Florence Family YMCA Youth Sports Parent s Handbook

Transcription

1 Florence Family YMCA Youth Sports Parent s Handbook

2 Table of Contents I. About the YMCA a. Welcome 3 b. Mission 4 c. YMCA Values 4 d. Character Development 4 e. History 4 f. Volunteerism 4 II. Season and League Information a. Registration for Youth Sports 5 b. Financial Aid 5 c. Team Sponsorships 5 d. Refund Policy 5 e. Sports Seasons General Timeline 6 f. Skills Evaluation Purpose 6 g. Skills Evaluation 6 h. Team Selection Process 6 i. Team Pictures 6 j. Trophies 6 k. Practices 7 l. Games 7 m. Holidays 7 n. Children s Clothing 8 o. Uniform 8 p. Practice Equipment 8 q. Facilities 8 r. Bad Weather or Poor Field Conditions 8 s. YMCA Youth Sports Philosophy 9 t. Youth Sports Code of Conduct 10 2

3 ABOUT THE YMCA Dear Parents and players, We welcome you to the Florence Family YMCA Youth Sports Program. Whether you are a returning participant or someone new, we appreciate your desire and willingness to play in our youth sport s league. The YMCA is a volunteer led organization dedicated to building relationships and enhancing the lives of our community members. Coaches are volunteers and as such they are all representatives of the Y and in taking up that wonderful responsibility they have the duty to carry out the Y s mission.to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. Our goal is to provide the coaches with the resources they will need to effectively lead a team of young athletes through a successful sports season. A successful season, however, is not a winning season. Success for these young children consists of far more than having the highest score at the end of the game. By the end of the season I hope each team has learned the following: The value of hard work and the importance of teamwork Good sportsmanship The YMCA s 5 character traits Caring, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, and Faith Our goal is to provide a combination of skill development, physical fitness, and fun for all players involved. This should be done in an environment that encourages participation and safety. We can only develop our children if we are focused more on that instead of winning or losing games. Our youth sports staff has the responsibility of making sure all the coaches have the tools they need to have a successful season. Before any season starts, we hold a coach s meeting with them to review all relevant information. You should always receive contact from a coach by phone, , and/or text letting you know when practice begins. If for some reason you have not heard anything by the Monday the week practice starts, please check our website, me, or call the Y. Communication is vital in all of this among you, the coaches, and the Y. We all need to be on the same page and working together. Remember game schedules, weather updates, and other important information can be found on our website. Please let us know if you need any help or assistance with anything. And one last thing we encourage you to be involved appropriately along with your child s participation in sports. In addition to you being helpful as volunteer coaches, we encourage you to be present at practices and games to support your child. Take on responsibilities that will benefit the team like leading devotions or bringing healthy snacks and water. Have a great season! Thanks for being a part of our YMCA. Brent Freeman Sports Director Florence Family YMCA 1700 S. Rutherford Drive Florence, SC bfreeman@florenceymca.org Florenceymca.org 3

4 ABOUT THE YMCA Mission The YMCA is a worldwide organization that is committed to providing programs that help members and participants develop spirit, mind, and body. Our Mission: To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all. YMCA Values Character development is integral to all YMCA programs. We are guided by our five core values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility, and faith. Whether it is in child care, the gym, at day camp, or at member services we strive to develop character values in ourselves, our members and participants. We believe strongly in our mission to promote and model these character-building values in all that we do. Character Development The YMCA believes that character development focusing on the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility is an essential element of its sports program. Caring o To love others and be sensitive to the well being of others involved in the sports program Honesty o To have integrity, making sure that one's actions match one's values through participation in sports Respect o To value the worth of every person, including oneself, one's teammates, opponents, and officials Responsibility o To be accountable for one's behavior and obligations YMCA History The YMCA was founded in London England, in 1844, as the Young Men s Christian Association, to help people develop character in their daily lives. The movement spread quickly and reached the United States by By the early 1900s, the YMCA began serving boys and older men. After World War I women and girls became an active part of the YMCA movement. In the 1960s and 1970s, families became a major focus. Today, more than half of all YMCA members and staff members are women and girls. Simply put, the YMCA is a place where all are welcomed and strong values prevail. Sports such as racquetball, volleyball, and basketball were invented at YMCAs. In 1971 the Florence Family YMCA was founded at its current location. Today, YMCAs are alive and well in more than 140 countries across the globe. Volunteerism Volunteers are the backbone of the YMCA. Volunteers not only founded the YMCA, but also operated it in its entirety in the early days. The involvement today of thousands of talented, committed individuals greatly extends the range, quality, and variety of YMCA programs. The YMCA defines a volunteer as anyone who, without financial compensation or expectation of compensation, performs a task at the direction of and on behalf of the Florence Family YMCA. All youth sport coaches are volunteers. 4

5 Registration for Youth Sports All players must register for each individual program in which they wish to participate in. Registration will only be accepted through an employee at the customer service desk at the Y. Registration is on a first-come first-serve basis. A registration fee is required for all programs. Where a fee is required, registration will not be complete until the program fee is paid. A late registration fee of $10 for members and participants will be applied on all programs once registration has ended. All programs will have a minimum and maximum participation level. If a program fails to register the minimum amount of players, the program will be cancelled and a refund will be issued. When program registration reaches the maximum number of allowable players, the particular program will be closed for further registrants and a waiting list will be taken. All programs are subject to minimum and maximum age requirements. A player may play up an age division but cannot play down an age division. If a player wishes to play in his/her own age and play up another age group, he/she must register for both groups and pay both registration fees. Financial Aid The Y recognizes that there are individuals in the community who are often unable to participate due to economic hardships. If so, an applicant may request for financial aid for youth sport programs. Any scholarship program application must be approved before the registrant will be accepted into any program. All requests for financial aid will be strictly confidential and there will be no indication of this noted on registration forms. Team Sponsorships Sponsorships are needed as well to help defray some of the cost of our youth sports programs. A business can sponsor one team at the cost of $150 or multiple teams for $125 each. In return, your company s name will be printed on the jerseys and a plaque will be engraved for display at your business. You will also receive the satisfaction of knowing that your business helped children in your community. Listed below are the sports and placement locations of the sponsorships on the team shirts. o Soccer front chest of the shirt o T-Ball and Coach Pitch Baseball back of the shirt above the number o Flag Football back of the shirt above the number o Basketball back of the shirt above the number Refund Policy (Financial Assistance is non-refundable) Paid registered applicants will receive a full refund if: o A program is cancelled by the Y o It is requested before the first practice o Participants will receive their refund by making either a written or verbal request to the Florence Family YMCA. Refunds will be mailed out within working days after the request is received and approved. 5

6 Sports Seasons General Timeline Youth Soccer Age Cutoff Dates o Boys and Girls 3-13 o January April September 1 of the previous year o July October September 1 of the current year T-Ball/Coach Pitch Baseball o Boys and Girls 3-9 o March June April 1 of the current year Youth Flag Football o Boys and Girls 5-11 o September November September 1 of the current year Youth Basketball o Boys and Girls 3-12 o October February September 1 of the current year Skills Evaluation Purpose The purpose of the player skills evaluations process will be to balance all teams with approximately the same age, gender, and talent of players. It should be noted and understood that no system of selecting players can be perfect. After a sport s evaluation process, the sports director will then divide the teams up. Any decision on player and team selection not covered in this policy will be made by the Y. Skills Evaluation All new players will be placed on an evaluation sheet by name and age. On the designated evaluation dates for a sport, the Y staff will evaluate the players and assign them a grade level. Level A will represent the most experienced players Level B will represent the average experienced players Level C will represent the least experienced players Team Selection Process After the skills evaluations, the sports director will then split up the teams based on experience/ability, age, gender, and the following guidelines. Head Coach s child(dren) will be placed on his/her team. Assistant Coach s child(dren) are not guaranteed to be placed on his/her team. If there is room, siblings in the same age group will be placed on the same team. Players returning from the previous season s sport that did not age up will be placed on the same team. o For soccer the spring season s teams will be the same as the previous fall season s teams. There is no age up between the fall and spring seasons. However, players do age up between the spring and fall seasons. Days and times your child cannot practice will be taken into consideration. No other request will be accepted. Every effort will be made to balance the teams as equally and fairly as possible. Team Pictures Pictures will be taken typically during your team s practice. Order forms will be made available prior to picture day. Payment is expected when pictures are taken. During this time your team can still practice but you are still limited to your scheduled practice time slot. Before season s end, pictures will be given to you. Pass them out to your respective players and parents. If by season s end you still have some, return them to the sports director. Check a sport s current season schedule for more information. Trophies The Y provides no awards or trophies. It s up to each individual coach and team if they want to provide something for their players. 6

7 Practices Games Holidays All practices will be held at the Y or a facility working in cooperation with the Y. A Y staff member must be present at practice. Other than a makeup practice due to a Y decision to cancel practice, additional practices for a Y youth sports program are not allowed. This is to ensure even and fair play among all teams. Coaches will contact parents before the first practice to let them know of the day and time of practice. Available practice times and days are determined by the Y and each coach has the option of picking a time and day within that given time frame. Once selected that is the team s practice day/time for the entire season. Listed below are general/tentative practice times and days for the respective sports. These are subject to change based on space and/or time availability and/or program size. Check a sport s current season schedule for more information. Soccer One practice a week all season with the option of at most two Saturday practices until games start o Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday o 1 hour time slot at 5:30 or 6:30 pm (times may be 5:30 and 6:45 pm for the fall season) T-Ball/Coach Pitch Baseball Two practices a week until games start o Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday o 1 hour time slot at 5:30 or 6:45 pm Football Two practices a week until games start o Monday and (Tuesday or Thursday or Friday) o 1 hour time slot at 5:30 or 6:45 pm Basketball One practice a week all season with the option of at most two Saturday practices until games start o Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday o 1 hour time slot at 5:30 or 6:30 pm All games will be held at the Y or a facility working in cooperation with the Y. Game schedules for a specific sport will be handed out at a team s practice prior to its first game. Depending on the number of registered players, and space and time availability, certain teams may or may not play every week. In the event of a Y decision to cancel games, every effort will be made to schedule makeup games if sufficient space and time is available. All games should typically last around one hour. Listed below are the general/tentative game days for the respective sports. These are subject to change based on space and/or time availability and/or program size. Check a sport s current season schedule for more information. You can download game schedules from our website at florenceymca.org. Soccer o Saturday with an occasional weekday game T-Ball/Coach Pitch Baseball o Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday Flag Football o Monday, Tuesday and/or Thursday Basketball o Saturday There are certain times throughout the year that we may not have games/practices due to the holidays. Check a sport s current season schedule for more information or on our website at florenceymca.org. 7

8 Children s Clothing Uniforms Children should wear appropriate athletic clothing for playing sport indoors/outdoors. Any kind of jewelry must be removed before playing for safety reasons. Below are specific requirements or recommendations for each sport. o Soccer Each player needs to wear shin guards. Cleats are optional. o T-Ball/CP Baseball - Each player needs to bring a glove. Cleats are optional. o Flag Football Cleats are optional. o Basketball No specific sport related clothing required. The Y will provide a uniform, shirt, or jersey of consistent quality for all sports to its players. Players/teams may purchase coordinating shorts/pants but are not required to do so. All teams must participate in the Y issued uniform of a sport s current season unless authorized by the sports director. The head coach and one assistant coach of every team will each receive a coach s t- shirt. An additional fee will be incurred for replacement of lost or damaged equipment. Uniforms are typically handed out at the week of practice before the first games. Each sport has its own individual uniform policy. o Soccer shirt and socks o T-Ball/Coach Pitch Baseball shirt and hat o Flag Football shirt o Basketball shirt Practice Equipment Practice equipment to include balls, bats, bases, tees, cones, flags, and/or practice jerseys will be distributed by Y staff to each coach at the start of each practice. Each coach/team are responsible for making sure all the equipment is gathered back together so the staff can easily put it away or give it to the next team. If you bring your own equipment label it. Facilities The Y has three athletic fields, which may be divided into a number of smaller fields, and one basketball gym. Bathrooms are located in the front lobby and in the youth locker rooms located close to the indoor pool. Please park in the parking lot at the front of the Y, on the side lot adjacent to the childcare entrance, or the side lot next to the far front field. Please do not park on the side of the road on YMCA Lane. As always be careful in the parking lot or when entering or leaving the Y. In being responsible adults, show respect for our environment by helping us keep our facilities clean and assisting us in taking care of our fields and equipment. The Y is a tobacco free campus. Pets aren t allowed on campus. We have limited seating so you are welcome to bring your own chairs to games or practices. However, during games you will be required to sit on the opposite side of the field away from the players and coaches bench area. Check a sport s current season FAQ for more details. Bad Weather or Poor Field Conditions For our outdoor sports, the Y generally doesn t make a decision to cancel practices or games until after 4 pm during the week. For practices or games that are on Saturdays, the decision may come late Friday afternoon or early Saturday morning. In the event we do have to cancel, your coach will notify you as soon as possible. If you re unsure or haven t received any contact from a coach, you can check for updates on our website at florenceymca.org or Facebook page. However, there may be times when it s a game time decision. 8

9 Everyone Plays. Fair Play YMCA Youth Sports Philosophy We do not use tryouts to select the best players, nor do we cut kids from our youth sports programs. Everyone who registers is assigned to a team. During the season everyone receives equal practice time and plays at least half of every game. Fair play is about more than just playing by the rules. It s about you, your players, and your player s parents modeling the Y s character values to all involved in the program. It's about you being a role model of good sportsmanship and guiding your players and parents to do the same. Remember, we're more interested in developing children's character through sport than in developing a few highly skilled players. Positive Competition We believe competition is a positive process when the pursuit of victory is kept in the right perspective. The right perspective means adults make decisions that put the best interest of the children above winning the contest. Learning to compete is important for children and learning to cooperate in a competitive world is an essential lesson in life. Learning to win is just as important as learning to lose. Help your players set goals that are not about winning or losing. This way, no matter what the score of the game is, your players learn there is value in playing the game. Family Involvement Sport for All Sport for Fun Safety First We encourage parents to be involved appropriately along with their child s participation in sports. In addition to parents being helpful as volunteer coaches, officials, or timekeepers, we encourage them to be present at practices and games to support their child. Give parents responsibilities that will benefit the team like leading devotions or bringing healthy snacks and water. YMCA Youth Sports is an inclusive program. This means that children who differ in various characteristics, including physical ability, race, gender, religion or ability are included in participation. Support and appreciate the diversity of children in our community and encourage your players and parents to do the same. Sport is naturally fun for most children. They love the challenge of mastering skills, playing with their friends and competing with their peers. Sometimes, when adults become involved in children s sports, they over-organize and dominate the activity to the point of spoiling the children s enjoyment of the sport. If we take the fun out of sports, we are in danger of our children taking themselves out of sports. Emphasize the importance of having fun to both players and parents, reminding them that the benefits of physical activity in childhood are long-lasting. Remember that these sports are for the kids; let them have fun. Although some children may get hurt playing sports, we do all we can to prevent injuries. We have modified each sport to make it safer and more enjoyable to play. Teach the sports so that the skills taught are appropriate for the children s developmental levels. We ask you to make sure the equipment and facilities are safe. Develop your player s fitness levels gradually so they are conditioned for the sport. Constantly supervise your young players so that you can stop unsafe activities. 9

10 YOUTH SPORTS CODE OF CONDUCT The Florence Family YMCA plays an important role in promoting respect, caring, responsibility, and honesty. Therefore it is essential for parents, coaches, spectators, and officials to encourage youth athletes to embrace the values of good sportsmanship. Furthermore, parents, coaches, spectators, and officials involved in youth sport events should be models of good sportsmanship and lead by example by demonstrating fairness, respect, and self control. The Y asks for your cooperation by following this code of conduct and be responsible for your words and actions while attending, coaching, officiating, or participating in all youth sport events whether they are at the Y or another facility/event working in cooperation with the Y. 1. I will treat any coach, parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee with respect. 2. I will encourage my child, to treat any coach, parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee with respect. 3. I will not engage in any behavior which would endanger the health, safety, or well being of any coach, parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee. 4. I will encourage my child or any other person, to not engage in any behavior which will endanger the health, safety, or well being of any coach, parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee. 5. I will not use drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products while at youth sport events and will not attend coach, officiate, or participate in youth sport events while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 6. I will not permit my child or encourage any other person, to use drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products while at youth sport events 7. I will not engage in use of profanity or any other offensive language. 8. I will encourage my child, or any other person to not engage in use of profanity or any other offensive language. 9. I will not initiate a fight or scuffle, or retaliate, with any coach, parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee. 10.I will encourage my child or any other person, to not initiate a fight or scuffle, or retaliate, with any coach parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee. 11.I will not engage in verbal or physical threats or abuse aimed at any coach, parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee. 12.I will encourage my child or any other person, to not engage in verbal or physical threats or abuse aimed at any coach parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee. 13.I will not argue with any coach, parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee. 14.I will encourage my child to not argue with any coach, parent, player, participant, official, or any other attendee. Consequences for a first time offense of any one of the rules 1-12 will result in expulsion from the league for the rest of the season. Violators will be unable to attend any games or practices. Exception Rule 7: If a player uses profanity he/she will be suspended one game. A second offense will result in expulsion from the league. Consequences for a first time offense of any one of the rules will result in a one game suspension from the league. Violator may still attend practice. A second offense will result in expulsion from the league for the rest of the season. Violators will be unable to attend any games or practices. The Y reserves the right to review any situation and make any changes if needed. 10