SSIA Newsletter: March 2023

March 29, 2023

Posted By: Galen Beers in Industry Newsletters,

Spring has officially sprung (and hopefully, so have your registration numbers)! Based on the many discussions had at last month's conference in KC, it sounds like participation is continuing to increase and our industry is "Back In Full Swing".

With the change of the season comes some changes within the SSIA. Krissy will be stepping down from her role as Executive Director on April 14th and handing the baton back to Galen Beers, the SSIA's founding ED.

In this month's newsletter, we will share Krissy's farewell message, provide the post-conference recap and information related to the EC Elections, welcome two new members, highlight a few sponsors AND an SSIA member.

If you have any questions or comments, or would like to contribute to a future newsletter, please email krissy@ssia.us on or before April 14th, and galen@ssia.us after April 14th.

Play forever!
~ The SSIA Team

It's Not a Goodbye, but a See You Later

"Making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, they are really diving into a strong current that will carry them to places they had never dreamed when they first made the decision."

- Quote from "The Alchemist" by Paolo Coelho

I had no idea that signing up for a kickball league with VAVi Sport & Social Club (now VOLO San Diego) way back in 2010 would have such a huge impact on my life. My experience with them inspired me to start Kaboom Sports & Social Club when I moved to Pensacola, FL in 2013.

In 2014, I joined the SSIA and attended my first conference in Ft. Lauderdale. I loved the experience and the people I met so much that I decided to run for the Executive Committee in that year's elections and won.

For the next 3 terms, I had the pleasure of working with and learning from our industry's superstars. During that time, I grew my business to a size that allowed me to quit my day job, and when I needed to move unexpectedly, I had multiple offers from multiple clubs within the association that were interested in acquiring Kaboom. Since the SSIA was growing and needed more staffing hours, I was offered the Associate Director role in October of 2016, and took over as Executive Director two years later when Galen needed to step down.

I am proud of the many accomplishments achieved during my tenure with the SSIA including:

Receiving the 2021 Industry Impact Award and the 2020 Outstanding Leadership award for “being a beacon of hope, calm and support to all SSIA members throughout the most challenging time in industry history”
Our response to the COVID crisis including:
- 20+ Corona Response Calls
- Weekly member outreach
- #SaveSocialSports GoFundMe campaign
- Play Sports Coalition’s Grassroots Leadership Committee involvement
- Safety Guidelines Taskforce
- Converting the 2021 Conference to virtual
Hosting 70+ knowledge share calls and educational opportunities for members
The formation of the DEI Committee, Marketing Committee, and Social Sports Network
The recruitment of 34 industry members and 14 sponsors / partners
The planning of 9 successful conferences

None of the above would have been possible without the leadership and support of the following people:

SSIA support staff, Galen Beers and Bethany Jahn
Current and past presidents
- Chris Hastings
- Chris Giebner
- Brian Irving
- John Pantzer
Current and past Executive Committee members
Member volunteers
SSIA members, sponsors, and partners

Now that our industry has made it's comeback from the pandemic and our 13th Annual Conference was a HUGE success, I feel confident in handing the reins back over to Galen in order to pursue something I've been working on for the last several years. The whispers of my idea have become a roar and I am excited to see where that adventure takes me! This is not a goodbye forever, though, as I will continue to be available to assist him and the EC on an as-needed basis.

As I wrap up my message, I wanted to share several important lessons that I've learned through my involvement with the SSIA and that I will take with me in my future endeavors. I hope they will be helpful to you as well :)

We get what we give, especially when we do it without the expectation of getting something in return. The SSIA would not be what it is today without the generosity and passion of our volunteers, and the knowledge that so many freely share. It's important that as the association continues to grow and evolve, those who haven't been as involved get more involved. Remember...it's a potluck, not a buffet!
Remember that everybody poops. It's easy to be intimidated by people who seem to have it all figured out, but I promise that they have their own insecurities, challenges, and shortcomings, too. Big clubs can learn from small clubs, seasoned owners can learn from new owners, and vice versa. Don't be shy to share your superpowers with your industry peers just because you might be new, young, a woman in a male-dominated industry, etc., etc., etc.!
What we do is important! Social sports leagues create communities within our local markets. These communities result in lifelong friendships, marriages, babies, and economic development. No small potatoes there!

I am beyond grateful that the decision to play in a kickball league 14 years ago led me to all of you! Wishing each of you so much success and happiness in your lives!

With love and gratitude,
Krissy Greenleaf

Post-Conference Recap

The 13th Annual SSIA Conference did not disappoint! In fact, it received the highest-rated NPS score (74) for in-State conferences to date!

Hopefully everyone is busy applying the many golden nuggets they picked up during conference week! From conference seminars and breakout sessions, to Sunjay Nath's keynote message on the "10-80-10 Principle, late-night networking sessions, and Team Challenge inspo, there was something for attendees of all sizes and backgrounds.

Thank you to everyone who completed the Post-Conference Survey! This feedback is invaluable for planning future conferences. Click on the links below to read the summary, listen to Trevor Penick's rap, "SSIA", view conference photos, and access the 2023 Conference Report. We are working on the seminar recordings and will announce when they are available to view.

Finally, we want to take one last opportunity to say a BIG thank you to the following people / organizations:

All seminar leaders
Sal Farruggia for creating the Travel Companion Podcast
- Krissy Greenleaf, Tim Sugrue, Nick Ferate, Arianna Dulany, and Christian Crute for their interviews
Brian Irving & Tyler Penick for organizing the Social Star Awards Ceremony
The Conference Planning Committee
- Felix Goodson, Kevin Cregan, Chris Giebner, Brian Irving, John Pantzer, Katy Wade
Social Star Awards Committee
- Brian Irving, John Pantzer, Robert Kinsler
Team Challenge Organizers
- KC Crew, Felix Goodson, Brian Irving
Executive Committee Members
SSIA Staff
- Krissy Greenleaf
- Galen Beers
- Bethany Jahn
Luke and Katy Wade, and the rest of the KC Crew team for being AMAZING hosts!
Barry Griffith for creating the videos for the Social Star Awards, Krissy's video, the Conference Closing video, and editing the seminar recordings!
SSIA Sponsors & Partners

Customer Service Survey Drawing Winners

This year, the SSIA offered the chance for participants of the customer service surveys to win one of three $100 Visa gift cards. We would like to congratulate the following individuals for winning the drawing:

Tier 1 Winner: Shannon Gerber from Orlando Sport & Social Club

Tier 2 Winner: Brad Alayon from Pittsburgh Sports League (not pictured)

Tier 3 Winner: Eric Raszeja from Atlanta Sport & Social Club (pictured on the right)

Updated EC Nominations Process

Nominations are open for the upcoming EC Elections until 2pm EST on Monday, April 3rd!

PLEASE NOTE that there has been a change to the process this year: The goal of the EC is to hold an election each year for about half of the total seats to encourage new people, passion and energy on the board every year. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have 10 of 11 seats up for election this year. The EC has decided the best way to assign terms (2 years or 1 year) to get us back to an ideal election process is to ask for each elected EC member’s preference post-election. If we are not at an acceptable ratio, we will assign terms based on rank order voting. Please email galen@ssia.us if you have any questions related to the change in the process this year.

We want representation from clubs of ALL sizes, so don't be shy! Click HERE for additional information and to submit your nomination. Feel free to reach out to EC members directly at ec@ssia.us to discuss their responsibilities and the ins and outs of serving.

Welcome to the SSIA!

Please join us in welcoming Alli Thompson with Striker Soccer to the SSIA! Striker Soccer provides quality youth and adult soccer programs to West Orlando.

Alli acquired Striker Soccer in October 2022 and has been busy learning the ins and outs of running a social sports club ever since. We were so happy that she was able to join us for the 2023 Conference and look forward to supporting her on her journey! Visit https://soccerinorlando.com/ to learn more about her club.

We are excited to welcome PLAYNOLA back to the SSIA! PLAYNOLA has been providing fun, athletic adult sports leagues to active individuals in New Orleans since 2009. Camp Kent worked for PLAYNOLA for a number of years before acquiring the club several years ago with his partner, Ross Thevenot. We have been trying to get him to join and attend a conference ever since, and boy are we glad that we got see him in KC this year!

Visit https://www.playnola.com/ to learn more about PLAYNOLA.

Member Highlight

Krissy had the opportunity to hang out with the team at Chicago Sport & Social Club earlier in March. In the office that day, the team was busy preparing for their St. Patrick's Day event being held on March 11th.

CSSC has organized St. Patrick's Day events for 30+ years, and has spent the past 7 celebrating one of the industry's favorite holidays at SPIN Chicago, an iconic 1800 square foot ping pong social club in the heart of River North. From 9:30am until noon, 500+ partygoers drink green beer, play ping pong, and watch the river get dyed green.

Congrats on a successful event, and thanks for taking the time to hang out, enjoy some lunch, and share the details of the event!

Sponsor Highlight

Thank you to Michael Bleau and Melissa Cooney with EventHub for hosting their webinar and demo on March 22nd! The recording link has been shared in the private Facebook group and Slack channel, and stored in the Locker Room under Knowledge Share - Sponsorship.

Source sponsor leads for leagues and large social events from a marketplace shopped by nearly 50,000 brands, marketing agencies, and regional businesses.

Join early adopter, Chicago Sport and Social Club, in putting sport and social assets on the national sponsorship map, joining the likes of the Boston Marathon Expo, runDisney, State Fair of Texas, and 1000+ other major sporting events, festivals, fairs, block parties, and expos on our marketplace.
Simultaneously manage hundreds of partners, including digital assets and onsite activations, between multiple team members from one easy dashboard.
Streamline inquiries, paperwork, payments, and logistics communications with batching updates, group messaging, and smart tags.

Click HERE to explore the demo listing page for a sport or league.

Contact Melissa Cooney directly at melissac@eventhub.net to learn more.

Take the guesswork out of concussions
Provided by HitCheck - SSIA Gold Sponsor

Guessing games are not fun to play when assessing and managing concussions in sports! With all the studies and research in concussions, guessing is no longer an option. There are several tools on the market that can be used to assist in assessing and managing concussions as well as making return to play decisions.

First, it is imperative to provide baseline testing for athletes of all ages. This provides the ability to compare post-concussion data to the healthy baseline data of athletes. After a concussion diagnosis has been made, neurocognitive testing can also be used throughout the rehabilitation process in determining how to assist in making a final decision on return to play.

Utilizing a neurocognitive tool, such as HitCheck, to aid in the clinical assessment of concussions has been recommended by the NATA’s (National Athletic Trainers Association) Position Statement: Management of Concussions.

Evaluation of concussions should take a multifaceted approach, including many components such as memory, cognition, balance, color recognition, speed/coordination, and symptoms survey. HitCheck incorporates all components into one tool rather than utilizing several tools. It should be noted that neurocognitive testing is just one tool that health care professionals use. Concussions should be carefully managed with the guidance of a licensed physician. The ultimate decision of return to play should come from the physician; however, tools such as HitCheck are a critical part of the process.

Take the guesswork out of your assessment and management of concussions. Research the best tools that will work for you and make them part of your concussion management protocol. The safety of your athletes depends on you not playing guessing games.

Click here for exclusive SSIA discounts.

This article is summarized from Training and Conditioning.