1. WHA Registration and Dues Policy
2. WHA Discipline Policy
3. WHA Uniform Number Policy
4. WHA Coach Hotel Room Policy
5. Program Transfer Policy
6. Coach Selection Process


1. WHA Registration and Dues Policy
It is the hope that holding registration in May/June/July will ease some of the time and financial strains that an August registration places on our players, parents, coaches, and board. By holding registration at this time parents will be able to spread dues payments out over several months before school fees are also due. It benefits those involved with registration by allowing them more time for recording registrations so reports can be distributed in a timely manner. It also allows coaches, and the organization more time to take a look at the numbers registering, allowing them plan their tryouts and the number of teams more effectively. We believe this to be a more efficient and member friendly system.


Dues Downpayment To Increase
Beginning with the 2006-2007 season WHA will require a higher down payment on sign-up, than in past years. This payment has not increased in many years, and this will allow for more moneys to be collected up front, and prevent that dreaded Christmas time balance due.

Fall sign-ups now require and initial payment of $500.oo. If you take advantage of early sign-up, the initial payment due is $450.oo, (with a $50 credit).

2006-07 Registration
WHA will be accepting mail-in registrations up until 12 August. If your mailing won't be in the PO Box until after this date, please use in person. In-person registration will be accepted the first night of tryouts at each level.

WHA is again offering a credit of $50.oo for early registration (all registrations post-marked on or before July 1st). Your application must be mailed to the P.O. box in order to receive your credit. Please note that the early payment discount is only available to those families that make all payments on time. If the 2nd or the last payment is late, the full fee is due and discount is void. Early registration only applies to travel teams.

There is a $100.oo non-refundable tryout fee. If you are placed on one of our travel teams, this $100.oo goes toward your $500.oo first payment.

It is the WHA Board intention that players will not be allowed on the ice, after 6 December 2005 unless they have paid all dues IN FULL. In past years this policy has been somewhat lax, and this had led to thousands of dollars of bad debt being written off. Of course, special circumstances can (and should) be brought to the attention of the board. Discretion is guarenteed.


2. WHA Discipline Policy
All players, coaches and spectators are expected to adhere at all times to the rules of the Association, CSHL and USA Hockey, as well as to adhere to the principles of good sportsmanship. Anyone who engages in serious or repeated violations of this policy will be asked to leave the organization. The Board is ultimately responsible for enforcing the Discipline Policy, but coaches are expected to enforce the policy in the first instance. The process for enforcing the policy is as follows:

1. Infractions (including those involving the coach) should be reported to the coach for informal resolution. Any penalty which results in a player or coach being ejected from a game, or being suspended for a subsequent game shall be a violation of the WHA Discipline Policy.

2. If the infractions persist, they should be reported to the Board through the use of the grievance form. Any penalty which results in a player or coach being ejected from a game, or being suspended for a subsequent game shall be reported to the Board. The head coach is responsible to report the penalty within 48 hours of the game in which it occurs.

3. The Board will appoint one or more members as an Investigatory Committee to meet with the grievent and the individual or individuals whose conduct gave rise to the grievance. The Investigatory Committee will report to the Board the results of their investigation. Along with their report, they will submit a recommendation as to whether the matter can be resolved through informal Board intervention, or whether cause exists for a disciplinary hearing.

4. Upon consideration of the Investigatory Committee report, the Board will decide whether to drop the investigation, appoint someone to counsel the individual with respect to his or her conduct, or to conduct a disciplinary hearing.

5. The individual or individuals whose conduct gave rise to the grievance will be known as the Respondent in any disciplinary hearing. The Chair of the Investigatory Committee will prosecute the grievance before the Board. The Respondent will be given reasonable notice of the hearing and an opportunity to be heard. The President will preside at any disciplinary hearing.

6. In accepting evidence at the hearing, the Board shall be guided by, but not bound by, the Ohio Rules of Evidence.

7. In making its decision, the Board shall consider the totality of the circumstances, the best interests of the organization and its youth members, and shall give due regard to the best interests of the Respondent.

8. The Board shall issue whatever decision it deems just, including an order that a parent may not attend games, terminating a coach or assistant coach’s services, or expulsion of a skater from the organization.

Any vote to expel a skater from the organization will require the affirmative vote of six of eight Board Members (the ninth Board Member will be prosecuting the grievance and will not vote on the decision). Other decisions shall be by majority vote of participating Board Members. The Board’s decision is final and not appealable. A skater expelled from the organization is not entitled to any refund without Board approval. Effective February 1, 2000.


3. WHA Uniform Number Policy
Note: This is a uniform number "retention" policy. Therefore the intent is to try to prevent costly and unneccessary uniform number changes. Therefore, the overriding criteria for uniform number will be if a player played with a given number the previous year, and already has jerseys with that number, then they will be allowed to keep that number, even if a player with priority (defined below) wants that number.

If more than one player on a newly formed team has the same uniform number, the club rule regarding who retains the number is as follows:

1st) A player that played at Winterhurst the prior year always has priority over an "import" who played at another organization. Spring season does not apply.
2nd) The player who played on the exact same level/team the previous year, gets to keep the number.
3rd) The player who played on the Higher level the previous year. In this scenario Age beats level, for example Squirt3 beats Mite1.
4th) In the event of a tie on the above two criteria, the tie-breaker is CONSECUTIVE years in the organization.
5th) In the event of a tie on the above three criteria, the tie-breaker is a coin toss, witnessed by the head coach.

This policy was discussed and affirmed at the WHA board meeting of 19 October 2004.


4. WHA Coach Hotel Room Policy
It has been WHA policy that for out of town tournaments, the team fund will pay for the hotel costs (room & tax) for any coach WHO DOES NOT HAVE A CHILD ON THE TEAM, he or she is coaching. Should this coach be out-of-town with two or more teams, the two teams should split this cost. This is in accordance with CSHL recommendation.

This policy was discussed and approved at the board meeting of 19 October 2004.

5. Program Transfer Policy
It occurs that after tryouts are finished, and teams are finalized, that a player from another organization wishes to transfer from that organization to the WHA. While the WHA does not participate in active recruiting, it is generally in WHA interest to build our base and to accept transfers. This all needs to take place within the guidelines of the CSHL rules, (i.e. player must get a release from former organization before they can be rostered with WHA, and player must be rostered before playing in a WHA contest).

There is always an issue with placing such a transfer in that if they are placed on a team other than our last picked team, there may be issues with the player who is perceived as the last child "not picked" for that team. To that end, placing a mid-season transfer from another program should follow the following guidelines. Please remember the idea is to place this player on the team he belongs, without being unfair to other organization members who have already been rostered.

1) Player should be invited to a practice of the team he could expect to make. That coach then decides if this child "clearly" belongs on his team. In general, this player should qualify at or above the middle of his players in talent.
2) If in the coach's discretion, this player qualifies as a top-half player, he then makes a formal appeal to the Board to add this player.
3) Coach/manager should then work to get the player's CSHL release, and to get the player rostered prior to any play on his team. Note: It is the transferring players responsibility to procure the release from previous organization and to get this into the hands of the WHA coach/manager, to be forwarded to registration.
4) Coach should also consider the impact of adding an additional skater, since in NO CASE will a player from that team be sent down to a lower team to make room for the added player.
5) Should the coach decide that the transferring player is a lower half, or bubble player for his team, this player should not be rostered and instead sent to the next practice for the team below for a similar evaluation.
6) The talent decision lies solely in the discretion of the head coach, however the Board reserves the right of approval for all player transfers of this sort.

Again, remember, the sole purpose of tryouts are to place a player on a team that his/her talent level dictates.


6. Coach Selection Process
This section outlines the procedure used to make coach selection for the numerous teams, both Travel and In-house. This does not apply to the Cleveland Warrior Select.

Briefly, a “coach selection committee” is formed under the auspice of the ACE Coordinator. This committee is made up of five (5) members, generally comprised of :
2 (minimum) board members
2 (minimum) parents in the organization
1 (minimum) HS coach or assistant on a Cleveland OHSAA team
* The formation of this committee is solely at the discretion of the ACE coordinator.

The committee will perform the following duties, (as directed by the ACE coordinator) :
1) Perform phone interviews of parents (and report)
2) Take part in interview of coaching candidates
3) Make recommendation to the Board

The Board will then review the recommendations of the committee and either approve or disapprove in whole or part. A vote of the majority of Board members can override the committee recommendation.

7. Team Playing Select Policy
The decision to take more than four (4) imports, and thus play "select" is not up to the head coach. This decision will be made after discussion with the Board, Coaches, and parents. It is the final decision of the Board vote to decide.

8. Missing Tryout Policy
It often occurs that a player may miss some or all of the tryout sessions. If this is true for a legitimate reason (injury, etc.), the following rules will be used to place the player on the appropriate team.

There is always an issue with placing such a player in that if they are placed on a team other than our last picked team, there may be issues with the player who is perceived as the last child "not picked" for that team. To that end, placing this player should follow the following guidelines. Please remember the idea is to place this player on the team he belongs, without being unfair to other organization members who have already been rostered.

1) If at the coaches discretion, this player is known, and clearly would have made his team, this player may be picked and named after the tryouts are complete.
2) If the player is unkown, the procedure will be much like that of a mid-season transfer. The player should be invited to a practice of the team he could expect to make. That coach then decides if this child "clearly" belongs on his team.
3) If in the coach's discretion, this player qualifies as a top-half player, he then makes a formal appeal to the Board to add this player.
4) Coach should also consider the impact of adding an additional skater, since in NO CASE will a player from that team be sent down to a lower team to make room for the added player.
5) Should the coach decide that the transferring player is a bubble player for his team, this player should not be rostered and instead sent to the next practice for the team below for a similar evaluation.
6) The talent decision lies solely in the discretion of the head coach, however the Board reserves the right of approval for all player transfers of this sort.

Again, remember, the sole purpose of tryouts are to place a player on a team that his/her talent level dictates.


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