Dear Chix,
Welcome to Chix with Stix! We are so glad you have decided to join us in this exciting endeavor! This is season nine of Chix with Stix, a women’s recreational Ball Hockey league and an outreach ministry of Stoney Creek Baptist Church. We hope you are prepared to have FUN, meet new people and get a lot of exercise!
We would like to thank Stoney Creek Baptist Church for allowing us to use the facilities and helping us get this league up and running. You are all welcome to join us for our Sunday services, which start at 10:30am and there is an excellent Children’s program at this time as well.
LEAGUE DETAILS
All games will be played in the gym at Stoney Creek Baptist Church on Monday evenings. The first game will start at 7:00pm, the second game at 8:00pm, third game at 9:00pm and the last game at 10:00pm. We ask that you come a ½ hour early to your first game to meet your captain and teammates, pick up your jersey and stretch! The season begins on Monday October 17th and ends March 26th (Subject to change).
Please note: No refunds will be issued after the season begins.
HOW THE GAMES ARE RUN
The games will be timed. They will be run as 3 fifteen-minute periods running time. This will allow for a 5-minute warm-up and 2-minute breaks between periods. There will be 4 players plus a goalie on at a time for each team. Penalties will be 2-minutes running time. Penalties include high-sticking, too many men on the court, roughing etc.
All goalie equipment will be provided and must be worn. We have only a few sets for the league and therefore all equipment must remain at the gym for the other teams to use. Due to a lack of goalies, this position must be rotated amongst all team players, unless you are fortunate enough to have a willing goalie on your team. Be fair and share positions. The goalie can only be substituted between periods, unless injured. This will keep the game running smoothly.
Please respect the referees. Their calls are final whether you agree or not! They are highly qualified and want to see you have a fun and safe time.
EQUIPMENT
Eye goggles are mandatory, for your safety and insurance purposes. We are recommending that you purchase your own pair of sport goggles. Please no sunglasses. The league’s goggles will be available for use, however they are getting well worn and scratched. These goggles must remain at the gym for others to use. Please put them in the hockey bag at the end of your game.
The league will provide the ball hockey sticks. There are enough for 2 teams and they must remain at the gym for others to use. We do not allow players to bring their own sticks from home to use in our league.
You MUST have a pair of non-marking running shoes to play. We recommend the gummy-soled indoor court shoes as the gym floor has the tendency to become slippery in winter months with the salt and sand being tracked in by outdoor footwear. You are also required to provide soccer shin pads and soccer socks to cover the shin pads. Shin pads are a mandatory piece of equipment and you cannot play if you don’t wear them. As well, socks must be worn over the shin pads to cover any hard plastic on them. We reserve the right to check that you are wearing the proper equipment. For your safety NO jewelry is allowed. Mouth guards are accepted and light gloves approved by one of the coordinators are optional (ex. cycling gloves). Hockey gloves are not permitted.
Please be aware that there is at times contact made between players and sticks can be tripped over. Injuries are possible and it is up to the players to be aware of the risks involved with playing any sport.
All Chix must sign the game sheet before the game begins. It will be located inside the team/fan area on the table by the door. After each game, team members may nominate a chicklette of the game from their team. This honour goes to the player who exemplified a positive, encouraging, and fun-loving spirit that game. Please inform your captain of your nomination so they can in turn inform the scorekeeper.
There will be an area for fans to watch the games and we encourage you to bring your spouses, friends, and family to cheer you on. However, if you do bring children they must remain in the fan area and are not permitted to run around the halls and rooms of the church. Please be aware that there is a risk for a child to be hit by a ball or a stick, especially when near the boards. Children are your responsibility and must be cared for accordingly. The church is used for other events on Monday nights and we ask that you respect others also using the facility. If you need to change into your jersey at the church please use one of the two washrooms available. And finally, it would be greatly appreciated if you could help us leave the church as clean and tidy as possible!
WINTER WEATHER POLICY
In the case of inclement weather our coordinators will decide by 4:30 pm on the Monday of, whether the games will be cancelled. An email will be sent out to the league notifying you of the decision. All captains will then be called by us and asked to contact team members to make sure the news has been received. No news is good news, assume the games are still on if you do not hear from us by email or your captain. Our decision to play doesn’t mean you have to come. Do not drive if you feel uncomfortable with the weather. We do our best to make everyone happy.
We do reserve the right to remove anyone from the league who is unsportsmanlike in character. If this occurs there will be no refund of the players’ registration fees.
All information is to be passed on to you by email, so please have a contact person with email if you do not have an email address or get yourself a free hotmail account. Note to all Hotmail users, before you can receive any emails from us, you must add our email address chixwithstix@stoneycreekbaptist.com to your safe contact list.
If you find a problem arises, please feel free to contact us and KINDLY explain the situation. We appreciate your patience in all areas and we will do our very best to resolve it as quickly as possible. If there are any questions, concerns or suggestions, please contact us via email. Any decisions regarding the league will be discussed by the coordinating team and then replied to.
NEW THIS SEASON!!
In the past the men’s ball hockey league has shared in the responsibility of taking down the boards and nets. Unfortunately this year the men’s league will not be running. This means on a weekly basis the teams playing the 10:00pm game will be asked to help us take a few minutes at the end of the game and help put everything away. We realize some of you will need to leave right away, but those who can we would greatly appreciate your helpJ “Many hands makes light work.”
Hope everyone enjoys this ninth season to the fullest!
Sincerely, Christine, Tamara, Carrie & Kate