2011 Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School Lacrosse
VISION STATEMENT

The Brecksville lacrosse program is a young program with a lot of promise but many challenges to overcome. Started just a few years ago, in 2006, the program has attracted a great deal of interest from students, parents and the public. That the program has taken root and grown to where it is now is a testament to those with the vision and fortitude to build a team from the ground up.

The lacrosse program is no longer a start-up, however. With a growing budget, parental involvement and a higher profile in general, Bees lacrosse is an established part of the school, community and the northeast Ohio lacrosse scene. Because of this, the program requires a new vision of what it wants to be, and what it can be.

The goal: Brecksville-Broadview Heights should aim to be a top team in the region!

Brecksville has many of the pieces to become one to the top programs in Northeast Ohio. There is a strong tradition of athletic excellence already in place. The community supports athletic excellence both through participation and financial contributions. We have a top-notch outdoor facility. We also live in an area where most can afford the cost of the equipment. What we need is a plan to take all these raw materials and turn them into a great program. This will require a commitment from players, coaches, parents, and the community.

With all that in mind, here are what we believe are the building blocks for a great lacrosse program.

1. Coaches.
In a club program like Brecksville, coaches are volunteers with inherent time limitations. While keeping this in mind, coaches bear great responsibility for the ultimate success of the program. Coaches first and foremost should be teachers of the game. Coaches need to make sure that their players understand what is expected of them and are knowledgeable enough to teach it. Coaches need to clearly communicate to the players what is expected and what is required to succeed both as a team and as individuals. Coaches need to create a disciplined environment where players learn the game and hone their skills. Coaches need to see the players as individuals and respect each individual regardless of ability.

2. Players.
Players need to dedicate themselves to constantly improving their individual skills as well as becoming a cohesive unit. They should work on their skills year-round. Players must understand the team concept and subordinate their personal desires to the good of the team. Players must also be good teammates who stand up for each other both on and off the field. Players must adhere to the code of conduct attached to this vision statement.

3. Facilities.
Brecksville must develop cold weather facilities large enough to accommodate meaningful practices.

4. Parents.
Parents need to be involved in the player’s development as both a lacrosse player and a teammate. Parents should be sure that their son is prepared and able to be at practices and games on time. Parents should work to support the coaches in their development of their sons. If parents have concerns regarding any aspect of their sons’ participation in the lacrosse program, they should communicate any such concern directly to the coach when possible. Parents should be prepared to pitch in where possible to help the coaches and parent organizers by volunteering.

5. Youth Program.
A youth program that feeds the high school is essential for the success of the program. Brecksville-Broadview Heights should be approached about how we can build a youth feeder program that competes with teams like Medina and Hudson.

6. Perspective.
Even though we aim to be the best, Brecksville should never lose sight that lacrosse is a game and is meant to be fun. Fun does not mean a free-for-all, but rather an environment where increasing skill and cohesion lead to greater enjoyment of lacrosse.


TEAM GUIDELINES, RULES AND CODE OF CONDUCT

General:
We plan to field both a JV team and a Varsity team. Each squad will consist of about 25 players for games. At the beginning of the season, tentatively set for March 15th, we will name the JV and Varsity squads based on the coaching staff’s evaluations during a tryout practice. After tryouts, each player will meet with one of the coaches to review role expectations and what they need to focus on in their development for the season. During the season, the makeup of the JV and Varsity squads is subject to change.

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

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. Players need to strive to be good teammates. That means supporting your fellow Bees, not tearing them down or isolating them. We cannot be successful if we have divisions on the team. While we don’t expect everyone to be best friends, we do expect everyone to respect and support their teammates.

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.

Bad language during practice will not be tolerated by either the players or coaching staff. Those caught using bad language during practice will have to do 20 push-ups on the spot at a minimum. Repeat offenders may be disciplined further. Bad language during games will result in a player being removed from the game by the coaches. Once removed from the game by the coaches, the player will remain on the sideline.

If you are ejected during a game by an official for your actions on the field, you must per league rules leave the sidelines immediately with integrity and composure. If ejected at a home game, you must go to the locker room. If ejected at an away game, you must remain in the bus. After
ejection, you will serve a two-game suspension. But you must attend practice. If you are ejected a second time during the season, you are suspended for the remainder of the season.

Cheap shots and other unsportsmanlike conduct during a game will result in removal from the game by the coaching staff.

If your teammate or one of your opponents is injured on the field during the game all players will take a knee and remain silent to show respect for the injured player, no exceptions. Respect is a cardinal rule of this team and any deviation will not be tolerated and will result in team disciplinary actions. Mocking players who are injured is unacceptable behavior.

When the National Anthem is played prior to the game, all players will remove their helmets and line-up on the end line with the coaches.

Coaches, players and parents will adhere to the highest of level of conduct and sportsmanship at all times and be a positive influence on all who they interact with on and off the field.

Communication:
The primary media for communication will be email sent from the beeslax2010@googlegroups.com 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 issues with practices or transportation to games.

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.

Players and parents need to communicate any concerns to the coaches. Coaches are generally available before and after practice or by appointment. Please do not come to us on game day except in the most serious cases. Coaches will listen and provide feedback to any comments.

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 (both at practice and during games). Not wearing a mouth guard properly during the game will result in costly penalties and will result in team disciplinary actions.

Please wear only molded rubber or detachable cleats. Wearing cleats for practice and games is highly recommended to avoid slipping and injury.

This year, all new helmets will be the Cascade Pro 7 model. Older helmets must be inspected and recertified prior to the season starting. Contact Terri Murray for more information on purchasing a helmet or having one recertified by Riddell.

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, all players must wear the same color. We will wear black. The color/size of socks worn will be uniform, but decided by the team.

Please do NOT wash your uniforms and practice 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. (You also shouldn’t wash Spirit Wear in hot water, or dry items on a high setting, or over-dry items.)

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.

Every member of this team will play a specific role designated by the coaching staff. This may mean the player is a starter and sees a lot of playing time, or is a situation role player who only sees playing time during specific times of the game. Every player’s role is important to the team and makes the team successful and competitive.

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. Even a good reason for missing or being late for practice or a game is worthless if not communicated ahead of time. Attendance will be taken at practices.

While we understand a student athlete’s schedule is very busy, the coaching staff expects lacrosse to be a priority during the season. Tardiness and missed practices and games (excused and unexcused) will impact playing time and the role a player has during practices and games. We need all players to be at practices and games to have a successful program and competitive team on the field.

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.

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.

Captains:
Captains play a vital role on any team. They will act as mentors, leaders, and teachers for both the JV and Varsity squads. Varsity captains will be nominated and voted on by the entire team and will serve as captains for the season. To be nominated as a captain, one must be a junior or senior, be selected for the Varsity team and have a minimum 3.25 GPA. No more than three players will be selected as Varsity captains.

Being selected as a Varsity captain by your peers should be viewed as an honor and should not be taken lightly. If one does not live up to these expectations, they will be removed as a captain by the coaching staff.

Captains for JV games will be selected by the coaching staff before each game and be based upon prior game contributions and effort during practices.

Practices:
Outdoor practices will be held at either the High School stadium, Chippewa Elementary School or one of the practice fields adjacent to the stadium. Practices will begin at 6 pm and last until 8 pm. or until it becomes too dark to practice. The High School stadium is an artificial turf field and can be used during rain. Other fields used for practice are grass fields and may be too muddy to practice on if there has been prolonged rain or heavy 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 or a private indoor practice facility can be reserved.

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.

Each practice will be planned with both technical and tactical drills. Some drills will involve all players while others will be for certain positions, teams or roles. Because of a limited coaching staff, there will be times where those not involved in the drill will be asked to wait for their turn on the sideline or run simple drills on their own. To keep the flow of practice moving, all players must be paying attention and be ready to substitute when needed.

Those not paying attention during drills or wandering on their own will be given three strikes. The first is a warning, the second is physical challenge, and the third is removal from practice.

There will be practices or portions of a practice held in the classroom to review plays, drills, and/or scouting reports.

If you must miss a practice or will be late, please notify the coaching staff as soon as possible.

Games:
For home games, plan to 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 fully dressed and ready to play 30 minutes prior to game time. Please keep the locker room clean and throw away any garbage before leaving. Having access to the locker room is a privilege. Respect this privilege. Leave the locker room cleaner than when you arrived.

For away games, plan to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to our designated departure time. Buses will leave on time with or without you. The departure location is the High School gym parking lot.

Every player will travel on the school bus to away games. 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; no leaving garbage on the 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 and you and the team will be disciplined. The “no bad language” policy is in effect on the bus.

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 players stand 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.

On the day of home games, all players during the school day will wear a dress shirt, a tie and nice slacks, such as dress pants, khakis or dockers. (No jeans or athletic pants.) Any shoes are fine.

On the day of an away game, all players will wear their away jersey during school.

At the conclusion of a home game, do not leave the field until dismissed by the coaching staff. Weather permitting we will have a brief team meeting on the field and then we will all move goals off the field and break down all game equipment, including moving the tarps off the field.