SAVE SVUSD ROLLER HOCKEY PROGRAM 2009-2010

SAVE the SVUSD HIGH SCHOOL ROLLER HOCKEY PROGRAM 2009-2010

To: SVSUD Board of Directors / High School Principals
Suzie R. Swartz, President
Ginny Fay Aitkens, Vice President
Don Sedgewick, Clerk
Dore J. Gilbert, M.D., Member
Nancy W. Kilpatrick, Member
Kaitlyn Spore, Student Member
Dr. Allan Mucerino, Principal - El Toro High School
Sean Boulton, Principal - Laguna Hills High School
Dr. Ray Gatfield, Proncipal - Mission Viejo High School
Bob Metz, Principal - Trabuco Hills High School
Re: Petition in Support of continuing the High School Roller Hockey program within the Saddleback Valley Unified School District

Dear Board Members and Administrators:
It has come to the our attention that the Saddleback Valley Unified School District Board of Directors is considering elimination of funding and/or status for the High School Roller Hockey Program throughout the District. Accordingly, the undersigned student-athletes, family members and like-minded community advocates have come together in support of the SVUSD High School Roller Hockey program and submit the following petition for the SVUSD Boards consideration.
SVUSD Roller Hockey is celebrating its 10th anniversary as the district gave it varsity status in 1999. At present, student-athletes within the SVUSD Saddleback League earn PE credits, the opportunity to letter, and school recognition (game announcements, yearbook, etc.,) for their participation. The Saddleback League takes place in the second semester and is set up as a 7th period activity with games and on-rink practices 2 days a week at our local facility, the 949 in Irvine. The 949 was originally established as The Gretzky Roller Hockey Center, in 1998, by NHL player Wayne Gretzky. Roller Hockey students do regular work-outs the balance of the 3 days, on their school campuses in PE classes. At present there are approximately 100 student athletes enrolled in the SVUSD High Schools programs with almost another 75 +/- hockey players expected to join their ranks this fall from existing area Intermediate School hockey programs. These completely self funded intermediate programs are currently at La Paz Intermediate (whose players then continue to either Laguna Hills or Mission Viejo), Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate (whose players continue on to Trabuco Hills High), Serrano Intermediate (whose players go on to El Toro High) and some players at Los Alisos Intermediate who play for either Jr. High club as the numbers permit. Many of these athletes have participated in some sort of roller hockey program since they were in grade school, either at a recreational level or in the more competitive club level. They have worked hard, and with much support from their families, not only time-wise but financially as well. All of this, in hopes of someday playing for, and earning a letter, representing their High School team.
The benefits of youth team sports are endless. Jordan D. Metzl, M.D. and Carol Shookhoff, Phd., co-authored a book entitled The Young Athlete: A Sports Doctors Complete Guide for Parents. In their book they write: Given that athletics involves all aspects of the human being, it is not surprising that participants benefit in all areas and lessons of life. According to researchers at the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University, kids who participate in organized sports do better in school, have better interpersonal skills, are more team oriented, and are generally a lot healthier.
Participation in sports provides opportunities for leadership and socialization, as well as the development of skills for handling success and failure.
Dr. Metzl states I am convinced that sports offer a unique arena in which children can successfully exert their individual talents. The arena is unique for two reasons. First, sports engage the child as a complete human being: all facets- not just physical, but also social, cognitive, and psychological- are engaged harmoniously in striving toward peak fulfillment. Second, sports involves youths working in an ongoing community composed of their peers as well as their peers families. Sports, that is, offer children an exhilarating, satisfying, rewarding way to participate in a larger world not generally accessible to non-athletes.
Most of our current SVUSD High School Roller Hockey players also participate in the fall and winter IHF (Interscholastic Hockey Federation) seasons. This is also hosted by the 949 Roller Hockey Center. The seasons generally run from late September through the middle of March. The 2008-2009 season of the IHF currently has 63 teams (from JVC to Varsity levels) made up from 29 high schools in the greater Orange County area. This venue offers our SVUSD athletes further opportunity to represent their high schools in the competitive area. The IHF is run by a very dedicated Board of volunteers and has very exact guidelines and rules. (See Attached IHF RULES). The IHF further supports and advocates good sportsmanship, scholastic achievement, and community service from all participants. For the last 2 years, the IHF teams, along with the 949 has been a big supporter of the Give Blood Play Hockey Tournament that was started by Mary Quayle, a high school roller hockey player, as her community service project. Proceeds from that tournament benefit CHOC (Childrens Hospital of Orange County) and the American Red Cross. Many players, parents, and supporters have donated hundreds of pints of blood and have been placed on the National Bone Marrow Donor list from this event. The IHF also hosts the IHF ALL-Stars game in early April. This game centers on teams made up of players, nominated by their Coaches, that exemplify all the scholastic and community service minded traits desirous to a well rounded hockey player and athlete. They are also honored by receiving plaques and medals from the NHL Anaheim Ducks, 2007 Stanley Cup Champions.
Roller Hockeys popularity continues to grow. Although yet to be CIF sanctioned in Orange County, participants and supporters remain hopeful that this will change as the CIF Section 10 of San Diego currently sanctions 20 high schools throughout San Diego County. Unlike a number of more traditional high school sports, Roller Hockey reaches out to beginners and novices alike, affording both what in most cases will be their last opportunity to participate in the school sports experience and benefit from the life lessons it can provide. Some players are talented enough to even go on and play for their colleges and universities across the nation. Here in California, many of our athletes continue to play in the WCRHL (West Coast Roller Hockey League). We have alumni, of the IHF, playing for UCI, Cal State Berkeley, Long Beach State, Saddleback College, Chapman University, UC Santa Barbara, and a host of others across the country. Some of our alumni roller hockey players are now professionally playing in minor leagues while others in our sport have transferred their skills into becoming budding NHL players such as Bobby Ryan of the Anaheim Ducks.
Elimination of District funding and/or status will leave a very large hole within the districts sports program and an even bigger void in the hockey ambitions of our students. We feel certain that the measures we are proposing below will help the SVUSD Board with this painful budget decision, by reducing costs to the district and allowing our roller hockey programs to continue being sanctioned by the school board.
The financial component of school support to date, for the SVUSD Roller Hockey program, has varied significantly from school to school. Depending on the particular school, this has included the District paying for one or more the following:
Rink rental fees; ($13,600 for all 4 high schools total)
Coach stipends for the PE training (varies from school to school)
Transportation (usually supported to some degree with fees from parents)

By unifying all high school roller hockey programs, this will eliminate a lot of gray areas and also reduce costs to the district.
Roller Hockey participates agree to self- funding 100\%, of the following, by means of voluntary family / player contributions, booster dues, and fundraising efforts, if called upon to do so, by the SVUSD Board, in order to keep our program intact:
Rink rental fees
Coaches salaries for games & practices
Uniforms
Transportation (on District provided buses as previously done by transportation fees paid by parents / guardians)
District qualified volunteer bus supervisors (Fingerprinted, CPR trained, TB tested)
SVUSD Board and high school Administration agrees to funding/sanction of the following:
Salaries/ or stipends for staff member providing the PE portion of training when not at the 949 for practices or games for Freshmen and Sophomore players, and/or Juniors and Seniors that have not yet met their 2 year PE requirement as set forth in State of California Physical Education mandates. This would be for approximately a 6 week period beginning the first week of second semester(ie prior to the actual hockey season starting in mid March) and for the 3 days a week not at the 949, as well as from mid May until the end of the school semester. SVUSD might consider combining the roller hockey PE class with other off season team(s).

Continue to allow Roller Hockey to be a letter sport recognized by their individual high schools, for all players that have worked so hard to make the Varsity level, and to those individuals that the Coaches deem worthy of an honorary letter.

We hope that you know that we players, parents, and supporters realize what an ominous task that you, the SVUSD Board, have before them. We have worked hard to shoulder some of that burden for you. Cutting $10 million from a school districts budget is daunting and we wish was unnecessary. We are trying to be very proactive and present a solution for at least a small portion of those necessary cuts. We would much rather have seen that portion spread equally across the athletic board but are ready to stand tall and support our roller hockey players by self funding. We believe it is a very worthy investment in our athletes futures as they learn to handle successes and failures. Please help us in our childrens successful hockey journey by supporting our petition to
SAVE SVUSD HIGH SCHOOL ROLLER HOCKEY.

Thank you very much for your most valuable time and attention.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned :
Student Athletes
Parents & Guardians
Community Advocates & fans of our sport