the 2008/2009 ARAA Basketball season begins ...  

ARAA Boy’s Basketball for grades 3 through 6 
Teams have been formed and you and your child should have been contacted by a coach by now. If you haven’t, call the hot-line or send an email to our director. Practices begin last week at our area schools. We plan on playing 2 games before Christmas and finish the season in the new year. Game schedules will be posted on this web-site and available from your coaches when they have been finalized.

All parents are required to sign and turn-in a medical release form and Sportmanship bond for each of their children participating in ARAA basketball. Please make your coaches job a bit easier by getting these into your coaches before they ask for them

 ARAA Boy’s Basketball for grades 7 through 12
Our 7 - 12 grade boys Junior/Senior league will not begin until January 2009. You should be contacted by a coach before Christmas.

The following announcement was posted on the Andover Athletic Association (AAA) website:

************************************************
ARAA Teams Up with AAA Basketball Programs
Girls and boys teams to participate in 2008/09 season

Girls and boys basketball teams from the Anoka-Ramsey Athletic Association girls will be participating in AAAs basketball programs for 2008/2009.  According to ARAA Basketball Director, Dan Webster, ARAA is always looking for ways to provide the best sports experience for its kids.  In looking around for ways to provide a basketball program that offered the right level of competition, yet focused on fun, AAA’s mission and philosophies stood out as a perfect match.

The arrangement has benefits for AAA as well.  AAA Girls Basketball Director, Larry Britton, notes that including 8 teams from ARAA rounds out the participation levels nicely, making it easier to set up levels and ensure more variety throughout the season.  ARAA will also be sending at least 4 boys teams to play in t he AAA program starting this January.  AAA President and Boys Basketball Director, Steve Gompertz, added that, AAA is flattered that ARAA would entrust its players to our programs.  We’ll be doing our best to ensure their expectations are met as the start of what we hope will be a long-term relationship.

ARAA will be handling its own registrations, team uniforms, and practice scheduling (in accordance with AAA rules).  AAA will provide game scheduling, facilities, and officials.  ARAA coaches will go through NYSCA certification training the same as AAA coaches, and parents will attend AAA’s orientation sessions to become familiar with AAA’s operations and expectations for sportsmanship.

The AAA Board of Directors welcomes ARAA basketball players and their families to our programs, and looks forward to our players and families providing a warm welcome as well.

****************************************************************

To quote an email addressed to Steve Gompertz and the AAA following this announcement, "Steve, this is awesome.  I think that it expresses my feeling exactly ARAA runs an awesome program and their coaches and teams have been great to work with." 

This year our girls are playing in a league with Anoka and Andover teams. We were able to form teams at the 3rd/4th grade and 5th/6th grade levels. Click here or on the side link for current standings.

Registration for the girls and boys grades K-2 and boys grades 9-12 winter basketball program is now online. It will remain on-line until December 10. Note: This program does not meet until January 2009.

**Parents, with changing the Girl’s season and with the merger of ARAA and our Boy’s traveling program we ask that you let every one know about these changes in case they do not have a current email address in our system.

• Jr NBA Camp at Anoka High School (*** Date change***)
  

   

  January 31, 2009 from 10AM - 12 Noon. We will try to set game schedules so that all boys can attend this clinic run by Paul  Broberg our Anoka High School varsity coach and his staff. A detailed flyer with registration information will be posted when it becomes available.   

Anyone interested in coaching, refereeing or any other type of volunteer activity should apply to the ARAA volunteer site.