Shell Lake football players and coaches will adhere to the following standards to help reinforce the character development trait of the football purpose statement. Character development involves transforming a person from within, in the hopes of developing a positive identity, significance, and self-worth. It involves reinforcing positive, potentially life-changing values. This inward transformation will eventually impact how a person interacts with other people. Those with positive character traits display more confidence when interacting with others, maintain healthier relationships, and are more likely to be leaders.
Coaches will also adhere to these standards. They will be consistently enforced.
1) No Profanity – this includes vulgar conduct or language.
The expectations of the Shell Lake school district are for coaches and athletes to conduct themselves to appropriate ways because we represent the school. Therefore, the use of profanity will be discouraged in the program. If our words or actions are not allowed in the classroom, they will not be allowed on the football field.
Avoiding profanity and using appropriate words can foster healthy relationships, brings more joy to those around you, and builds a positive culture for a friendship, marriage, workplace, family, or a football team. Your words and actions reflect on who you are. Let’s use our words and actions to build people up and not tear them down.
2) Early is on Time – players and coaches should arrive early to all functions, not just sports related.
According to former Green Bay Packer, Paul Hourning, there were two “times” when playing for coach Vince Lombardi, regular time and "Lombardi Time." Regular time was what most people followed; Lombardi time was always 15 minutes earlier. If a Packer meeting was scheduled to begin at 8:00 am, players knew to arrive and be ready to go at 7:45 am.
We will follow a similar standard. We will be early to all functions. This will show your teammates and coaches your level of responsibility and commitment. Arriving early is a reflection of a person’s character. People that consistently show up early and on time are usually more organized, motivated, and responsible. They know that their actions (like being late) impact more than just themselves and are comfortable waiting for others to arrive. These are all signs of being a responsible person.
Along with being early, we will also leave on time. We will maintain a consistent schedule so athletes, parents, and coaches, know when practice will begin and end.
3) Never Criticize a Teammate – players should never criticize one another.
Developing team cohesion on any team is a difficult task. With the players various personalities, interests, values, backgrounds, and motivations, becoming a team is a challenging endeavor. When players criticize each other, on or off the field, it directly jeopardizes team cohesion.
Players have the role of being the athlete; they need to be concerned with developing a brotherhood like bond with their teammates. Players must also be aware that leaders on the football team will often try to reteach and redirect players. This should not be considered criticism.
Coaches have the responsibility to point out mistakes in the attempt to help players improve on or off the field. Coaches should always look at these situations as reteaching opportunities and maintain a positive outlook. The emphasis for coaches will be to communicate not what a player did wrong but what they need to improve on.
4) Strive for Perfect Attendance – players and coaches should strive to never miss any team function.
In order to fulfill the purpose statement and to shape the body, mind, and the heart of every athlete, attendance to all team functions must be a requirement. When people miss practice, the athletic program suffers. Intentionally missing any team function can negatively impact the team and show the flaws in a person’s character. When players and coaches decide to participate in football it is a commitment to a year round transformation, to practicing 6 days a week during the season, to strength training in the off-season, or getting together with teammates to create better team chemistry. It is essential that players strive for perfect attendance in all these endeavors.
Players must be at practice unless they become ill, have a medical appointment, need to attend a funeral, or if excused for other reasons by the head coach.
Players must directly contact Coach Johnson if they cannot make it to practice on any given day. This must be done prior to missing practice. If no contact is made the absence is considered unexcused.
Injured players must be at practice, in workout clothes, unless excused by the head coach.
Players must be at Saturday practices unless excused by the head coach.
The Leadership Council will help determine what to do when players are tardy or have an unexcused absence. Players with an unexcused practice absence will likely have their playing time reduced in the next game. Repeated unexcused absences will likely result in the removal from the team.
5) Consistent Attitude and Effort - the two things that athletes and coaches can control is maintaining a positive attitude and showing consistent effort.