Apple Valley High School Hockey   Apple Valley Hockey Boosters

Apple Valley High School Hockey

Apple Valley Hockey Booster Club

Who is the Booster Club?

The AVHS Boys Booster Club is a volunteer organization made up primarily of parents of Varsity and Junior Varsity hockey players, and we welcome all volunteers and hockey supporters. As most of you are aware, the financial support from District 196 has continued to squeeze all extra curricular activities and hockey is no exception. Coach Hayes and staff need our support to maintain the tradition and success of Apple Valley Hockey.

What does the Apple Valley High School Boys Hockey Booster Club do?

Our biggest goal is to assist the coaching staff in having a first-class hockey program. In order to accomplish this, the boosters serve in 2 ways;
  1. Fundraising
  2. In-Season Extras
First a word on cost. 1) As you well know, hockey is a very expensive sport. 2) All of us know how much we have been paying for hockey for traveling teams, AAA, clinics, etc throughout the years. 3) District 196 gives very little financial support to school sports, which is why there are booster clubs such as this one.

Here is a quick breakdown of what you can expect to pay
  • Captains’ Practice - $125 or $10/practice (usually starts mid-September and ends early November)
  • AVHS Participation fee - $175 (paid to AVHS and returned if not on Varsity or JV teams)
  • Booster Club fee - $400/JV and $450/Varsity (could be more depending on fundraiser success and post season success)

Fundraising / Financial Needs

Each year Coach Hayes works very closely with the booster club board to prioritize the critical needs of the boys hockey program for the upcoming year or years. Here are some items that need to be taken care of every year:
  • Equipment repair/replacement
    • Gloves (2007, 2009)
    • Breezers and breezer covers
    • Practice jerseys and socks
    • Home jerseys and socks (2003)
    • Away jerseys and socks (2005)
    • Team jackets
    • Equipment bags All of this equipment is returned at the end of the season and needs to be repaired or replaced
  • Transportation to away games
  • Assistant coaches’ stipend – the assistant coaches get very little monetary support for all of their time and effort. The booster club helps cover these costs.
In addition are the items that make playing high school hockey special:
  • Team sweats
  • Team poster
  • Game programs
  • Alumni game
  • Locker room incentives
  • Face-off dinner
  • Dry land equipment
  • End-of-year banquet
All of this is handled by the fundraising efforts of the booster club and its fees. Our fundraising includes:
  • Program advertising/donations
  • Chuck-a-puck (each home game)
  • Plant sales
  • Restaurant fundraisers
  • Coupon sales
  • Apparel sales
  • Shoot-a-thon
  • Gift card sales

In-Season Extras

We try to provide the boys with the “extras” that will make their high school hockey experience one they won’t forget.
  • Clothing sale
  • Incentives
  • Face-off Dinner
  • Alumni game
  • End-of-year banquet
  • Scrapbook
  • Posters
  • Seniors night
  • We pay for certain meals when the team is on the road

A word on Captains' Practice

  • The booster club is not affiliated with captains’ practices
  • These are run by individuals independent of the high school and booster club
  • Usually begins around mid-September and runs up to try outs
  • This ice time is for potential AV high school players who no longer have Bantam eligibility
  • Full equipment is expected
  • No alumni
  • Attendance is taken
  • No rough play tolerated
  • Participation is optional, but if you play you are expected to pay

In Summary

As you can see, a lot goes into helping with the hockey program. The members of the booster club do an outstanding job of “stepping up” to get all of this done

This past year we were proud to win the Section 3 AA Championship and place 4th at the State Hockey Tournament. The combination of our players’ accomplishments on the ice and the behind the scenes effort and support of the booster club makes each season a success. The legislature’s delay of school funding will make this year’s task even more challenging than in the past. Now more than ever, each of us will need to step forward and volunteer both our time and talents along with our financial support.

We are all excited for the 2010-2011 Apple Valley Boys Hockey season but there is a lot of work that needs to take place for that success to continue. Please get involved early. Thanks.