| TheAirHockeyGuy
- 03 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 472
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To the Air Hockey Community,
It is with great pleasure and excitement that we make two very important announcements. First, effective immediately, myself and Brian Accrocco have resigned our positions on the USAA Board of Directors. While we are greatly appreciative of the efforts of the USAA over the years, we no longer feel that we share the same values, vision, or methodology as the organization. In order to do our part to legitimize and grow the world of air hockey, we have formed a new organization, the Air Hockey Players Association (AHPA). Information regarding our new organization can be found at http://www.theahpa.com. This is an exciting time in the world of air hockey. We are working very hard to use our abilities to help promote and grow our sport of air hockey. I'm sure many of you will have questions regarding our new organization and we are more than happy to answer any questions you may have. We can be reached at chris@theahpa.com or brian@theahpa.com. We will also watch the forums on the AHPA website and answer any questions that come up. In addition, we will both be on hand at the Texas State Open next week to discuss our plans moving forward and to answer any questions from the air hockey community. One thing we want to make clear is that we encourage all air hockey players to participate in as many air hockey events as possible regardless of the governing body responsible for the event. We have no ill will towards the USAA and we support their efforts to help further the sport we all love.
Second, we would like to formally announce the Inaugural 2015 AHPA Air Hockey World Championship in Colorado Springs, CO, July 24-26. This event will take place at the Chapel Hills Mall, 1710 Briargate Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO, as part of the Rocky Mountain State Games. The Rocky Mountain State Games http://www.rockymountainstategames.org, is the largest sports festival in Colorado hosting over 40 different sporting events this year and expecting over 10,000 participants. It is also a member of the National Congress of State Games http://www.stategames.org which currently has over 25 member states. We are extremely excited about this opportunity and the opportunities that this relationship could present in the future. This event will be played on the same Dynamo tables we had for the 2014 event. We are extremely fortunate to have Dynamo's support for this event and also for our new organization. More details regarding the event and registration will be available soon on the AHPA site.
For more details please visit our site at http://www.theahpa.com or contact either of us directly or through the AHPA Forums. PLAY PUCK!
Chris Lee & Brian Accrocco
AHPA Founders
Chris Lee
Co-Founder, CEO
Air Hockey Players Association (AHPA)
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- 03 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 658
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| Nice logo. Hope you remember to advertise it on the flyers this year. Oh that's right, you should, it doesn't say USAA on it. ;)
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| carolina phil
- 03 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 1084
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All,
Any AH organization faces the great challenge of respecting the way the players of AH play the sport.
For 40 years, the USAA has responded to how AH players have wanted to play air hockey. Our rules and procedures come right from players who play the sport--because USAA is a "players association."
Brian and Chris have resigned from the USAA so that they can form their own organization. But, I would have preferred their talking to the rest of us in detail first, before deciding there was no choice but to strike out on their own.
I hope that their new venture will produce AH events that will continue to follow the rules and procedures of we air hockey players worldwide.
Phil Arnold
USAA Founder
TheAirHockeyGuy said: To the Air Hockey Community,
It is with great pleasure and excitement that we make two very important announcements. |
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| brain
- 04 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 578
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| Competition in all matters results in raising the level of ability for all players in the game. While the USAA has made some notable strides, it also has fallen short in other aspects. It is our hope that this new organization will not only grow and prosper but that the truly dedicated and entrenched USAA leaders will respond by stepping up their game, and the net result will be an enhanced benefit for the sport of Air hockey across the globe.
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| jsbritton
- 04 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 421
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| will there be an event at the state fair this year as well?
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| TheAirHockeyGuy
- 04 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 472
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jsbritton said: | will there be an event at the state fair this year as well? |
No there will not.
Chris Lee
Co-Founder, CEO
Air Hockey Players Association (AHPA)
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| tableman
- 04 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 690
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It's no secret that I'm a USAA loyalist, having been involved with it almost from the beginning. But I do owe it to any new organization to at least keep an open mind in case they have a better model. So I have a few questions that I think most players are curious about as well:
Word has it that your CO tournament will not be following USAA rules/procedures. You have some very basic rules up on your site but they don't differ from USAA rules. So what if anything will be different about your rules? Rankings? Ratings? Tournament procedures? How will head refs be chosen? Same for tournament committee or equivalent? Who makes final decisions when it comes to rules violation, discipline, penalties, etc.? USAA rules and procedures can be found in detail at public websites. Where can players find details about AHPA rules/procedures?
Over the years there have been many independent promoters of AH who worked in cooperation with USAA. Some have formed organizations to do promotion. But you have chosen to form an AH players ASSOCIATION, which is quite another thing. The USAA constitution is up on this site, on airhockey.com, and other sites, for all to see. The organization is transparent and there is a clear path laid out for any player who wants to become a USAA board member and have a say in the decisions made, including election of officers, rule changes, sanctioning, and all other decisions.
As a players' association, how will AHPA incorporate players into the decision-making process? Who is on the board of directors, and how do players become board members? What is the decision-making process - democratic among board members like USAA, or a different model?
I understand that all these details may not be worked out yet, but at least you could provide an overview of where you're heading with this.
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| TWeissman
- 05 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 210
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Actually, we need answers to all of the rules/procedures and Head Ref/Tournament Committee questions pretty fast, as we have to make a decision on whether the USAA will sanction the event in CO. If it's not going to be sanctioned for rankings and USAA history, then players will need this info quickly.
Please provide information related to this.
Thanks!
Take care...
Tim
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| TheAirHockeyGuy
- 05 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 472
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tableman said: | It's no secret that I'm a USAA loyalist, having been involved with it almost from the beginning. But I do owe it to any new organization to at least keep an open mind in case they have a better model. So I have a few questions that I think most players are curious about as well: |
At this time we will not be making any significant changes to any of the rules. We will be reorganizing and rewording the rules but the fundamentals will be the same. As we establish more of the people that want to be involved in the leadership portion of the organization, we will be organizing more meetings surrounding procedural questions. We really have no huge changes in mind regarding current rules and tournament procedures for this event so players will not see any difference. Starting in 2016, we will be more open to changes in rules and tournament procedures if that's what the players want to see. We are trying to keep things as consistent as possible for this years event. Aside from our organization assigning the tournament committee and head ref, I really can't think of anything we will do differently than we did last year. If the USAA decides to accept our invitation to use this event as their World Championship, we can discuss the possibility of the USAA being represented in the tournament committee.
If we think of any changes that could impact players, we will definitely make it known.
As far as our constitution and organizational procedures, those are still a work in progress. One thing we are currently working on is establishing an Advisory Board of individuals outside the organization. We have reached out to leaders of several different sports organizations as well as individuals in the industry and anyone else that we feel offers a skill set they we see as beneficial to the future of the organization. Our representative at Dynamo has enthusiastically accepted our invitation to be a part of this board and I have heard back from a couple other business leaders so far that are interested as well. I will say that one thing that Brian and I definitely agree on is that in order to be a part of the leadership team, its not going to be based primarily on how much time you have in the sport or the organization. If you are passionate about air hockey and have skills in an area that would be beneficial to the organization, we won't keep you from being involved.
Brian and I never planned on making all of the decisions ourselves so because we just went public with our intentions, many things have been put on hold until up to this point so we can include others in the process.
Chris Lee
Co-Founder, CEO
Air Hockey Players Association (AHPA)
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| TheAirHockeyGuy
- 05 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 472
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TWeissman said: Actually, we need answers to all of the rules/procedures and Head Ref/Tournament Committee questions pretty fast, as we have to make a decision on whether the USAA will sanction the event in CO. If it's not going to be sanctioned for rankings and USAA history, then players will need this info quickly.
Please provide information related to this.
Thanks!
Take care...
Tim |
Brian and I will both be on hand at the TSO next weekend. If you would like to get together a couple representatives from the USAA i'm sure we can find some time for some discussions surrounding this.
Chris Lee
Co-Founder, CEO
Air Hockey Players Association (AHPA)
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| Red puck
- 05 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 193
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I am glad that Chris and Brian have left the past behind and moved on to the future. Air hockey needs a new direction and mission.
However, AHPA will need some fresh meat. New players, new minds. There are many people out there that are just like us. We need to find them and cultivate them into a professional mindset to play and participate in air hockey that promotes professional air hockey on as many levels as possible.
New, different, and also young people would be a great asset to the development of air hockey. The current players can only do what they know, and Chris and Brian have taken laborous efforts to give air hockey a fresh start. It is a step in the right direction; we should expand, go bigger, recruit more players. There are more of us out there. One of the keys of steering air hockey in the right direction.
-Ben
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| chuckdpuck
- 06 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 26
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Red puck said: I am glad that Chris and Brian have left the past behind and moved on to the future. Air hockey needs a new direction and mission.
However, AHPA will need some fresh meat. New players, new minds. There are many people out there that are just like us. We need to find them and cultivate them into a professional mindset to play and participate in air hockey that promotes professional air hockey on as many levels as possible.
New, different, and also young people would be a great asset to the development of air hockey. The current players can only do what they know, and Chris and Brian have taken laborous efforts to give air hockey a fresh start. It is a step in the right direction; we should expand, go bigger, recruit more players. There are more of us out there. One of the keys of steering air hockey in the right direction.
-Ben |
Ben, very well spoken. I am personally impressed in what I've seen from Chris and Brian in both the tourney last year as well as what is already in motion for the tourney in July. I'm open and willing to do what I can in the DFW area and abroad to assist in all efforts to further the sport I love.
-Chuck
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| TheAirHockeyGuy
- 07 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 472
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We have launched two fundraisers to help support the launch and growth of our new organization. One is a t-shirt fundraiser where you will receive a t-shirt for a $20 donation. The other is for people that would like to donate more or less than $20 and do not want a t-shirt. Thank you for your support!
http://www.booster.com/fundtheahpa
Chris Lee
Co-Founder, CEO
Air Hockey Players Association (AHPA)
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| TheAirHockeyGuy
- 07 Mar 2015
Total Posts: 472
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Red puck said: I am glad that Chris and Brian have left the past behind and moved on to the future. Air hockey needs a new direction and mission.
However, AHPA will need some fresh meat. New players, new minds. There are many people out there that are just like us. We need to find them and cultivate them into a professional mindset to play and participate in air hockey that promotes professional air hockey on as many levels as possible.
New, different, and also young people would be a great asset to the development of air hockey. The current players can only do what they know, and Chris and Brian have taken laborous efforts to give air hockey a fresh start. It is a step in the right direction; we should expand, go bigger, recruit more players. There are more of us out there. One of the keys of steering air hockey in the right direction.
-Ben |
Ben-
We totally agree with you! We are going to be doing everything we can to try and reach out to as many players and groups as we can. One thing we would really like to do is reach out to more of the casual players. There are hundreds of thousands of people that play air hockey just for fun and those players are just as important as the professional players. If we can gain a following of hundreds of thousands, professional players will start to pop up out of that group. Also, we want to give anyone that wants to help us build our sport the opportunity to contribute. We are not afraid of new and innovative ideas!
Chris Lee
AHPA Co-Founder
Chris Lee
Co-Founder, CEO
Air Hockey Players Association (AHPA)
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