MORE ACCOLADES for BEST EVER OHF Championship Weekend, News, OHF CHAMPIONSHIP - MIDGET A, 2010-2011 (Whitchurch Stouffville Minor Hockey Association)

This Tournament is part of the 2010-2011 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Apr 16, 2011 | NathanT | 2293 views
MORE ACCOLADES for BEST EVER OHF Championship Weekend
What does it take to be "BEST IN CLASS"?

The Midget A OHF Championship Committee Chair and team manager of the Stouffville Midget A Clippers can give some insights to answer this question.  Since hosting the OHF Midget A Championship series from April 7-10, Mark has been inundated with compliments and high fives for the fabulous job done hosting this event.

From Fred Cooper, Manager of the Sarnia Sting,

"On behalf of the Sarnia Jr. Sting Major Midgets, I wish to compliment

yourself and your committee on a well run and outstanding tournnament.
I have attended many tournaments in my hockey years as manager and
coach.  To me this was the best I have ever encountered.  Everything
was first class.  Job well done.  Thanks for all the hard work."


More kudos from our OMHA rep, Mike Hammond,

"This is just a short note to thank you and your committee for the excellent job that you did on the weekend. You were great ambassadors not only for Whitchurch-Stouffville but also for the OMHA.  The Member Partner Representatives were well looked after in the VIP room; the teams were well looked after; the gifts to the players were great; the player of the game gifts were excellent; it was just a marvelous job done all round.   Please make sure that you let your committee know that the work they did was well appreciated by the reps and by the teams."

There's no doubt, the bar was set high after the showcase of organizational excellence demonstrated by this Whitchurch-Stouffville hosted tournament.  When asked about the "how to" guide on "HOSTING AN EXCELLENT OHF TOURNAMENT for DUMMIES", Mark shared these tips:

  1. Firstly, running this kind of event is not for "DUMMIES".  You need a GREAT TEAM. A great team shows commitment, inspiration and is resourceful and tireless in their pursuit of the end goal.  Our event was run by a first-class team.
  2. SWEAT THE DETAILS!  What made this event special was that our committee thought about every moment of being the host centre.  We thought of every angle that would make this memorable for our all of our guests, the teams, their families and of course, most especially, for these young men, many of whom will move on to the next chapter of their lives next year.  From the opening banquet kick-off with Colton Carrick on the bagpipes, Dr. Peter Jensen as guest speaker, Olympic Performance Coach to numerous Canadian medalists, the magical appearance of the Stanley Cup at the Banquet, the delectable menu, and impeccable setting at the Markham Hilton Suites Hotel... and that was just the first 2 hours of being the host centre.  Day 2 ... complete with a well choreographed official opening ceremony and the support of numerous volunteers, security, the well-stocked V.I.P. lounge, game-time music and announcers, Blade-Net postings, secure and welcoming locker rooms, gift bags for the players, raffle event, the Event Programme ...on and on the list of details goes.  
  3. SIZE THE SCOPE OF WORK and add 10%! PLAN on the fact that some things will go wrong.  Be flexible.  Have contingencies in place.
  4. ENLIST SUPPORT.  Sponsors are critical to the success of this event.  For us, we started early with getting this support in place.  BMO, Canadian Tire, Kisko, Boston Pizza, Miller-McAsphalt, and many, many other sponsors generously and proudly supported this event.  And many, many volunteer hours went into making this all happen. 
  5. RECOGNIZE the people and support you have been gifted.  Recognize your team and supporters throughout the journey.  So often, with the fast pace of everything going on, we take for granted the support we have been given by so many.  Big mistake!!! The most critical factor in success is the people behind the scenes that make it happen.  Thank them - early and often.
  6. And at the TOP of the LIST???  You need to START WITH A VISION.  Dr. Jensen talked about needing to be able to visualize yourself succeeding in the desired outcome, and taking each step to prepare for this success.  For the our team, hosting this event started over a year ago, based on the VISION and INSPIRATION of our Head Coach and WSMHA President, Don Easter.  Don had a vision for this team and for this town.  He believed in this event and the meaning it would bring to the players and to our little hometown hockey crowd... And he brought this vision to life by bringing together a great team.  (SEE POINT #1!!!)
The success of the OHF Midget A Championship is evidenced by the the many satisfied customers who walked in and out of our doors on the weekend of April 7th-April 10th.  Equally, we know, this event will be remembered for a lifetime by some 100 talented 16 and 17 year old hockey players.  Boys turned men... Boys turning leaders of the future, who have this event tucked away in their treasure chest of memories.  Maybe the best measure of success will be that, maybe one day not too far off, they too will be inspired to lead and support another team and another town to greatness, having seen how it's done, and how much it means to so many.

With thanks to our OHF COMMITTEE MEMBERS:  Mark McMahon, Deanna Hasler, Heather Crago, Mike Humphreys, Nancy Brown, Ron Bremner, Don Easter, Suzanne Cadaret, Sharon Taylor & David Mills, as well as the many, many volunteers who made this event "BEST IN CLASS"!

 

Sponsors
Boston Pizza
Located in Stouffville at Hoover Park & Hwy 48 Boston Pizza has generously provided sponsorship at the GOLD level and will be exclusive refreshment supplier to the VIP lounge.