4/16/23 ANNUAL MEETING : Board positions

The Shakopee Girls Basketball Association (SGBA) is organized to benefit the girls of our community by providing means for their athletic and social development through organized basketball. In order to support the SGBA, we rely on volunteers to make up our board of directors. This group is a voice on behalf of the association to ensure we continue to run successful basketball programs. 

We will be looking to fill 4 SGBA Board positions which will be voted on and determined at the Annual Meeting held on April 16th. The new board members will begin two-year terms that are effective in May at the first board meeting following the Annual Meeting, which is also when specific board positions will be determined.

If you are interested in being part of the board, email a letter of interest to the SGBA Secretary (SGBAsec@gmail.com) sharing information about yourself and a summary of why you are interested in volunteering on the SGBA Board of Directors. All submissions must be sent by End of Day March 31 to be considered. Additional details regarding the Annual Meeting will be sent in the coming weeks. 

Below are the candidate profiles for our open board positions.

To Shakopee Girls Basketball Association,

Please take this as my “Letter of Interest” for the upcoming open vacancy on the board. I have been a part of the SGBA for the past three years and have enjoyed my involvement with everyone on the board. I truly have enjoyed the opportunity to have met so many fine people and hope to continue to be a part of this organization.

The last three years I have been the Director of Facilities scheduling for all girls travel basketball. I was surprised of the lack of gym space trying to accommodate all the different requests, while being cognizant of the dates and times. I would like to continue to be in this role as I have become more familiar and efficient in this process.

I have three children all in youth sports year-round. I believe in parent involvement and want to do the best I can to have the highest positive impact. I coach basketball and football to fill in voids when needed and get to be aware of other associations in how they operate.

Regardless of the outcome, I will always be readily available in any capacity to serve the Shakopee Girls Basketball Association.

Respectfully,
Jason Arras

( Current :  SGBA Director of Facilities - Re.Running ) 

I am writing in response to your email that was sent on 03/18/2023, regarding 4 open SGBA board positions. I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to express my interest in working for the youth and families of Shakopee through the SGBA.

I have a passion for basketball, specifically with development and advancement on and off the court. I have competed in basketball at the high school and collegiate level, respectively at Eau Claire North High School and the University of Minnesota-Morris. After competing in college, I have coached numerous youth teams including Upward Bound (Fargo, ND), SGBA In-house 2nd grade and North Dakota’s premier AAU program Every Childs Important (ECI) 12U in addition to coaching several girls’ and boys’ basketball camps with Eau Claire North High School and the University of Minnesota-Morris.

My daughter has played with the SGBA since 2021 and I have continued to be impressed with the associations approach with advancing youth on and off the court through athletics. If chosen, I am confident that my experience and skills would assist the SGBA board with promoting the SGBA’s mission statement along with continuing to evolve to serve our youth and families of Shakopee. Please, feel free to call me if you have any additional questions
Sincerely,

William Jenson

I would like to express interest in re-running for an SGBA board position.  Over the past few years, we have made great strides in streamlining communication, enhancing programs, making changes based on member feedback, growing in-house participation and executing premiere tournaments.

While we have made strides in the right direction, we should seek to continuously improve, which I feel I could positively impact.  I'm dedicated to ensuring we are proactive in planning, have a comprehensive communication plan, and are actively discussing association needs and making decisions in the best interest of our athletes and members.  I'm passionate about collaborating with others and providing the best experience possible for girls in Shakopee to enjoy the great sport of basketball.  

Thank you,

Jessi Krueger

( Current :  SGBA Secretary & Director of Communications - Re.Running ) 

SGBA Association – Board of Directors

I’d like to express my interest in joining the SGBA board.  This is an incredible opportunity that would grant me the opportunity to serve the girls and their families within our growing community. 

I have a strong passion to work and advocate for any child who wishes to be a part of the SGBA family. No matter their ability, obstacles, and anything in between, I’d love the opportunity to work with these children and families to ensure a fun and exciting atmosphere inclusive for all! 

Additionally, I have a strong background in Operations and Communications where I believe these skills would be an asset to the organization.  I am actively assisting as the Team Manager for the Girls Spring 5 Team and would love to branch out program wide. 

Thank you for your consideration and look forward to collaborating with the SGBA in the future! 

Sincerely,
Jessi Lundquist

My name is Casey Motschenbacher and I'm interested in joining the SGBA Board.  

A little about myself....I'm an old dad with young kids.  I'm 45, married and have 3 kids....Karson and Quinn are 9 year old twins, and Jacob is 5.  Quinn has an August birthday and she's in 3rd grade, so she's the oldest in her grade.  Karson was born with a severe and rare neurological disorder and she unfortunately passed away in April.  It's a long and sad story but we're all doing ok.  Jacob is in kindergarten and your typical 5 year old boy.

I grew up in Glyndon, MN, a small town outside of Moorhead.  I was a 3 sport athlete in high school, playing football, basketball and track, with some baseball sprinkled in during my younger years.  Basketball was always my first love.  My dad was a PE teacher and football and basketball coach.  My 2 brothers and I were all gym rats growing up.  There wasn't much else to do in a small town, so we were in the gym a lot, especially since all we had to do was to grab the gym keys.  Our summers were filled with basketball camps around the state, since there was no such thing as AAU back then.  My high school career was nothing too spectacular.  I was a 2 year starter and all-conference, and we went into the sub-section tourney those years as a high seed and quickly got upset.  I was lightly recruited by D3 schools for basketball, but more heavily recruited for football.  I went to the University of MN in Crookston, mainly so I could play basketball there.  It was a bad experience and I only lasted a year, and then switched over to football.  Football was a much better experience and I played and started 3 years there, and we even made it to the national playoffs one year.  I graduated with a MIS degree and I currently work as a Network Engineer at US Bank.  

So why do I want to be on the SGBA board?  My wife and I are both passionate about athletics.  My wife Carrie went to Wilmar and played in the state basketball tournament as a string-bean 10th grader.  She eventually went on to NDSU to play volleyball and she was inducted into the Bison Hall of Fame in 2017.  She was a pretty big deal and she gets super embarrassed when I tell people about it, which is why I do it as often as I can!  Athletics are important to us and they've been a big part of our lives for as long as we can both remember.  I'd love to be a part of the basketball program any way I can.  I don't have a particular critique of anyone or anything the SGBA is doing.  I'd just like to be a part of it and contribute where I can.  I've kind of stayed on the sidelines initially, as I didn't want to push Quinn too hard.  She was reluctant to join organized sports, and I felt if I pushed her it would backfire.  What got her into sports was a neighbor girl bringing her to softball practices, and then she joined fall softball and loved it.  We saw our opportunity and got her enrolled in the in-house basketball and I feel like she really blossomed and started to enjoy it.  She even said basketball is her favorite now, which I feel gave me the green light to start being more involved.  That's why I didn't volunteer to coach until the in-house travel league.  And now that I've helped out, I'd love to do more.  I have a decent amount of free time and what I think is a good basketball foundation.  Even if I'm not on the SGBA, I'm still going to coach and be as involved as I can be.  I just want the girls to have fun and be successful.  I want to see a gym full of smiling girls with ponytails bobbing all over and lots of laughing.  I take Quinn to a lot of Shakopee home games, and I'd love to see the gym full of people for the girls games.  We were at the section finals game last year when Kate Cordes hit the half-courter, and I think that energy did a lot to excite her.  We even say "Kate Cordes" every time we launch a deep 3 or half court shot.  

I hope this wasn't too long.  I appreciate being considered for a SGBA board spot, and even if it doesn't work out I look forward to working with everyone on the board and being involved in girls basketball.  

Thanks, Casey

I would officially like to state that I am interested in another term on the board.

When I started two years ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I have found that over these two years of being the In-House director, that my impact on the organization has been significant.  While I don't say that to brag, I know that what I have done has helped us to not only grow in numbers, but also has expanded the types and numbers of teams available for girls at all age levels.  

I feel that I can continue to contribute positive momentum for the In-House program while supporting all the aspects of the organization and would be honored to serve another term.

Jason Splitt

SGBA VP, In-House

( Current :  SGBA VP Inhouse  - Re.Running ) 

I would officially like to state that I am interested in a 2nd term on the board.

We have built positive momentum in recruiting more girls into the association and I take pride in building our numbers. I have been involved heavily in running our home tournament, which continues to grow and improve annually and I have added a sponsorship aspect to our association that has brought in over $14.5k the last two years. I would like to continue that trend moving into another term.

Steve Stauff

( Current :  SGBA Co-Tournament Director - Re.Running ) 

I am interested in filling one of the board positions on the SGBA. My daughter Skylar played in the 3rd grade leaguers this year and absolutely loved it. Her skills improved dramatically from the beginning of the season, and she also made several friends in the process.

My interest in the board has to do with ensuring such a great program and experience can continue for other girls including my own. I also would like to give back to the community through a volunteer position like this and get to know other parents of girls in the program.

Thank you for your consideration.

Elliot Watcher