Ice Dogs Youth Hockey, Inc. ICE DOGS HOCKEY ICE DOGS HOCKEY By-Laws -- April 2003 Voted in and approved on April 17, 2003 ARTICLE I - NAME The name of this organization shall be Ice Dogs Youth Hockey operating out of Hatfield, Pennsylvania. ARTICLE II - PURPOSE The purpose of this Association is to organize, administer, and promote the growth of youth hockey within the Ice Dogs organization and provide the best possible experience for all participants by encouraging, developing, and advancing our core values, adopted from USA Hockey. 2.1 CORE VALUES Our core values include: 2.1.1 Sportsmanship - Foremost of all values is to learn a sense of fair play. We become humble in victory and gracious in defeat. We will foster friendship with teammates and opponents alike. 2.1.2 Respect for the Individual - Treat all others as you would expect to be treated. 2.1.3 Integrity - We seek to foster honesty and fair play beyond mere strict interpretation of the rules and regulations of the game. 2.1.4 Pursuit of Excellence - Each member of the organization, whether player, volunteer, or staff, should seek to perform each aspect of the game or the association, to the highest level of his or her ability. 2.1.5 Enjoyment - It is important for the hockey experience to be fun, satisfying and rewarding for all participants. 2.16 Self Esteem We will promote the development of confidence and self esteem in players at all levels to use the sport of ice hockey to better prepare children for future challenges beyond hockey. 2.1.7 Teamwork - We value the strength of loyalty and learning to work together. The use of loyalty and teamwork is reinforced and rewarded by success in all areas of our association. 2.1.8 Equal Opportunity - We will foster an environment that provides a fair and equal opportunity for all who are interested to participate in the program. Ice time and player selection is always at the coach s discretion. 2.1.9 Code of Conduct - Each member of the organization should seek to uphold the Ice Dogs Code of Conduct, at all times. The code of conduct is to be signed by all members at the beginning of every season and will be published on the web site and made available to all who request it. If a member of the Ice Dogs Organization violates the code of conduct, the chairman of the disciplinary committee will notify him/her in writing. A hearing will be scheduled and penalties may be assessed in the form of fines, suspension or removal from the organization. In all cases there will be an appeal process available to the member.
ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP Membership to Ice Dogs Youth Hockey is open to all players and parents who are not currently registered with another Delaware Valley Hockey League Organization, as long as their annual membership dues are paid, and they abide by the rules and regulations established by the organization. Each member has one (1) vote. Membership may be rejected or revoked as described in article 14.2 and XVI. ARTICLE IV - THE ORGANIZATION A volunteer committee will manage Ice Dogs Youth Hockey. The committee is comprised of seven (7) elected Executive Board Members, and six (6) committee chairs. All Executive Board Members shall have one (1) vote per person. The Board will operate as a democratic organization. All decisions will be made at the monthly Board Meetings by a majority vote process. Each Board Member must make a "best effort" to attend monthly meetings. If it is determined that a Member is unable to attend meetings, the Member can be considered for replacement. 4.1 BOARD ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS In order to be eligible to serve on the Board, you must be: -- An Ice Dogs Youth Hockey member in good standing dues paid, not suspended and have a child as a player on an Ice Dogs Team. -- Able to attend monthly meetings -- Willing to do work for the Board -- Not be a current Ice Dogs Head Coach -- Based on unique circumstances and requirements, The Ice Dogs Board may allow a person that is not a Member of the organization to run for the Executive Board. This would require a majority vote of the Executive Board. ARTICLE V ICE DOGS EXECUTIVE BOARD The Ice Dogs Executive Board will be made up of seven (7) officers: President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President of Mites / Squirts, Vice President of Peewees, Vice President of Bantams and Vice President of Midgets. Each Board Member will serve a term of two (2) years. Three (3) new Board Members will be elected in the odd number years and four (4) new Board Members will be elected in the even number years. There is no limit to the number of terms an Executive Board Member may serve. Elected Board Members cannot hold more than one elected position per term. If a Member cannot complete his term, the remaining Board Members will appoint a replacement to complete the term by majority vote. This Member will have all the rights and privileges of the position they are appointed to and serve the remainder of the appointed term. ARTICLE VI - NOMINATIONS
Board members will be nominated by the general membership or self-nominated prior to the March Ice Dogs General Meeting. All nominations should be forwarded directly to the current President via US Mail or e-mail. Nominations will be for a general Board position rather than a specific Board position. Specific Executive Board positions will then be decided on by a consensus of the Board Members. ARTICLE VII - VOTING Board members shall be elected to term by a simple majority secret vote prior to the following season evaluations. Voting will be tallied by the presiding Secretary and announced by the presiding President. ARTICLE VIII - OFFICERS 8.1 PRESIDENT The President shall be the Principle Executive Officer of the Association. He shall have overall responsibility for the Ice Dogs Youth Hockey program that includes, but is not limited to: -- Final arbiter on all matters -- Manage and organize Ice Dogs meetings -- Gather data and generate the agenda for each meeting -- Represent the Association to outside organizations, and act as liaison with other nonprofit organizations with comparable programs so as to develop cooperative relationships and strategic alliances -- Ensure that all work is accomplished in a timely manner -- Appoint special committees as may, in his/her discretion, be appropriate to assist in the conduct of the affairs of the Association. -- Responsible for preparing and presenting Ice Dogs budget to the membership. 8.2 VICE PRESIDENTS In the absence of the President or in event of his inability or refusal to act, the Vice President, appointed by the other Board Members shall perform the duties of the President. The Vice Presidents shall also: -- Be responsible for all communication and management within their respective levels. -- Act as an escalation point for all members in their respective levels. -- Be responsible for oversight in one of the six (6) committees -- Perform other such duties as from time to time may be assigned to him/her by the President 8.3 SECRETARY The Secretary shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of the bylaws, and in general, perform all duties incident to the office of Secretary, which include, but are not limited to: -- Recording and documenting all meetings minutes and association decisions -- Generating and distributing past meetings minutes -- Managing voting -- Handling announcements to the membership -- Reviewing and approving all documents with reference to Ice Dogs Youth Hockey
--USA Hockey, AAHA and DVHL Compliance -- Be responsible for keeping and maintaining all Ice Dogs records, By-Laws and documents. -- The President may assign performing other such duties as from time to time to him/her 8.4 TREASURER The treasurer shall have the responsibility for keeping full and accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the Association. He/she shall be responsible for: -- The coordination of payments and deposits of all monies that include, but are not limited to: -- equipment and uniforms -- fundraising -- sponsorship monies -- suppliers -- rink fees -- donations -- renewing and reviewing all necessary insurance -- Keeping track of registration payments, and sending appropriate delinquency notices and suspensions based on non-payment. Report at each monthly meeting a current budget report, explaining any variance between what was budgeted and the actual expenses -- Assist the President with the preparation of the budget for presentation and approval of the board -- Preparation and filing of year end taxes -- Perform other such duties as from time to time may be assigned to him by the President ARTICLE IX - COMMITTEE CHAIRS Committee Chairs will be selected on a volunteer basis. Committee Chairs will serve a one (1) year term, and be announced by the President at the April Election meeting preceding a Committee Chair term. A member may not hold more than two (2) Committee Chairs during a term. An Executive Board Member may hold a Committee Chair. A member may volunteer to chair a committee by forwarding such request to the President. If there are two (2) or more requests for the same chair position, the position will be determined by a simple majority secret vote at a General membership Meeting meeting. Voting will be tallied by the presiding Secretary and announced by the presiding President. ARTICLE X - COMMITTEE CHAIR POSITIONS 10.1 DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE Responsible for, including, but not limited to recruiting additional Ice Dogs members to be part of the disciplinary committee, scheduling meetings for the committee as appropriate and documenting all findings and actions of the Committee. 10.2 MARKETING/ COMMUNICATIONS / PROMOTION
Responsible for publicizing Ice Dogs Youth Hockey, including, but not limited to: -- Public relations -- Announcements -- Articles to newspapers -- Cable -- Radio -- Internet -- Distribution of flyers and other marketing materials -- Web site maintenance -- Newsletter content and distribution 10.3 FUND RAISING Responsible for raising funds outside of the Ice Dogs membership and program registrations. Activities will include raffles, golf tournament, swap meet, Ice Dogs logo merchandise etc. The Ice Dogs Treasurer will have audit rights and oversight for this committee. 10.4 SCHEDULING Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: -- Scheduling games for the Ice Dogs in the DVHL League -- Coordinating non-league games for the Ice Dogs -- Coordinating the Ice Dogs practice schedule -- Scheduling referees for all league games -- Publishing both a practice and game schedule and making it accessible to the general membership 10.5 POSITIVE PARENTAL/COACH DEVELOPMENT Responsible for developing and executing a program that fosters ideals, attitudes and behavior for parents and coaches that are consistent with the code of conduct, purpose and core values of the Association. 10.6 COACHING Responsible for recruiting new coaches, maintaining records on coaching credentials, scheduling and conducting monthly coaches meetings, scheduling training and certifications for prospective coaches with USA Hockey and provide coaching guidelines consistent with our Core Values. ARTICLE XI - SUB COMMITTEES The President from time to time may assign subcommittees to investigate and report on specific issues. The subcommittee may meet according to its own schedule, but must report any progress to the Executive Board at each monthly meeting. Issues brought to the monthly meeting by Subcommittees will be voted on by the Membership. ARTICLE XII - RESIGNATIONS An Executive Board Member or Committee Chair may resign at any time by giving minimum sixty (60) days notice to the President.
ARTICLE XIII - MEETINGS Meetings will be held on the Monday following the DVHL Meeting, call to order at 8:00pm and are open to general membership. Meetings will take place at Hatfield Ice unless one week notice of change of venue is given. Anyone wishing to add an item to the agenda must do so, in writing to the Secretary, 48 hours prior to the start of the meeting. A minimum of 90 minutes must be allowed for each meeting. In order for a meeting to take place, a quorum majority (51%) of the Ice Dogs Executive Board must in attendance. A Quorum for General membership will consist of representation from at least 51% of all Ice Dogs teams, including Board Members. All additions to the meeting agenda must be submitted to the Secretary al least 48 hours to the meeting. 13.1 MEETING OBJECTIVES At minimum, each meeting will include the following: I. Attendance call and agenda distribution II. Reading of minutes of the previous meeting III. Treasurers report IV. Committee Chairs / VP s reports V. Old business VI. New business VII. Open to floor VIII. Date of next meeting IX. Adjournment 13.2 SPECIAL MEETINGS Special meetings may be called from time to time to discuss urgent issues. A majority (51%) of the Ice Dogs Executive Board must attend these meetings in order to constitute a quorum. A quorum for General membership will consist of representation from at least 51% of all Ice Dogs teams, including Board Members. ARTICLE XIV - FINANCE 14.1 BUDGET The budget items will be solicited and prepared by the President and Treasurer, and presented to the Ice Dogs Executive Board. The Ice Dogs Executive Board must approve all significant changes to the budget. It is the intention of the committee to run a fiscal year with a balanced budget. 14.2 FEES 1. Each member shall pay dues in an amount determined by the Board. This amount will be consistent with the budget developed by the Treasurer and will be
announced to the membership prior to evaluations. Dues shall be payable according to a published payment schedule. 2. Any member unwilling to pay dues or more than 45 days delinquent may be removed or suspended from the organization. The Board has the responsibility and authority to offer extended payment plans to members in financial hardship situations. 3. Fines may be imposed based on a team or member of the organization based on code of conduct issues, missing score sheets, forfeited games or missed meetings. These fines will be documented in a separate schedule. The amounts of fines levied by the Ice Dogs organization will be commensurate with those of the Delaware Valley Hockey League. 4. Officers and Directors may be reimbursed for expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties for the Association upon approval by a majority of the Board. Presentation of receipts where applicable is required, and amounts must be included in the approved budget. 14.3 DISBURSEMENTS Check requests must be completed a minimum of two weeks in advance, and contain the signatures of two (2) Executive Board Members if in excess of $500. 14.4 DEPOSITS Deposits must include an itemized list of moneys and be reflected and accounted for in the monthly financial report. 14.5 YEAR END FUNDS Recommendations for use of funds received from program, sponsorship, and fundraising activities will be carried over to the following year. 14.6 PECUNIARY GAIN No Executive Board Member, Committee Chairperson, or General Member shall be paid a salary or accept any gifts, services, goods or money for pecuniary gain. However there may be paid positions within the organization such as Director of Hockey, Goalie Coach etc. These paid positions require a majority Board vote. ARTICLE XV REGISTRATION/EVALUATIONS 1. Under no circumstances will The Ice Dogs Organization hold tryouts. Tryouts are defined by allowing a player to be evaluated for a team without first being pre-registered for Ice Dogs Youth Hockey for the season for which that player is being evaluated. 2. No player may step foot on the ice of an Ice Dogs evaluation practice, game or any other function unless the player and the player s parent/guardian has signed a registration agreement to play for and/or be financially committed to The Ice Dogs Organization for the intended season.
3. Once a player has signed a registration agreement to play for and/or be financially committed to The Ice Dogs Organization, that player can then be evaluated to play on an Ice Dogs team. 4. The Ice Dogs may cut players from their program (Mite, AA, A, B, Jr.C, Girls 19, 15 and 12 & under) only where the number of players at any particular age level makes the formation of a team a financially impractical situation or there is not enough ice to skate another team. Assigning a player to an in-house team (either club-sponsored or rink-sponsored) is permitted and is not considered the same as cutting a player. 5. Any player who signs an Ice Dogs registration form and/or makes a financial commitment to that Club will remain the property of that Club for the balance of the season, unless released by that Club in writing. a. Verbal releases will be permitted, provided the verbal release is given to the appropriate Vice President of that level, President, or other Executive Board Member. 6. A written AAHA release must follow. However, this player must be rostered by December 31 of that playing season (February 10 for Juniors). Should a player not be able to obtain a release from the Ice Dogs, he / she shall have the right to appeal to the DVHL Executive Committee, whose decision shall be binding. 7. No Executive Board member, coach or parent shall be involved in tampering. Tampering is defined as recruiting of a rostered and/or registered player from another DVHL organization, without the prior written approval from the organization of the rostered and/or registered player. a. No coach, manager or club official connected with a registered team may entice, influence or otherwise tamper with a player rostered with another registered team without the prior written approval of a club president or his designee. This includes but is not limited to team meetings, practices, games or skates. The Ice Dogs president must be advised in writing by the club president of any designee. b. A release will not be effective until it has been received in writing and signed by the current officer of the association who is not a parent of the player or a member of the team involved. c. After investigating the matter to the fullest extent, the Ice Dogs Executive Board may invoke the following penalties: any individual or who violates the above rules is also subject to fine, probation or suspension ARTICLE XVI - REJECTION OR REMOVAL OF A GENERAL MEMBER The Ice Dogs Executive Board has the right and authority to reject any prospective general member at their sole discretion. Membership may be suspended or revoked at any time for code of conduct violations or actions that are considered detrimental to the organization. This requires due process involving the Disciplinary Committee and final approval by the Ice Dogs Executive Board. ARTICLE XVII - AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS These bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed by a 2/3 majority (66%) of
the voting general membership consent as long as prior notice has been given concerning the intent. ARTICLE XVIII IDEMNIFICATION Ice Dog members hereby indemnify, release, hold harmless and forever discharge the Ice Dogs Youth Hockey and its agents, employees, officers, directors, affiliates, successors and assigns, of and from any and all claims, demands, debts, contracts, expenses, causes of action, lawsuits, damages and liabilities, of every kind and nature, whether known or unknown, in law or equity, arising from or in any way related to any activities conducted by, on the premises of, or for the benefit of, Ice Dogs Youth Hockey; provided, that this indemnification does not apply to any acts of gross negligence, or intentional, willful or wanton misconduct. ARTICLE IXX - DISSOLUTION In the event of dissolution of this Association, all assets will remain with Ice Dogs Youth Hockey to be used at the discretion of The Ice Dogs Executive Board. Frank Rauch, President 4/17/2003