Shadow Creek Aquatics Code of Conduct

Not only do we try to improve swimming ability and technique, we try to make our swimmers, divers, and water polo members well-rounded, positive individuals. We are here to support them in all they want to achieve, academically and athletically, all the while ensuring the safety and success of the whole TEAM. It is important that we, members of the Shadow Creek Aquatics Team, represent the program in a manner that is only positive and sheds a favorable light on the program. Therefore, all team members must and will abide by the following standards. Refusal or inability to adhere to the policies set forth in the Shadow Creek Aquatics Code of Conduct may result in dismissal from the program. Note that water polo is an extension of the swim season. If you are dismissed from one activity, you are dismissed from all activities. Ultimate authority in decisions rests upon the Head Coach’s discretion.

Grades

We believe that our main responsibility as your coaches is to ensure your academic success. While a swimmer, polo player, or diver may be eligible to participate, if we are aware of severe academic issues, we may not permit that athlete to participate at meets/games or travel with the team to away competitions.

Conduct at School

Students must maintain satisfactory behavior in all classes and programs.

If a teacher contacts the coaches about an athlete’s poor behavior in their class or program, they will be punished in a manner that we feel is adequate and fair to the situation. The following guidelines will apply:

1^st Offense – warning and physical exercise

2^nd Offense – removal from the next meet/game and physical exercise

3^rd Offense – exclusion from meets/games for the remainder of school year, per coach’s discretion

ISS

Any time you are assigned to ISS (In-School Suspension), it will be treated as a major violation in behavior and could be grounds for removal from the team, as per coach’s discretion.

Major violations of school policy or insubordination in the classroom that result in suspension from school or other major classifications of discipline, can result in removal from the team on the first offense.

Social Media Networks

Shadow Creek Aquatics athletes will not author, forward, or post vulgar or offensive notes, texts, photographs, or other content that reflects negatively on the coaches, teammates, the program, or Alvin ISD employees, or that conflict with the spirit or intent of this team Code of Conduct or the district Student Code of Conduct. Whenever possible, you will discourage others from posting text, photographs, or videos that could be deemed unflattering or damaging to another’s reputation, or the reputation of the team or school. Also included is the use of video while in locker rooms. At no time are athletes permitted to take videos, pictures, or be on facetime while in the locker rooms or restrooms.

There will be little to no leniency given in these situations.

Practice Expectations

Attendance at practice is an expectation that must be met to accomplish our seasonal goals. If athletes are constantly getting out early, not showing up, or not dressing out it hurts more than just the individual. If athletes are tardy, absent, not dressed out, and/or ending practice early, their behavior will at first be dealt with as a minor offense. If it becomes consistent, it will be considered a major offense and dealt with as such.

Meet Behavior

Always wear your TEAM uniform – EVERYONE, including managers, swimmers, and divers. We want everyone to look the part and be supportive of our TEAM.

Walk into the pool area together – EVERYONE AS A TEAM, led by our captains.

Leave your gear in our designated TEAM area – this is your TEAM fortress.

Stretch as a TEAM – TEAM stretching will be practiced at meets and captains will lead stretching. This is a place where the other teams see you and become aware of your presence and professionalism.

Warm-up as a TEAM and do what is expected of you during warm-ups. Insufficient warm-ups not only harm you, they harm your team’s chances of a successful meet. Always wear your TEAM cap during meets.

Always cheer together as a TEAM. Also cheer for your teammates before, during and after the meet.

Plan on warming down at the conclusion of EVERY meet. The coach will inform you if this changes.

Team/Meet Attire

Only Shadow Creek High School attire will be accepted at practice, meets, and any team functions. No other high school or swim club attire will be allowed at any time. You will be asked to leave and change clothes before returning to practice, meet, or team function.

Uniform day of the meet (at school) and at the Meet:

• Sweat pants, SCHS Aquatics shirt, team hoodie, and team bag
• Failure to wear these on the day of the meet will result in your staying home from the meet

Conduct at home/away meets

We are on display as a team each and every day, especially while at away meets. Like it or not, we have a greater opportunity to look bad than we do to look good. Please keep this in mind each and every day we are at practice and meets.

Public Display of Affection (PDA) will NOT be tolerated at any time during meets, home or away or during practice. This holds true between opposite genders and same genders. We are representing a team, not just individuals.

• This includes but is not limited to: kissing, holding hands, sitting on each other’s laps, rubbing, grinding, and any other touching or lewd behavior that anyone might find inappropriate.

Respect for other schools’ property is paramount. Few things are as embarrassing as when another coach informs us that our athletes are acting inappropriately, destroying property, creating a mess, etc. If a teacher or other team member informs a coach of improper behavior, you will be removed from the meet/game and further action will be taken as determined by the coach. Improper conduct and or repeated minor offenses may result in removal from the swim team at the Head Coach’s discretion.

• Examples: laser pointers, flooding of bathrooms, creating a mess such as ketchup on the wall, ANYTHING another coach will come to us to complain about you being disruptive, abusive, destructive, etc.

Attitudes

Always display excellence in sportsmanship. Do not display fits of temper or demonstrate a lack of self-control. Be gracious in defeat and modest in victory. Do not use profane or vulgar language. Be respectful in language and actions toward meet officials, opposing teams, teammates and coaches. Demonstrate appropriate classroom conduct toward teachers, administrators, and all other coaches.

Don’t be vocal about your negativity before or during practice or meets, it only brings others down.

Athletes who fail to live up to team expectations (work ethic, behavior, practice participation) will be removed from the team.

• Examples of this may include but are not limited to: lying to coaches or giving coaches attitude

Bullying

Bullying occurs when a student or group of students engages in written or verbal expression, expression through electronic methods, or physical conduct against another student on school property, at a school-sponsored or school-related activity, or in a district operated vehicle, and the behavior:

• Results in harm to the student or the student’s property
• Places a student in reasonable fear of physical harm or of damage to the student’s property, or
• Is so severe, persistent, and pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive environment

Bullying is prohibited by the district and could include hazing, threats, taunting, teasing, confinement, assault, demands for money, destruction of property, theft, name-calling, rumor-spreading, or ostracism. In some cases, bullying can occur through electronic methods, called “cyberbullying.”

There is no room for bullying on this team or in Shadow Creek.

Hazing

Hazing is defined as any intentional, knowing, or reckless act, occurring on or off the campus of an educational institution, by one person alone or acting with others, directed against a student, that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of pledging, being initiated into, affiliating with, holding office in, or maintaining membership in an organization.

Any and all hazing acts will not be tolerated.

• Examples of this are to include but not limited to: making underclassmen take cold showers, creating a mess just to have the underclassmen clean it up, and being verbally or physically abusive.

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco, and Vaping

Neither the use or possession of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or vaping products will be tolerated. First time offense for any will mean the dismissal from the team. Offense is to include at a team function, school function, on campus, off campus, or publicly. If we are at a team function, your parents will be notified to come get you. This is to include meets or games out of town. This applies to students caught on social media.

Miscellaneous

Any behavior that is unbecoming of a Shadow Creek Aquatics member and drawing unwanted negative attention to the team that is not covered in this document will be treated as a serious incident and handled as such.

• Examples include but are not limited to: the possession of prohibited items; safety transgressions (doing donuts in a parking lot); disregard of authority; the mistreatment of others; or discrimination.

Penalties

Any and all actions or punishments are and always will be at the Head Coach’s discretion. Possible outcomes may include one or a combination of the following:

Major or reoccurring offenses may see the following or a combination of:

• Complete 5 miles of running (does not have to be consecutive) within 48 hours
• Complete 10 miles of running (does not have to be consecutive) within 48 hours
• Two week suspension from the team
• Dismissal from the program

Most minor misbehavior will be dealt with through our conditioning program.