For Mariners owners, learning as they go leads to success

m-mariners owners.doc

Michael Gorman

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

Doug Thistle says being a part owner of the Yarmouth Mariners hasn't changed the way he watches the games as a fan, although he says he does notice certain things a little more than he once did. "When you see a guy breaking a stick now and you know it's $90, it's a little different."

Thistle is one of 28 local shareholders who own the Mariners. Thistle, vice-president of the shareholders' board, along with the rest of the group bought the team from Jack Ross early in this season as tensions started to mount between Ross and some of his staff.

Ray Jacquard, the board's president, said that although there have been some bumps in the road along the way, taking over the team wasn't a difficult decision, under the circumstances. "We knew the alternatives and the alternatives weren't very appealing to us," said Jacquard. "Everybody knew it had to be done, it was just a question of at what cost."

Cost is certainly a factor. Since the local group took over the team, much has been made about the financial state of the Mariners. Jacquard said that while finances might be approached in a different manner next season, he expected the team to continue to be strong and an attractive option for players from away. The fact is, in a location as removed as this one, the team needs to have some drawing power, something both Jacquard and Thistle said they recognize. "Our board is committed to keeping a strong team in here," said Jacquard. "Most of the people who are in this aren't in it for the money because it's not coming back. This is for the community. The money that is coming in is going to go towards bringing in players."

With 10 players on this year's squad eligible to return next season, Thistle said the group already has a strong nucleus to build on after the season is over. "We've got to put on a good show and have a good product to get the support of the fans and it's happening," he said. "We appreciate the support of the fans. They come out night after night."

The group of 28 own varying numbers of shares and play varying roles in the operation of the team. Some, like Thistle and Jacquard, sit on the board or participate in decisions while others are content to be investors and stay in the background.

When they took over there was much to learn. Jacquard said the group is still working on a learning curve but are learning as they go. The group also has the benefit of skilled and knowledgeable hockey people in Steve Kasper and Mark Cole. They allowed Kasper and Cole to take care of the hockey side of the operation while they turned their attention to the administrative side of things. "None of us that were involved (in taking over the team) had any experience or knowledge, for that matter, about running a hockey team," said Jacquard. "That was a big concern of ours . . . There's been some ups and downs. It's a learning experience. But I certainly feel that we have the ability to run this. We've learned a lot and I think next year it will run a lot smoother."

Running the team from day to day was one of the biggest adjustments, said Jacquard. Considering that owning a team could be a full-time job itself, it is that much more work when the people connected to the team have separate full-time jobs. "We're learning all the little things that have to be done and have to be in place to make sure everything runs smoothly," said Jacquard.

Another challenge, of course, is having 28 owners as opposed to only one. Jacquard said this can present challenges but as the group formed a board of directors and elected officers, things started to get easier. "We realize the difficulties you can have with having 28 owners," he said. "Sometimes a lot of people want to have says in things and in a small town there's a lot of talk about different things happening and we've run into that and there's rumors and things like that and we have to deal with that. "But there's benefits to having 28 owners, as well. You have a lot of people to lean on. You can lean on them financially, which we've had to do, and you can lean on them for different areas of expertise." "We've got a good team, we've got a good fan base and it works," said Thistle. "I think we've got a win-win situation."