July newsletter july 2013

WISCONSIN SPORTS

SERVICES

pg. 2

bout two and a half years ago, I was

recruited to be one of the guest

speakers at the Wisconsin Parks and

Recreation Association state conference in

La Crosse, Wisconsin. I presented two

sessions that day, Trends in Youth Sports

and Learning to Live with Travel Teams.

The basic topic of both presentations was

how different youth sports are now versus

the good old days of yesteryear. In the

process of delivering those sessions, I

discussed some of the current problems in

the world of youth sports and how we have

adapted to them in Minnesota. You see, not

only am I the Executive Director of the

newly formed Wisconsin Sports Services, I

am also the co-founder and current

Executive Director of the Minnesota Youth

Athletic Services, which is a 501c3 nonprofit

organization that began doing business in

Minnesota in 1991. For me, this is dj vu

all over again.

Following both presentations, I was

surrounded by Park and Rec professionals

and all of them had the same message: We

sure could use an organization like the

MYAS in Wisconsin. I have heard that same

sentiment from numerous western

Wisconsin baseball, wrestling and

basketball teams that make frequent trips

across the border to participate in the

leagues and tournaments offered by the

MYAS. I had also heard that those same

teams werent too keen on the idea of

being from the Badger State and playing in

the Gopher State Baseball League or

Gopher State Basketball Tournaments.

Frankly, I dont blame them! I was born and

raised in Bloomington, Wisconsin, so I can

totally understand why Wisconsin would

want their very own organization to service

their amateur sports. (How I ended up in

Minnesota is still sort of a mystery to me

and a much longer story than youd care to

read, so well leave that for another time.)

That WPRA conference was held in early

November, the week before the 2010

Minnesota deer opener. I spent the next

three days in my tree stand, wondering if an

organization like the MYAS could make it in

Wisconsin. The following January, I met

with the MYAS Board of Directors and

secured their permission to start a

feasibility study on the creation of a sister

organization in Wisconsin.

To make a long story short, over the next 18

months we made 22 trips to Wisconsin,

meeting with anyone and everyone who

would talk youth sports with us, including a

four-hour meeting with the WIAA staff. I

wanted to get a feel for the youth sports

A

BADGER TRACKS- NOTES FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DAN KLINKHAMMER

pg. 3

environment in Wisconsin. I wanted to

know what you had and what you didnt

have. I wanted to know what you liked and

what you didnt like. I wanted to know who

the good guys were and who the bad

guys were. I wanted to know who was in it

for the kids and who was in it to fill their

own pockets. If we were going to commit to

this project, we needed to know the current

lay of the land for youth sports in

Wisconsin.

Nearly two years after the initial thought

passed through my head, the MYAS Board

of Directors gave their blessing and

approved funding for the creation of the

Wisconsin Sports Services.

A lot has happened since then. All of the

necessary registration paperwork,

trademarks and documents were filed in

both Wisconsin and Minnesota, which was

a complicated and daunting task. Next was

creating the WSS website

(www.wisportsservices.org), which has

been up and running since mid-January. The

search for office space led us to 2317

International Lane in Madison. We signed

the lease on that space in February and

started painting and setting up the office in

March, with a target of an April 1 opening.

Staffing the WSS was a challenge. When I

polled the MYAS staff on who would like

the challenge of moving to Wisconsin and

taking on the task of building the WSS from

scratch, only two hands were raised. Yes,

you guessed it my two sons Adam (31)

and Lance (28) would eventually be the first

two pair of boots on the ground in

Wisconsin. (I raised them as Packer and

Badger fans so it was a no-brainer for them

to jump on the bandwagon!)

Since then, we have been joined by Brian

Meeter, Marketing Director, and Beth Davis

and Jake Wenzel as two additional Program

Directors. They are all college graduates,

with degrees in Sports Administration. The

WSS full-timers will be assisted by six part-

time Area Directors who are located in our

hub cities of Eau Claire, Wausau, Green Bay,

La Crosse, Madison and Milwaukee. So all

together, we have 11 people ready and

willing to do whatever is best for

Wisconsins amateur sports population.

With all of that said, having an office, a full-

time staff and a website does not mean that

we are established far from it. We fully

understand that we are the new guys on

the block and it will take some time to earn

your respect, trust and confidence. I have

repeatedly told the young and energetic

WSS staffers that this is not a sprint, its a

marathon. I fully expect that it will take 3-5

years before the entire state is aware of

what benefits the WSS brings to Wisconsin.

It will take some time to build those

relationships. It will take some time to

figure out the Wisconsin sports puzzle, but

we are up to the task. Weve done it before

and we WILL do it againor die trying!

So now you know how we got here. In a few

years, I hope you are all saying,

We are glad that you came!"

pg. 4

isconsin Sports Services officially hit the ground running this spring

with the launch of a dynamic web site and the launch of a

sophisticated marketing attack with the help of Wisconsin Sports

Network. In addition to an online ad campaign on the WSN web site, WSS was

featured in an article in WSN Illustrated, the print and online magazine of

Wisconsin Sports Network. Click here for a link to the magazine:

http://wissports.uberflip.com/i/134392

The programming staff at WSS is busy putting together a series of youth and adult

sporting events across the state. With that, businesses are asking how they can

get involved with our growing number of events and marketing opportunities.

There are many ways, from sponsoring single event, multiple events, and

programs in general. For example, in August, Dudley softballs and Combat bats

have signed on as sponsors of our USSSA State Softball Tournament in Janesville.

There are many different ways to get involved, please contact Brian Meeter at

brian@wisportsservices.org to find out how!

Marketing Tip # 1: Offer Exclusive Deals to your Social Media Customers Social marketing through Facebook and Twitter can be a struggle for some businesses, especially new businesses trying to navigate the complex world of social media. Start with offering exclusive deals or content to your social media customers. Contests with prize giveaways are a perfect example to reward your customers, activate their interest, and create a buzz about your business. This can be a low cost effective way to increase your customer base and reward those who are active on your social network!

W

MARKETING OF WSS EVENTS ON THE RISE By Brian Meeter, WSS Marketing Director

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isconsin Sports Services

(WSS) baseball staff is

proud to announce a

new end of the year baseball event,

the Badgerland Tournament of

Champions (BTC). The BTC is the

sister event to the Gopher State

Tournament of Champions (GSTC),

administered by the Minnesota

Youth Athletic Services (MYAS).

Widely regarded as the most

prestigious youth baseball event in

the Upper Midwest, 474 teams

participated in the 2012 GSTC at

three competitive divisions over six

different age levels.

Due to the success of the Minnesota

program, the BTC aims to replicate

the GSTC in bringing together the

best teams in the state by selecting

local invitational tournaments ran by

local associations and awarding them

qualifier status. The top finishing

teams in each local tournament are

awarded Automatic Berths as well as

BTC points to all participating teams

that can earn At-Large Berths through

the BTC Points system.

This year, the BTC will be offering

tournaments at three age levels (10u,

11u and 12u) in three different

communities in August. Consistent

with all WSS sanctioned events, we

provide fundraising opportunities to

a local youth sports group that

provides the volunteer workforce and

retains all concessions and

admissions. We believe by partnering

with our customers and allowing

them to raise funds for their

programs, it will result in a stronger

local athletic community as a whole.

This year, the Host Groups for the

2013 BTC are Holmen Youth Baseba