“The credit belongs to the people who are actually in the arena, whose faces are marred by dust and sweat and blood, who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause: who at best, if they win, know the thrills of high achievement, and , if they fail, at least fail daring greatly, so that their places shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
William Manchester
This introduction is about wanting to create “Dream Teams”--teams made up of good students, good team spirit, a good sense of responsibility and good winning records! Together, we are well on the road to having such teams. It is your dedication to all of these aspects of school athletics that will produce winning teams. And so, we ask you to read over these policies carefully and promise yourself that you will follow these requirements for your benefit and for the good of the team.
The following policies apply to athletes, scorekeepers, team managers and team statisticians.
Eligibility
Any student who is in good academic standing, earning a 2.0 grade point average or better, with no F’s in the previous quarter, is eligible to participate in the Alverno athletic program. There is no probation period for students who do not meet, or who fall below this requirement during the season. Students who do not meet the requirement at the beginning of the season cannot become eligible during the season. Students who fall below the requirements at a marking period during the season must withdraw from the team.
Requirements
All athletes are required to turn in a signed emergency card, transportation form and have a current physical on file with the Athletic Department.
Physical Education Credit:
In order to receive physical education credit, students must complete a minimum of 30 hours for 2.5 credits or a minimum of 60 hours for 5.0 credits. Completion is defined as active participation in the regular activities (practice and competition) of the sport.
Injuries during season of sport:
If an athlete is injured during the season, she must bring a doctor’s note indicating the date of the injury and the length of time that she must refrain from activity.
Athletes are encouraged to complete the season and lend support to their fellow team members in one of the following ways:
- She may continue to attend practices and competitions and perform alternate physical activities (such as weight lifting, non-weight-bearing exercise, etc.). Such activities must be designed by the coach and approved by her doctor to be safe and beneficial for her condition. These alternate activities will be performed during regularly scheduled practices under the coach’s supervision. The athlete will be eligible for all awards and will receive physical education credit.
- She may continue to attend practices and competitions, and assist the coach and team as she is able in the capacity of team manager. If this option is chosen, she will be eligible for all awards due members of the team and will receive teacher aide (but not physical education) credit.
If an athlete feels that the two options listed above are not possible, she may choose to withdraw from the team and stop attending practices and competitions. She will not be eligible for team awards and will not receive a grade or credit. A student choosing this option will not be prevented from participating in other sports during the year because of her withdrawal.
Quitting
Students who quit a team after the second week of practice are not eligible to participate in the Alverno athletic program for one year. Students who quit the team at any time during the season will not receive physical education credit for that sport and will not be eligible for any awards, letters or pins.
Practices
Athletes must follow the directions of the coach during all practices and games, with regard to learning situations and safety concerns. In the event that the coach is absent from the playing area for a short time (to care for an injured player, for example), athletes must continue to follow proper safety procedures and must not become involved in any type of activity that could result in injury to themselves or to others.
Because the first two weeks of practice will consist of conditioning drills and basic skills work, athletes who desire to play on a team must attend these practice sessions. Athletes who choose not to attend for any reason other than medical, will not be eligible for the team.
Students who miss practice the day before a game or competition will not be permitted to play in
the first game in volleyball,
the first quarter in basketball,
the first 10 minutes in soccer,
the first two innings in softball
or will not be permitted to be a qualified runner in cross country.
If there are extenuating circumstances, these must be discussed with the coach and Athletic Director.
Travel Policy
The Parents’ Association provides vans or busses to transport teams to away games. Students are expected to follow all directions of the bus driver and coach, and to remain seated, keep arms and head inside the bus and to wear seat belts where provided.
If a student does not wish to ride back to school in the van or bus, she must turn in a note to the Coach before boarding the bus to the game. The form must be signed by the student’s parent or guardian and must specify with whom she is permitted to ride. Students will not be released to anyone other than parents or guardians without this note.
Coaches and the Athletic Director will provide transportation to an off-campus practice site for students who do not drive.
Uniforms
The uniform policy varies from sport to sport. Coaches will inform the team of required items and cost. Every effort will be made to keep costs to a minimum. No one will be allowed to participate in any competitions unless they are wearing proper team attire. Athletes will also be expected to provide their own shoes, knee pads, shin guards, etc. appropriate for the sport. Please note that all uniforms provided by the school must be returned at the end of the season and all fees paid or credit for the sport will not be issued.
Team Sweatshirts
Team sweatshirts, if desired, may be worn only on Fridays and on free dress days throughout the year. Sweatshirt designs must be approved by the Dean of Students and ordered from the approved school vendor.
Lettering Policy
Students who participate on a varsity team will earn a varsity letter. Students who participate on a junior varsity or frosh-soph team will earn a pin for each season of participation. This applies to managers, statisticians and scorekeepers as well.
Fund-raisers
To assure the appropriateness of a fund-raiser, to avoid schedule conflicts and to coordinate fund-raising efforts within the Alverno Athletic program, all fund-raising ideas must be approved by the Athletic Director and Development Director, then approved by the ASU Congress and calendared by the Assistant Principal.
Discipline
All the policies in this handbook will be strictly enforced by the coaches, the Athletic Director and the administration. Discipline problems will first be handled by individual coaches. When a student has a problem with the discipline policies, she should see the Athletic Director as soon as possible.
Attendance at school
Students must be in school at least four periods to be eligible to attend practice or a game.
(Two periods on block days.)
Tutoring
Every two weeks during the course of each season, students will be required to turn in grade checks signed by all their teachers. Students who are experiencing academic difficulty or students who fail to submit the grade check form will be required to attend tutoring sessions. A student who has a 2.0 only because of her grade in a sport, must continue to attend tutoring sessions until the next marking period. Teachers may also recommend tutoring for athletes who are having difficulty. A form verifying attendance at the tutoring session must be signed by the supervising teacher and returned to the Athletic Director.
If a student does not appear at an assigned tutoring session, or does not appear to be trying her best, she may not participate in the next game. A second failure to appear at an assigned tutoring session will result in a two game suspension; a third offense will result in the student being “benched” until the bi-weekly progress report contains no unfavorable comments. Students must continue to report to tutoring during the suspension period.
Detentions
Students will not be excused from serving detentions on practice days. For the first two detentions of the year on game days, the detention may, upon written request to the Dean of Students, be rescheduled. After that, detentions must be served on the assigned day, even if there is a game scheduled. This means that a student might not be able to participate in a game if the team’s departure time is scheduled before the student is released from detention.
PARTICIPATION CHECKLIST
ATHLETES AND MANAGERS:
- at least a 2.0 grade point average in the previous quarter
- no F’s in the previous quarter
- not on academic or disciplinary probation
- signed emergency card
- signed transportation form on file
- current physical on file
- not enrolled in yearbook or another after-school class for credit
- runners not enrolled in morning chorus
SCOREKEEPERS, STATISTICIANS AND TIME-KEEPERS
- no F’s during the previous quarter
- not on academic or disciplinary probation
- signed emergency card
- signed transportation form on file
- not enrolled in yearbook or another after-school class for credit
