The Governor has ordered a pause of all in person youth sports activity for four weeks from this Friday, 11/20 at 11:59 PM until Friday, 12/18 at 11:59 PM.  This includes both practices and games.  Teams are able to complete any currently scheduled practices before Friday evening.  We are encouraging teams to remain connected virtually during this pause.  We are hopeful to be able to resume play this season, hopefully as soon as 12/19.  There is some talk about extending the travel season into March, but those determinations will be made at a later date.

Good evening MGBA Families,
We know there are many questions surrounding the upcoming season.

Our last message to the league reminded you that:

• Final registration fees will be charged tomorrow at midnight (Sept 25, 12:00am). NO REFUNDS are given AFTER team placement. Refund will only be issued if your daughter is not placed on a team.
• Should a portion of the season be lost to Covid restrictions, we would of course look to refund back any expenses we can recover.

Since our last message, our league COVID Committee has completed the MGBA Safe Participation Plan. You will find that our plan complies with the Department of Health and local guidelines and will be kept updated as the season progresses.

You can view this document here: http://bit.ly/mgbacovidplan

Some questions we’ve been hearing from the community:

Will players be required to wear masks when competing?

Players will not be asked to wear masks while competing.  They will be required to wear masks when entering and exiting the facility, while getting ready to practice/play and while on the bench/not engaged in court activity.

Will spectators be allowed at games?

This is simply unknown at this point and may vary from tournament to tournament. At some tournaments, spectators may not be allowed and at others, spectator numbers may be restricted (example: 1 or 2 per family).

At this time, no parents are allowed in Minnetonka facilities. Players will be dropped off and picked up from tryouts and all practices, outside the building.

An alternative to live game attendance is the broadcasting of games. We are attempting to line this up for our own tournament and predict others will do the same.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

You will receive MGBA Tryout Guidelines and Procedures, along with a COVID Waiver to complete, on this Sunday, September 27, 2020, via email.

Please be watching your email for all league communications.

Thank you,

APPAREL

-BLANK apparel and footwear is available now HERE: 

https://www.bsnteamsports.com/shop/MGBA20

This is a GREAT place to shop (at around a 25% discount off retail prices), for items you may need for the season (think socks, basketball sneakers, shorts, sports bras, etc.). Please feel free to share the link with others. Anyone is welcome to shop here. Items will ship directly to you when your order is placed, so you should receive them within 7-10 days.

-A Shooting Shirt store will open immediately following team placement. Shooting shirts are included in registration. A store link will be provided so you can order the correct size and personalization. All shirts will be shipped directly to you home. 

-DECORATED APPAREL shop will open at the start of tryouts and stay open until mid-October. Items purchased there, will not ship until the store closes. More communication will be sent out about this closer to store opening.

Questions?

Please contact Katie Martin

katie.martin@mac.com

Minnetonka Girls Basketball Families,

Thank you again for your patience as we plan for a travel basketball season in these uncertain times.  As many of you know, youth sports re-opened this summer in Minnesota, and basketball tournaments are currently being held in the metro area.  This has made us optimistic for the travel season.  However, with local schools still finalizing their plans for the school year, there remain uncertainties related to facility access both for us and our tournament partners.  

As a result, we are making some adjustments to the start of the season.  We are not able to confirm tryout dates at this time.  We currently anticipate holding tryouts a bit later, likely early October rather than mid-September.  We are opening up registration for the season now and registration will be open until August 31st.  We are only asking for a $100 deposit for registration at this time.  We will set final fees when we have greater clarity on the season plans and charge families the remainder sometime before tryouts (refundable if ultimately not placed on a team).  It is important for our season planning that we have a firm sense of registration numbers by the end of the month.  

While we remain hopeful for a relatively normal travel basketball season, there are contingency plans being created in the event large weekend tournaments are not practical due to facility and other restrictions.  MYAS is working with local partners on a potential league structure that could replace large weekend tournaments as necessary.  We look forward to announcing details as we have them.

As of now, we are asking you to register your player and pay a $100 deposit before August 31st if you intend to play travel basketball this season.  

 No Gate Fee Model

In recent years, some communities have adopted a no gate fee model where there is no individual charge for spectators on tournament weekend.  Virus concerns are accelerating this trend as the model allows you to avoid the exchanging of money and limits your need for volunteers.  Minnetonka along with many other communities will be adopting that model this year. 

To account for the lost revenue, leagues are required to raise tournament fees as well as up front player fees.  While those increases should be neutral to families given the money saved not paying gate fees, we recognize the difficulty in increasing up front costs especially in the current economic environment.  As a result, Minnetonka will phase in any increases and will budget to operate at a deficit this season spending down cash reserves to minimize the impact.  The net result is we do expect a modest increase in registration fees, but the overall cost this season will hopefully be lower not higher when we account for the lower gate fees.  It is hard to know for certain as not every community is adopting this model, and you should still expect to pay a gate fee at some tournaments. 

As always, no player will be turned away for inability to pay and scholarships are available to those that have a financial need.  At registration, we will provide an opportunity to families that are able to make a tax deductible donation to fund our scholarship program as we expect the need to be greater this season. 

Refund Policy

If our season is interrupted due to virus concerns and restrictions, we will of course look to refund as much as we are able to.  Please note; however, that we intend to be flexible and provide as much of a normal travel basketball experience as is safely allowed.  If large weekend tournaments are restricted, we could possibly adapt by providing more small group training, or shift to a league game structure, or consider any number of options.  Our guiding principle will be to offer as much basketball as we safely can both to provide our players with a great youth athletic experience as well as help them improve as basketball players. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.  Thank you.

MGBA Board

The Summer Challenge starts on 5/1  Have you registered yet?  Below is the current list.  Numbers will be updated weekly.  

What an amazing season!  We had a lot of success throughout the season, and we had some great results at State.  

We are so proud of the girls, the coaches, and the parents and how they represented Tonka Girls Basketball and Minnetonka as a Community.  Please send photos - I’m guessing there are more.  Here are a few from the weekend!

Share them with us!  Please send them to tswendseid@yahoo.com.