WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Newsletter as of Saturday, February 20, 2021
Updated as of Monday, February 22nd
Update: there will be NO practices at The Gym on Tuesday night.
It’s finally here! Starting this Thursday is the NCHC Regional Big South Tournament. Also, please continue to pray for Walt Fortenberry.
In this newsletter:
1. Panda Express Fundraiser Night Monday, February 22nd
2. Practice Schedule for Monday and Tuesday
3. Regional Passes Distribution Monday Night
4. NCHC Big South Tournament info and bracket link
5. Regional Tournament Hotel Link
6. NCHC Tournament Dates and Locations
1. Panda Express Fundraiser
Easy to support our organization just by eating.
Monday, February 22 5-9pm
Locations nationwide
Online orders only – apply code 902323 in the Coupon Code box during online checkout at order.express.com or via App
28% of sales will be donated to: Lake Houston Conquerors
2. Practice Schedule
Monday and TUESDAY
February 22
Monday night
G10U 6:30-8:00 Red court
G12U 5:00-6:30 Red court
G14U 6:30-8:00 Red court
G16U 8:00-10:00 Red court
G18U 8:00-10:00 Red court
B10U 5:00-6:30 White court
B12UA 5:00-6:30 White court
B12UB 5:00-6:30 White court
B14UA 6:30-8:00 White court
B14UB 6:30-8:00 White court
B16U 8:00-10:00 White court
B18U 8:00-10:00 White court
February 23
TUESDAY night - CANCELLED as of 2/22/21
There was a miscommunication with The Gym and as a result we do not have court space for practices.
[At the time of this publication, times had not been confirmed. They will most likely be similar to Monday’s schedule. Tuesday times will be sent out via routine communication platforms. All teams will practice this night so as to get in a second practice before Regional tournament. Please understand and plan accordingly.]
3. Regional Passes Distribution Monday Night
If you purchased passes to the Regional tournament, please see Tracie Spradlin in Bldg B to pick yours up.
4. NCHC tournament information and bracket link (game schedules)
Bring a chair with rubber feet. Just like our gym, they gyms in the Dallas area will not have bleachers.
Boys 12-18 age divisions use a boy’s basketballs. All others use a 28.5 size basketball.
All age groups play on 10 foot goals.
Quarter Length
18u- 8 Minute Quarters
16u- 7 Minute Quarters
14, 12u, & 10u- 6 Minute Quarters
Warm Up, Halftime, & OT Info
6 Minute Warm-up
4 Minute Halftime
OT is 4 minutes for 18u, 3 minutes for all other age groups
Bracket Link: Big South Brackets (game schedule) Please note whether your player’s team is home or visitor on the schedule so you will know what color your player needs to wear for their game. Home wears gray. Visitor wears black.
Please click on the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheets for your player’s age division (10U, 12U, etc.)
5. Regional Tournament Hotel Link
The 2021 team hotel for Regionals is Embassy Suites in Frisco, TX. (www.hilton.com/en/hotels/dalfses-embassy-suites-dallas-frisco-hotel-convention-center-and-spa/) We have negotiated a discounted rate which is higher than years past primarily due to the nicer area (Frisco) and partly due to the added amenities.
Embassy Suites is located 10 minutes from Fieldhouse USA & 25 minutes from Fieldhouse USA in Grapevine, TX and offers many positive benefits for our group.
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There are more than enough Q/Q + sofabed suites (sleeps 6) so that every family in our group can be comfortable and our whole LHC family can stay in the same hotel.
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There is a lot of hangout space for the kids (and parents) where we won't be disturbing the front desk or other guests. Being an atrium hotel, parents can also look over the balcony to check on kids below.
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It has a large, beautiful, indoor pool.
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We're hopeful that the delicious cooked-to-order breakfast will be available by February. The current menu is slightly limited due to COVID restrictions.
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We're also hopeful that the evening reception (snacks & drinks) will be available in time for our stay.
Cost: $149.00/night + {optional} $5.00/day to park in the garage (about 100 spots are available for free parking in hotel lot)
Dates: February 24-28, 2021 (because of early/late game potential, most families arrive on Wednesday and about half stay on Saturday night)
*** PLEASE BOOK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN EXPAND OUR ROOM BLOCK, IF NECESSARY. *** {booking deadline: 1/25/2021}
6. Tournament dates and locations
NCHC Big South Regional Tournament
Dates: February 25-27, 2021
Locations: Fieldhouse in Frisco, TX and Fieldhouse in Grapevine, TX
Hotel: Embassy Suites in Frisco. See Hotel link above.
NCHC National Tournament
Note: this is at the discretion of each team
Dates:March 14-20, 2021
Location: Springfield, MO
Board of Directors
President - Roger Obregon
Treasurer - Tracie Spradlin
Secretary - John Puca
Director At Large - John Sparks
Director At Large - Paul Poteet
Key Roles of Support
Director of Basketball - Joe Spradlin
Game Schedulers - Beka Marley, Misty Smith
Communications Coordinator - Kerry and Margaret Higgins
Uniform Coordinator - Ken and Bambi Dossey
Tip Off Challenge Coordinator - Casey Birge
Practice Scheduler - Beka Marley
Spirit Gear - Tracie Spradlin
PRACTICE GUIDELINES
1.) IF YOU ARE SICK, PLEASE DO NOT COME TO PRACTICE!
2.) In general, parents should drop players off for practice. This is especially true of older players (14U and up). Exceptions can be made for new families, as we understand that they need to develop a level of trust before they feel comfortable dropping off their children and leaving. Exceptions can also be made for families who are travelling a good distance (>30 min). Exceptions must be submitted to the Director of Basketball and will be made on a case by case basis. Parents and family members who are allowed to stay should go upstairs. Stools have been placed along the upstairs rails at predetermined spacing to allow fans to sit and watch. Please do not move the stools.
3.) EVERYONE who enters The Gym MUST wear a mask. There are no exceptions. Unless you are participating in direct basketball activities, you must wear a mask. Example: Your child comes into the gym wearing a mask. Once on their assigned practice court, they may take off their mask for practicing. If during practice, they go to the snack bar for a drink or need to go to the bathroom, they must wear their mask.
4.) Players should not come into The Gym until it is time for their practice. It is The Gym’s goal to create a safe environment by enforcing the wearing of face coverings and encouraging social distancing. Reducing the number of players in The Gym at any given time will hopefully prevent the spread of COVID-19 at The Gym.
5.) Once at their assigned court, ALL players for any given team should place their bags and equipment on one bench. This will allow players from the off-going team to be changing shoes and preparing to leave while the on-going team will go to the opposite bench so that those players can prepare for practice.
6.) Players need to leave The Gym as soon as their practice is over. This is necessary to facilitate the exchange of players from different teams who may be practicing on the same court. An exception might be a player who has siblings playing and their family has received allowance to stay, but players & siblings who are not actively participating must be with an adult and not running around the facility.
7.) All effort needs to be made for the front entrance door to The Gym to be an entrance ONLY. The Gym would like players, coaches, parents, and fans to enter through the front doors, but exit through one of the exits of the court they are on. The goal is to prevent the large glut of people in the foyer that we have all experienced
In summary: Players should wait until their practice time, enter through the front door with their mask on and take it off only when participating in basketball activities. Players should put their masks back on and immediately leave The Gym once their practice is over.
GAME GUIDELINES
1.) IF YOU ARE SICK, PLEASE DO NOT COME TO GAMES!
2.) EVERYONE who enters The Gym MUST wear a mask. Unless you are participating in direct basketball activities, you must continue wearing a mask. Players on the court playing basketball and players/coaches on the bench do not have to wear a mask. Everyone else must. There are no exceptions.
3.) Fan’s temperature must be checked at the admissions table, and it is requested that fans use hand sanitizer immediately upon entrance.
4.) All effort needs to be made for the front entrance door to The Gym to be an entrance ONLY. The Gym would like players, coaches, parents, and fans to enter through the front doors, but exit through one of the exits of the court they are on. The goal is to prevent the large glut of people in the foyer we have all experienced.
5.) The bleachers in between the red and white courts are gone and have been replaced with individual chairs placed along the sidelines at six-foot intervals. There is only room for 24 seats, which means only a limited number of fans can come to each game. If we are only playing on one court, then we can have two rows deep for 48 seats. If we are playing on both the red and white courts, each court will get 24 seats facing the respective court with a walkway in between. Fans can also go upstairs to the balcony area, but upstairs seating is limited to the number of stools available.
6.) If there is more than one game per night on a court, all players and fans from a game must leave the court area immediately after the game for the bench and scorer’s table to be sanitized before players and fans for the next game are allowed into the court area.
7.) The player’s bench, scorer’s table and ball must be sanitized before every game.
Notice that these procedures are called “guidelines” because they are in anticipation of changes possibly being made as better and safer ways of doing things are developed. Additionally, we cannot know for certain if recommendation and/or requirements coming from the government may necessitate The Gym to change these procedures.
We all know that COVID-19 has caused many inconveniences in our lives, but we ask that everyone do their best to bear with one another. Remember what God, through the Apostle Paul, has called us to do; With all humility and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love. -Ephesians 4:2. Let’s show tolerance to one another. Not the highjacked definition of tolerance, but the actual meaning of tolerance where we acknowledge that each of us have our own weaknesses and struggles. Please be patient and understanding because, despite of all the COVID-19 craziness, God is still in control and we can have a great basketball season.