All new-to-MGHA players (and goalies) should plan to attend our new player orientation this Sunday at 2:45pm at Capitol Ice in Middleton. We will cover The MGHA Way, locker room etiquette, inclusivity on and off the ice, and more! Snacks and water/soda will be provided.
A makeup session will be offered next week, time TBD.
Log in and click here for details on our start of the season spirit tournament!
Log in and go here for all the details to get started for the 2019-2020. Details include USA Hockey registration, how to pay your dues, play-with requests and more!
We have officially surpassed Toronto as the largest gay hockey league in the world! 14 teams, over 190 players, and still growing!
We are going to need a LOT of gear for our new players this season so clean out your closets and use this as an excuse to treat yourself to new elbow pads, shins, shoulders, etc and donate the old ones to a new player! Details of our gear up event will be posted asap.
Sign up is here.Tell your friends!
Player deposit for next season is now available. The deposit is $80 dollars and due by the end of the business day on Monday, July 17th. After that, returning players will be treated as new recruits. If you are unable to pay the deposit by July 9th but intend to play with us next year, please contact Jake (treasurer@madisongayhockey.org) or Amanda (president@madisongayhockey.org).
Registration includes a question about which skill based league you would prefer to play in including the option for both. This does not guarantee you will able to play in both leagues, we have some details to work out there as well as priority given to getting as many players as possible into the league. Playing in both leagues will incur extra dues. Subbing across leagues will be possible. You will also be able to update this field in your user profile, login, then go to your account info https://www.madisongayhockey.org/account/ and scroll to the bottom.
As a reminder, we will be maintaining 10 teams at least (perhaps grow). We will need as much information to plan for this season as possible so we appreciate you getting your deposit in asap. In following with our mission statement, in recruiting and in accepting new players, we will prioritize members of the LGBTQ+ community and other groups with historically limited access to hockey.
We will be sending announcements for when we have 100 players, 125 players, and a full roster.
Looking forward to next season with y’all,
-Recruitment team and MGHA board
Both proposals affecting the 2019-2020 season have passed. Thank you to all the MGHA members who voted and provided feedback.
What does this mean?
1. We will play at Cap Ice for the 2019-2020 season. (64% first choice)
2. We will restructure into two leagues under the Madison Gay Hockey Association. (81% yes) Please read the below info and share your thoughts/ideas with us here https://forms.gle/NSZXy9ch8yYrHXfq6 by June 11th.
Further details as of right now:
1. Cap Ice – we will try to balance which rinks teams play on as well as time slot. We will communicate on where people can hang out if they wish to watch games together (Eagle’s Nest, or a specific bleacher area, etc). We will adjust scorebox duty to accommodate the challenges on Rink A as well as subbing to accommodate overlapping games.
2. League restructure will be hockey skill based with less experienced players in one league (L1) and higher skilled players in the other (L2). Everyone will be able to choose where they play at sign up, though if it is a safety issue, HOps will counsel players on where they can play safely. First year players with little or no prior hockey experience will be placed in the L1 league. Leagues will roughly map to D=L1 and B/C=L2 league levels. The specifics of how this will happen will depend on a lot of moving parts, most importantly the skill levels of the players who sign up for the 2019-2020 season, and also includes number of players and which level folks choose to play.
I would like to reiterate why we are trying this out this season:
Great things about this league we will not sacrifice in this restructure:
Items to be decided:
This is a lot of change. We will be as clear and transparent as possible and will keep communications flowing. We will be asking for feedback a LOT on this so keep your eyes on your emails. This affects all of us and together we can find the best way forward.
Thank you again for sharing your experience with the MGHA and what gay hockey means to you – you mean the world to us!
Reily Kirsch-Loredo 2019 Essay
And congratulations to Randi Hagen – your essay will be published in Our Lives Madison!
Hello Everyone!
After collecting nominations from members, we informed all those nominated and gave them a chance to write a blurb about why they would like to be on the MGHA board.
Please take a look at what they have to say. At the membership meeting, there will be brief introductions of those present, and voting for the board will take place physically at the meeting as required by the by-laws.
Amanda Thornton –
I have learned valuable lessons and gained important insights this year as president and would like to continue to serve the league on the board this season. I’d like to see through some of the initiatives that are in process such as the conduct reporting and handling process and improved advanced player guidance. I’d also like to help guide the new board to a successful season that emphasizes fun, safety, and inclusion. I believe in this league and its mission and I’m grateful for the opportunity to devote my time and energy to its success and ultimately to the community we create together.
Jacob Wagner –
My name is Jake Wagner, I have been nominated and would be honored to fill the position of Treasurer of the MGHA for the next term. There are a few reasons I have decided to run, but the most relevant is that I have significant experience in the field of accounting and bookkeeping. I worked in the accounting field both while in school, and for the entirety of my time post graduation. I have experience keeping the books for a variety of smaller companies, as well as working in a larger accounting department of a public company. I believe my experience will allow me to accurately and professionally keep the books of the association, as well as to address any financial issues that may arise during my time as Treasurer. Secondly, I have a desire to give back to this league that means so much to so many people, I believe one of the best ways I can do that is by sharing my experience and skills. Finally, at the end of 2018 I quit my full-time position to assume the role of full time stay at home parent to our daughter. This leaves me with a bit of extra time, as well as a desire to give back and to keep my skills sharp, both things that would be accomplished in this position. Thank you for your consideration, Jake.
Greetings, hockey people! I have been fortunate enough to be nominated for a board position again and I am overjoyed to accept it! Here’s a bit of my backstory:
I have been a part of the MGHA for 3 years and enjoy every moment of it! Our league is so unique in that we provide a place for people from all walks of life and varying skill sets to learn hockey and be a part of a greater community. Before MGHA, I had never played hockey and I had not been a part of an LGBTQA+ organization that embodied fair and inclusive play in the way MGHA does. After my first year, I mentored a few new players (that was a blast) and last year, I co-captained for a Classic team and I had a lot of fun in that role as well and wanted to be able to give back to the league by serving on the board. Throughout this past year on the board, I was able to oversee our social squad, work with our wonderful and generous sponsors, be a part of recruiting new hopefuls and returning veterans alike, and reviewed any member relations and conduct issues we received; not to mention all of the behind-the-scenes work! It has been an absolute pleasure serving you all and I would love to do it again for the up-coming season.
If I am able to be a part of the Board for 2019-20, I endeavor to give back to the league in the same manner I have been for the past year; fair leadership with a dash of zest, humor, and 110% effort! There are always areas in which we can improve and I would like to help facilitate growth and change within our league that will be positive and benefit the majority of folx in our league. As most of you know, this is not always an easy task, but I will do everything I can to advocate for all players and make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable time playing hockey.
Hey everyone! I’m Tim Tender and I’ve been in the league now for 4 years. Next year will be my landmark 5th with the MGHA! So far, I’ve seen so many success stories with this league and I really want to help to foster more of those stories for next year as part of the board again. I’ve been on the board now for 3 seasons and while it’s quite challenging at times, it’s incredibly rewarding, too. I think my experience both with this league and with running an adult hockey tournament and league in the past will help with the challenges we might face this coming year with the possibility of expanding the league into two leagues and potentially moving to a different rink. Both of these will present their own challenges and I am eager to help us navigate these new waters (if that’s the direction that’s chosen).
Other than that, I really just love this league. I love the people in it and I care deeply about having a place where we can all gather and enjoy a game that I’ve been playing for about 20 years (wow, I now feel old). I wear my heart on my sleeve and I take things hard but overall, I think that just means I really do care and want everyone to be happy. Should I be elected, my main goal for the coming year would be to strive to make sure that our new players feel safe. This needs to be a developmental league, first and foremost, and I think we can definitely improve in this department.
Like I mentioned, I want this league to be an awesome place for all of us and I’m running for the board because I think I have some of the necessary skills to keep the league running.
The following people have applied for membership in the MGHA. Please click on their name to see each person’s application. Once you’ve read the applications you can click on the boxes to the side of their names to vote; voting “Yes” means you are voting for this person to become a member, while voting “No” means that you are voting against their becoming a member.
Voting will be open from now until April 21st, in order to allow time to notify applicants prior to the Annual Member Meeting and allow for board nomination participation (as membership is required). You may change your votes at any time until voting closes.
As a reminder, the Annual Member Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 16th at Kavanaugh’s. More details on agenda and time will be posted elsewhere.