Hello RoughRiders Family,
A few updates for you today. I have tried to separate out into headings and sub-headings, but I do encourage you to take the time to review the entire update.
Four years ago, Zack Stommen, and I both moved here by chance or actively chose to be the Director here in Cedar Rapids respectively. Four years later, Coach Zack and his family are moving onto the next chapter of their life in Minnesota. Coach Zack has been a staple in our Club for years, and all our players have had the opportunity to work with him over the past four years at one point or another. Zack’s enthusiasm and energy as a coach is an absolute biproduct of his love for his players. It did not matter if it was the first time IP player or our top 14U every player got the attention they deserved regardless of which team they played for or for how long. His impact on so many players in our club and in the region can not be overstated. Thank you, Coach Zack Stommen, for representing the RIDER WAY, not just as a coach and leader with RRHC, but as a loving husband and father! We are all better players, coaches, and more importantly, people for having you be a part of our lives! We wish the Stommen Family the best of luck and thank you for everything you have done for hockey in Cedar Rapids.
Travel Hockey
Travel tryouts are just around the corner. Be sure to mark your calendars:
10U Travel Tryouts: August 30-September 1 @ 5:30-6:45pm
12U Travel Tryouts: September 6-8 @ 5:30-6:45pm
14U Travel Tryouts: September 6-8 @ 7:15-8:30pm
HS Travel Tryouts: August 30-September 1 @ 7:15-8:30pm
All RRHC Travel Players are required to be at tryouts unless other arrangements have been made with Director Staff.
Practice Schedules
Practice schedules are in the process of being finalized. Please note there is subject to change as we work through the tournament and game planning process. All practices are COED.
Link to Google Calendars HERE – this will be added into TeamSnap following tryouts.
Off-Ice is listed on the Google Calendars as well, but I do anticipate a few subtle changes within that as we round out that coaching staff. As of now, we will have three lead off-ice coaches and one assistant lead off-ice coach. We will be asking our coaching staff to assist with the running of the off-ice program as well.
8U Travel RYHL – Starts September 12
8U Travel Practices – Starts October 4
10U Travel Practices – Starts October 4
12U Travel Practices – Start October 4
14U Travel Practices – Start September 27
HS Training Camp – Starts September 19
Girls Hockey
As we have previously announced we are pursuing an 8U and 10U girls team this year. I am in the process of connecting with more local area female players to round out the 10U team.
We are also pursuing the creation of a 12U girls’ team as well.
If there are any girls interested that are not traditionally a RRHC player, please do not hesitate to connect with me for more information about our tournament girls’ teams.
Game Day Apparel
We have made the shift from Under Armor to locally sourced options through Bimm Ridder. Anytime that a major shift happens in the way we operate, such as this, will inevitably have the good and bad aspects until we get to a point of 2-3 years of historical data in ordering. This first year we have certain quantities we must hit to have the price points that I am about to share. There is a possibility that if minimum quantities aren’t hit a price may go up. I do anticipate these being the consistent design and model for the next several years but we are at the mercy of suppliers in these situations.
The goal is to have all these items stocked here in the USHL front office, however, there is no guarantee that we will have the exact size you will need without a pre-order. Once we have the pre-order in, I will do a correlation with registrations to predict extra stock.
A-La Carte Pricing
RR Workout Shirt – $19.99
RR Workout Shorts – $24.99
¼ Zip Pullover – $29.99
Track Suit Pants – $49.99
Track Suit Jacket – $54.99
Total A La Carte- $179.95
If whole player package is purchased – $160.95, previously $263 through Under Armor.
Travel Players Participation in RYHL & IP
We would like to see participation in RYHL from our travel players. 8U travel tuition fees included RYHL so there is no need to register.
Travel players are not encouraged to do IP as they have more ice scheduled this year than any year in the past. However, we are allowing travel players to register for RYHL at $10 / night, or $15 per drop-in.
Coaching
We are always looking for more coaches to assist in our program. At one point in time all our coaches started coaching without any experience. Do not let that deter you from getting involved as a coach. Even if you do not know how to skate you can still assist as a coach in our off-ice programming. If you have a passion for working out and you think you can help a player with their training, please do not hesitate to connect with Coach Jeff Stack.
Tracksuits & Coach Apparel
We will be reaching out to all prospective and current coaches for tracksuit and Under Armor orders. We will continue to use UA for our coaching staff as we can safely say the most of us are done growing and won’t be growing out of our orders anytime soon. Or at least hopefully!
Coach Jeff will have this order out later in the week here.