Constitution and By Laws
Gulf Storm Zone Association Constitution & By Laws
September 3, 2020
These articles of constitution and bylaws relate to the structure, conduct and ongoing operations of the expanded Gulf Storm Zone. The Gulf Storm becoming a coordinated effort at both the AA and A level.
Constitution
Article 1 - Name & Jurisdiction
Article 2 – Purpose & Objectives
Article 3 – By Laws
Article 4 - Governance
Article 5 – Meetings
Article 6– Conflict of interest
Article 7 - Amendments
Article 8 – Membership & Eligibility Article 9 – Registration, Ice Times and Finances
Article 10 - Discipline
By Laws
By Laws 1 - Membership
By Law 2 - Executive Committee
By Laws 3 - Operations Committee
By Law 4 – Coach Application & Selection
By Law 5 – Player & Goalie Evaluation
By Law 6 – Conditioning, Try Out & Team Selection
By Law 7 – Sportsmanship
By Law 8 - Development
By Law 9 – Discipline
By Law 10 - Amendments Gulf Storm Constitution and By Laws Amended April 19, 2016
Articles of Constitution
A1. Name & Jurisdiction
1.1 The name of this zone shall be know as the Gulf Storm here in after referred to as the “Gulf Storm”.
1.2 The Gulf Storm is a cooperative effort between the Kensington, North Star and Southside minor hockey associations herein after referred to as the “Parent Organizations”.
1.3 The boundaries and jurisdiction of the Gulf Storm includes the combined boundaries of the Parent Organizations.
A2. Purpose & Objectives
2.1 The principle purpose of the Gulf Storm shall be to organize competitive co-ed AA rep teams within the combined jurisdiction of the Parent Organizations.
2.2 Once AA teams are selected, the Parent Organizations are committed to the cooperation and sharing of players so that where possible, at least one A team per level of play can be iced in each community.
2.3 The Gulf Storm shall cover all divisions of play including Novice, Atom, Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget Hockey.
2.4 The Gulf Storm is committed to selecting AA teams based on skill and hockey IQ and shall ensure that ALL coaches and players regardless of their origin, history or parent organizations are given a fair opportunity to compete for a position on the AA rep teams.
2.5 Once teams are selected, Gulf Storm Committee members and division coordinators will ensure that coaches, team officials and players are supported in a manner, which will improve their skill and knowledge of hockey, encourage excellence while emphasizing good sportsmanship.
A3 By Laws
3.1 The Gulf Storm shall adopt by laws consistent with this Constitution or the Constitutions of the Parent Organizations.
3.2 The Bylaws shall include additional provisions for the consistent and effective operation of Gulf Storm and may be amended from time to time as therein provided.
A4. Governance
4.1 The Gulf Storm shall be governed by an Executive Committee and an Operations Committee.
4.2 The Executive Committee shall provide an ongoing connection to the Gulf Storm Membership as well as oversight and constitutional interpretation to the Operations Committee. Additionally, the Executive shall be responsible for the coordination and forming of A level hockey teams including the transfer of players in or out of the zone where required. Gulf Storm Constitution and By Laws Amended April 19, 2016 Page 3
4.3 The Operations Committee shall conduct the day-to-day operations and management of the AA Gulf Storm teams including consistent application and enforcement of the Bylaws.
4.4 The Operational Committee for the upcoming year should be confirmed at the annual general meeting of the Gulf Storm Membership in the spring.
A5 Meetings
5.1 The Executive committee shall meet at least once per year in person to review the constitution, bylaws and state of the union. Quorum at this meeting would require all three presidents to be in attendance and 2 of 3 Presidents required to confirm any decision.
5.2 The Operations Committee shall meet monthly from September through April. Quorum at this meeting would require at least 5 of 6 members to be present and at least one member from each parent organization with a majority vote required to confirm any decision. In the case of a tie, the decision should be referred to the Executive committee for resolution.
5.3 The Membership of the Gulf Storm is represented by the respective Board Members of the parent organizations and shall hold an Annual General Meeting no later than one (1) month following the date of the last parent organizations annual general meeting. Quorum at this meeting would require at least 15 members, two of three presidents, 4 of 6 operational committee members and no less than 3 members from each parent associations being in attendance.
A6 Conflict of Interest
6.1 Gulf Storm recognizes Conflict of Interest as a set of circumstances that creates the risk that judgment or actions regarding the organizations primary interest could be or at the very least, perceived to be, duly influenced by a secondary personal interest.
6.2 Executive and Operations Committee members, officers and coaches primary interest is to ensure that ALL participants are treated fairly with respect to due process. Decisions regarding family members, friends, close acquaintances and/or business associates would constitute a personal secondary interest and a potential conflict.
6.3 Every Committee Member, Officer, Coach or person otherwise involved with the Gulf Storm and who directly or indirectly has a personal secondary interest in a proposed action shall make a full and fair declaration of the nature and extent of their interest to the Executive Committee for consideration.
6.4 In the cases where a potential conflict is determined, the person shall refrain from voting or speaking in debate on any such action and or otherwise from influencing the decision in any manner either directly or by proxy (influencing a person without a secondary interest).
6.5 A committee member, officer or coach who is deemed to be in conflict must refrain from participating in the process in question and an Gulf Storm Constitution and By Laws Amended April 19, 2016 alternate representative appointed prior to any decisions with such appointments at the discretion of the parent association affected.
6.6 Where a committee member or person has failed to disclose a potential conflict and whereas such conflict comes to the attention of the Members, Executive or Operations Committee, such individual shall be removed from their position indefinitely.
6.7 Committee members or individual with potential conflict shall not be counted in the quorum for a particular decision but can be counted on decisions or actions where they are not in conflict.
6.8 Actions of personal interest can include but are not limited to: selection of your own child’s coach, evaluating your own child’s suitability for AA play and/or giving your child preferential treatment (first line/play time) on a team with parent coaches and team officials.
6.9 Potential conflicts of interest may also be associated with past relationships with an individual or their family and perceptions of their performance where no secondary interest is present (i.e. the individual is not a family member or close acquaintance).
A7. Membership & Eligibility
7.1 The board members of the Parent Organizations represent their association and in effect their own membership in all matters related to the Gulf Storm and are herein after referred to as the “Membership” for the purpose of execution and administration of this agreement.
7.2 Should the membership of the Parent Organizations vote to revoke Membership in the Gulf Storm through an annual general meeting of the Parent Organization, the Gulf Storm Membership must respect the decision of the parent organizations general members to opt out of the Gulf Storm but such opt out must occur at all levels and re-entry in any given year is at the discretion of the remaining Gulf Storm Members.
7.3 For the purposes of eligibility, players who are registered in one of the Parent Organizations and whose membership has been affirmed at an annual general meeting as outlined in clause 7.2, are eligible to participate in the Gulf Storm.
7.4 Players wishing to transfer in or out of the Gulf Storm jurisdiction must receive approval from the Executive of the Gulf Storm.
A8. Amendments
8.1 Requests for amendments to the Constitution of the Gulf Storm may come from several sources including but not limited to individual player members of the parent organizations, Gulf Storm Members as represented by the board members of parent organizations , officers, coaches, officials and/or Gulf Storm Committee members.
8.2 Potential Amendments to the Gulf Storm constitution will be considered on an annual basis and should be submitted in writing to the Gulf Storm Executive Committee no later than April 1st.
8.3 Potential amendments will be tabled and voted on at the annual meeting of the Gulf Storm Membership as represented by the board members of the parent organizations.
8.4 At least 75% of the quorum present must vote for any given amendment for it to be ratified.
A9 Registration, Ice Allocation & Finances
9.1 Registration of AA teams shall be determined, for the most part, on the proportion of players originating from the Parent Organizations. The organization with the most players in a respective division will be listed as the “Primary” or Host organization with HPEI for that level. The team with the second most players in the respective division will be considered the secondary host for the purpose of ice allocation. Should numbers dictate that one of the Parent Organizations does not qualify for a AA team based on proportional representation, the team with the most players originating from that organization shall be registered to ensure that all parent organizations have registered at least one team.
9.2 Each registered team will be assigned one ice time per week from the primary and the secondary parent organization providing two ice times per week (one in each rink) for 18 weeks (36 ice times total). Parent organizations may allocate additional ice times leading up to provincial play downs at their discretion. Where additional ice times are required by teams, they should be booked within the Gulf Storm system (provided ice is available) with preference given to the organization (s) with only one registered team. Ice times and locations should be consistent week to week and games shall be split evenly where possible between the primary and the secondary site.
9.3 Cancelled ice due to schedules, tournaments or situations outside the control of the teams should be made where possible at least 8 days prior to game time and rebooked in one of the parent organizations rinks provided ice time is available at a reasonable time and date.
9.4 Team registration fees, ice times and incidentals for the operation of the Gulf Storm should be shared equally by the Gulf Storm parent organization based on the proportion of players from each parent organization. Costs of the Gulf Storm incurred by the parent organizations will be compiled by Treasurers of the parent organizations and submitted to the Executive Committee of the Gulf Storm by April 15th. The Executive Committee and the treasurers of the parent organizations will meet to reconcile the costs prior to the annual general meeting of the first parent organization membership and provide a state of the finances report to be presented at all three parent AGM’s and the AGM of the Gulf Storm membership.
A10 Discipline & Appeal
10.1 The Gulf Storm Operations Committee shall have full responsibility for discipline with respect to coaches, team officials or players of the Gulf Storm AA zone teams. The Gulf Storm shall follow the process outlined in the By Laws.
10.2 Should a committee member, team officer, coach or player have issue with any treatment or sanction of the Operations Committee, they can appeal such decision to the Executive Committee for consideration.
10.3 The Gulf Storm recognizes HPEI’s role in discipline of players and coaches but can chose to impose additional sanctions should they deem fit for the betterment of the organization. By Laws BL 1 Membership & Annual Meeting 1.1 As outlined in Article 7 of the constitution, the elected board of directors of the parent organizations represent the interests of their general membership in all matters related to the execution and operation of the Gulf Storm zone agreement. 1.2 For purposes of consultation and decision-making, the voting Members of the Gulf Storm are the elected directors of the parent organization as well as the non-elected/appointed members of the Operations Committee. 1.3 As outlined in the Article 5.3 of the Constitution, The Gulf Storm Membership shall meet annually no later than one month following the last general meeting of the parent organizations membership.
BL 2 Executive Committee
2.1 The Executive Committee shall be comprised of the three (3) Presidents from each Parent Association. Chairmanship of the Executive Committee shall be a voting position rotated annually among the Presidents. 2.2 The Executive committee shall meet at least once per year prior to the Gulf Storm AGM to review the Constitution, Bylaws and state of the union and such meeting shall be minuted for the permanent record.
2.3 Interim business of the Executive committee may involve interpretations of the constitution and by laws and/or dispute resolution originating from the operational branch. For such business, the Executive Committee may chose to meet in person or conduct required discussions and consultation through phone and email at their discretion. 2.4The Executive committee should try to reach a consensus on issues and where such consensus cannot be reached the majority vote shall rule.
2.5 Decisions of the Executive committee should be considered final, however, the Executive Committee must provide rationale and justification for all decisions to the Operational Committee and the Gulf Storm Members.
BL3 Operations Committee
3.1The Operations Committee shall be made up of six (6) voting members, two (2) from each Parent Association. Committee members shall be appointed by the parent organization boards for a two-year term. Ideally, Operational Committee member terms should be staggered so that only half of the board members shall be new, but such appointment considerations are ultimately at the discretion of the parent organizations.
3.2 After serving their two-year term, Operational Committee members may serve as an alternate member for one year where such appointment is at the discretion of their parent organizations and such members may be eligible for reappointment after sitting off the board for at least one year.
3.3 Committee members are to assume their positions at the annual general meeting of the Gulf Storm Membership, which is to be held no later than one month following the last annual general meeting of the parent organization.
3.4 Committee members shall appoint one voting member as chair/secretary and each of the other members as coordinator for a level of play (i.e. Midget, Bantam, PeeWee, Atom and Novice).
3.5 The Operational Committee shall meet monthly from September through December or as required and follow Order of Business procedures consistent with the democratic process including Call to Order, Review of Agenda, Review of Minutes, Reports, Correspondence, Old Business, New Business, Other Business and Adjournment.
3.6 Quorum at the meetings is assumed to be five (5) of six (6) members present including alternates. The Operational Committee should attempt to make decision based on consensus, but where consensus is not possible the majority decision rules. In the case of a tie (3-3) the item in question should be refereed to the Executive Committee for resolution. Minutes of the monthly meetings should be kept for the record.
3.7 In cases where Conflict of Interest is identified, the member should excuse themselves from the situation in favor of alternates but may continue to participate in non-conflicted business during the same session.
3.8 During the fall, additional meetings shall be required for coach and team selection. Quorum at these meetings is also required and alternates should be on hand to address the inadvertent conflict of interests that occur.
BL 4 Coach Application & Selection
4.1 Application for head coaches should be solicited both on the web sites of the Parent Organizations as well as in email to the Parent Organizations general membership by August 15th of each year and a reminder email sent out by the end of August soliciting final expressions of interest.
4.2 Potential coaches who have children trying out for the Matrix AAA should be encouraged to apply, as coaches will be interviewed and ranked prior to the completion of the AAA tryout. Once the AAA tryouts are completed the AA coaches are to be announced and tryouts are to commence immediately.
4.3 A standard application form requesting basic personal information, contact information, child’s name (if potential to play at this level) an indication of hockey knowledge, coaching experience, and coaching philosophy should be used for all candidates. References should also be requested and verified prior to offering candidates the head coaching position. 4.4 All candidates expressing interest in the head coach position should be interviewed regardless of their past experience or paper presentation.
4.5 At least three (3) members of Operations Committee shall be present at all interviews with at least one member from each of the parent organizations. All six (6) members (or where in conflict their alternates) may be present at the interviews to observe responses but only three (3) committee members should direct questions to the candidates.
4.6 The Operations Committee should develop a standard list of relevant questions for the candidates, which will allow the evaluation of their overall suitability including both hockey knowledge and temperament. Hockey knowledge should be evaluated with consideration for the level of play and more weighting should be applied to the candidates overall suitability to manage and develop athletes of the level in question.
4.7 All responses and notes on responses should be collected by the Gulf Storm chair and kept for future consideration should any questions regarding appointment arise. After November 15th of the year in question all responses and notes should be destroyed.
4.8 Committee members should refrain from discussing the candidates until all interviews have been completed. After all interviews at a particular level are completed, the Committee Members should rank the candidates by preference (i.e. 1, 2, 3…) and submit such rankings and supporting information to the chair. The chair should summarize and aggregate the rankings but no results should be released until the AAA teams are selected. Once the AAA teams are confirmed, the chair should confirm if any coaches wish to withdraw their application. Once a final list of interested candidates are confirmed, the rankings summary should be distributed to the committee for consideration. At least four (4) of six (6) Committee members must vote to confirm the head coaches and when only five (5) are present, four (4) positive responses are still required.
4.9 Should a Committee member or members feel the process has been compromised, conflicted or not in good faith as per the Gulf Storms objective, they can appeal to the Executive Committee and coaches should not be confirmed until such appeal is made and a response on process received. It is not the place of the Executive Committee to evaluate coaching credentials only that the process was fair and in accordance with the Constitution and By Laws.
4.10 Coaches are required to submit a “draft budget” to the Gulf Storm board prior to the team selection. This draft budget (estimate) must be approved by the Gulf Storm board and should be given out to parents/players on or prior to the first team selection ice time
BL 5 Player & Goalie Evaluation
5.1 Every player should be given a fair and equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills and attitudes without bias related to their community of origin, previous team affiliations or any undue preference associated with the coach and/or evaluators.
5.2 The coach is ultimately responsible for selecting the team, however, knowledgeable evaluators will be appointed by the three Parent Organizations (at all levels) to assist the coach in assessing the players. The same evaluator can be used at all levels provided they do not have a conflict of interest but because of the specialized nature of the goalie position evaluators with knowledge and/or experience in goaltending shall be required.
5.3Player evaluations shall use common criteria consistent with Hockey Canada guidelines except in the case of the goalies where goalie specific criteria should be used. The Gulf Storm committee will provide the evaluation criteria to the coaches prior to tryouts beginning and coaches are required to use provided checklists to document the evaluations.
5.4The coach is expected to consult with the evaluators where there are differences in evaluations or player rankings and the coach must explain their rationale to the Gulf Storm chair BEFORE confirmation of the roster and player notifications.
5.5 Evaluations are for selection purposes only and are not to be shared with participants, parents or people outside the selection process. One week after teams are posted all evaluations shall be destroyed.
BL 6 Tryout & Team Selection
6.1 There shall be up to four centric tryout sessions for each level of play with no more than 25 player participants (not including the goalies) on the ice at any given time. To ensure that there will be a maximum of 25 players on the ice, there will be a mandatory registration 5 days prior to the first tryout session. The Board reserves the right to refuse to allow players on the ice at a tryout if they show up without pre-registering and the maximum number of players are on the ice. There may be additional goalie evaluation session(s) covering all levels of play.
6.2 Ice times for tryouts should be spread out over at least a five (5) day period but no longer than fourteen (14) days and players are expected to attend all tryouts unless the coach grants an exception. Coaches who grant exceptions to players who ultimately roster will be expected to explain their rationale to the Operations Committee.
6.3 Tryout ice times shall be equitably shared among the Parent Organizations where possible but tryouts must commence immediately following the selection of the Matrix AAA teams.
6.4 There will be a fee associated with the tryouts which will be determined by the board in August of each year when preparing for the tryouts. Cuts made after the second ice session. No player shall be allowed to tryout until monies are paid in full.
6.5 The Parent Organization hosting the tryouts shall pay for one ice time per level, the Operations Committee is responsible to collect participant fees and pay for the remaining ice times as required.
6.6 Any monies remaining after the ice rental is paid shall be given proportionally to the teams for start up funds.
6.7 After all sessions are complete and player evaluations compiled, the coach shall submit the proposed team roster and supporting rationale to the Operations Committee chair who will review the rosters with one member from each of the other Parent Organizations to ensure the integrity of player evaluation and team selection process.
6.8 Approved rosters shall be posted on the Parent Organizations websites within 24 hours of the last tryout session.
BL 7 Sportsmanship
7.1 Gulf Storm is committed to principles of sportsmanship including making reasonable attempts to ensure that all players receive equal opportunity to contribute towards a team’s success.
7.2 Playing time or fair play in sanctioned games is one aspect of opportunity that gets considerable attention from parents and players and as such, coaches shall make every attempt to play players equitably. That said, coaches also have a reasonable expectation for players to provide a concerted effort in all aspects of games and practices. Should a coach feel that a player is not making such efforts, they may reasonably restrict play in order to motivate the player. Equal minutes for non-equal effort is not in the best interest of the individual, the team and does not exhibit the commitment and values that the Gulf Storm expects from its players. Additionally, during the final five (5) minutes of any regular season game, during a penalty kill, during a power play or in any part of a final tournament game or play off series, the coach may choose to shorten their bench to increase the probability of team success. The coach should discuss this and all fair play exceptions with the players and parents at the beginning of the season and prior to tournament games or playoffs.
7.3 Players must show respect for their teammates, team officials, opposition, referees and fans. Locker room bullying including physical or verbal abuse will not be tolerated and coaches are responsible for player’s behavior both on and off the ice. In cases of unacceptable behavior, a coach may bench a player for up to one game per occurrence but must report such suspensions to the Chair of the Gulf Storm prior to the penalty being imposed.
7.4 Coaches are expected to set an example for the players in their charge both on an off the ice. Under no circumstance should a coach verbally or physically abuse a player, parent, opponent or official. All incidents should be reported to the Chair of the Gulf Storm and depending on the nature and/or frequency, a warning or suspension may be imposed.
BL 8 Development
8.1 The Gulf Storm shall encourage players to develop their knowledge and skill of the game and the opportunity to advance to the next level/
8.2 The Operational Committee shall coordinate with HPEI and the AAA Matrix organization with respect to development opportunities for players who wish to excel to the next level.
8.3 The Gulf Storm Operational Committee shall organize two high performance camps over the season. The camps should include both on ice and off ice components. Off ice should address both fitness and hockey IQ. The Parent Organizations shall subsidize these events to some extent but additional player fees should be expected. Sessions are not mandatory but players are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity, particularly those players aspiring to play at a higher level.
BL9 Discipline 9.1
All potential discipline issues with respect to the behavior of coaches, team officials or players shall be brought to the attention of the Gulf Storm Chair for information/consideration.
9.2 The Chair shall collect and/or confirm any additional information that may be required and communicate such information to the Gulf Storm Discipline Committee if additional action/sanction is required.
9.3 Coaches are responsible for disciplining players but such discipline depending on the nature and severity of the infraction should be referred to the Chair for consideration.
10.1 Amendments to the By Laws may only be made by a vote of the Gulf Storm Membership at the Gulf Storm Annual General Meeting.
10.2 Amendments to these bylaws requires quorum and a 2/3 vote of the members present voting positively