TO: STAR Members
FROM: Larry Reid, Vice President and Chairman of Election Committee
RE: Nominations for STAR Board of Directors 

This summer, we will be holding elections for the following 3 positions on the Board of Directors:

1 – Individual Representative (3 year term)
Position currently held by Jim Hanlon. Eligible for re-election
*Only STAR Individual Members are eligible to vote and run for this position. The top vote recipient will be awarded this position
1 - At-Large Representative (3 year term)
Position currently held by Pete Carlson. Not eligible for re-election
*All STAR Members are eligible to cast their vote and run for this position. The top vote recipient will be awarded this position
1 - Vendor Representative (3 year term)
Position currently held by Jennifer Andre (Rink Management Services Corporation). Eligible for re-election
*Only STAR Vendor Members are eligible to vote and run for this position. The top vote recipient will be awarded this position 

If you, or someone from your facility or company, are interested in serving on the Board, please take this opportunity to complete the nomination form. All nominations must be received at the STAR office by Tuesday, July 15, 2014. Only STAR members as of July 15, 2014 are eligible to vote and run in this election.


All members of the STAR Board of Directors will assist the organization in fulfilling its mission of becoming “The premier national organization designed to foster the development, growth and success of ice skating rinks in the United States.â€â€¨ 
Towards this end, all STAR Board Members will be expected to meet the following minimum standards as a Board member:
 

• Attend annual Board meetings 

• Participate in monthly conference calls

• Promote STAR membership and programs 

• Serve on committees, as requested

• Represent STAR at regional events, as requested

• Maintain a STAR membership
 

STAR has made tremendous strides in our 14 years of history. We continue to advance our industry, and our membership plays a large role in our organization. The benefits of becoming a Board Member are both professionally and personally rewarding. I would strongly urge you to consider joining the STAR Board of Directors or encourage a colleague you feel would be a good candidate to become involved. The benefits will greatly exceed the time and energy you devote to STAR. You would be involved in a professional organization dedicated to the “development, growth and success†of the rink and arena industry. 
 

If you are interested in this opportunity, please complete and return the nomination form by Tuesday, July 15, 2014. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Cory Portner at coryp@starrinks.com or (719) 538-1111.
Regional Training Programs
Click on a state for additional details and course offerings
Our rink is shut down for the summer and we have the ice resurfacers stored in one of our unused hallways. Should we do any kind of summer maintenance or specific storage items to make sure we don't do any damage to them over the next two months?
U.S. Figure Skating hosts approximately 25 Basic Skills workshops per year around the United States, and we are currently scheduling workshops for the upcoming 2014-15 season. Basic Skills workshops are run in three different formats: Full-day workshop with ice time, half-day workshop with or without ice and learn-to-teach seminars for new Basic Skills instructors. We customize the agenda to fit your facility needs and we try to reach everyone in our audience so that something new is learned by all.
Throughout our instructor workshops, we discuss many important topics that are crucial to becoming an invaluable asset to your team. Topics like teaching techniques and the perception of your Basic Skills program are always crowd favorites. Both sessions are done on and off the ice, and study topics from different ways of teaching the basic elements to educational activities that are fun for skaters of all ages and setting up traffic patterns.
Off the ice, our classroom discussions range from customer service to Basic Skills competition structure, lesson planning and the marketing and promotion of the Basic Skills program. Promoting your Basic Skills program is everyone's responsibility, regardless of whether you are an instructor or the program director.
If you are interested in hosting a Basic Skills Workshop, please contact Erin M. Schopf Basic Skills Program Manager, at 719-228-3471 or email at eschopf@usfigureskating.org.
Grow Your Program with the 2 and 2 Challenge
Increase your participation numbers with USA Hockey's comprehensive growth program, the 2 and 2 Challenge. The 2 and 2 Challenge guides youth hockey leadership through national programs and tools to achieve their growth goals. To complete the 2 and 2 Challenge, participating rinks will utilize initiatives that emphasize the three main driving forces of growth: Retention, Acquisition and Conversion.
By participating, two things will be accomplished:
1) You will drive participation in the 8 & under age group and ensure that your beginner level or introductory program continues to grow as these players graduate to older age levels.
2) Your rink will establish itself not just as the best hockey program locally, but as the best youth sports option in your community!
As an added bonus you will be rewarded with free starter equipment sets and national recognition. With the upcoming post-Olympic season and a heightened awareness on youth hockey, the potential for growth is endless. During the previous post-Olympic season (2010-11), there was a 15% increase in new 8 & under players which was the largest increase in the last 15 years. This also included a 24% increase in new girls playing. Local rinks have a unique opportunity to make a big impact at their 8 & under age level.
Sport Resource Group Cements Status as #1 NHL Volume Netting Supplier
Once again, Sport Resource Group has sold more netting to NHL teams than any other vendor heading into the 2014-15 NHL season. Sport Resource Group specializes in an ultra-thin 1.2mm black Kevlar-coated mesh netting system that is advantageous for fans, television viewers and rink managers. Compared to more traditional 2mm and 3mm netting twine, the Kevlar-coating on the netting allows the thinner 1.2mm twine to be ultra-strong. Furthermore, the thin netting weighs less than traditional netting making it easier to work with and also easier to see through for fans and viewers. Black Kevlar-coated netting is the most popular choice of the 30 NHL teams for these reasons and more. The majority of these teams are participating in Sport Resource Group’s netting buy-back program. This program allows NHL nets which on average are used for a year or less to be sold to community rinks at a large discount. All used nets are 120 ft long and vary in height from 16 ft high up to 65 ft high. To learn more, click on www.sportresourcegroup.com, email info@sportresourcegroup.com or call (888) 808-RINK.
