Agenda 05-07-24; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

2 1 this issue has created a lot of anxiety in the community. He said the dispute between the 2 Hillsborough Hogs and Recreation Factory Partners (RFP) is a difficult one. He said there is a 3 question of where the youth will play. He explained why there is increasing urgency in the need 4 for the county to respond. He said they are governed by USA Hockey and travel programs have 5 tryouts May 10-11. He said that is dictated by USA Hockey. He said that players are expected to 6 commit by mid-May. He said house leagues do not have tryouts and they are a recreational 7 league. He said their registration is usually mid-June through early July. He said that families are 8 tense and upset about recent changes by Recreation Factory Partners. He said there could be 9 an exodus of families leaving Orange County and driving to play hockey in other counties. He 10 said a lot of the programs around are also seeing the same demand for hockey and limited ice 11 time. He offered his assistance and support if the Board has any questions about hockey. 12 Martin Molloy said he reviewed the emails from RFP sent to the Board. He said that in one 13 email, RFP states that the Hogs will live on with the same amount of ice time and volunteers. He 14 said that no one has contacted the volunteers or families to talk about the need for volunteers or 15 continuing the program. He said it is causing a lot of anxiety. He said his son has said he will not 16 play for RFP, and they are looking at a way to play hockey outside of Orange County. He said 17 the presumption that they will play for the RFP and be under their management seems galling to 18 him. He said that his son will be done playing hockey in a couple of years. He said that even when 19 he is done, he would stay and volunteer for the Hogs, but he will not volunteer for a profit company 20 that is trying to feed into their travel program. He said time is of the essence and depending on 21 elected officials to intervene. 22 Neel Vuolo thanked the Board for listening to the concerns of the commenters. He said 23 his son played for the Hogs and had great coaches who were good teachers of the game. He 24 said his son has made friends through the program, off and on the ice. He said that the program 25 has helped him become a self-assured young man. He said that the proposal by RFP is a sham. 26 He asked where they would find dedicated volunteers. He asked how they would get ice time 27 and what would happen if the Hogs were unable to do so. He said it seems like it is set up to fail 28 and that would leave only their overly expensive travel team. 29 Andy Dwyer said he is a hockey parent and a volunteer coach. He said he has a lot of 30 positive things to say about their organization. He said they prioritize being a good person first 31 and having fun. He said that objectively though, they are high scoring on all measures of success. 32 He said no one makes a dime. He said it is all volunteer led. He said it is an extremely high 33 performing organization and now a for-profit management company will be hired to replace them 34 and take over youth hockey. He asked who would be paying for this support and if it would be 35 based on Orange County taxpayer money. He asked the Board to ask the questions to RFP and 36 if they find the answers are not satisfactory, then it is a major cause for concern. 37 Kristin Bedell said she has been a hockey parent since 2014 and she was lucky enough 38 to be a volunteer coach. She said that her shy kid blossomed on the ice. She said that he is 39 learning to be a better person through hockey. She said that there is pride that comes with 40 continuing a 43-year-old sports tradition in Orange County. She said that during this dispute, a 41 SportsPlex employee did not act in good faith and made a mistake by accessing minors social 42 media accounts, including her own child's account. She said her child has reported being fearful 43 of retaliation at the SportsPlex. She said that it is not the first time that employees have used 44 social media inappropriately involving the accounts of minors. She said that when she brought 45 this up to management, including screenshots, her concerns went ignored. She said that she then 46 reached out to commissioners and found out that SportsPlex management had already been in 47 contact with them. She said after that, the management contacted her. She said that she asked 48 for a public apology and there has not been one, nor is one likely to be forthcoming. She said that 49 there should also be training for employees on proper social media use. She said she was given 50 a section of the handbook that focuses on protecting the SportsPlex brand rather than the public. 51 She said that the response she received expressed outrage that anyone would even consider