Dear Stars Families,

As we continue to enjoy our summer, it is not too early to start thinking about our next hockey season. We should all be very proud of what our players and the Glenview Stars organization accomplished last year and we want to carry that enthusiasm into the 2010-2011 season. Based on your feedback and the feedback from our coaches, here are some of the things that we are doing to improve the experience for our children and our families.

• We are especially proud of our incredible coaching staff. Our coaches are dedicated to developing your children into the best hockey players they can be. Most of our coaches played for the Glenview Stars as youngsters and because of their valuable life experiences with the Stars, they want to "give back.” Their pride in building the Glenview Stars into a powerhouse is what keeps the heart of this organization alive.

• We hired Mike DeGeorge as our full time goalie coach. Coach Mike, a Stars alum with an impressive hockey resume, has already conducted several sessions with our goalies. The Stars have made this commitment to our goalies to ensure development throughout the season.

• We have several fun skills/scrimmage sessions throughout the summer to keep all of our skaters, Mites through Midgets, in shape for the fall season. Please check our website for the specific dates/times.

• Because of our revamped website, our communication to you has greatly improved. We owe a huge THANK YOU to our website administrator and newest Board member, Michael Musick. Our website is second to none and provides up-to-date information to all of our families. We are always interested in stories and pictures of our players, so please send any Stars-related information to Michael or your team manager.

• We have already published the fall tryout dates and locations. Based on the feedback from our coaches and parents, and in order to preserve the integrity of the coaches' selection process, we are implementing a "coaches only" tryout format. This is a commonly used practice amongst many North Shore hockey associations, AAA clubs, high schools and even figure skating organizations. This is the first year that we are going to conduct our tryouts in this manner, so we are asking for your help by maintaining an open mind and supporting our coaches.

• The Stars ad book is back! This will not only give us the opportunity to memorialize the season with the pictures of all of our teams, but it will also give our families a way to help lower the cost of travel hockey. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of an ad will be credited to your child's fall fees. We will also be able to offer more alternatives to our sponsors by giving them the opportunity to place ads on our website and the rink dasher boards. Again, these offers give our families a way to offset their team fees. More information on this exciting, updated program will be posted on our website soon!

• Don't forget that the Glenview Stars Annual Golf Outing is Monday, August 23. This event is a ton of fun and it's an important fundraiser for our organization. Please sign up a foursome or donate a silent auction item! If you cannot participate in the golf portion of this event, please join us for dinner that evening. This year's outing will be conveniently held at the Glenview Park Golf Club on Shermer Road in Glenview.

We look forward to seeing all of you soon and stay tuned in the next few weeks for a website posting from Sylvain describing some of our exciting new on-ice programs designed to improve player skills and team success.

Go Stars!

Stephanie Arkus
President