Erin Hoops

History

There was a beginning...

The Start: 1992 - 1993
        Hoops didn't just start. There was an extensive period of planning by the people who became the first executive of Erin Hoops.
        This planning-first-executive-group were:
                   Brian Bissell
                   Carolyn White
                   Peter Olsen
                   Brian Smith
        This founding "fathers" group recognized a need in Erin for youth basketball. They saw kids had no opportunity to play and learn the skills of basketball. The level of basketball played by our local youth was such that one was lucky at times to see a lay-up scored. Change was needed. Erin Hoops was formed modeled on Guelph's Hoops and Hustle.

The First Season: Jan. 1994

        In late Nov. or early Dec. Hoops first fall-winter Saturday program began.  Over 100 kids took part with four teams in each of four divisions. The divisions then and now have remained basically the same, 9-10; 11-12 and 13 and over. The fourth division was for girls 11 and over. This girls division has been slowly merged with the other three groups.

Summer 1995
        Summer Basketball started, running from 7 to 9 pm., eight Monday evenings in July and Aug. This program continued until 2000.
        Erin Hoops first basketball camp was also run in this summer. Brian Bissell designed it and much of the design still is used today. The initial camps until the summer of 1999 were all run using paid assistant coaches. In 1999 the coaches became volunteers and the fee for the week long camp was significantly reduced making basketball a summer bargain.
        During this busy summer Brian Bissell, Scott Fricker and Patrick Suessmuth found time to write and Brian Smith published 12 copies of an Erin Hoops Coaches Manual, a few copies of which are still shared around today.

1995 - 1996
        Hoops helped with a donation to the Wellington Board of Education defraying some of the cost of installing glass backboards in the High School.
        Also this was the first year for the fall-winter program for young people in the 6 to 8 year old age group.

1996 - 1997
         No new programs. The founders started to pass on their Executive Roles to people like Gord Slater, Joan Murray, Hugh White, Bob McClevis, and Patrick Suessmuth.
         This was also the time period when Hoops paid for the installation of adjustable baskets in Brisbane Public School. This allowed the main baskets to be lowered to eight feet for the 6 to 8 year old players.
         Gord Slater was instrumental in setting up and running a contest to name our Basketball Camp. A contest was held with the name Erin Hoops Slam Dunk Camp being chosen as the winning name.  For this submission Stephanie Giugovas won the book The NBA at 50 Years.

1997 - 1998
         This was a period of consolidation. ..and an informal start to Sunday Community Basketball was begun. Gord Slater, Joan Murray and Carolyn White all indicated they wanted to move on to other things and a search for replacements ensued.

1998 - 1999
        Replacements appeared in the early fall of 1998. Pat Sara, Phil Gravelle and Neil Murphy stepped in to help and Hoops continued on gracefully.
        Sadly for Erin Basketball Neil Murphy moved to the States in the spring of 1999.
        In the Summer of 1999 Hoops ran a 36 hour Gals (and Guys) of Summer Basketball Program as a Continuing Education Summer Program. This ran Tues. and Thurs. afternoons from 1 to 4 in July and August with all participants moving on into the Slam Dunk Basketball Camp.
        Sunday Community Basketball from 2 to 4 became a permanent fixture with rarely less than 10 people showing up to play pick-up ball.

1999 - 2000
        In May 1999 the Hoops executive made the monumental, but easy decision to affiliate Erin Hoops with Bell-Raptorball Youth Leagues, thus giving Hoops a Raptor affiliation.)  The Hoops Kinderball Program began at Brisbane Public School. It was initiated and run by Mitch Zuk. The program's thrust was on the fun of ball handling without any other emphasis on basketball skills. Hoops ran its first NBA 2Ball program sponsored by the Raptor. Over 600 local grade school kids took part in the program and as a consequence Patrick Suessmuth was honoured with 50 free tickets to a Raptor game in Nov.-Dec. 2000 because he was awarded the Raptor NBA 2Ball Coordinator of the year.
        The first program cancellation in Hoops history occurred when the Monday night Summer Basketball program was suspended due to lack of community interest. The Gals and Guys and Sunday Community Basketball continued and seemed to fill the communities needs.

2000 - 2001
        The Executive changes again. Pat Sara and Phil Gravelle gently turned over their jobs as Secratary-Treasurer and Registrar to Janice Pridding, Bob McClevis and Gloria Short.
        Hoops moves to the new High School and in the late summer of 2000 and took over its 13 by 14 foot storage room connected to the full sized and new basketball court.
        With the advent of the new High School connected and as part of Erin Centre 2000, Hoops found its position in the community changing to be associated loosely with the Town of Erin's Recreation Program and absorbed the Erin Men's Community Basketball program, which had run independently (without co-ordinator insurance) for years pick-up basketball games ever Tues. evening from 8 to 10 in the Old High School Gym.  Also Men's Ball change further by becoming Adult Community Basketball, thus providing women with a chance to participate too.

        In the Spring of 2001 Erin Hoops web site came into being and by the end of April had reached an inter-linked size of over 60 pages.  This was also the start of attempting Hoops Communication via email.  (Hoops was trying to find its way into the 21st Century.)

2001 - 2002

Hoops has found its way into the 21 Century.  Almost all people registering in Hoops programs are doing so over the internet.  Over 90% of the families involved have internet e-mail addresses.  Yes, payment at the door on the first day of a program is a bit of a scramble, but with enough volunteer help the process seems to work smoothly.

Scott Fricker established and ran a "Rep" team out of Hoops this year.  The team was called the Wellington Warriors and was made up of Juvenile girls ages 15 to 17.  They did quite well.  Scott plans to run this team again in 02/03.

An active Hoops executive was again establish as the summer approached. New people have come forward and are now part of the executive consisting of Scott Fricker (Pres.), Patrick Suessmuth (VP), Judy Duivesteyn (Tres.), Sandy Faber (Sec.), Stephanie Giugovaz (Promotion & Mktg.), Janice Pridding (Registrar), Mitch Zuk (Head Coach), and Brent Stainton and Mike Rooney as Directors.

As the Summer of '02 begins Erin Hoops is experiencing the effect of its hourly gym rates rising from $1.75 per hour to $11.00 per hour for youth and $17.00 per hour for adults.  How these new rental fees will affect Hoops is unknow, at the moment.  Also the question of paying to have the gym opened via care taking fees or by the Community Centre has become and additional item needing resolutions over the Summer of '02.

2002 - 2003

A difficult year full of stress mainly because of the financial difficulties of going from $1.75 to $11 in our gym rental rate per hour.  Fundraising was necessary for the first time in a number of years.  These organizations and people saw fit to donate almost $13000 to help Erin Hoops with this year's activities:

• Town of Erin

• Dr. Jon Walcott, Dr. D.A. Hayhoe

• Erin Optimists

• The Village Green

• Dr. David Sherrington

• Mundell Lumber

• Knechtels of Erin 

• Erin School of Martial Arts

• Rob Roy Inn

• PPC Accessories Ltd

• Thompson Electric

• Fitness Kickboxing Canada (formerly called Ross O'Donnell Personal Trainer)

• Pizza Venezia

• Steen's Dairy

• Dutchboy Cleaners

• Sally Humberstone

• Judy's Restaurant

• Bailey's Ice Cream Parlour

• Patrick Suessmuth

• Ministry of Tourism and Recreation

Without them basketball in Erin would have had to increase its fees tremendously and have suffered a significant drop in registrations.  (Two other local recreation clubs raised fees and suffered approximately 50% of their members not renewing.  This means their existence is now threatened if they wish to remain fiscally responsible.)

Erin Hoops registration rose about 25% due to us mainly keeping our fees the same.  The statement "fees are a deterrent to participation" took on a new meaning due to local events.

The year was made more difficult because we were informed that our rental rate would rise from the $11 to over $19 next year.  A two year rental rate increase of about 1100%.  You can not pass that on to participants - there would be none.

Erin Hoops joined SPACE (Save Public Access to Community space Everywhere).  Took part in their monthly meetings, media conferences, meetings with politicians, etc.  Hoops became active (20 hours/week on average of Executive time) on trying to survive.

The results of Erin Hoops efforts in community basketball became very evident in the level of play by High School teams who generally competed for first and second place in their league.  (Prior to Hoops the school teams were generally last place in the league.)

As the summer draws near the Erin Hoops Executive has radically changed, and now consists of Gary Kaitting, President; Mike Rooney, VP; Patrick Suessmuth, Executive Director; Stephanie Giugovaz, Public Relations/Mktg; and Leslie Payton, Treasurer.

The summer basketball is being funded by two grants from the Min. of Tourism and Recreation.  As a result Hoops is hiring Darren Short to help run the summer programs ALL of which are going to be offered free of any registration fee.  A donation jar will be used which will ask people to donate to Hoops to help it keep basketball affordable to everyone.  Participation rate for the summer was double the previous summer.  Donations equaled 80% of what had been collected in the summer of 2002.  Not bad for an initial effort at free.  It certainly proves, "Fees are a deterrent to participation."

2003 - 2004

Executive decided to offer all programs free in our Fall-Winter season. Advertising took a new twist this fall, continuing it Advocate ads, but sending a mailer to all households in the Town of Erin, and taking a 30 foot booth at the fall fair.

Another year of turmoil.  All Erin Hoops Youth Programs have left the gym at Centre 2000 due to prohibitive rent increases.

Erin Hoops opened the gym in the Old Erin Public School on Main Street in the Village of Erin.  It rents this facility 24 hour a day.  Erin Hoops is grateful to Gary Langen for his helping us with a significant break in rent which makes this facility affordable.

In this move Erin Hoops has managed to confuse a lot of people because it has become more than a basketball club.  Erin Hoops has become both Community and Basketball oriented.  The new facility allows dances, games like ping pong, foosball, pool, lego, etc to be played.  Badminton, Volleyball are planned too.

The new gym could not have been opened without the support of the people of the Town.  The new gym became Erin's "Field of Dreams" (a movie directed by Kevin Costner) because it exemplified the phase "If you build it...they will come".  The Town embraces the new Erin Hoops activities with open arms.  Gifts poured in.  A basketball club came to own a stove, fridge, 4 ping pong tables, 2 foosball games, dishes, cutlery, board games, lego pieces, tables and chairs, etc.  

The Summer Program will have the gym open over 500 hours, 7 days a week all summer.  This more than doubles the basketball opportunities available to the people of the Town of Erin over previous years.

Youth programs continue to be free.  

The Executive has changed again and now consists of Mike Rooney, president, Georgina Rogers, Director, Patrick Suessmuth, Executive Director, Tracey Brown, Event & Fundraising Co-ordinator.

2004 - 2005

Erin Hoops continued to rent the Old Erin Public School.

Started a Youth Drop-In Program from 3 to 6 pm every school day.

Re-instituted a +9 Girls program.

Used monthly projected videos and dances to raise funds.

Adult ball in 2004/5 was on a fee basis in Centre 2000 with the fee being $175 for the season.

The Executive has changed again and now consists of Mike Rooney, president, Georgina Rogers, Director, Patrick Suessmuth, Executive Director, and Robert Teeter as Treasurer.