Your 2020 WGMLA Executive & Vacant Roles, News (West Grey Lacrosse)

The West Grey Minor Lacrosse Association hosted their Annual General Meeting on the evening of September 17th in Durham.  There was a great turnout to the event which proves that there is a lot of support and interest from the members of the Association.

The meeting opened with a recap from President Adam Croll on the 2019 season.  "Most notably, 2019 was a season of many firsts for the West Grey Minor Lacrosse Association", said Croll, who went on to list some of the highlights from the 2019 season: 

- There was an overwhelming turnout at the try lacrosse sessions with over 140 new players in our area exposed to lacrosse
- 2019 saw a 250% growth in player registrations, which resulted in an unexpected expansion to 2 Paperweight teams, 2 Novice teams and 2 PeeWee teams
- Our association gained 50% more trained referees
- 17 coaches attended the OLA's coaches clinic, compared to 4 coaches in the 2018 season
- WGMLA saw a total of 28 bench staff get certification in 2019
- The Association was able to fulfill ALL requirements to our Zone and the OLA and competed in our first ever Playoffs and Provincials
- First ever Zone Championship Banner (PeeWee 1 Team)
- First ever Provincial Championship Banner (Tyke team)
- Jersey Sponsors for 6 teams! (Thank-you very much to those sponsors)
And, many, many more accomplishments........

Croll ended his season recap by expressing his gratitude and appreciation for all those players, parents, coaches, referees and sponsors who helped to make the season a huge success. A special thank-you went out to the 2019 executive board members who worked tirelessly (sometimes fulfilling multiple roles) to keep things operating smoothly and efficiently.  He also acknowledged and thanked the Town of West Grey Municipal Staff who opened, closed and maintained the facilities in tip top shape throughout the year.

The meeting then turned to a review of the results from the parent survey that was completed by 53 members of the association, which captures the feedback of approximately 60% of the WGMLA families. Highlights from the responses received are as follows:

- 92% of parents reported their child will be returning to play lacrosse with the Rampage next season
- 40% of parents knew of other players interested in joining next year
- 82% of parents were interested in a winter skills program depending on the schedule and potential conflicts with winter sports
- 28% commented that they could help on the executive
- 98% of parents indicated they enjoyed the season

As the evening drew to a close, it was time to nominate and elect the executive for the upcoming 2020 season. Due process was followed with the convener going through each open position, one by one, describing each role and their corresponding responsibilities.  Nominations for each position were taken from the floor and a vote preceded.  The 2020 WGMLA Executive will be as follows:

2020 WGMLA Executive
President & Zone 8 Rep - Adam Croll
Vice President - Joe Bak
Treasurer & Privacy Officer - Jennifer Swindlehurst
Registrar - Alissa Davis
Scheduler - Cara Croll
Secretary - Marissa Murdoch
Team Representative - Corey Reay
Facilities/Equipment Director - Kerr Bell
Webmaster - Adam Stanley
Sponsorship/Fundraising - Shawna Sullivan
Player Development - Kendra Kerr
Tournament Coordinator - Suzanne Brown
Apparel - Jen DeBlock & Brittany Beirnes

Two roles were left unfilled.  The Referee in Chief and Volunteer Coordinator remain vacant.  If anyone is interested in filling these roles please contact WGMLA at [email protected].  A description of each role from the Association's By-Laws is provided below:

1. Referee-in-Chief
   1. Term – 2 years ending in odd years
   2. Pre-Requisite
      1. Must be a Member in good standing
   3. Duties
      1. Assign referees and timekeepers for all Representative and House League games using Horizon WebRef system
      2. Be responsible for officials and courses and on-going instruction, education and upgrading of officials
      3. Recruit new Referees and Timekeepers
      4. Work with the Zone and OLRA referee supervisors
      5. Track referees' and timekeepers' hours and inform the treasurer to generate pay cheques
         
         
2. Volunteer Coordinator
   1. Term – 2 years ending in odd years
   2. Pre-Requisite
      1. Must be a Member in good standing
   3. Duties
      1. Assist the Referee-in-Chief to assign timekeepers for all games
      2. Be responsible for ongoing instruction, education and quality of timekeepers
      3. Inform the Treasurer of fees to be paid to Timekeepers
      4. Facilitate the registration of all bench staff and other non-playing personnel
      5. Communicate regularly with team volunteers (coaches, managers and parent representatives)

An updated copy of the Association's By-Laws can be found by clicking -> HERE

The newly appointed West Grey Minor Lacrosse Board is excited for the 2020 season and plans for this upcoming year have already commenced.  Pay attention to the website for all association updates.

Go Rampage Go!