Coach Contacts:
Head Coach John Falko
Email: john.falko AT sbcglobal.net   (We’re avoiding the spam crawlers. Hope you can decipher it.)
Phone: 746-1145 (home), 832-1832 (cell).  Both are 440 area code.
Assistant Coach and JV Coach Jim Fallon
Assistant Coach Rick Hutchinson
 
GENERAL:
We plan to field a JV team and a Varsity team.  Each squad will consist of about 25 players for games.  At the beginning of the season, we will name the JV and Varsity squads based on the coaching staff’s evaluations.  During the season, the makeup of the JV and Varsity squads is subject to change.  

The coaching staff’s expectations for the Varsity team: You must — at a minimum — be able to proficiently catch, throw and cradle with both your strong side and weak side.  While basic fundamental skills will always be part of practice, Varsity squad practices will focus more on technique and situational skills.

The JV squad will focus on developing the basic fundamental skills through repetitive passing, catching and cradling drills.  As the season progresses less time will be dedicated to fundamental skills.
 
PLAYING TIME:
Players do not have the right to start. All starting positions — either on JV or Varsity — must be earned through hard work and a positive attitude during practice.  Playing time will be at the coaching staff’s discretion.
 
This is a team sport and we will play games as a team and will play to win.  Every effort will be made to include as many players as possible in each game, but nothing is guaranteed.  Each player will have a specific role to play during the game.
 
CONDUCT:
Respect is required of all players in their interactions with each other, the Bees’ coaching staff, officials, opposing teams and coaches, and all fans. 

Please remember that you are all on the same team.  A positive attitude and effort are also very important principles to be members of the lacrosse team. Players who do not follow these principles will be disciplined on a situation-to-situation basis. Options include reduced playing time, removal from practices and/or games and removal from the team.

ATTENDANCE:
A student’s health, family needs and school work come first. If you must miss a practice or if you are tardy due to any of these important circumstances, the coaching staff must be notified in advance.
 
ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY:
Students must pass at least five full-credit equivalent courses each grading period to be eligible. Additionally, students are required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 1.50 to be eligible to participate in any interscholastic extracurricular activity (grades 7-12) within the school district.
 
The grade point average from each grading period will determine eligibility. Eligibility or ineligibility starts on the fifth school day after the last day of  the quarter, regardless of when report cards are distributed. So if the last day of a grading period was on a Friday, the following Friday would be the fifth day and a student would be eligible or ineligible that day based on the grades for that previous quarter. 
For further details or to determine your eligibility, go to the High School website’s Athletics tab.
 
COMMUNICATION:
The primary media for communication will be email sent from the beeslax2010@googlegroups account.  To join, send your request to questions@beeslax.com
Schedule updates and news will also be posted through our website: www.beeslax.com.  A group text messaging option is being worked out to communicate last-minute decisions on practices.
 
You can find official information about Bees’ lacrosse at www.beeslax.com or at the Ohio High School Lacrosse Association’s website www.ohsla.org. We are listed under Division 1, Northeast.
 
VARSITY LETTERS:
Whether a player has earned a varsity letter is at the coach’s discretion.  Actual playing time on the Varsity team is not the sole determinant for a Varsity letter. Rather, respect, attitude and effort during practice and games will be the main factors.
 
PRACTICE:
Outdoor practices will be held at either the High School stadium or Chippewa Elementary School and will begin at 6 p.m. and last until 8 p.m. or until it becomes too dark to practice.  The High School stadium is an artificial turf field and can be used during rain.  Chippewa is a grass field and may be too muddy to practice on if prolonged rain is in the forecast. 
Every attempt will be made to practice outside but if conditions outside are bad (like lightning, mud), we will cancel practice unless the gym is available at the high school.
The coaches expect all players to be on time. For practice, everyone is to be dressed with all equipment and practice pinnies and ready to start a warm up jog/stretching routine at the scheduled start time.
That doesn’t mean pulling in the parking lot at that start time.  Unexcused tardiness will impact playing time. 
 
Bring your equipment to every practice unless you are specifically instructed not to by the coaching staff.  Failure to bring protective equipment or sticks will cause you to be unable to participate in all of practice.
 
If you must miss a practice or will be late, please notify the coaching staff as soon as possible.
 
UNIFORMS:
Do not wear your uniform jerseys or uniform shorts to practice. 
 
At games, if you wear clothing under your uniform that can be seen, such as compression shorts or shirts, you should know that all players must wear the same color. We will wear black.  The color/size of socks worn during the game is at the player’s discretion.
 
Please do NOT wash your uniforms and pinnies in hot water. Jerseys and pinnies should NOT be put in the dryer. If necessary, you could put them in the dryer for a few minutes on LOW to take the wrinkles out. Do NOT iron them, ever.
 
EQUIPMENT:
All equipment must conform to all rules of the game.  If you suspect that any piece of your equipment is not legal, please notify one of the coaches.  Playing with illegal equipment during the game can result in costly penalties.
 
Everyone is required to have a non-clear/ non-white  mouth guard during games.  Mouth guards must be worn in your mouth at all times while on the playing field.  Not wearing a mouth guard properly during the game will result in costly penalties.
 
Please wear only molded rubber or detachable cleats.  Wearing cleats for practice and games is highly recommended to avoid slipping and injury.
 
GAMES:
For home games, please arrive at least 45 minutes prior to game time.  It is our hope that the locker room will be available for our use.  You must be dressed and ready to play 30 minutes prior to game time.  Please keep the locker room clean and throw away any garbage before leaving.
 
For away games, please arrive at the HS 10 minutes prior to our designated departure time.  Buses will leave on time with or without you.  Departure location is the High School gym parking lot.
 
Every player will travel on the school bus to away games.  The only exception to this rule: A player may be driven to a game by a parent, but the coaching staff must be notified by the parent prior to the game.  Players may go home with a parent after an away game only after notifying the coaching staff.
 
All school policies must be followed while on the bus, including but not limited to: no food or beverage consumption on the bus; no standing or walking around on the bus; all garbage must be picked up prior to exiting bus; talking should be at a conversation level to allow those players who wish to study the opportunity to do so; and follow all instructions by the driver without an attitude.  If you do not follow the rules, your playing time will be impacted.
 
You must bring all equipment needed to play.  Failure to bring any piece of equipment —  including uniforms — will impact playing time or result in you not participating in the game.
 
Unless hurt or instructed by the coaching staff, all players currently not on the field of play shall remain standing on the sidelines in line with the scoring table with all equipment on. If a players stands in the coaching area, that can result in a penalty. 
 
Players must be ready to enter the field at all times and will play the position they are designated to play by the coaches.  Complaints during the game of playing time will not be tolerated and will result in player sitting on bench for the remainder of the game.
 
If you are ejected during a game, you must leave the sidelines immediately with integrity and composure.  If at a home game, you must go to the locker room. If at an away game, you must remain in the bus. If ejected, you will serve a two-game suspension. If you are ejected a second time during the season, you are suspended for the remainder of the season.
 
Excessive unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike conduct during a game will result in removal from the game by the coaching staff.