WOMEN-IN-HOCKEY Digest 260

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: USA Hockey or Other?
	by Jane Webb 

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Date: Sat, 29 Jun 1996 10:27:48 -0700
From: Jane Webb 
To: email@hidden
Subject: Re: USA Hockey or Other?
Message-ID: 

I have the benefit of playing in , what I fell is a very well run,  
women's league.  I have played previously in Buffalo, NY and 
Washington D.C.  The Northern California Women's Hockey League (NCWHL) 
was formed in San Francisco 1993 by Theresa Green with four teams. The 
non-checking league plays all year long in two seasons. In the first 
year matched lines were used. Today the league has three divisions 
beginner, intermediate and advance.  Beginner and intermediate have 
pratices and games while the advance has games only.  There are 
currently four teams in the intermediate and advance, don't know the 
current beginner number but at least two.  Each person purchases a 
home and away jersey and sock set for their division.  You keep this 
jersey and number for as long as you stay in that division, keeps the 
costs down.  Each game the teams are designated home or away.  Each 
season, captains or league reps get together and form the new teams 
with the goal of keeping the teams as even as possible.  I have been 
playing for 2.5 years now and have played with almost everyperson in 
my division.  This keeps the league competive yet fun.  Most of us 
have careers to think about and don't want a injury to jepodize that.  
Players can substitute from the lower division when needed.  The games 
are played at four or five different rinks throughout the area in a 
range of approx 50 miles, ice times are Sunday early evening and 
Thursday night, Not bad!  With the introduction of the Sharks new 
rinks are being built. As you can see it is sort of a house league 
without having a house.  

Adminstration of the League:  USA hockey is mandatory in our league 
for insurance reasons, it is a pretty good deal $20 each for all year 
and a magazine.  The magazine has some good articles and has ads from 
stores all over the county and canada.  Many of our players order from 
these stores due to the high prices of hockey stuff in California. 
Also many tournaments we play in require it.  The league is run by the 
players volunteering for different positions.  Someone makes sure we 
have refs and someone makes sure we have scorers (we pay $10 for 
scorers).  Each year new elections are held.  This is a league for 
women run by women. Doing this we keep our cost lower than the men's 
leagues.  We hold "give try hockey" events twice year.  Advertisements 
are placed in the newpapers on a regular basis (thats were I found out 
about the league).  

Many women play both in our league and the men's league.  USA hockey 
in our area is probably more supported by the women's league.  We do 
need to remind them of that.  We play in tournaments by starting with 
a core team (usally the season winner) and add players as needed from 
the other teams.  We also play teams from other areas, mainly from 
Southern California (LA).

Another source of information is the
$15 yearly subscription to 
Women's hockey network
P.O. Box 240328
Apple Valley, MN  55124

Hope this helps.

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End of WOMEN-IN-HOCKEY Digest 260
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