WHAT ATHLETES CAN EXPECT FROM THEIR COACHES
1. To help you mature and grow to be a dependable community member, parent, and spouse.
2. To be totally honest.
3. To provide leadership and training necessary to achieve the purpose statement.
4. To train you harder than you have ever trained before.
5. To assist you in any way possible now and after graduation.
6. To treat you with respect.
7. To make all decisions on what is best for the team and then what is best for the individual.
9. To be loyal to you in all areas.
10. To help you reach your goals.
WHAT PARENTS CAN EXPECT FROM COACHES
1. To care for your child.
2. To be totally honest.
3. To attempt to bring out the very best in your child during and outside of the sport.
4. To establish and maintain an open line of communication.
5. To assist you in any way possible with your child.
6. To make all decisions predicated on what is best for the team and then what is best for your child.
7. Update the Remind site with meet information including cancellations if they arise.
8. Send a Remind message announcing cancelled meets due to weather.
The athletes and coach(es) will adhere to the following standards to help reinforce the character development trait of the 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.
1) Never Criticize a Teammate – athletes should never criticize one another. Developing team cohesion on any team is a difficult task. With the athletes various personalities, interests, values, backgrounds, and motivations, becoming a team is a challenging endeavor. When athletes criticize each other during or outside of the sport, it directly jeopardizes team cohesion. They need to be concerned with developing a family like bond with their teammates. Athletes must also be aware that leaders on the 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 athletes improve during and outside of the sport. Coach(es) should always look at these situations as reteaching opportunities and maintain a positive outlook. The emphasis for coach(es) will be to communicate not what a player did wrong but what they need to improve on.
2) No Profanity – this includes vulgar conduct or language. The use of profanity often revels someone’s internal struggles. Profanity shows others, through our words and actions, how we really view ourselves; it is a reflection of our character. People will argue that certain "swear words" and physical gestures are acceptable in their sub-culture. What purpose has profanity ever served that was for the betterment of a person’s character and their relationship with others? Profanity, in any form, is not beneficial for creating a positive relationship based on respect, honesty, and love. Avoiding profanity and using appropriate words fosters better relationships, brings more joy to those around you, and builds a positive culture for a friendship, marriage, workplace, family, or a team. Your words and actions reflect on who you are. They reflect on your family, on your school, and on your teammates.
3) Early is on Time – athletes and coaches should arrive early to all functions, not just sports related. 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.
4) Strive for Perfect Attendance – athletes 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 Cross Country 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 run and create better team chemistry. It is essential that players strive for perfect attendance in all these endeavors. Athletes 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.
Athletes must directly contact Coach Skinner 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 athletes must be at practice, in workout clothes, unless excused by the head coach.
5). Maintain Passing Grades - athletes and coaches should strive to complete all academic work. Maintain passing grades demonstrates an athlete's ability to focus and set goals. Athletes must remember that they are students first athletes second. Athletes receiving a grade of a D+ or lower may request practice to be completed in the library so their grade can get up. Athletes must recognize if their grades are at a D+ they may be ineligible to travel to the meet and participate. Athletes must also realize that consistent practice time spent in the library can also result with ineligibility to travel and participate in a meet or even receive a varsity letter.
6). Good sportsmanship - includes both small gestures and heroic efforts. It starts with something as simple as shaking hands with opponents before an event and includes acknowledging good plays or efforts made by others and accepting bad calls gracefully. It involves encouraging fair play, having fun, and to concentrate on helping the team while polishing their own skills. You should always keep your comments positive. Don't bad-mouth coaches, players, or game officials. If you have a serious concern about the way that games or practices are being conducted, or if you're upset about another individual’s behavior, discuss it privately with a coach. After a competition, it's important not to dwell on who won or lost. Instead, ask, "How did you feel you did during the event?" If you feel weak at a particular part, plan to work on it together before the next meet.