Wisconsin Sports Services the Story
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Wisconsin Sports Services The Story The WSS is an extension of the Minnesota Youth Athletic Services (MYAS). The MYAS is a 501c3 nonprofit organization created in 1991, that is dedicated to serving the youth sport population of Minnesota. The MYAS coordinates youth sporting events, primarily for the sports of basketball, baseball and wrestling, and provides educational services applicable to all sports to the residents of Minnesota. The WSS intends to duplicate that same effort for the youth sport population of Wisconsin. Dan Klinkhammer is the co-founder and current Executive Director of the MYAS. Dan was born and raised in southern Wisconsin and has had the vision of creating an organization such as the WSS for a long time. As a result of the success of the MYAS, Dan and his team of professionals are now able to turn their attention to the state of Wisconsin and are committed to creating a better environment for youth sports in the Badger State. Over the past 22 years the MYAS has stayed true to their mission and as a result, over 150,000 kids participate in their leagues, tournament and special events annually. The MYAS has become the unofficial governing body for youth sports in Minnesota and has played a major role in the standardization of playing rules, common sense eligibility criteria, improved officiating, comprehensive programming, state of the art communication and networking of youth sport associations via our Ngin website. The WSS will mimic the MYAS philosophy of “YOUTH SPORTS DONE RIGHT.” Our main focus will be building a solid foundation for youth sports in Wisconsin. We are big believers in coaches’ background checks, coaches’ education, parent education, basic first aid training, and volunteer training. We will also be making inexpensive sports accident insurance available through our affiliation with USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association). In addition, the WSS business plan is to “partner” with youth sport organizations to host WSS events in their respective communities. Last year, the MYAS conducted over 200 events in Minnesota and our “partners” raised over $2.3 million for their own organizations. We build programs where everyone can participate and everyone wins! To get the WSS started we have identified Eau Claire, Wausau, Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison and Milwaukee as our six hub cities, where we intend to base most of our events. We are in the process of hiring Area Directors in each of our hub cities, so we’ll have a local presence in those program hubs. Someone you know and someone you can trust. We also fully intend to have a WSS office in central Wisconsin with a full-time staff dedicated to delivering all of the WSS events and services in a professional manner. (FYI - the MYAS began in 1991 with two employees and we currently have 18 full-time employees and 30+ part-timers.) Lastly, the WSS will also mimic the MYAS philosophy of, “We don’t go where we aren’t needed”. We are not in competition with the WIAA, Community Education Departments, Park and Rec programs or any other established entity that is providing quality sport services to the residents of Wisconsin. We intend to complement and collaborate with those existing organizations to improve the delivery of the quality, statewide youth sports effort. As we proceed, we fully realize that we are the “new guys” and it will take some time to earn your trust and confidence. We are prepared for that challenge! .