News Letter

Dear Blades Families,

I would like to start by congratulating Foster Boyd and Toby Pixler on being selected to the inaugural Indiana Elite 2010 team. Foster and Toby competed against 36 other players from across Indiana for selection on the final team, and they will be representing our Blades program while they compete with this AAA level Indiana All-Star team later this year in games and tournaments.

Bloomington Blades Youth Hockey Association 2020 Registration Information:

Registration for Bloomington Blades Travel Hockey ends tomorrow, September 15th! There are only 2 more days to register for this season!

PLEASE NOTE:  You are not registered UNLESS you have paid the season fees in full or have set up a payment plan.  If you are unsure, please reach out to your managers, they have the complete list of registered and unregistered players.

Link for BBYHA TRAVEL HOCKEY REGISTRATION: https://bloomingtonblades.sportsengine-prelive.com/page/show/5747291-registration

PLEASE NOTE: Bloomington House Hockey Program is a requirement for all BBYHA Travel Hockey Players U12, U10, U8.

All BBYHA Travel U12, U10, U8must be registered with the Bloomington Parks and Recreation for House Hockey program.  House hockey starts in October. Please find the house hockey registration link on Bloomington Park and Recreation page, or on the Bloomington Blades website, under registration, at the bottom of the page.

2020-2021 Season, Indiana Hockey League and Indiana State Championship:

Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BBYHA will participate in the Indiana Hockey League (IHL) for at least the 1st half of this year due to the Buckeye Travel Hockey League (BTHL) canceling their operations for the fall portion of 2020-2021. Dependent on the re-evaluation by the BTHL, as well as other leagues in November/December, the BBYHA may play the winter portion of the 2020-2021 season in the IHL too. Finally, the BBYHA will be playing in the inaugural Indiana Youth Hockey State Championship from 5-7 March 2021. To see more information about this season, including dates, please visit our website.

COVID-19:

The BBYHA’s priorities remain the health and welfare of the players, coaches, volunteers, and families while trying to create a way for teams to schedule games and allowing kids to play some hockey as the circumstances allow for it. We, the Board, the COVID Committee, and Coaches have been working hard to ensure that we can provide a safe and fun experience for your child; and, we will continue to partner with the Bloomington Blades High School Hockey Association, the City of Bloomington, the State of Indiana, USA Hockey and Mid-AM in order to do our best to create reasonable and understandable guidelines for the good of the organization. As updates emerge, details of the BBYHA Return to Play Guidelines are subject to change. If/when updates occur, they will be posted on the BBYHA website, and/or e-mailed to you via the SportsEngine app. Finally, if you would like to contribute to these ongoing efforts, please get in touch with your respective team manager.

Mid-AM Membership Relief Fund:

Working with the USA Hockey Foundation, donations are being accepted to offset membership dues. These memberships are earmarked for families struggling financially during the pandemic. You can assist with keeping a child on the ice which may have a financial difficulty as it maybe someone in our hockey community.

For individuals that would like to contribute to the fund, they may do so by visiting https://www.usahockeyfoundation.com/page/show/5903915-membership-relief-fund

Remember, the positive impact that comes from playing hockey is limitless. If you can, please donate, and let’s help keep the kids playing so they can continue to experience the joy of the game and stay connected to our community.

Conclusion:

It has been a challenging year so far, and most likely will remain so; however, I've enjoyed the challenge and I’m looking forward to working with all of you this year. Most importantly though, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to work with your kids and hopefully help them reach their potential as hockey players.

Please feel free to reach out to your team managers, and/or me, if you have any questions.

Semper Fidelis,

Sean

Program Overview

The Bloomington Blades Youth Hockey Association (BBYHA) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization that operates a youth ice hockey program serving the city of Bloomington and the surrounding counties of Monroe, Morgan, Lawrence, Owen, and Greene. The BBYHA is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and relies upon the support of many volunteer coaches and parents. If you would like to volunteer your services, please contact one of our Board members.

The BBYHA provides an equal opportunity for all children to play organized hockey. Our mission is “to provide a means whereby children ages 4-14 may play the game of ice hockey in a competitive, organized manner, under the instruction and supervision of qualified coaches; and, to aid these children to develop athletic skills, a sense of citizenship, sportsmanship, and fair play.” Emphasis by the coaching staff is on teaching, educating, and developing ice hockey skills in all the players.

A small, but growing organization, the quality of play exhibited by BBYHA teams, at all levels, is/has been outstanding for several years. Last season, each of our teams were champions at the November Evansville Big Bear Tournament; our Bantam’s won Buckeye Travel Hockey League (BTHL) regular season championship; our PeeWee’s finished second in the BTHL, Lower Division, End of Season Tournament; our Squirt’s finished second in the BTHL, West Division, during the regular season; and our Mites fought hard, developed skills, and had a lot of fun all season long.

All BBYHA players must be a registered member of USA Hockey, and all BBYHA U12 and below players must be registered with the City of Bloomington House Hockey program before they participate on the ice with the BBYHA.