Cotton, Gibby Reynolds, Walt Mahaffee, Andy Ungerer, Bonnie Johnson, Kelsey Walker, Dan Stevens, Ronda McLean, Aaron Rock, Marc Betz

NEW BOARD MEMBER APPLICATIONS: The first part of the meeting was devoted to reviewing applications of new Board members and taking action on those volunteers seeking a position.

  • Katherine Simpson ~ Assistant Referee Administrator.

Katherine will work with the Referee Administrator building a schedule for the games the referees will work each Saturday. It was moved by Kristin and seconded by Gibby that we accept Katherine as an Assistant Referee Administrator. The motion carried unanimously.

  • Bob Vingelen ~ Boys Progressive Coordinator.

Rynda will be stepping down at the end of the season and will work with the new Boys Progressive Coordinator. It was moved by Elaine and seconded by Toby we accept Bob Vingelen as the Boys Progressive Coordinator. The motion carried unanimously.

  • Bob Carleski ~ Trusted Data Manager.
  • Sean Zinkier ~ Assistant Trusted Data Manager.

Rich and Elaine had a chance to meet with both Bob Carleski and Sean Ziniker at the Open House earlier in the month where Rich explained the nuts and bolts of the Trusted Data Manager job. Both Bob and Sean have a solid background in the skills necessary for the Board position. It was moved by Walt and seconded by Toby that Bob Carleski assume the role of Trusted Data Manager and Sean Ziniker assume the role of Assistant Trusted Data Manager. The motion carried unanimously.

  • Anton Grube ~ Assistant CVPA.

Anton came to the Open House to visit with Board members, showing an interest in helping wherever he could. Anton has a long history with Region 149 as a player and a volunteer of his own children. It was moved by Elaine and seconded by Dan that Anton Grube assume the role of Assistant CVPA. The motion carried unanimously.

  • Leanne Henriques ~ Commissioner.
  • Benjamin Carleski ~ Assistant Commissioner.

Leanne and Benjamin have been meeting with Vicki and discussing how they could become a team to lead AYSO Region 149. The term of Commissioner will end June 30, 2014 and the Assistant Commissioner term would begin immediately. Both felt they are new to AYSO but they feel comfortable stepping into these important roles with the support of the Board and the training they will be receiving at the EXPO and Commissioner training later in the year. It was moved by Elaine and seconded by Walt that we accept the applications for Commissioner from Leanne Henriques and Assistant Commissioner from Benjamin Carleski. The motion carried unanimously. Benjamin will continue to hold the position of Auditor. Leanne will continue as a Division Coordinator for the spring and will be seeking a replacement for the U5 Jamboree Coordinator. She will continue working as the Summer Camp Coordinator at this time.

We are pleased to have Leanne, Benjamin, Katherine, Bob, Bob, Sean and Anton step up and become a part of the Region 149 Board. Thank you for saying "yes" when we needed the help.

TREASURER'S REPORT: Joan was absent so Vicki read her report to the group. A reminder of the budget schedule was reported. Please have a budget of needs to Joan by the March board meeting so she can begin preparing the 2014-15 budget. Key people are Walt, Dan and Mike. Joan will gather more information at the EXPO about protocol for the timeline to deposit checks once they are received for registration.

INFORMATION SYSTEMS REPORT: Luke flew in from Chicago to present the work he has been doing to enhance Region 149 and see if more of the documents can be prepared electronically to save time for the Board members.

  • Volunteer information (formally the yellow sheet).

In Luke's system the Team Manager would gather the names and information for the volunteer and input that into a data entry form. The system would email the volunteer and explain their volunteer job. Any edits to the information would be done by the volunteer and the changes go back to the Team Manager. The information would be current and up-to-date.

  • Digital Player Card
  • Digital Player Evaluation
  • Team Formation Reports
  • Mass Email
  • Information Security
  • Risk Acceptance
  • Task Timeline
  • Possible Enhancements

Questions surfaced about the security of player information if it were stored through gathering it on the website. Board members who are attending the EXPO will gather information on whether or not this can be done legally. Luke has put in countless hours developing ideas to merge information from eayso and our own data to enable our Board members to generate reports that fit their needs. Thanks Luke.

NEWSLETTER: There was a discussion about the format of the digital newsletter that was tried for the fall. Many felt it was not effective because of all the text and not enough breaks to generate interest in reading the entire letter. A PDF format would be preferred. Vicki will contact Jennifer about this. Be thinking about key articles that are necessary for the spring newsletter other than the schedule.

COACHES REPORT: Dan had a coaches meeting at Papa's Pizza where about 20 coaches attended. They discussed the new Oregon Senate Bill 721 and how the concussion information can be covered with the completion of AYSO Safe Haven. Dan also reported that the spectators will be on one side of the field and the players on the other from division U8 and above. He shared a map that was revised (Fields C East and C West) by the group. Dan was also concerned about players individual and team photos displayed for purchase on the Hise Studio website. Toby will contact Jock Edblom from Hise Studio about the concern.

EQUIPMENT REPORT: Melissa was not present but Leanne reported that we need to order Size 3 balls for the U5 jamboree division. Vicki told us that Score does not do custom balls any longer. Walt volunteered to check out different soccer balls at the EXPO vendor fair and report back to Melissa. We were not pleased with the quality of balls the past two years and need to make a change.

SPECIAL EVENTS REPORT: Juan contacted John Williams about schedule changes that would be necessary to participate in the "pick-up" game May 3rd and he felt that we could do this on our existing fields. He will check on the pinnies, banners and healthy snacks that are advertised in the information we received. Dole is the sponsor of the Soccerfest 14 event. The Area Tournament is scheduled for June 6, 7 and 8 on our fields. Daniel Haak and Juan met to start ironing out the details. The biggest reason for failure in the past was the timing and lack of communication. Information about the tournament will go out in late March or early April. Head coordinators are needed. The following have been filled:

  • Head coordinator: Daniel Haak and Juan Fernandez
  • Referee Coordinator: Aaron Rock
  • Registration Coordinator: Marc Betz
  • Fields Coordinator: OPEN
  • Safety Coordinator: Gibby suggested Simon from Region 870 in Albany. He will check with him.

Since we will be doing a 5-a-side format for the Soccerfest May 3 we will not do any other 5-a-side this spring. Hopefully this will generate interest for the fall offering.

U5 JAMBOREE DIVISION: Leanne reported that the feedback from the first attempt in the fall was that families felt rushed and the space for activity was too tight. In the spring there is hope that there can be more sessions with 20-25 players maximum on the field. Eric Gleske will help oversee the coaching. He will attend sessions as the EXPO to enhance the program. Having more than one Master Coach and smaller groups is preferred. The idea of having youth volunteers help was also discussed. New players are being accepted for the spring season.

REGIONAL GUIDELINES: Luke send out Version F for review that included changes from the January retreat. Any changes need to be submitted to Luke by Tuesday, February 25 with the final draft being sent out to review. The Executive Board will then vote on the Regional Guidelines on Friday, February 28.

NEXT MEETING: Vicki will send out a Doodle poll to determine the date of the March meeting since there is a conflict with those attending the EXPO and the following week is spring break. Watch for that in an email and be sure to respond quickly.

Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

MINUTES FOR JAN 25, 2014
ANNUAL BOARD RETREAT

PRESENT: Vicki Guenther, Kelsey Walker, Toby Westberry, Leanne Henriques, Kristin Francisconi, Marc Betz, Rich Raleigh, Dan Stevens, Joan Reukauf, Juan Fernandez, Ronda McLean, Elaine Markley, Andy Ungerer, Walt Mahaffee, Rema Robinson, Benjamin Carleski

EXECUTIVE BOARD ACTION: During the November 21, 2013 Board meeting two applicants were appointed to open Board positions. Benjamin Carleski was appointed to the open position of Auditor. Benjamin has four children in the program and is active on the referee side of volunteering as well as his interest in becoming the Auditor. Juan Fernandez, also active as a referee volunteer, was appointed to the open position of Special Events Coordinator. Juan will work with Daniel Haak as plans are being formed to host an Area tournament in June, 2014. Welcome Benjamin and Juan.

On December 31, 2013 it was moved and seconded that Region 149 would add a second Indoor Soccer session that was requested by parents. Prem was willing to organize the session, open registration for a short window of time, and Walt was willing to help schedule referees. In an email vote by the Board, the motion was unanimously approved. Thanks Prem.

On January 15, 2014, the Board met with Toby Westberry, applicant for the open position of CVPA at Imagine Coffee. Rich explained the "nuts and bolts" of the position that he once held and the Board had an opportunity to visit with Toby about his interests and how this position would fit with the time he could offer to Region 149. It was moved by Walt and seconded by Joan that Region 149 accept Toby Westberry as the new CVPA. Welcome Toby.

ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION, ETC: Luke has been preparing programs to move toward electronic registration and using electronic player cards. Walt has been working with Luke with referee data and plans to meet with Luke before the February Board meeting. It was agreed that Region 149 is not in a position to do anything new for the spring limited open registration. Luke will be in town to present his ideas on February 20.

OPEN BOARD POSITIONS: The top priority will be to fill the Regional Commissioner, Assistant Regional Commissioner and Trusted Data Manager. Elaine, Vicki and Ronda will draft a letter that will be sent to Team Managers and another letter sent to the entire region about the importance of these positions being filled if we are to have AYSO in the 2014-15 seasons. We will have an Open House on Thursday, February 13 from 7:00-8:30pm and again on Saturday, February 15 from 10:00-11:30am at Adams Elementary library to meet with anyone interested in any open Board positions. Leanne will schedule the meeting location.

REGISTRATION DATES: The birthdates for players to begin AYSO was discussed after Luke sent date information. Andy and Rema talked about the advantages of keeping the August 1 birth dates that matches National AYSO. If a child is born in August, they should contact the Division Coordinator to move up to match their classmates in school. They would need to submit this request every other year. It was suggested that there is a hot link to the division coordinator to make it easy for parents to communicate with the right volunteer. It was brought to our attention that the Division Coordinator link on the website might not be working. Elaine will ask Luke to check these since it is important they can be reached as we approach spring limited open registration. Leanne suggested that Luke perform a monthly check to make sure the link is working for the Board members. Vicki would like to be sure we recognize the Division Coordinators in some way for all the work they do in forming teams at the end of the season birthday party.

LEGAL COUNCIL: Vicki reminded everyone that it is good practice to use theAYSO legal council for all forms/contracts that might be used. There is no charge for their service. They approve and return the written contract.

SPECIAL EVENTS: Juan will be contacting Daniel Haak to see what his needs are for volunteers for the Area Tournament to be held on our fields in June. Stay tuned!

We will hold a 35th birthday party the last day of the season. Joan reported that there is money in the budget to recognize our key volunteers. Those volunteers would be the Coach, Assistant Coach, Referees and Team Managers. Leanne and Vicki will be looking into the details of the party.

Region 149 logo contest will be held the first two weeks of the season. All entries will be due no later than April 12, 2014. The contest is open to the entire region. National has specific rules that must be followed and the winning design might have to be altered for publication. A decision will be made and voted on at the April 17 Board meeting. Juan, Leanne, Joan and Ronda will serve on the logo committee. To advertise the contest, it was suggested that the website have a link to show "Logo contest coming soon" where the current logo is that Luke designed. Once the contest rules are decided, the link would be hot for players to read and follow the rules. Vicki will discuss this concept with Luke. The winning logo will be unveiled at the birthday party on May 17, 2014.

On May 3, 2014 AYSO is attempting to break a world's record for the number of players participating in "The Biggest Pick-Up Game on Earth." Juan will look into the support given by National for providing player pinnies and work with John Williams to schedule games. Kelsey will help with the planning as well.

INTER-REGIONAL PLAY: Region 870 (Albany, Lebanon, Sweet Home) requested to add the U12 division to their schedule. It was unanimously agreed upon that Region 149 would not participate in inter-play below the U14 division. Vicki will let Region 870 know the results of the discussion.

COACH REPORT: The required concussion training was discussed. Every Coach and Referee is required to take Safe Haven. Walt and Dan will draft a letter for the volunteers so they can get the training necessary before the Spring season begins. Our Regional Guidelines must be changed to reflect the Oregon Law. It was suggested that a "hot button" be on the website for a direct link to the concussion training (Safe Haven). All U14-U19 players must sign the concussion awareness form that indicates they have read the information. This will normally be turned with their registration form, however this spring it will be the responsibility of the Coach and Team Manager to collect the signed forms from those divisions and turned into the Safety/Information station.

REGISTRATION: The Division Coordinators suggested that we hold our ground on a closing date for allowing players to register for the Fall/Spring seasons. The window will open the last week of April and closed at the conclusion of the spring season. Players who fail to meet this deadline will have one week to mail their registration materials and payment (Saturday to Saturday of the next week). If there are openings after teams are formed in June, the window will open for those divisions at the end of June. U19 will remain open throughout this time. Outreach intervention will be used for the Spanish speaking community. It was suggested we investigate the possibility of putting an individual flyer in the elementary school "take home packets" advertising the Fall/Spring open registration. Elaine will check with the school districts. We will continue to advertise in the local newspaper and the radio station as well as posted flyers in English and Spanish.

REFEREE REPORT: Walt recommended that our equipment manager NOT order any solid yellow uniforms in Division U8 and above since the majority of referees are wearing the yellow uniform and are difficult to identify. Walt suggested Region 149 implement the concept of having all the players on one side of the field and the parents on the other from U8 and above. It was moved by Walt and seconded by Dan we begin this in spring, 2014. The motion carried unanimously. Dan and Ronda will draft a note to the Coaches and Team Managers so they can inform their parents in advance of the first game.

REGIONAL GUIDELINES: A review of the Regional Guidelines began, but was not completed. Walt and Ronda volunteered to read and edit the current guidelines and report back to the Board. The following changes were made at the meeting:

  • Page 4 E: Change the second sentence to read: No information from any outside organizations in Region 149 will be placed in team packets for dissemination to players and/or their families without specific prior approval.
  • Page 13 D: Change to read: Any fees incurred on NSF checks shall be the responsibility of the payer.
  • Page 16 D: Change the second sentence and remaining paragraph to read: However, each team must provide a coach, assistant coach, two referees and team manager with appropriate training. Teams unable to provide these volunteers may be disbanded.
  • Page 19 H: Change typo to read: No item may be worn… (not worm!)

NEXT MEETING: Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, February 20 at the OSU Oceanography Administration Building at 7:15. Luke Cotton will be in town and present programs that he has been working on. There will be a preliminary meeting with Luke for those interested to ask questions prior to the meeting. The exact time and location will be announced later when we know for sure Luke is in town. Several Board members have expressed an interest in finding out more information than may be able to be presented in the meeting.

Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

DEC 2013

No Meeting

MINUTES FOR NOV 21, 2013

PRESENT: Vicki Guenther, Nichole Stucki, Mike Middleton, Rema Robinson, Dan Stevens, Prem Matthews, Walt Mahaffee, Kelsey Walker, Gibby Reynolds, Andy Ungerer, Benjamin Carleski, Eric Gleske, Juan Fernandez, Leanne Henriques

Fields Report:

  • After end of spring season, field care took place, especially to field B and D and areas where NW Natural was. The grass is growing well and fields look great!
  • Golf cart to be donated by Joan Reukauf for water cannons and also to be used on game days as needed. Per Gibby golf cart will not be covered by AYSO insurance or anyone driving it.
  • Mike will check with Adams School to see if we can charge at fields as was planned.

Board Applications:

  • Application from Juan Fernandez, for special events coordinator
  • Application from Benjamin Carleski for Auditor

Rema, motion to accept applicants Gibby seconded Approved unanimously

Conference coming in March: Anyone interested in going that hasn't already told Vicki please do so immediately

Coach Report:

  • Area 2S Tournament 6th through 8th June
  • Possible t-shirt with registration fee
  • Coaches night out happened last week 15 to 20 people came
  • Plan another one Feb 6th 2014
  • Some U10 coaches want goal kick to be from penalty box
  • Walt says FIFA law says "no" to any modifications
  • Importance of keeping games on time. Shorten if necessary
  • If a family wants to change teams they need to talk to Team/Division Coordinator first
  • Dan will look into idea of having teams on one side of field, spectators on the other
    Will give report at Retreat

Indoor:

  • 238 registered at this time. Ends Dec 21st
  • Numbers about the same as last year
  • Only have room for 5 – 6 more teams before we are maxed out
  • Is the new G3 Building an option?
  • Question asked how to have registration forms on site for all coaches.
  • Perhaps a "master binder" with all the forms to stay at the sports park. Or is there a digital way to cover it?
  • Will the hospital accept a registration medical form from the coaches phone instead oa a hard copy?
  • Master binder in a locked box? How to keep them secure?
    Prem will print forms and Vicki will bring a secure place to put them for the first game this Saturday.
  • Prem Follow up for procedure for next year.
  • Check with hospital identify secure form storage at Indoor park

Referee Report:

  • Dec 7th training coming up. 8 people registered so far.
  • 2 refs are being assessed at the training.
  • 2 new refs have been trained for indoor
  • Youth Referee Fall went great. We appreciate them all!

WebYouthSoccer.com
Luke designing a website for AYSO. Question in what will happen long term. Further assessment needed

Safety:

Gibby taught us about "Jenna's Law" about concussions.

Goes into effect Jan 1, 2014 (Handout given)

Gibby suggests making all coaches and refs take both Safe Haven and AYSO/CDC Concussion Awareness training EVERY year that can be tracked on eAYSO

National needs to be contacted to change the information on the registration form that says both the parent/guardian and the youth participant has received and read the concussion information.

Coaches and Refs need to be trained NOW before the spring season and AGAIN before our AYSO membership year of July 31st. Then it will be done yearly with the MY

Discussion followed as to what should be required

Gibby made a motion to require Safe Haven training for all coaches and refs annually with the MY year. Those who don't currently have the training need to have it completed before the spring season. Dan seconded the motion

Voted and approved unanimously

Respectfully submitted,
Vicki Guenther

MINUTES FOR OCT 17, 2013

PRESENT: Vicky Guenther, Walt Mahaffee, Miriam Estrada, Benjamin Carleski, Juan Fernandez, Andy Ungerer, Marc Betz, Joan Reukauf, Mike Middleton, Eric Gleske, Dan Stevens, Rema Robinson, Ronda McLean

CALL TO ORDER: Vicky Guenther called the meeting to order at 7:18 pm. There are not enough board members to make quorum. Minutes were reviewed and no revisions were suggested.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS: Two new potential board members attended meeting and introduced themselves: Ben Carleski, applying for auditor position; and Juan Fernandez, applying for special events coordinator position.

TREASURER'S REPORT: Joan Reukauf gave treasurer's report. Discussed concessions income is at $1800 so far this year.

CVPA BOARD POSITION: After many years of AYSO service, our CVPA, Manny Hur, will be resigning as of Dec. 31. We need to recruit a new CVPA who can start January 1. This position requires analytical skills and there is a position description online. Let Vicky know if you have an interest in this position or know of anyone who might be interested.

COACHING REPORT: Dan Stevens gave the coaching report. He has had many discussions with coaches about who can coach and has explained that coaches need to be a registered volunteer and take the Safe Haven training prior to coaching. He suggested that Team Managers can give the coaches a copy of the registered volunteers for their team in the future. Dan discussed that he will be contacting UK International to discuss possible training for coaches when they are in Corvallis in the summer.
Dan reported that there have been some issues with field use this season and that AYSO has to defer to the school district events when they are occurring at the same time as AYSO events. In some cases, there is an informal understanding that may need to be clarified or creative solutions need to be used, for example at Garfield. There are some fields that are underutilized including Mary's River Park in Philomath and Philomath Elementary. Mike mentioned that if teams want to practice at city parks, we can be in Parks and Recreation to see about that.
Dan and Walt discussed possibly having a referee appreciation day where the referees are acknowledged by the coaches, teams, and fans. Having the team and coaches on one side of the field, and parents and fans on the other side of the team may promote good sportsmanship. Discussed having special "Kids Zone" days on the first Saturday of games in the fall, and in the spring. This could involve coaches and referees walking to parents and fans on the other side of field. Board discussed this idea and decided to discuss it further at our January meeting.

FIELDS REPORT: Mike Middleton gave the fields report including that the water pipes are in and are functional, so we will be able to water the fields starting in the spring. A water meter will be installed and Mike will monitor how much it costs. Mike reported that field volunteers were better utilized this season and were used to line the fields every week, set up in the preseason and take down in the post-season. Gophers and voles have been digging some holes in the fields. We can either take their food source (weeds) away or we can have pest mitigation conducted, using the school district policy. We have put in 50 to 60 gallons of dirt to fill in holes so far. Mike met with school district official and learned that district will allow AYSO to put in a shed to store equipment Board discussed this and decided to put out a call to volunteers to find people who would like to design and build a storage shed. Pacific Sports Turf aerated the fields last fall and can do this for us again for about $21,395. This would include fertilizing and aerating all the fields and giving three fields extra attention. Suggestion was made to be in contact with OSU Turf Club to possibly build partnership.

REFEREE REPORT: Walt Mahaffee gave the referee report. He said he is managing an incident currently. He also shared that 3 new intermediate referees have been trained. New intermediate training is coming up in December and he will be coordinating with Albany and Eugene clubs.

35TH CELEBRATION: Vicky Guenther discussed that the national AYSO is celebrating their 50th year and AYSO Corvallis is celebrating 35 years. She suggested we have a celebration in the spring.

CREAM CHEESE UPDATE: Vicky Guenther also shared that there may be a non-refrigerated cream cheese option to sell along with bagels at the concession stand which she is exploring.

INDOOR SOCCER: Indoor registration has 53 participants so far. Saturday is the deadline but applications will continue to be accepted if space is available.

AREA TOURNAMENT IN JUNE: Vicky Guenther discussed the AYSO area tournament happening in June (June 6, 7, 8?) that we are coordinating. This tournament is for Section 2, Area S which includes Oregon, S. Washington, and Idaho. We need to have a Tournament Director, Co-Director, Treasurer, Referee Administrator, and Coaching Administrator. Information will go out to teams soon.

EMAIL VS PHONE: Vicky Guenther encouraged us to make a telephone call or talk to people face-to-face rather than relying on email in delicate situations since emails can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. She told us that AYSO has a policy on using emails and that we need to avoid using inflammatory statements.

MEETING ADJOURNED: Meeting was adjourned at 8:48pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Ronda McLean, Team Manager Coordinator
AYSO Region 149

MINUTES FOR SEP 25, 2013

PRESENT: Andy Ungerer, Vicki Guenther, Joan Reukauf, Kristin Francisconi, Ronda McLean, Elaine Markley, Meika Vengelen, Claire Schrodt, Dan Stevens, Walt Mahaffee, Eric Gleske, Kelsey Walker, Marc Betz

MINUTES FROM AUGUST MEETING: It was moved by Joan and seconded by Walt that the minutes for the August 15, 2013 be approved as written. The motion carried unanimously.

TREASURER'S REPORT: Joan reported that the concession sales are doing very well after the first two weeks. There are still Galaxy soccer balls for sale in the Safety/Information station for $9 each. The Papa's Pizza coupons did not generate the interest that was hoped. It was a 2-week window of sales so perhaps we will try again in the spring.

SECTION MEETING IN MARCH: Vicki reported that the registration for the 2014 Section meeting would open on October 11. We have budgeted for 10 Board members to attend. The dates are March 21-23. Room rates are $129 per night at the Rio and Vicki would like to lock in rooms early. Flights will be looked into at a later date. This conference is very important for new Board members to attend if possible. Check your calendars and submit a request to Vicki ASAP if you want to attend.

TEAM FORMATION: Kristin discussed her desire to have all player card information completed on line. She is in touch with Luke and they are working on possible ideas that would save time and energy, hopefully be more accurate and easier for everyone to read. Walt talked about the possibilities of tiers of volunteers being used when signing up for a volunteer job. The January retreat will be used to discuss this in detail. If we go to an "E-Card" the design of the card should be different for each division since they have different needs, number of players and volunteer priorities after the top 5 is different. It was suggested that Ben create a "bookmark" with key dates so everyone knows when registration opens in February for limited openings for spring of 2014. It was suggested that the dates be in the Park and Rec tabloid as an ad. It was also suggested that Luke have the registration dates on the front of the webpage where it is easy to see and don't change the location for ease of finding the information. The idea of on-line payment was briefly mentioned. There will be classes at the Section conference about this so members should attend and learn more.

COACH ADMINISTRATOR REPORT: Dan would like to offer training in the spring for coaches who will be coaching in the fall/spring season of 2014-15. He also would like to offer"refresher training" for the coaches similar to what the referees do prior to the season.

FIELDS REPORT: Mike was not at the meeting but Vicki reported that the irrigation pipes are in, the water is working and we have not received any bills at this time. The on-line signup for Fields Volunteers is working well for Mike. He is going to continue to perfect it to better fit his needs for the spring season. There are a few goalie boxes being missed on some fields and there is the ongoing problem with holes for the underground animals.

INDOOR SOCCER: Prem will continue to offer the Indoor Soccer program at the same $45 cost again this winter. There are no scholarships available for the program since it is an extension of our primary play and must stand alone with finances. Games will begin November 2 and run for 6 weeks. There will be a few games played throughout the week, but the majority will be on Saturday as in the past. Indoor Soccer is open to any registered AYSO player, but priority will be given to Region 149 players if there are too many players from other regions. Sign up will be at the Safety/Information station from Sept. 28-Oct. 19.

SPECIAL EVENTS: There will not be a 5-a-Side jamboree this fall. There has been an application received for Special Events Coordinator, but Vicki has not met with the candidate at this time. A brief discussion of having an Area Tournament for U8-U19 in June 2014 at our site took place. A possible entry fee would be $250 per team. An organization committee would need to be formed, advertising done in advance and enough volunteers to work a Friday, Saturday, Sunday weekend in June. Walt will coordinate the referees. Keith Underall of Albany is willing to help out. Another item for the January retreat.

REFEREE REPORT: The referee numbers are up from previous years. The only problem is the dates to train are too narrow to get proper training before the first games. Walt and Aaron would like to see the teams formed earlier so volunteers know they are going to referee and can plan on attending the training sessions. The good news is we have more trained referees than we have games so that allows Walt and Kelsey to observe rather than ref games. There are over 40 youth referees this fall Kelsey would like to have older youth referees mentor the younger ones since she can not get to all the games where the youth referees are scheduled.

BIRTHDAY PARTY! National AYSO is celebrating 50 years of existence and Region 149 is celebrating 35 years. Leanne is working on something for the region. Stay tuned!

U-5 JAMBOREE REPORT: Vicki reported that everything is going GREAT! Thanks to John and Leanne for taking this on. The one suggestion would be that the groups are limited to 25 in the future. The parent volunteer requirement went well. When a parent came to the Safety/Information station they were cleared and given a bright orange clearance card to take to the field so their child could get started. Everyone looks so cute in their t-shirt and socks

TEAM MANAGER CONCEPT: Vicki thanked Marc for initiating the idea of the Team Manager. It seems like things worked out well this fall with someone other than the coach organizing the volunteers and making sure paperwork was completed. Ronda is doing a great job of tracking teams who still need a little work with getting to the team folders each week.

U8 COMPLAINT: It was reported to Elaine by a U-8 coach that he had issues with the following: 1) Did not like the current substitution rule and wanted open substitution to take out players when they are tired 2) The fields are too large and 3) goalies are not needed. Any added discussion was tabled until there is more time to consider these points.

PARKING ISSUES: It was suggested to have a bright NO DROP OFF sign added to our current Board/Handicap parking barricades to people are not driving to the main gate then backing out. Elaine will look into getting a waterproof sign made to attach to the barricades.

U19 REPORT: Marc reported that there has been some unsportsmanlike conduct occurring on the Albany fields with the U-19 teams. A lot of trash talking and intimidation not being observed by the referees. Vicki will contact Dustin, the Albany Commissioner about this.

NEXT MEETING: Our next scheduled meeting will be Thursday, October 17 at 7:15 at the OSU Oceanography Bldg unless there are necessary changes to accommodate the Board members who are refereeing high school soccer games. A notice will be sent out if there is a change.

Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

MINUTES FOR AUG 15, 2013

PRESENT: Eric Gleske, Vicki Guenther, Marc Betz, Kristin Francisconi, Leanne Henriques, April Spehar, Elaine Markley, Mike Middleton, Kelsey Walker, Walt Mahaffee, Joan Reukauf, Rynda Gregory, Dan Stevens, Andy Ungerer, Rich Raleigh

MINTUES FROM LAST MEETING: The minutes were approved as written for the July meeting.

BOARD UP-DATE: Vicki reported that Erica Lerch Griffin had to resign from the Board. Applications were received for Coach Administrator and Team Manager as well as Auditor after the parent meetings. Board members reviewed the applications that were submitted prior to the meeting. It was moved by Elaine and seconded by Walt that we accept Dan Stevens as the Region 149 Coach Administrator. The motion carried unanimously. Dan comes to our region with a lot of soccer experience as a coach and as a retired teacher. He will received training to enhance the pool of coach trainers for our region. It was moved by Joan and seconded by Eric that we accept Ronda McLean as the Region 149 Team Manager and that Elaine would serve as her mentor. The motion carried unanimously. We welcome Ronda to Corvallis and are delighted she wanted to become involved in our community through AYSO. She has experience working with soccer organizations prior to her move. The Auditor position was not voted on. Vicki would like to set up a personal meeting with the applicant before we act on this position.

LATE UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION: On Wednesday, Sept. 4 we will gather at the Adams soccer fields at 5:30 to greet those who need to have their volunteer forms checked off in order to receive their uniforms. Helping Manny at the CVPA table will be Marc, Rynda, Ronda, Jeremy Reukauf, Kristin, Susan Rose, Andy and Leanne at the U-5 window of safety station. Any Board member that was not at the meeting is encouraged to come help out. Rich and Joan will be at the Finish Line, Elaine at girls uniform station and Melissa at boys uniform station.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES: Vicki has been meeting with the Albany Region 870 to coordinate training sessions for coaches and referees. The more opportunities we have to offer volunteers the greater chance they can fit it into their schedule to be trained.

TREASURER'S REPORT: Joan shared an expense form that has been created as a result of her training at the Section conference. Anyone who needs reimbursement must complete the form and attach the original receipts. There was no official treasurer's report.

NOTE TO TEAM MANAGER: Vicki and Elaine will draft a letter to be sent to the Team Managers via email through Rich, reminding them of the following:

  • Referee training dates
  • Coach training dates
  • Return volunteer registration to CVPA before Sept. 1
  • If volunteer positions can not be filled, the team runs the risk of being disband due to lack of key volunteers
  • Team Managers need to bring their volunteer forms to the field on Sept. 4

FIELDS REPORT: Mike reported that line locators have been sprayed on the fields by B. Johnson Turf. They are expected to start the irrigation lines by Monday, August 19 and the project will be completed by August 30. We are keeping our fingers crossed! Mike will ask B. Johnson Turf to remove the old goals in Field F that were not removed before the NW Natural Gas project began. Mike reported that Philomath School District has a seed and fertilizer bill of $1000. Corvallis School District is not seeking seed or fertilizer at this time.

EQUIPMENT: Melissa and Vicki have registered an official complaint about the quality of the Size 3 balls from Score. They are cracked and the paint colors are showing up with paint streaks on them. Hopefully we will be compensated for the cost of the balls. The Galaxy balls will sell at the parent meeting for $9 and if there are any left over, they will sell out of the Safety Station at the field.

CHANGE MEETING DATE: There was a discussion of the Thursday meeting date being a hard day for some of the Board members this time of year due to soccer games to referee, football games to coordinate or attend and advanced degrees being pursued. Vicki will send out a Doodle Poll to see if there is a better day of the week until the end of the calendar year. Stay tuned for the results.

U5 JAMBOREE DIVISION UP-DATE: Leanne will close the registration date on Sept. 7 for anyone wanting to join U5. There is concern we might be short supplies if we keep getting more registrations. The question of monitoring the volunteers with the U5 player came up. Anyone in the family that is likely to accompany the player on Saturday must register through eayso as a volunteer. Leanne will draft a letter and ask Rich to send to all U5 parents explaining the volunteer sign-up procedure and their child will not be allowed on the field if they are not registered as a volunteer to accompany them. T-shirts are going to be ordered from Shirt Circuit in Corvallis so there will be a quick turn around if more shirts are needed. John and Leanne will also wear a U5 shirt so they can be identified.

REGION 870 5 V 5 INVITATION: We have been asked to play in a 5 v 5 tournament in Albany but it is the last regularly scheduled game in the fall. U19 coaches will ask their players if they want to participate in that format rather than their scheduled game.

PROGRESSIVE PLAY: Rynda reported that she is in the process of creating a notebook of process that need to be in place in order for the program to be successful. Things worked out this summer because the coaches did their job. Rynda will report to the Board in September with her suggestions for the future.

NEXT MEETING: The date of the meeting for September will be determined from the results of the poll. The time will be 7:15pm and the location will be the OSU Oceanography Administration Building.

Respectfully Submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149

MINUTES FOR JUL 18, 2013

PRESENT: Joan Reukauf, Elaine Markley, Manny Hur, Andy Ungerer, Marc Betz, Eric Gleske, John Williams, Rich Raleigh, Gibby Reynolds, Aaron Rock, Walt Mahaffey, Kelsey Walker, Vicki Guenther, Kristin Francisconi, April Spehar

COMMUNICATION TO PLAYERS, TEAM MANAGER AND COACHES: Prior to the meeting, Board members stuffed 1100 envelopes addressed to players informing them of the team they have been assigned and information about the annual parent meeting held at Corvallis High School football stadium either August 7 or 8. All Team Managers and Coaches received a first class mailing with instructions, roster information and volunteer forms that must be completed before uniforms will be distributed. Elaine will mail the letters July 19 2013. Thank you Rich for all the copying and sorting to make this happen.

TRAINING SESSIONS: There will be coach training sessions before Labor Day weekend and one session after Labor Day. John Williams will assist with this. Welcome Eric Gleske, our new Assistant Coach Administrator. Referee training will be August 23 and 24 for Basic. Albany Region will offer training on August 17. On line training is available August 22, 27, September 3 and 10.

NEWSLETTER: Welcome Jennifer Gardner, our new Newsletter Coordinator. Melissa will be guiding Jennifer through the fall newsletter and Board members will be getting their articles to Jennifer by July 29.

It was decided that we would try an E-newsletter this time since we have a new editor and Melissa expressed concerns about having to come up with 16 pages for a hard copy. We would print extra schedule pages for those who do not have computer access and stress to the Team Manager that part of their job is to see that all team members have access to a copy of the entire newsletter. The following articles must be submitted to Jennifer:

  • Commissioner Report ~ Vicki
  • Training Dates ~ Walt/Aaron
  • Referee Availability ~ Walt/Aaron
  • Schedule of games ~ John
  • Coach training ~ John and Eric
  • Safety ~ Gibby
  • Concessions ~ Elaine
  • Shoe/Equipment Sale ~ Elaine
  • Team Manager ~ Vicki
  • U5 Jamboree ~ Leanne and John and maybe Vicki

The number of pages does not matter with the electronic version of the newsletter. Jennifer will jazz them up with her special touches!

TREASURER'S REPORT: Joan reported that she is creating an expense form that must be submitted with all receipts in order to get reimbursed. This will help track expenses with the correct account numbers. Joan had ordered the soccer balls that were sold at the annual meeting last year. She will check her records and connect with Melissa to see that the same balls are ordered for sale again this year. Although it was not advertised in the Coach/Team Manager letter, it was felt that if we had extra, they can be sold at the shoe/equipment sale on September 14.

FIELDS REPORT: Mike was not present but it appears there won't be any action on the fields prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. The question of use of Field F came up and if "temporary Field F" is used, will it be watered or left like it is. Joan reported that someone from Philomath School District placed an order from WILCO for seed and fertilizer. Region 149 will continue to support the school fields, but ONLY MIKE MIDDLETON is authorized to place the order. Corvallis School District currently has enough field supplies.

U5 JAMBOREE: John reported that he would inquire at Shirt Circuit about getting t-shirts made locally for the U5 players. Vicki will approve the design before anything is ordered making sure it meets the guidelines for AYSO. Elaine will let Melissa know of the decision and John asked to order black socks for all players, Each player will get a t-shirt, socks and a size 3 ball on Saturday, September 14. Parents will receive a letter that will be drafted by John to meet at CHS on September 7 with at the same time as the U6 parents. After the general meeting with Vicki and other Board members, John and Leanne will break out with the U5 Jamboree group and explain the program.

UNIFORM SORTING: Anyone who can help sort and load uniforms into Kelsey, Vicki and Sean's vehicles is asked to meet at Melissa Edwards' house (33144 Ada Drive in Philomath) on Tuesday, August 6 at 6:30pm. Board members are asked to contact Melissa if you have a particular color of uniform you would like to have and she will reserve it for your team.

PARENT MEETING: All Board members are asked to be present at both August 7 and 8 parent meetings. There are a lot of questions that can be answered and a variety of stations that need support, even if this is not your Board position. Melissa and Elaine will deal with uniform distribution, Sean and Joan will run the finish line, Manny, Marc and others that are being recruited will check ID and collect volunteer forms at the CVPA station. There will be a table for anyone who signs up for Special Events to select a shift for the Shoe/Equipment sale September 14. Safety and Concessions will sign up on-line but will have instruction sheets in the team folder. A few people have requested to speak at the parent meeting: Vicki would like to know what you are saying in the interest of time. Kelsey, Gibby, Eric, Elaine have asked to speak. We need some Board member's children to help hand out Parent Handbooks to the new families. Addison will sell new soccer balls. Any team that does complete their volunteer form properly will not receive their uniforms. Wednesday, September 4 those teams will come to Adams Elementary soccer fields to turn in forms and get uniforms. Board members will be needed to assist that evening. 6:00 start time for parents so be there no later than 5:45 if possible.

NEXT MEETING: Our next scheduled meeting will be Thursday, August 15 if it is deemed necessary. Many times we use the last evening of the Parent Meeting to have a meeting and wait until September for our next meeting. The meeting will be at the OSU Oceanography Administration Bldg at 7:15 if we have an August meeting.

Respectively Submitted,
Elaine Markley, Secretary
AYSO Region 149