Orange Division

HAPPY HOLIDAYS/MID SEASON REPORT ORANGE DIVISION

Posted December 29 2010 by Orange Convenor

I hope that everybody had a wonderful Christmas, and I would like to extend my wishes to all for a safe, happy, healthy, prosperous 2011.

As previously mentioned ( in past blogs), I am a procrastinator, when it comes to Blogs, but when I get to it, I do try and cover everything, and they do tend to be lengthy, much to the dismay of my fellow Orange Division competitors, so, sit back and relax.

For the new players in the ORANGE Division, be it from the Red Division, or brand new to the BOHC, let me introduce you to our cast of characters that are currently in place, doing our best to ensure that everybody is having fun, and that all the teams are competitive. My name is Ken Warren, Convenor,( # 14 White Hares ) This is my 6th, and final year of being the Orange Division Convenor. My assistant, co-convenor, and replacement for next year, is Mark Anderson ( # 9 White Hares ), and his assistant, also a co-convenor, for next year is John Rivard ( # 4 Back in Black ). Our extremely dedicated and devoted pool convenor, is Andre Leclerc. Unfortunately, Andre ( who was scheduled to be the White Hares Goalie this year ), is injured , and on the ” inactive list ” probably until February, but continues to do an outstanding job, filling in the gaps, when teams are short handed. The other half of the mix here are the Captains, who, to this point are doing an outstanding job, keeping in mind, not what is just best for their team, but for the Division. They are…..Angelo Sottana/Green, Mike Downey/White, Buddy Fugard/Teal, Dave Guluche/Black, Dave Lenover/Gold, and Steve Taylor/Red. My job as convenor becomes a whole lot easier, if you have quality guys as Captains, and we are fortunate to have this group volunteer their time, which of course, we are very thankful for…

I won’t bore you telling you about our new division ( Black ), and all of the player movement that went on in the off season, coupled with all of the new faces in the BOHC, because, by now, I’m sure you are all aware of it. Early on, the intensity in our division was painfully obvious, with new players not wanting to be moved to another division, and doing their best to impress. Well, after about 6 games we figured who was struggling, and proceeded to put them in the division that best suited them. Our next move was to do our annual ” inter divisional ” balancing, with all of the aforementioned guys sitting down as a group, and moving a few players to help out the Teal Team, ( which at that particular juncture, was the only team that needed help)....Cudos to Steve Taylor/Mike Derry, ( Red Chili’z) for stepping up at that particular time. Since the player movement Teal has gone 6 and 1!! ( which given the history of the ” 3 amigo’s, Captain Buddy, assistants Barry/Andy, have certainly raised some eyebrows ). Unfortunately, we are not done yet…in my eyes, 4 teams are very close as far as being competitive is concerned. So, with that in mind, there will be one more meeting in early January in an attempt to assist, the remaining two teams….

We are almost at the halfway point of the year, and to this point, we have yet to have any “major” incidents on the ice regarding stick work, unnecessary aggressive physical play, or verbal abuse. To date we have had 2 game misconducts, which of course resulted in an ” automatic” 1 game suspensions….
Historically, once we crawl into January, it has been known as the ” silly season”. For some unexplained reason, guys start becoming more aggressive ( extra bump or nudge ) , the stick work increases and so does the verbal stuff, with fellow competitors, and the referees. Please keep in mind guys, that your Captain is your voice when questioning a call with the refs…..
For the new guys, please be aware of Rule 5 (a ) in your handbook, as this is taken very seriously ( which basically states “we must keep in mind the safety and well being of other players, failure to do so, would result in a disciplinary hearing, possible suspensions, and expulsion from the BOHC”). As I have continually stated throughout my role as Convenor, we are out for a skate, some fun, and some refreshments after the game at Hectors. And yes, most of us have jobs to go to the next day.

I will do my best to try and update the Blog on a monthly basis, to keep all informed of recent news, and events in the Orange Division, and the BOHC. ( I’m sure more than a few fell off their chair when they read the last sentence )

Take care guys…..keep your heads up, and your sticks ( be it wood, aluminum, or composite) down….

Ken Warren
Orange Division Convenor