Amy Christensen - Board President

Dear Members,

Over the last nine months since I became president of the HYSA Board, the Board has heard from many of you - directly and indirectly, in emails, calls, and in person.  The feedback is appreciated and welcome as it keeps the Board informed and aware of both positive experiences and areas where we can improve.

I have also noticed that at times, some comments go beyond the constructive criticism that helps us become better.  Discourteous comments have been addressed to referees, field marshals, managers, staff, and others and can contribute to a negative culture that can affect the entire club. I recognize this is not exclusively an HYSA issue, but it is one over which we all have control and responsibility.

HYSA is a nonprofit, member-based organization.  It belongs to all of us. We all have a responsibility to engage with each other and HYSA in a way that creates the type of positive environment we all want for our kids. This does not mean criticism is not appropriate.  In fact, the opposite is true.  Constructive feedback is welcome and often leads to improvement. In offering such criticism, we invite members to join us in trying to tackle the challenges that our club faces. We can do more together than we can separately.

To this end, we are creating a group within the club comprised of Board members and representatives from each program - Micro, HYSL, Academy, and Arsenal.  This will allow us to obtain feedback from these programs, to hear directly about member experience, and to intentionally work toward improving club culture.  If you are interested in participating, please email me at amynd92@msn.com.

In addition, the Board will be adding a “member comment” time to its monthly meeting agenda so that we can hear from members with their feedback and ideas.  The Board meetings are on the third Monday of the month at 5:30, and members can participate in person or virtually.  Please check the website for location and time in case there are any changes.

Lastly, we have a few openings for on the HYSA Board of Directors, which we would like to fill by our annual general meeting in September.  This is a great opportunity to become more involved and help us continue to move the club forward.  Please watch for additional information about how to apply.

We welcome you to engage the club with your feedback - to help us celebrate accomplishments and experiences and to work together to address areas for improvement.  HYSA is all of us, and we are all HYSA. 

Let’s all participate in building the culture we want for our kids.

Amy