USOC assistance requested to provide advice and help to USA Roller Sports and the USA Rink Hockey Co

[hardballhock]

USOC assistance requested to provide advice and help to USA Roller Sports and the USA Rink Hockey Committee | National Championship Program Change
27 November 2011, 8:07 pm

 

Where are the USARS USA Rink Hockey National Championship Competition Rules?  e.g. USA Divisions, USA Age Groups, etc.

Dear USOC, 

USA Roller Sports (USARS), i.e., Mr. Hawkins, and Mr. Sisson, have been very helpful providing an Official USARS Protest Form and advising the form must be filled out completely, including names and signatures. Mr. Hawkins quoted USARS General Rules (GR 12.00), and shared USARS has a long-standing protest procedure that they feel are protecting the rights and interests of USA Rink Hockey athletes. The official long standing protest procedure however, is problematic for several reasons in regard to the USA Rink Hockey Program change allowing a senior goalie to compete in two 2011 National Championship Senior Men's Divisions. The process in this case becomes a barrier that interferes with the rights and interests of USA Rink Hockey athletes. 

Firstly, the process Mr. Hawkins describes is based upon the questionable assumption that USA Rink Hockey athletes want to file a protest and that the athletes have at their disposal the information necessary to submit an Official Protest “in proper form." Without public availability of official USA Rink Hockey Championship organizational rules at usarollersports.org, or during the National Championships, how would an athlete with any certainty, beyond someone’s differing memory,“ indicate “what USARS rule or rules are alleged to have been broken,” in order to properly complete an official protest form?     

Secondly, the "name of the protested person" might be the official or officials who made the USA Rink Hockey Program change allowing a senior goalie to compete in two 2011 National Championship Senior Men's Divisions. Now, and during the National Championships, the decision has been surrounded by confusion and assumptions among the Meet Directors, officials, USA Rink Hockey athletes, and sport stakeholders. There were no official proposals made to the public, no official announcement made publicly to the USA Rink Hockey athletes, no official documentation presented during or after the championships, and no official voting results made public during or after the championships of the changes. It appears that the National Championship’s Organizational Structure still isn’t able to officially and publicly announce who "the protested person" was or might be. How would an USA Rink Hockey athlete at a minimum, provide “the name of the protested person" on the Official Protest Form as required by the GR 12.00?     

Thirdly, General Rules, (GR 21.00), defines a  program change as "Any change in events, divisions, requirements (except international CIPA or CIC events) or age groups to be skated in USARS Regional and National Championship competition.” Therefore, it appears any change made to a USA Rink Hockey National Championship would have had the nine (9) regions, USARS Discipline Committee, and the USARS Board of Directors involvement. There are clearly records and photos indicating a goalie competed in two divisions. However, unless an athlete or complainant can review the USA Rink Hockey Championship organizational rules, how can an athlete know with enough certainty to file a formal protest that a change occurred? On behalf of the USA Rink Hockey community, perhaps USA Roller Sports and the USA Rink Hockey Committee would answer the question for USOC, “Was there any documentation showing an official process described in the General Rules, GR 21.00, was followed in regard the USA Rink Hockey Program change?         

Finally, trying to decide whether to file an official protest in regard to the USA Rink Hockey Program change, as a USA Rink Hockey athlete, requires the athlete ask questions and provide answers about committee members decisions, another teams coaches actions for example, or about inappropriate actions or lack of actions by a Director. The USA Rink hockey athlete risks retribution and could even be labeled as a troublemaker. But the decision to stay silent can also equal tacit consent to activities that may be damaging, unethical, or simply against official rules. Such is the dilemma of a USA Rink Hockey athlete, in a small community, who is considering whether to be a complainant and attempt to meet the minimums set forth in the USARS General Rules (GR12.00). 

In conclusion, a USA Rink Hockey athlete cannot look to any official USA Rink Hockey organizational rules in regard to how their National Championships should occur, and it is nearly impossible to know who decided to enact a USA Rink Hockey National Championship change at the 2011 USA Rink Hockey National Championships. There appears to be no official record that the USA Rink Hockey Nationals change followed the process set for the in General Rules GR 21.00. This is why it is necessary USOC be requested to provide assistance and advice to our National Governing Body that will help USA Roller Sports, and the USA Rink Hockey Committee, answer some of the questions mentioned here, and to implement USOC policy securing the rights and interests of its USA Rink Hockey athletes. 

Hardballhock

* this email was sent Nov. 27, 2011 to USA Roller Sports, the USA Rink Hockey Committee, and the USOC

• Read Email Communications with USARS/USOC in regard to the 2011 National Championship Change

Hardballhock

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[hardballhock]

The following email(s) were CC’d to most of the USARS Executive Committee and USA Rink Hockey Comittee:




On Sun, Nov 27, 2011 at 4:19 PM, John Ruger <john.ruger@usoc.org> wrote:

Is there USARS rule that does not “allow a senior goalie to compete in two 2011 National Championship Senior Men's Divisions“?
 
 
John W Ruger
 
Athlete Ombudsman
 
United States Olympic Committee
1 Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs CO 80909
 
719 866 5000 [office]
719 866 4000 [fax]
www.athleteombudsman.org
www.facebook.com/USOC.Athlete.Ombudsman
www.twitter.com/USOCombudsman
 
john.ruger@usoc.org


==

On Tue, November 29, 2011, Hardball Hock wrote:

Hello Mr. Ruger,

There have been many years at Nationals, where many teams and players competed and followed this ruling prior to the change at this years 2011 Championships. However, since there are no official Sport Specific Rules available at usarollersports.org in regard to the USA Rink Hockey National Championship program, your question is probably best answered by USARS.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

Hardballhock


==

On Tue, Nov 29, 2011, John Ruger <john.ruger@usoc.org> wrote:


I will follow-up with Richard Hawkins.
 
 
John W Ruger
 
Athlete Ombudsman
 
United States Olympic Committee
1 Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs CO 80909
 
719 866 5000 [office]
719 866 4000 [fax]
www.athleteombudsman.org
www.facebook.com/USOC.Athlete.Ombudsman
www.twitter.com/USOCombudsman
 
john.ruger@usoc.org

___

• Read Email Communications with USARS/USOC in regard to the 2011 National Championship Change

[hardballhock]

 

 

Hello Mr. Ruger,       

I have continued to look for the answer to your question, "Is there a USARS rule that does not allow a senior goalie to compete in two 2011 National Championship Senior Men's Divisions?”

The National Championship Competition Rulebook apparently hasn't been readily available as a booklet for athletes, families, or sport stake holders, since as far back as perhaps 1993. There have been a variety of versions available but none appear to have been complete. USA Rink Hockey has recently adopted CIRH International Game and International Technical Rules, which have not spoken to USARS National Championship Competitions regarding divisions.

There have been many revisions to the USA Rink Hockey National Competition Rulebook over the years, and those have been made available to the public in parts and pieces via an official, longstanding, USARS process of releasing "Official Notices" as  rule changes came up. The official notices have been published to the USA Roller Sports skating magazine and intermittently at usarollersports.org in a variety of forms.

Unfortunately, during the 2011 USA Rink Hockey National Championship Competition, a change occurred that most recognized as a “break in the rules”, when a player competed in both Senior Men’s Bronze and Silver divisions. There was, and continues to be, no National Championship  Competition rules publicly available to reference. The “Official Notice” process is difficult to follow and difficult to find.

While it is nearly impossible to be certain how many "Official Notices" have been written changing the rules for USA Rink Hockey, below are  "Official Notices" which speak directly to USA Rink Hockey and the Men's Bronze and Silver Division rules:   

USA Roller Sports - 2004 Official Notice Bronze Division
Approved the following Bronze Division Requirements

USA Roller Sports - OFFICIAL NOTICE - October 2004
BRONZE DIVISION CLARIFICATION
Players competing in a Senior Division at the current National Championship cannot participate on a Bronze Division Team.

MINUTES USA ROLLER SPORTS ANNUAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OCTOBER 8-9-10, 2010 – FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
A motion was proposed by the Rink Hockey Committee at the Semiannual Board Meeting that would have changed the ages and divisions for the 2011 rink hockey season. Because the wording raised some question as to interpreted meaning, the Committee was asked to bring it back at a later time in a different format that would be easier to understand. Billy Sisson reported that there was no report on this, since they discussed this change at Nationals and the coaches voted it down.

In conclusion, a USA Rink Hockey athlete cannot look to any official USA Rink Hockey organizational rules in regard to how their National Championships should occur, and it is nearly impossible to know who decided to enact a USA Rink Hockey National Championship change at the past 2011 USA Rink Hockey National Championships. There appears to be no official record that the USA Rink Hockey Nationals change followed the process set forth in General Rules GR 21.00. This is why it is necessary USOC be requested to provide assistance and advice to our National Governing Body that will help USA Roller Sports, and the USA Rink Hockey Committee, answer your question, and to implement USOC policy securing the rights and interests of its USA Rink Hockey athletes.


Regards,
Hardballhock
   

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1worvXrfjqTLXspU18c6acq5ClisBoASFJYBcXycxjyU/edit                               

_____   
Read Email Communications with USARS/USOC in regard to the 2011 National Championship Change     

Hardballhock   

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• Translated International Rink Hockey WEBSITES (English)
• Translated International Rink Hockey NEWS (English)
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Source: Hardballhock - USA Rink Hockey Blog

[hardballhock]

Mr. Ruger,

Another USA Roller Sports "Official Notice" was shared that was not included in the previous Jan.29, 2012 email sharing "Official Notices". This official notice also speaks directly to a player competing in both the Bronze and Silver Senior Division during the 2011 USA Rink Hockey National Championship Competition:

USA Roller Sports Official Notice 2007

Rule Change - Approved the Hardball Hockey Committee request to replace rules 5 & 6 with the following:

Any athlete who has competed in the World Class or Silver Divisions in the past three (3) years cannot play
on a Bronze Team. The only exception occurs if the player has reached 35 years of age, and he wishes to
play in the Bronze Division at the National Championships. He cannot play in any other division.

Hope this helps,
Hardballhock