Hi Everyone - 

As I mentioned in my last weekly note, SnoKing has asked all the youth hockey teams to help contribute to the Raise the Rink campaign, which will help fund the construction of a new rink out in Preston.  The new facility will have two full size rinks.  They've asked the team managers to help spread the information and to encourage folks to consider this effort as part of their charitable giving for 2020.  There is no requirement or obligation to contribute.  Rather, they've asked it to be seen as an opportunity to build something that we all care about - youth hockey in the Seattle area.  

As a personal aside - I grew up in Pittsburgh in the 70's and 80's and remember the time before the Penguins drafted Lemieux.  Rinks we few and far between, and ice time was hard to come by.  Maybe there were a half-dozen in the greater Pittsburgh area then.  Once Mario arrived, the Penguins' success followed, and regional hockey really took off.  Nowadays, there are rinks all over the place, and youth hockey is a huge thing - which is wonderful.  Where Pittsburgh youth hockey was in the 80's reminds me a lot of where Seattle is right now.  Once the NHL arrives here, the sport should really get a boost.  Having more facilities available to support youth hockey will be key to allowing that growth to happen.

So, I'm not going to tell anyone what to do.  On behalf of SnoKing, I'd only ask that people look over the material and consider it.  My family will do the same.

Some things to know:

• You can access various campaign info packets here.
• The actual process of donating is pretty easy.  The link is here.  Be sure to check the box to designate that you are donating as a member of Team Trotter.  You'll get a receipt emailed to you right away.
• There are fundraising goals as well as prizes that are explained at the link above.
• They are trying to gather team donations by the end of February, but the there will be additional phases in the campaign.
• SnoKing is a 501c3 non-profit (did you know that?), and any donations may be tax deductible.
• Company matching for charitable donations may apply, please check with your employer.

That's all for now.  Expect a couple more emails from me as we move through February, just to remind folks.  If you have any questions, you can reach out to me, although I may also direct you to one of the campaign coordinators.

Thanks for reading this far, and thanks in advance for considering contributing to this effort.  See you at the rink!

- Greg

• USA Hockey Volunteer Registration

To register with USA Hockey to go to www.usahockey.com and register as a volunteer. There is no fee to register and registration is valid for one year. 

• Background Check

To have a background check completed, go to www.pnaha.com and provide your personal information necessary to complete the background check.

1. There is a $20.50 fee to run the background check. Sno-King Hockey will reimburse you for this fee.
2. Once you receive an email from PNAHA that you have your passed your background check contact office@snokinghockey.com for a $20.50 credit into your account.
3. Background checks are valid for two hockey seasons.
4. Your current background screening must be valid through March 2019. If your background check expires in December 2018, you must complete a new background check.
5. If you are unsure about your status, you can visit www.pnaha.com.

• SafeSport Training

Complete the SafeSport course at www.usahockey.com/safesporttraining.

1. The course takes approximately 90 minutes to complete, but does not need to be completed all at once.
2. The course certification is valid for two seasons. If your certification has expired, you may register for the shorter "refresher" SafeSport course at www.usahockey.com/safesporttraining.
3. Once you have completed the course, please email your completion certificate to andrew.birnbrich@snokinghockey.com

Adding A Guardian to Your Player's Account

The Sports Engine App is based on players, not parents, so if any parent is not listed as a guardian, he/she won’t be able to see the team calendar or any other information. In order to view our team information and receive the emails from the team, you will need to use the same email that you used for SnoKing registration to log in, and then you can add additional email addresses where you want to receive reminders, updates, etc.

Here are the steps how you can add a guardian on Sports Engine from your mobile device:

1. Tab My Account when you open Sports Engine app.
2. You should be able to see a list of your children if you have multiple players. Tab your child’s name and you will see your child’s profile.
3. Tab Guardians under your child’s profile.
4. There will be a + button on the bottom. Tab + to add a guardian.
5. Type in the email address of the guardian you would like to add. If you have multiple players with the same guardian, you can also select from the list of the children under the email field.
6. Tab Save. Now you have successfully added a guardian.

Too many notifications? Change your notification settings.

Push notifications alert you of upcoming games, events, and team news on your phone through the SportsEngine Mobile App. You can toggle notifications on or off for each team and each type of notification.

1. Open the SportsEngine App and log in
2. Tap the My Account tab
3. Tap the Gear (settings) icon
4. Tap Notification Settings
5. Select a team. The notification toggles will appear.
6. Toggle the notification settings on or off.

You will continue to receive notifications related to the toggles left on (blue) and stop receiving notifications related to the toggles turned off (gray).