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Tri-Valley (TV) Blue Devils Q&A

Travel vs In-house?
Travel hockey is the highest level of play that our club offers.  Players tryout for leveled teams (A and B levels), practice three times a week (except Midgets – they have two practices per week) and play 1 or 2 games against other clubs' travel teams around Northern California on weekends.  Attendance at all practices and games is required.  These teams play in three (or more) holiday tournaments and will vie for Northern California and State playoffs.  The travel season runs from August to March (and sometimes longer due to playoffs).

The In-House program does not have tryouts and players play against other players within our club. 

Age Levels
USA Hockey designates the following age levels based on the player's birth year (i.e. your child's age as of December 31st of the current year):
8U: up to 8 years old
10U:  9 & 10 years old
12U: 11 & 12 years old
14U:  13 & 14 years old (body checking begins at this level)
16U & 18U 15 – 18 years old 

Team size
Typical team sizes are 14-16 skaters and 2 goalies.  Coaches will use their discretion in order to keep the team at a consistent playing level.

Tryout process
Tryouts are structured to give players plenty of opportunity to demonstrate their skill in order to be selected in the most objective process possible.  The head coach evaluates players along with a small committee.  The majority of the committee must agree on each player in order for the player to make a team.  This eliminates the possibility of a head coach getting his/her “favorite” player onto the team over more-qualified players.  At the end of tryouts, players will receive an offer letter or an offer to play in-house.  

Players that do not make the travel team will be guaranteed a spot on an in-house team if the player is registered before August 30th.

Practices
10U - 14U teams practice 3 times a week and 16U & 18U practice 2 times a week (except holidays, tournaments, etc) on a regular schedule.  Teams will have a combination of shared practices (share the ice with another team), a full-ice practice on the Livermore mini-rinks, and/or a full-ice practice in Dublin per week.  Most practices are during the week, but some may occur on the weekends.  All regular practices are held out of Dublin Iceland or the Livermore mini-rinks.  Additional practices may be offered to the team at Dublin, Oakland, Livermore, or Vacaville.  Per the coaches' discretion, a practice on land (aka dryland) may be required before or after the on-ice practices.

Practice players
A coach may decide to pick a player to be a practice player only, however this is not common.  This is a player that needs another year of practice and training before having enough ability to make a travel team.  These players will primarily practice with the team and may be asked to play a very limited number of games.  Please ask us to see this policy.

Governing bodies
Tri-Valley is a member of NORCAL, the Northern California youth hockey league.  NORCAL is a member of CAHA, the California Amateur Hockey Assn which governs all ice hockey in California.  CAHA is the state's affiliate of USA Hockey.

Playing-up a level
Players must notify us in advance if they want to try and play up a level.  NORCAL approval is required.  A 12U player cannot play up to Bantams – there are no exceptions.

Mites, aka MiteX
Mites differ from other travel teams in that there are only 3 main NORCAL tournaments during the season and all other games need to be scheduled ad-hoc (between the coaches/team managers of the two teams).

Team Volunteers
Tri-Valley Minor Hockey Association has a mandatory volunteer program for all travel club members. Each family is expected to volunteer a MINIMUM of 10 hours over the course of one travel season to fulfill their volunteer commitment. At the beginning of the season, each family will contribute $200 (payable upon accepting a spot on a travel team). Each family will be able to “earn” their $200 back by fulfilling their full volunteer commitment by the end of the season.

If you fulfill your minimum required hours, you will be reimbursed your volunteer deposit in full. Refund checks for the $200 volunteer deposit (one deposit per family) will be mailed directly to volunteers by April  2019. 

Each team needs the following volunteers:
➢    Head coach or rostered coach      
➢    TVMHA board member 
➢    Team Manager 
➢    Volunteer Coordinator/Asst. team manager
➢    Scorekeeping /Clock during game
➢    Penalty box monitor 
➢    Equipment manager 
➢    Tournament coordinator
➢    Stat keeper (+/-, shots for, shots against, etc.) 
➢    Team photographer
➢    Team fundraiser coordinator 
➢    Team treasurer 
➢    Team Webmaster 
➢    CAHA Screened Locker Room Monitor 

Body Checking
Body checking is not permitted until 14U (13 and up).

How much additional travel is expected?
NORCAL games can be scheduled throughout Northern California from Fresno to Santa Rosa and San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe.  

Tournaments.  The number and type of tournaments played is totally up to the team and should be a team decision.  Most teams play in 3 tournaments.  Tournaments are played during holidays: Thanksgiving, Winter Break, Martin Luther King weekend, and Presidents' Day weekend.  Tournaments can be played in Northern or Southern California or out-of-state.  On rare occasions, a team may play in Canada.  Two tournament fees are included as part of your TV dues.  

When will the activities get started?
We anticipate practices starting in mid-August. NORCAL will dictate our game schedule, including pre-season.  The full NORCAL schedule is not created until late October.  

Wearables
TV requires that you purchase 2 travel jerseys (dark and white) and 2 pairs of socks (dark and white).  Jersey numbers are reserved as to not conflict with other TV players, so each new player can make requests for numbers and we will do our best to accommodate. 

Some coaches may want his/her players to purchase additional items like dry land gear, sweat suit, shells, etc.

Commitment
Hockey is a big commitment.  Player are expected to make every practice and game.  TV has engaged in ice contracts with various rinks and has other financial commitments, so we must hold parents accountable for the fees, even if a player quits the team.

Payment plans
The fee can be paid in full or in payments.  We are using an online system for handling all payments.  You are required to create an account before tryouts.  The credit card you use for tryouts will be the same one used for your dues unless you go into your account and change your credit card.  If you make payments, a non-refundable deposit will be taken right away.    

Scholarships

We have a rigid scholarship program that is very specific:

* Only returning Fall/Winter season players can apply
* The player's family cannot have received a TV scholarship in the past
* A family can only apply after the season has begun (scholarships are not awarded going into the season) for recent changes in the family's financial status (loss of job, divorce, family illness, etc)
* We can award up to half the player's fee 

Golden State Elite has setup a scholarship for us.  More information on this will be provided at a later date.

NORCAL has a more liberal policy, but awards a limited amount.  See their website.

Coach expenses
For coaches that do not have players on the team, teams are required to cover the coaches' travel expenses when traveling outside of Northern California.

Coaches
By the most part coaches are volunteers.  They have had to go through a certification process administered by USA Hockey.  In addition, they are screened through CAHA.  

If you want to become an assistant coach or helper, ask your head coach and if you get the OK, you will need to go through a weekend of training, go through an online module, and get screened.  TV will pay for the costs.

Insurance
Players and coaches have supplementary insurance coverage through USA Hockey for any USA Hockey-related activity like practices, games, and travel to and from.  

Due to insurance restrictions, only coaches and players can be on the ice and benches.

Volunteers
WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!  This club is run by a small handful of people and we need help!  Our club can only improve with the help of it's members.  So, if you are asked to volunteer, please step up!  With a couple of exceptions, most of the duties are not difficult and will not take a lot of your time.