Ballard Lacrosse

Ballard Lacrosse

PLAYER CONTRACT

All persons associating themselves with Ballard men’s lacrosse are to always comport themselves in a respectful manner, exemplifying sportsmanship when interacting with any person in any setting. This is to include players, coaches, and parent/guardian during all Ballard lacrosse activities. The following expectations are extended to include time spent playing under the Ballard banner:

Line-ups

•The Ballard team will be treated as a high school “varsity” or “junior varsity” sport by the coaching staff and as result playing time will be determined by the coaching staff without a requirement for equal playing time. However, the junior varsity team focus will be to improve all players to the varsity level and therefore will emphasis playing time for all team members

•Coaches will make all decisions regarding line-ups.

•Some factors included in these decisions are:strength, skill, attendance, and attitude/character.

•Changes in line-ups may occur at any point prior to and during the game.

•Changes in line-ups should never be considered as punishment.

Attendance

•Like all other team sports, lacrosse requires conditioning and effective individual to team skills, therefore attendance to practices and games is crucial. Any absence affects individual player performance, the team, and/or team position assignments. Therefore, coaches has the authority to take appropriate action if a player misses practice without an excused absence including removal of that individual from his/her field position.

•Excused absences include illnesses and family matters.

•Excused absences also include extra-curricular academic activities (i.e. high school winter sports participation, school sanctioned field trips). Players should be aware of homework, quizzes, tests, etc. and plan accordingly so that those regularly occurring events do not impede the training schedule.

•Unexcused absences could incur disciplinary action that could include additional physical training and/or loss of player position, loss of playing time.

•Absent players can recover his/her position on the team after returning to regular attendance, maintaining a positive attitude, and shows strong performance.

Parent Involvement

•Ballard men’s lacrosse cannot function without parent/guardian volunteers. All parents/guardians are highly encouraged to get involved with the club events.

•A parent’s involvement will not affect, positively or negatively, a player’s position on the team.

Personal Responsibility

- The player is responsible to maintain a good academic standing and lacrosse should not distract from this goal.

-All members of Ballard men’s lacrosse are responsible for their own actions. Willfully participating in any activity that is detrimental to both the team and the individual is unacceptable. Any use of any banned substances (alcohol, tobacco and/or drugs) or involvement in behavior that does not honor the game of lacrosse will subject the players to disciplinary action as indicated below.

- Players will not tolerate the bad actions of other teammates. The bad act of one player negatively affects the performance of the team. Players are encouraged to report honestly any inappropriate behavior to a coach as soon as possible. The coaching staff will work to maintain the confidentiality of those who report infractions.

Disciplinary Policies

•The coach may go so far as to cancel the club or individual’s participation in a scrimmage or game if the severity of the offense so warrants.

•Player will also be suspended one practice day per day for Out of School Suspensions.

The team suspension will follow immediately upon the head coach being made aware of the school suspension.

•Out of School Suspensions may also incur suspension from scrimmage or game (s).

Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drugs- The Ballard men’s lacrosse works to maintain a substance-free program.

Travel/Hotel Expectations- The nature of this sport may require traveling nand/or staying overnight in hotels. A player’s failure to comply with reasonable expectations (curfew, lights out, etc.) will result in disciplinary action. The coach (es) will determine the appropriate consequence(s) based on the nature of the infraction. The potential recourses will likely include, but are not limited to the following…

Report the infraction to parents.
Exclusion from the scrimmage/game/competition. Understand that this may impact the entire line-up if there are insufficient alternates. The entire team may suffer from the poor decision(s) of one player.
Exclusion from future trips.
Suspension or permanent removal from Ballard activities. A committee comprised of the coaches and the Ballard booster club will convene to determine an appropriate duration, if warranted.

Ballard Mens Lacrosse Code of Conduct- Players, coaches, officials, parents and spectators are to conduct themselves in a manner that "Honors the Game" and demonstrates respect to other players, coaches, officials, parents, spectators and fans. In becoming a member of the lacrosse community an individual assumes certain obligations and responsibilities to the game of lacrosse and its participants. The essential elements in this "Code of Conduct" are HONESTY and INTEGRITY. Those who conduct themselves in a manner that reflects these elements will bring credit to the sport of lacrosse, themselves, their team and their organization. It is only through such conduct that our sport can continue to earn and maintain a positive image and make its full contribution to amateur sports in the United States and around the world. Ballard lacrosse supports the following behaviors for those who participate in the sport or are involved in any way with Ballard Lacrosse. The following essential elements of the "Code of Conduct" must be followed: Sportsmanship and teaching the concepts of fair play are essential to the game and must be taught at all levels and developed both at home and on the field during practices and games. The value of good sportsmanship, the concepts of fair play, and the skills of the game should always be placed above winning.

The safety and welfare of the players are of primary importance.

Coaches must always be aware of the tremendous influence they have on their players. They are to strive to be positive role models in dealing with young people, as well as adults.

Coaches should always demonstrate positive behaviors and reinforce them to players, parents, officials and spectators alike. Players should be specifically encouraged and positively reinforced by coaches to demonstrate respect for teammates, opponents, officials and spectators.

Players should always demonstrate positive behavior and respect toward teammates, opponents, coaches, officials, parents and spectators.

Coaches, players, parents and spectators are expected to demonstrate the utmost respect for officials and reinforce that respect to players/teammates. Coaches are also expected to educate their players as to the important role of lacrosse officials and reinforce the ideal of respect for the official to players/teammates.

Officials are professionals and are therefore expected to conduct themselves as such and in a manner that demonstrates total impartiality, courtesy and fairness to all parties.

Spectators involved with the game must never permit anyone to openly or maliciously criticize badger, harass or threaten an official, coach, player or opponent.

Coaches must be able to demonstrate a solid knowledge of the rules of lacrosse and should adhere to the rules in both the letter and the spirit of the game.

Ballard players in compliance with the above expectations can expect to be educated in the sport of lacrosse. Players will learn sportsmanship, individual position skills, as well as the ability to work with others toward a common goal for the benefit of all involved. Lacrosse is a lifelong sport whether participants continue to play or not; experiences and lessons learned will last forever.

Ballard Lacrosse Club

PLAYER/PARENT/GUARDIAN CONTRACT

I hereby verify by my signature below that I fully understand and accept each of those above conditions.

Player’s name printedPlayer’s SignatureDate

x______

x______date ______

Parent/Guardian name printedParent/Guardian

x______

SignatureDate

x______date ______

Please detach and return this signature sheet to the coaches