Ice Scheduling For Parents
Introduction
Hello, my name is Ross Jerpseth, and I am the Ice Scheduler for Champlin Park Youth Hockey. The
information found in this letter is intended to educate you on the process of ice scheduling and what to
expect in terms of practices/games throughout the year. CPYHA is a customer of Champlin Ice Forum.
We are offered an ice contract from the city/arena management usually after the programming for the
high schools is scheduled and the programming sponsored by the arena is scheduled. There is little
negotiation that takes place. CPYHA simply receives the hours of ice time that the arena provides to
us. The rink is owned by the City and the City has set the budgeted goal for the Ice Arena. CPYHA buys
approximately 1300-1400 hours of ice each year from Oct-March to be used for our season. During the
season ice can cost CPYHA $200-$215 per hour. The majority of these hours are purchased from the
City of Champlin at the Champlin Ice Forum. The remaining hours are purchased from the City of
Brooklyn Park, at the Brooklyn Park Community Activity Center. As an association, we are very
privileged to have great facilities to skate at, please respect these arenas and those that staff them.
Ice Scheduling Process
The ice scheduling process is very complex and can be difficult to manage at times. There are many
factors that go into scheduling ice for our teams, including number of hours available, number of teams,
conflicts with games, scrimmages, tournaments, school activities, etc. The ice scheduling process really
begins at the district level. In early October District 10 holds Game Scheduling meetings for all of the
teams in our district. League games are scheduled at these meetings. Once games have been
scheduled, practices can be scheduled around those games. It will be up to each team to schedule
scrimmages and off ice training. Although the goal is to purchase the exact amount of ice we need each
year, the reality is that is impossible. Any ice that will not be used by our association will be put up for
sale if possible. Any outside or private party is eligible to buy this ice. At times, we will be unable to use
or sell our ice, in which case it goes unused or “burned”. Any ice that is “burned” is still charged to our
association. It is my goal to minimize those instances.
Ice Payments
All CPYHA house teams and traveling players pay a registration fee which helps cover the operating
expenses that CPYHA incurs. One of the largest, if not the largest, expenses CPYHA incurs is the fees
paid for ice rental. Ice rental fees are not paid for with registration dues. CPYHA traveling teams are
billed on a monthly basis, for the actual hours of ice scheduled, at the rate CPYHA is charged by the City
of Champlin and the City of Brooklyn Park. If a traveling team chooses to not utilize any ice they are
scheduled for, they have the option to sell it. Teams will be billed for any hours that they are scheduled
for. Unlike the traveling teams, CPYHA house teams are not billed for the ice they use. CPYHA subsidizes
these costs for house teams.
What you can expect
As a parent and/or coach, you can expect your team(s) to have ice scheduled equally based on their
age/level. USA Hockey outlines within their ADM Model, recommendations for the number of on and
off ice sessions each level should have per year (see ADM Table at the end of this letter). As the ice
scheduler, I will use these recommendations for on ice sessions as a GUIDE, and will schedule based on
the need of teams and the hours we have available. You may see a little variance, due to the complexity
of ice scheduling mentioned previously. Ice times can begin as early as 6 AM, and can end as late at
10:45 PM. These ice slots in particular are not desirable by many, but it is the reality, therefore there
will be times that your team(s) will be scheduled during these times. I will do my best to distribute these
undesirable ice times equally amongst each team taking into consideration age of the kids, and level of
play. You can also expect to have shared practices in which there may be more than one team on the
ice. This helps reduce ice fees, and makes better use of the ice. At the Mite level, there may be as many
as four teams on the ice at one time. Our coaches will plan practices accordingly.