Message from MAYHA Board Chair – Jan. 13

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As this season shows, the Missoula ice community is strong. Together, we continue to bring more members of the surrounding area to our humble ice arena. We share our passion for the ice and in the process create players, skaters, and fans for life. The increasing demand for ice sports activities continues to drive our desire to expand our ice capacity.

Attendance at public sessions is increasing with our new online registration. Missoula Area Youth Hockey Association (MAYHA) programs and the adult Glacier Hockey League are bursting at capacity, the Missoula Figure Skating Club has strong interest in Learn to Skate and in-person performances, the UM Griz Hockey team is shattering attendance records and building enthusiasm throughout the community, the Missoula Curling Club is back in full force, and the Women’s Hockey Association of Montana continues to sell out their programs quicker than ever.

The MAYHA Board of Directors has been working hard to set our organization on a path towards future success. Throughout 2021, the board set goals and created a more sustainable, committee-driven board structure. Some of the highlights include:

  • We updated our bylaws to expand our pool of potential board candidates beyond youth and adult hockey participants. This ensures our organization’s leadership better represents the broad community we serve.
  • We created a new board member selection process driven by a governance committee rather than a general election. The committee will identify, vet and recommend a slate of board members to approve. This process better aligns with nonprofit best practices and allows us to choose board members based on identified organizational needs.
  • We moved our annual meeting and board slate approval to the end of June to align with our fiscal year. We will provide information as the date approaches and plan to make it a celebration of the season!
  • We established committees – Executive, Governance, Marketing/Events, Youth Hockey and User Groups – that collaborate with staff to accomplish organizational goals. These groups help us honor our beginnings as a youth hockey organization, while recognizing our growth as an organization that works with and serves community and ice user group stakeholders. If you have an interest in serving on one of these committees, please let us know.
  • Finally, our ice building committee worked through preliminary designs and cost estimates for a new facility and/or existing facility upgrades. The biggest challenge continues to be funding, as a new facility will cost between $15-20 million. We hope to put together a funding package of private and public contributions and move forward with a plan in the next year.

We look forward to building on the foundational success of calendar year 2021 and position MAYHA’s growth as a strong non-profit for the next 25 years and beyond. Thank you for being part of the Glacier Ice Rink, MAYHA, and Missoula Ice Community.

Sincerely,

Ryan Yearous

 

MAYHA is the nonprofit organization that operates Glacier Ice Rink and its associated hockey and public programs.