With the retirement of Don Biggs and Dave Reno from the Board of Directors, the Swords Hockey Association Board is excited to announce the appointment of Andrew Backen as the Director of Hockey for the Swords.  Andrew played youth hockey in Thunder Bay, ON Canada from mites through Midget AAA, and then he played junior hockey for the Thunder Bay Flyers in the United States Hockey League (USHL)  from 1989 – 1992. He played for four years (1992 – 1996) at Miami University on a hockey scholarship. Andrew played on the first ever CCHA Championship and NCAA Tournament team in school history. After Miami he played a season of professional hockey in the Central Hockey League for the Memphis Riverkings.  Andrew brings many years of youth hockey coaching success with the Swords, currently coaching our AAA U14 team.  We look forward to Andrew leading our coach and player development in his new role.  Andrew will join the Board and be a member of the executive committee.

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20-21 U8/ADM FALL/WINTER UPDATE

We are pleased to announce that we have opened registration for the upcoming 2020-21 U8/ADM Program.  Details about the program are listed below and have been modified.  Please be sure to review again.

We are opening registration later than normal due to COVID-19.  However, our jerseys are custom and we must order no later than July 15.  We apologize for the short notice but it is critical to have all registration no later than July 15 to guarantee jerseys for the 2020-21 season. 

To register please go to www.swordshockey.com and click on “Register Online” on the left-hand side.

2020-21 U8/ADM FALL/WINTER PROGRAM

ADM Program History and Principles:

USA Hockey launched the American Development Model (ADM) in 2009 providing a detailed blueprint for optimal athlete development.  By giving your child the ADM experience, you’re positioning them for long-term success.  It’s proven programming, built on qualitative and quantitative research from leading hockey nations, sports scientists, coaches and educators.  USA Hockey also has an ADM specific webpage at www.admkids.com.

2020-21 Cincinnati Swords ADM Program Specifics:

Our program provides players with both ADM structured practices as well as half ice team practices.  The Swords will focus on skater development and FUNdamentals.  This is the time when a foundation is laid for future success.  Fun competitions will also be introduced through a structured team environment.

Ellen Metz will continue her role as ADM Commissioner and Learn to Play Hockey Program Director.  Ellen comes with a strong hockey background, is a Level 4 certified coach and a preschool teacher.  She has worked with youth on and off the ice at all age levels from mites through high school.  The Swords association is proud to have coaches who are all USA Hockey certified and have completed all the USA Hockey coaching requirements.  In addition, the ADM program will have access to Don Biggs, our Director of Hockey.  Don has coached players at all age levels and is a former professional player and a member of the AHL Hall of Fame.

The ADM program will run from the beginning of September through late February/early March and includes a weekly ADM on-ice session for players to work on their skating skills, stickhandling, puck control and positioning.    Additionally, there will be weekly “team” practices on shared ice with another team.  We anticipate these sessions being held on Mondays and Fridays but will not be able to finalize until after the older team tryouts. 

We will take the first two weeks (both Mondays and Fridays) to work with the players and get to know them.  We will not form teams until after these sessions.  There will be a two-week schedule where we rotate the players and after we determine teams, there will be a set schedule based on team placement for the remainder of the season.

Finally, we will have weekend sessions that will be a combination of practices and jamborees.  Jamborees are cross-ice scrimmages with other local associations.  All jamborees will be cross ice pursuant to USA Hockey/MID-AM policies.  The season caps off with an end-of-season tournament.  Teams will also attend an additional tournament event.

Financial Information: 

A final cost will not be available until after the evaluations, with increased ice costs and additions to the program we anticipate a fee of $1150.  Please be sure to review the refund policy which is posted on the website and included in your registration.  Your fee includes:

20-22    60-minute half ice team sessions           

20-22    90-minute full ice ADM sessions

14-16    Home and away weekend jamborees

League Fee/League Tournament

Additional Tournament                                            

Administrative/Membership Fee

Home and Away Jerseys w/Name & Number

Pair of Socks                    

End of Season Award

We are very excited about the upcoming 2020-21 season.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ellen Metz at or Jennie Tiemeyer at .

While we recognize families are in the midst of tryouts -- it's never too late to start thinking and preparing to fundraise your fees!  We have an opportunity to reduce our printing and handling fees by ordering our tickets this year by June 30 and don't want to miss out on this cost savings.  Below are the details of our CharityMania program which is our largest fundraiser.

First Fundraiser for 2020-21 season  --  Want to play hockey for free?  Just looking to reduce your fees?  You should consider CharityMania’s Football Mania Sweepstakes.  Last year, families reduced their fees by over $16,000 participating in this program and we were able to award over $5,000 in winnings to our supporting families.  So how does it work? 

CharityMania/FootballMania Sweepstakes – You sell Football Mania tickets for $20 and keep $14 of this fee or 70%.  This is not illegal gambling.  What are you selling?  You’re selling an access code to digital music and giving away a football sweepstake.  What are you giving away?  You are giving away a Football Sweepstakes which gives the owner of the ticket the opportunity to win weekly prizes based on the NFL game results.  Ticket owners can win weekly $400, $100, $50 or $25.  Also there is a grand prize of $600 and $250 at the end of the season. 

How does the ticket work?  The ticket has all 17 weeks of the NFL season on it and each week the ticket holder gets three randomly generated NFL teams.  Basically for your three teams you add up the total points the teams score for the week.  If it’s the highest combine score for the week, the ticket holder wins $400; second highest $100, third highest $50; next 12 highest score $25.  If the ticket holder scores the lowest combine total you win $50; next 2 lowest scores $25.  So each week 18 prize winners are selected.  There is also an end-of-season grand prize of $600 for the highest valued card of the season and $250 prize for the lowest valued card of the season.  There is also a way for your team to still count even if it’s their bye week and there are tie-break rules in place as well.

What are my costs?  THERE ARE NO UPFRONT COSTS TO YOU!  CharityMania keeps $6 per ticket registered but you do not pay that amount until you SELL the ticket and it’s registered on their website.  We would like all families to sell 90% of their order as unsold tickets result in reduced winnings.

How do I participate?  Email Melanie Luft at treasurer@swordshockey.com by Monday, June 29 with the number of tickets you would like to order.  We will place one order for all our tickets to reduce the shipping/handling portion.  We should have the tickets in hand and ready for pick up at Sports Plus the week of July 20.  You then sell the tickets and collect $20 per ticket (cash or checks payable to Cincinnati Swords) and the completed ticket stub which includes the purchasers name, address, phone and email.  You can sell tickets until Friday, September 4.  At that time, you will need to turn in your monies and ticket stubs.  We will register all the sold ticket stubs with CharityMania, pay CharityMania their $6 per ticket and credit your account for $14 per ticket.

Okay I ordered by tickets, I’ve sold my tickets and you’ve registered them.  What happens after that?  CharityMania handles it from that point on.  They calculate the winners and will notify us of any winners in our group.  They transfer the winnings to us so we can pay our winners and send thank you notes.  We will then pay the winners directly and announce them on our website. 

Linked here are the CharityMania fact sheet and a copy of a sample card. New this year due to COVID-19, CharityMania has provided a Frequently Asked Questions (click here).  Please let me know if you have any questions or need any additional information.  I can be reached at .  We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to help with your hockey costs.  The more tickets we sell the more opportunities we will have for winners.  This past year we had $25, $50, $100, $250 and $400 winners!

Important Dates To Remember:

Monday, June 29 – place ticket order via email ( )

TBD - pick up tickets from office at Sports Plus (anticipated date between July 20-24)

Friday, September 4 - return tickets and money to office for registration with CharityMania

Please note as part of the tryout registration, families agreed to the Swords refund policy.  While we do understand that COVID-19 presents the Swords and our families with a certain amount of uncertainty, we believe the current rink policy and our refund policy will be followed and includes:

1. Rink closure per Sports Plus (level 3 emergency or State of Ohio mandate) – Sports Plus will only close in the event of a level 3 emergency or by a State of Ohio mandate.  If they do not close, we are obligated to pay for our commitment.  If the rink closes, we will be able to stop payments to Sports Plus and work on refunds based on time closed, etc. 
2. Injury/Illness – if a player misses more than 1/3 of season and we have doctor’s confirmation of diagnosis we do a pro-rated refund.  COVID-19 diagnosis would fall under illness. 

Beginning this year for the 2017-18 season, all skaters, at least one parent and all coaches (head, assistant, on-ice helpers) must comply with OH Senate Bill 252 (Lindsay’s Law).  Below is general information about the bill and the requirements.  Even if you do not live in Ohio, if you are participating on a Swords team, you must complete the requirements. 

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Lindsay’s Law: Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Youth Athletes

What is Sudden Cardiac Arrest?

A Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, cutting off blood flow to the brain and other vital organs.  Sudden cardiac arrest is fatal if not treated immediately, most often by a defibrillator.

Who is Lindsay?

Senate Bill 252 is named for national heart health advocate and former Miss Ohio Lindsay Davis who suffers from a heart condition and has since dedicated her career to raising awareness of this potentially fatal condition.

"Sudden cardiac arrest is the number one killer of student athletes," said Davis. "At any moment I could have died because coaches and teachers had no idea this was even a possibility for someone who looked as healthy as I did at that age."

Lindsay’s Law

Lindsay’s Law, Ohio Revised Code 3313.5310, 3707.58 and 3707.59 went into effect in 2017.

In accordance with this law, the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio High School Athletic Association, the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and other stakeholders jointly developed guidelines and other relevant materials to inform and educate students and youth athletes participating in or desiring to participate in an athletic activity, their parents, and their coaches about the nature and warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest.

The following resources were developed to implement Lindsay’s Law:

For parents/guardians and youth athletes:

• Required video
• Required SCA Informational Handout
• Required Signature Form

For coaches:

• If you are a coach for an interscholastic sport and are licensed by the Ohio Department of Education, please visit their website for information about their training requirements around Lindsay’s Law.
• If you are a coach in a community program, please use the following resources:
  • Required video
  • Required SCA Informational Handout

ODH Contact Information

Ohio Department of Health
School Nursing Program
246 North High Street, 7th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215

Telephone: 614-466-1930

Email:     

Page Updated: 7/10/2017