The Newport Girls Basketball Booster Association

The Role of Newport Girls Hoops

Purpose: Newport Girls Hoops (NGH) seeks to enhance the playing opportunities for Newport High School girl basketball players by:

Ø Creating a positive supportive atmosphere for all players, coaches and fans.

Ø Providing the supplemental financial foundation necessary for sustaining a successful basketball progr= am.

Ø Advising the Newport High Scho= ol Girls Basketball Head Coach on long-term planning issues and allocation of private resources.

Ø Serving as a conduit for communication between parents and other program supporters and the coaching staff.

Status of th= e NGH: Newport Girls Ho= ops (NGH) is a member of The Knight Athletic Booster Association (KABA) compose= d of the individual booster clubs for each sport sponsored at Newport High Schoo= l. The NGH, however, sets its own budget, raises its own resources and controls its own spending. KABA is an umbrella organization that gives the NGH charitable tax-exempt status, helps maintain continuity of program and assu= mes a limited overseer role to ensure fiduciary responsibility. It does not, however, dictate how NGH allocates it resources.

The NGH serves an advisory= role only. It neither sets policy for the basketball program nor involves itself= in the management decisions of the program. Policy and Management are the sole prerogative of the Newport High School Athletic Director and Girls Basketba= ll Head Coach.

Membership: All families wit= h girls playing for Frosh/Soph, JV or Varsity basketball are automatically members.= At the discretion of the Newport High School Girls Basketball Head Coach paren= ts may be asked to assume a leadership role within the organization.

G= overning Board: The Board of Directors (the Board) administers the programs of the NGH. The Board is composed of up to eight (8) parents. Each member serves a mini= mum 15 month term beginning in April of each year. The Board is self-sustaining= and selects its officers with the advice and guidance of the Newport Girls Basketball Head Coach. Both a Board member and an officer may serve more th= an one term. The principle officers of the NGH are President, Secre= tary and Treasurer. For continuity purposes the positions of President and Treas= urer are each filled by a sophomore or junior grade parent. The NHS Head Girls B= asketball Coach and the President of the Newport Girls Basketball Association (The NG= BA sponsors girls’ select basketball teams in grades 5^th thru= 8^th) are ex officio members.

Fundraising<= /span>: The rightful emp= hasis of the Bellevue School District is academics. Unfortunately that often leaves extracurricular activities in general and athletics in particular unable to survive without private support. While student fees may help, virtually all school groups at NHS must undertake some form of fundraising.

To support the needs of Ne= wport Girls Basketball the NGH sponsors or participates in a variety of fundraising e= vents. All such fundraising is applied to the general purposes of the NGH as determined by the Board. The exceptions to this procedure are:

Ø Fundraising activi= ties conducted by the girls themselves in which case the money is assigned to an= ASB account and is used only in a manner consistent with their guidelines and

Ø Restricted donatio= ns where the donor assigns the purpose for the use of the monies.

The Board has the option t= o charge minimum participation fees for non-winter season activities. These fees are charged when there is a shortfall in NGH resources or when the Board decides that such a minimum fee enhances player commitment. Such fees are restricted exclusively to the activity involved.

Events & Activities: Each year at its April= Board meeting the NGH determines the events and activities it will sponsor, participate in or support during the upcoming July through June basketball season. These events and activities may change year to year. Currently they include but are not limited to:

Ø The annual Cold Turkey Tournament (CTT) held= the weekend after Thanksgiving each year. The tournament is conducted in cooperation with the Newport Girls Basketball Association (NGBA) the govern= ing organization for Girls Select Basketball. Among the many involvements with = the CTT, NGH<= span style=3D'color:red'> parents are members of the tournament committee, man concession and/or tickets stands and provide gym supervision. All NGH paren= ts are expected to commit a minimum of four hours to the tournament weekend. =

Ø Newport HS Blanket sales (year-round). Sold year round at school and athletic events the blankets are quite popular with parents and students alike. Attend an autumn soccer or f= ootball game or an early spring baseball or softball game and you’ll immediat= ely appreciate their value.

Ø Lazy Sunday Series, a monthly series of one day tournaments in the spring and fall bring some of = the top teams in western Washington for a round robin event. =

Ø The Buzzer Beater, a tournament with Varsity and JV divisions that closes out the WIAA summer season.

Ø Knight Clinics and Camps Each year the NHS coaching staff offers a clinic for Select players just prior to tryouts and a four day summer camp that combines skill development and conditioning. A portion of these revenues accrue to the NGH to support its efforts.=

Ø Game Night Concessions Parent volunteers run a concession booth at all Newport home games and at other NGH events during the year. Proceeds help support the NbK spring and fall progr= ams.

Resource Uti= lization - - NGH Projects: = The money raised by the NGH is spent on projects= that:

Ø Enhance the basket= ball experience for the girls.

Ø Provide opportunit= ies for skill development.

Ø Recognize the accomplishments of graduating seniors.

Among such projects are:

Ø Winter Se= ason Supplemental Support: <= span style=3D'color:red'>Student fees help fund the actual winter season and pay= the majority of coaching stipends. NGH resources provide enhanceme= nts. This program receives a significant proportion of NGH fund raising revenues. =

Ø Newport H= igh School Girls Basketball Scholarship Program: Each year Newport Girls Basketball awards one or more scholarships to outstanding, graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated a commitment to girls’ basketball, strong leadership qualities and superior academic performance. Candidates for the scholarship are identified and selected by = the NHS Girls Basketball Head Coach with advice and guidance from teachers, sch= ool administrators and program boosters. Criteria for selection as a scholarship award recipient may include but is not limited to:

= ¨ Basketball commitment as demonstrated by a long term allegiance to the program and being a multiple letter winner in the sport.

= ¨ Leadership on and off the cour= t.

= ¨ Recognition of basketball tale= nts through awards and all-star selections by League officials and other groups= .

= ¨ Superior performance in the classroom as demonstrated by GPA, Dean’s List, Advanced Placement (AP) courses and College Boards.

= ¨ Talents and interests beyond sports in fields such as the performing arts and community service.

= ¨ Acceptance at an institution of post secondary education.

= ¨ Financial need.

The NGH AND NGBA contribute ten per cent of the net proceeds of the annual Cold Tur= key Tournament to the scholarship program. The NGH supplements this amo= unt (when possible) through other fundraising activities. The scholarships are non-recurring and not a renewable source of financial assistance to a recipient(s). The award is paid directly to the college the recipient(s) pl= ans to attend. The award(s) is announced at the annual end of season basketball banquet.

Ø Challenge Knight i= s an early season event that enables parents and fans to meet the pl= ayers for the upcoming season. With an eye toward the future NGBA Select teams al= so participates. All players are introduced and may participate in scrimmages = and shooting contests.<= /span>

= Ø Summer Basketball Training and Competition: The primary out of season activity of Newport Girls Basketball is the summer program conducted by the Girls Basketball Head Coach. Varsity play is tournament oriented. The JV te= am typically plays in a league plus 1-3 area tournaments (no overnight travel). Travel costs and camp fees are extra and assumed by the player. Partial scholarship support may be available. Participation in the summer program is voluntary and does not affect the winter season selection process.

The summer program provides your daughter with the opportunity to join with = her high school teammates to compete against other quality high school teams in order to develop both individual and team skills. The NGH sees the summer program as a choice that can also enhance participation on AAU or Club teams or stand on its own merits depending on = the needs or desires of each player. The cost of the summer program is kept&nbs= p;as low as possible so that involvement with these other teams does not overburden a player financially.

As with Nb= K in the spring participation is voluntary. It is offered as one approach toward helping a Newport girl become the best basketball player she can be. Participation has no effect on the decision-making for the Frosh/Soph, JV or Varsity basketball teams at NHS. Further, many girls are committed to other sports at NHS in the summer, while others have long-standing relationships with AAU or Club teams. The NHS coaching staff will work to h= elp each girl develop an appropriate mix of high school, AAU or other summ= er sport participation, but the final decision of when, where and what to play is up= to the player. A player, however, may be left off the summer varsity team or placed on the summer JV team if the coaches determine that the girl's commitment is so minimal as to be detrimental to the development of the oth= er players involved.<= /o:p>

The summer program starts on or about June 1 and runs until July= 31. You can expect practices two to three times per week usually in early eveni= ng and a tournament virtually every weekend. The July 31 ending date is mandat= ed by Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) rules. The intent is to create a period (= albeit brief) when no high school teams in any sport are active. Ending July 31 provides a two week gap between the end of the summer coaching period and t= he starting date for the beginning of fall team practices. Families that strug= gle to find time for summer vacations should take special note of this period.<= o:p>

Ø Spring an= d Fall NbK Basketball: To fill the ga= ps between the high school winter basketball season and the summer basketball program, the NGH= sponsors both a spring and fall basketball team. Known= as NbK (Nothing but Knights), the team is an opportunity for Newport girls who want to compete in basketball on a virtually year round basis do so together rather than split up to join various club teams. NGH offers a spring sche= dule equal to if not better than most club programs and a fall program designed = to provide the physical conditioning necessary for the winter season.

(An import caveat -- The program is independent of NHS and voluntary. It is offered as one approach toward helping a Newport girl become the best basketball player she can be. Participation has no effect on the decision-making for the Frosh/Soph, JV or Varsity basketball teams at NHS. Further, many girls are committ= ed to spring and fall sports at NHS, others have long-standing relationships with Club teams. There is no requirement to participate in the spring or fall te= am programs. Based on previous experience, however, girls will find it extreme= ly difficult to play for both NbK and another AAU or Club team. This practice = is definitely discouraged.)

Budgets: Once the Board o= f the NGH determines the events and activities it will sponsor, participate in or support during the upcoming July through June basketball season a budget is established during the April-May time period and ratified at the June Board meeting. The budget is posted on the Newport Girls Basketball website and d= istributed by email and at the November parents meeting.

&nbs= p;

Expectations= for an NGH Parent: The Newport High School Girls Basketball program and the NGH need the involvement of par= ents. The NGH is a revenue raising organization. Its membership is d= rawn from the ranks of NHS girl basketball players’ parents. The NGH firmly believes that a component of the involvement of a girl with basketba= ll at Newport is a commitment by the family to support the program.=

That support does not nece= ssarily need to be financial and indeed the foremost commitment of an NGH parent is to volunteer time. During the course of the school year the paren= ts of a girl basketball player are invited to donate 20 hours of volunteer tim= e to the program.

Ø Four hours are com= mitted to the Thanksgiving weekend Cold Turkey Tournament (CTT) when parents are a= sked to staff admissions and concessions.

Ø The remaining hour= s are used for staffing scorers’ table, game night concessions and special events such as the Knight Challenge and Lazy Summer and Buzzer Beater basketball tournaments. Driving players to gam= es, chaperoning overnight trips and providing manpower at camps and clinics are= but a few of the other volunteer opportunities to choose among.

Beyond volunteering it is = also important to be responsive and communicative with parents who are performing volunteer services within our organization. Much of our communication is by email. Please be sure that email addresses are always up to date, when you = do receive a communication and you will likely receive many, parents are expec= ted to respond promptly and thoroughly. Doing so makes the job easier for every= one.

Raising revenue is integra= l to the NGH mission. For those parents who can support girls’ basketball financially, we encourage you to do so. Donations of any size are always appreciated. For specifics on how your gift might help Newport please contact the NGH<= /span> president.

Final Though= ts: The NGH is an all-volunteer organization promoting the best interests of all girls playing basketball at Newport High School. We are parents giving of our time and when possible money to make the association work. Sometimes the press of activities makes us less effective than we’d like to be. Our belief is that better effectiveness comes with broader involvement and greater communication. We encourage all parents and friends of girls’ basketb= all to get involved. Go to games. Volunteer to help. Be supportive of all teams= and players. It’s easy to be a sideline critic, it’s more difficult= to write a check and at times it’s overwhelming to spend countless hours volunteering. If all of us can do a little more our girls will be the benefactors. Your financial support and volunteer hours are most welcomed a= nd appreciated.

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Approved by the NGH Board of Directors = in September, 2005, Amended May 5, 2009