2011-2012 fcs policies & procedures

8/9/2019 2011-2012 FCS Policies & Procedures

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Dear Parents and Players:

As the Head Coach of the Fox Cities Stars I want you to know how honored I am to have the opportunity to workwith you and your player during the season. It is my hope that during your players career as a Star they will have enjoyedthe experience enough to be excited to come back as an alumni, to take part in the Alumni Game, cheer for the Stars

wherever their travels may take them, and most importantly pass on their passion for the great game of hockey.

The journey of this season is going to be an exciting one. It is going to be filled with many highs, and like in life,some lows. We as a program need to stay committed to ensuring we make the Stars Program as strong as it can be. Thiswill need to be a community effort, and not an effort based on individualism or by school.

The Stars future is as bright as it has ever been, and that is in large part due to what those before you have done,and what those of you in the program will do in the coming years. I ask all of you to step up and give 100% to ensure thelegacy of the 2011-12 Fox Cities Stars is one of success, integrity, and building a better Stars tomorrow.

Coach Troy

Sweat plus sacrifice equals success.--Charlie Finley

It's not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it's what you put intothe practice.

--Eric Lindros

The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that Inever dog it.

--Wayne Gretzky

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatestbunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club wont be worth a

dime.

-Babe Ruth

Commitment to the team - there is no such thing as in-between; you are either in or out.-- Pat Riley


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Fox Cities Stars Policies and Procedures

The Program:

The Fox Cities Stars, also referred to as Stars, is a self-funded WIAA (Wisconsin Interscholastic AthleticAssociation) Hockey Program. The Stars are made up of players from Xavier, St. Mary Central, Fox Valley Lutheran,Kimberly, Little Chute, Kaukauna, and Freedom. Our roster is comprised of mainly players from the Appleton AreaHockey Association, and the Fox Valley Youth Hockey Association. During all play-off games and state tournamentappearances the Stars will be referred to as the Xavier CO-OP team, per WIAA rules as Xavier is the lead school.

The WIAA hockey program runs from the second Monday of November to the state tournament on the firstweekend of March. Under the umbrella of the WIAA the Stars follow all WIAA sanctioned rules in terms of length ofseason, games, off season coaches contact days, and summer program rules

The 2011-12 Stars will be playing in the Badgerland Conference being placed in the North Division. The NorthDivision is made up of 4 teams: FC Stars, Oshkosh, St. Mary Springs, and Beaver Dam.

The Stars locker room and home rink reside at Tri-County Ice Arena located at 700 East Shady Lane, Neenah,WI.

The History:

The Fox Cities Stars got their start as a WIAA program in 2001 as the Xavier Hawks. The program was started by

a group of parents who wanted to give their kids the opportunity to play WIAA hockey, but more importantly the chanceto play for their school. The group generated over $30,000 in private donations and made the dream a reality in 2001-02as they played their first season as a junior varsity (JV) program. Over the next 3 years St. Mary Central and Fox ValleyLutheran were added to the CO-OP and the name was officially changed to the Fox Cities Stars.

Today the program is comprised of 7 schools, and will give more than 30 kids the opportunity to play varsity andJV hockey not only for the teams red, white, and blue colors, but for the pride of their respective schools.

Program Goals:

Create an environment in which kids can improve physically and mentally, play hockey in an enjoyableatmosphere, and compete at their highest level.

Develop a program that is able to field a varsity and JV team that will be competitive in the Badgerland

Conference.

Allow players the opportunity to improve their skill sets at a JV level, and when they have honed their skills putthose players in positions at the varsity level in which they can be successful.

Focus on improving fundamental life skills: accountability, academics, discipline, team play, respect, communityinvolvement, and being a positive role model to the youth.

Player Expectations:Practice:

Most of the practices will take place at 5:45 in the morning. You are not only expected to make all practices, butyou are expected to be on the ice stretched out and ready to go on time! If you are late for a practice you will beexpected to arrive early at the next practice and skate 15 minutes prior to that days practice. If you are late for 3

practices you will sit for the first period of the next game. If we have an incident in which you have 4 tardies youwill sit the following game, and a game for each tardy thereafter.

Should school be cancelled due to weather, players may come to the rink and practice, as we are still responsibleto pay for the ice time. However, this is an optional practice, and not attending will not count as an unexcused absence.Players and parents should not feel obligated to venture out in unsafe conditions to make a practice in bad weather.

If you are unable to make practice due to sickness, or emergencies, you or your parents are to contact the coachby the end of the day you missed or this will be considered an unexcused absence. Missing practice due to homework willnot be an adequate excuse. When playing high school athletics it becomes your responsible to manage your time wisely.Under some circumstances (final exams) there may be the need to miss a team activity. This should be very rare and needsto be cleared by the coaching staff prior to the absence.


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Unexcused absences from practice will not be tolerated. The consequences for missing practice will be as followsThe first unexcused absence will result in the player sitting out one period during the next game. Two unexcused

absences will result in the player sitting out one game, and a game for each absence thereafter.

Practice will also consist of off-ice activities such as weightlifting, film , alumni game, team building activitiesand Salvation Army night. The location for these sessions is yet to be determined. The off-ice activities fall under thesame guidelines as on-ice practices regarding tardiness or unexcused absences. In the past we have had issues in whichplayers have needed to miss these sessions in order to complete their drivers training education, or have a heavy week of

school work. This will be counted as an excused absence as long as the coaching staff had been made aware of theabsences. Coach will make final determination regarding excused vs. unexcused absences. Call coach for any questions.

Games:

The varsity schedule will consist of 24 games. There will be 18 single games and two tournaments that willconsist of 6 games. The playoffs consist of a seeding meeting and based on the Stars seed, we will play in the regionaltournament. Winners will move onto the sectional tournament, with that winner heading to Madison for the StateTournament in March.

The JV schedule will consist of 21games. Approximately 12-16 players will dress for the JV games. These will bea combination of JV only players, and 6-8 players who get limited playing time on the varsity. WIAA allows players toskate in 5 periods per game day, thus some players will be shuffling in and out between periods of the JV and varsity

games.

For all games players are required to arrive at the rink 1 (one) hour prior to warm-ups. If they need to see a traineror need to be taped, etc. they will need to arrive 75 minutes prior to warm-ups. Players should be dressed in their warm-ups attire 45 minutes prior to warm-ups. Team stretching will continue for 20 minutes. 15 minutes prior to going out forwarm-ups the music will be shut off and players can begin mentally preparing for the game. I suggest players have musicand headphones to listen to during this time. Every player has their own unique way to prepare for a game. Find whatworks best for you. All players will then need to ensure they are completely dressed 5 minutes prior to on-ice warm-ups.

It is expected that players attend all games and tournaments. See practices for excused and unexcused absenceinformation.

Playing Time:As stated above the goal for the varsity program is to field a team that will be competitive in the Badgerland

Conference. To assist in accomplishing this goal the varsity roster will be comprised of players that the coaching staffbelieves give the Stars the best opportunity to compete at that level.

The varsity roster will not be finalized prior to the first game of the season. The coaching staff will post thevarsity roster, on the coaches door, one day prior to each varsity game. The game day roster will take into account injury,illness, behavior issues, and practice work ethic leading up to the game. To make the varsity game day roster it is up to theindividual player to put in the work each practice, understand the systems, show good character on and off the ice, andmaintain their academics. The varsity roster spot will be earned each game. Coaches will look to bring up a number ofplayers from the JV to the varsity level throughout the season to give them experience at the varsity level. However,dressing for the varsity team does not guarantee playing time.

The JV Program will be geared toward the main focus of developing players to compete at the varsity level. Thegoal will not be to simply win games, but allow all players dressing at the JV level the opportunity to gain gameexperience through playing time. Playing time for the JV level will be based on a number of factors; participation inpractice, practice work ethic (not just skill based), execution of fundamental systems. Our goal is to allow equal playingtime at the JV level. However, if a player is missing practice or not giving forth the effort expected at the high

school level there may be reduced playing time.

Team Curfew:

The Stars team curfew the night before games is 11:00 p.m. for weekend games, and 10:00 p.m. for games thatfall on a weeknight. The player needs to be at home, and must come to the phone if called by the coaching staff to verify


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their presence. Should you not be home prior to curfew when called you will not dress for the game the next day. If thereis an instance in which you may be staying at a friends house, or out past curfew with your parents, this needs to becommunicated to the coaching staff prior to the curfew check.

Player Development:

The goal is to develop each player so that as they reach their senior season they have maximized their talents,grown as individuals on and off the ice, understand the importance of working within the team environment, and leave the

program as quality citizens.

Practice will play a big part in each players development. The coaches will demand your best, but some of theresponsibility comes from the player having the drive and motivation to improve. A lot of an individuals future workethic, responsibility, motivation, and working in a team environment can be formed by actions during athletic practices.Based on player numbers most of our team practices will be held on both the big ice and small ice. Primary reasons forthis include: 1) Ensuring that players are not standing around due to large numbers and 2) Using the small ice to work onbasic skills such as shooting, passing, small area games, etc.

On-Ice Behavior:

As members of the Fox Cities Stars players are expected to show respect on the ice during practice and games.This includes interaction with teammates, showing sportsmanship to opponents in winning and losing situations,

respecting the coaching staff, and respecting the on-ice and off-ice (such as penalty box workers) officials.

During games no player shall engage in conversations over a call with the on-ice official. Should something needto be said it will be handled by the coaching staff, or one of the captains per the coachs request. If player is called for apenalty they are expected to go directly to the penalty box without theatrics. Upon being called for a penalty the playershould skate hard to the box without questioning the officials.Any player going to the penalty box who usesinappropriate language or throws equipment etc. will automatically sit the rest of the period. Penalty box workersare considered off-ice officials of the game and are to be treated with the utmost respect. Do not engage in argumentswhile serving your penalty. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in loss of ice time or removal from the game.

Should any player get 2 penalties in a period they will be removed from the ice for the rest of the period. If

a player receives 3 penalties in a game they are done for the rest of the game. For the team to be successful we need

to play disciplined, and staying out of the penalty box is a big part of that. Just to clarify: A checking from behindpenalty comes with automatic 10 minute misconduct. The misconduct will not count as a penalty towards the 2\ 3

rule. If you get a penalty and then receive misconduct for arguing the call the misconduct will count as a second

penalty, as it was a penalty for a secondary act. This rule and associated punishment will be in enforced regardless

of player or game situation.

Players coming to the bench using inappropriate language, throwing equipment, or being disrespectful to

team mates will sit the rest of the period. Every single player is going to make mistakes and as team mates you

should talk with them in a positive manner about the situation, and mentor them on things they could have done

better. If more direct coaching needs to be done it is the job of the coaching staff.

In every game our opponents are to be treated with respect before, during and after the game. Players are

ambassadors of the Stars on and off the ice. Trash talking, unnecessary roughness or retaliating penalties will not betolerated. Should instances of this occur the coaching staff will have a one on one discussion about their behavior.

Dress Code:

The team dress code for games is as follows: Dress shirt with team tie, dress pants, dress shoes (no tennis shoes,crocs, etc.). You may also wear the team pullover over your shirt and tie. If you are not in proper game day attire you willnot get on the bus. After games players are allowed to wear warm-up suits for the ride home. Any player showing up forthe bus not in proper attire will need to get properly dressed prior to getting on the bus. Tennis shoes are not

appropriate attire!!

Off- Ice Behavior:


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A players behavior off the ice is a reflection not only of yourself but also your parents, your high school, and theStars program. This includes conduct in the classroom as well as at public locations. As a high school hockey player manyof our youth look up to you as role models. Conduct yourself in a positive manner at all times. Be respectful to adults andyour classmates, as they are at the games supporting you, and take time to interact with the youth at the ice arena or out inpublic. If players are seeing activities such as hazing or disrespect towards their teammates, they should confront thebehavior, or make the coaching staff aware of these incidents.

Hazing\Treatment of Teammates:

All members of the Stars are your teammates regardless of grade, school, or team they played for. Hazing

or abuse to new or returning players will absolutely not be tolerated. If you have been found to have violated that

trust you, at the very least, will not dress for a game, or based on the severity may be removed from the team for

the remainder of the season.

Captains:

Our captains will be players that focus on the teams success, treat teammates with respect, show great work ethicduring practice and games, and have the ability to communicate the coachs message to the players. Captains are expectedto confront the team or players on their attitude, work ethic, or a variety of other problems that arise in a teamenvironment. All players will be leaders in some capacity and it is expected that all will lead their teammates in a positivemanner.

The choosing of captains will be as follows: With seven schools comprising the Stars CO-OP the roles the

captains play in bringing the team together will be essential. Each player will be asked to nominate 2 players forcaptain. They will also be asked to write 2 reasons for that nomination. Things to consider for nominating a

captain are: work ethic in practice, positive attitude, puts the team first, respectful of fellow team mates, solid role

model, etc. The coaches will then take all nominations and choose top 5 candidates to be voted on by the team. The

players vote will determine two captains, and the coaches will determine the 3rd captain, and who will wear the C.

To be eligible for being named captain a player has to have no code violations, and has maintained a minimum

GPA of 2.75. Captains will be named prior to the Sheboygan Tournament.

Coaches Open Door Policy:

The Head Coach does have an open door policy for any playerwho would like to talk about playing time, skillassessment, and team or personal matters. The one exception is coming to the coaching staff during game day to questionwhy you are not dressing for the varsity game, lines, strategies, etc. If there is an urgent need to talk with the coaching

staff on game days for personal matters that is acceptable.

The player does need to understand that questioning the Head Coach on the line they play on, who their defensivepartner is; team systems, etc. are not areas they will have input into. Coaches may pull players aside to ask their thoughts,but the final decisions will be made by the coaching staff. The coaching staff will not address playing time issues, etc.with the parents unless the player has first talked to the coaching staff.

Should a player or parent have an incident regarding player conduct, coaches conduct, or a matter of a personalnature you can direct those questions directly to the coaching staff, or the FC Stars lead Athletic Director Kathy Bates andthat person will follow- up directly with the parents.

If parents and player have not gotten a satisfactory answer or wish to discuss it further please contact the General

Manager, who will set up an appointment with the parents and player and coaching staff to discuss the issue. Thesemeetings must include both a parent(s) and player to ensure that what was said between the player and coaching staff wascommunicated to the parents. During these meeting the coaching staff will be very up-front and honest in the assessmentof the situation you are having issues with.

Lettering Criteria:

The criteria for lettering will be that the player must have dressed in at least 14 varsity games. The coaching staffalso reserves the right to letter a player whose season was cut short due to injury. The coaching staff will look to workwith any senior to allow them to dress in the required number of games to letter. In some cases it may be the player willdress but see limited to no playing time, unless game situation allows it.


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Academics:

A student athletes first priority is academics. Playing high school sports is not a right, but an opportunity. Everyyear one of the team goals is to win the All Academic GPA Award. The Stars GPA goal as a team was 3.3 in 2010.

The coaching staff will contact the schools during the season for an update on players GPA. Any time a player isin jeopardy of losing eligibility due to grades the schools AD will contact the coaching staff who will discuss it with theplayer and\or parents.

If players are having trouble with school work the coaching staff will look to help in the following ways: a

meeting will be set up with the player to discuss where the problems are and help develop a process for improvement; thecoaching staff will help find a tutor or get additional help from a teacher; and a team study hall will be mandated on daysthe team has off-ice sessions. This will take place at the location of off-ice.

Locker Room:

The locker room is a privilege for players of the Fox Cities Stars. It is the players responsibility to ensure properhousekeeping of their stall and the locker room, including hanging equipment in the proper areas, picking up any tape ortrash in the area, and housing only equipment and limited under garments only in the locker room stalls.

The locker room is property of the Stars and therefore hanging of personal photos, etc. is not allowed. If any ofthe team rules are not followed as they pertain to lockers you will first be given a warning via sticky note on your locker.If the problem continues you will skate 15 minutes prior to the next days practice. At that point if there are additional

incidences you will lose you locker privileges.

Music containing inappropriate language will not be allowed. Inappropriate constitutes of lyrics containing vulgarlanguage, or racial remarks. The 1st time the coaching staff hears music of this nature we will give the entire team awarning. Should it happen again; music will not be allowed in the locker room for two days. If this continues the coachingstaff will handle the playing of the music. I am a big fan of Coldplay, Linkin Park, and the 80s. So this will be the musicplayed daily should we run into issues.

WIAA rules state that no cell phones are allowed to be used in the locker room. If this rule is not followed youwill skate for 15 minutes for the first incident and sit 1 (one) period for each offense thereafter.

There may not be adequate stalls for the current number of players. Mobile lockers will be supplied for any player

not assigned a stall. Lockers/stalls will be assigned based on seniority. Thus, freshman will be assigned to the mobilelockers first. Freshmen playing varsity will have the first opportunity to be assigned stalls.

Cleaning of the locker room will be done by the players on a rotating basis. The captains will be responsible forcreating the cleaning schedule which will rotate weekly. Cleaning must include picking up all the trash and tape on thefloor, mopping the floor (to include coaches room), emptying the trash and putting in a new trash bag. Failure to clean onyour assigned week will result in the addition of another week of cleaning duties.

Equipment:The Stars will be responsible for supplying players with the following equipment: Game and practice jerseys,

game and practice socks, team bag, team tie, mouth guard, and team pants. We also have a limited number of concussionhelmets that players may use for the season. Use of these is based on seniority.

Players will also have access to skate sharpening via the team sharpener. There will be an area on the team boardto put your name down if you need skates sharpened. Skate sharpening should be done the day prior to the game neededand will not be done one hour before the game. Sharpening needs to be done the day before so the player has anopportunity to skate prior to the game to ensure edges are correct.

Transportation:

For away games bus transportation will be provided. Players are expected to be at Tri-County Ice Arena 15minutes prior to loading. If you are running late you need to call the coach or communicate with a player on the team.

Prior to players exiting the bus it is the players job to clean around their area. If the bus has not been cleaned tothe coaches satisfaction the entire team will face conditioning consequences at the next practice.


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For any players who wish to ride home with their parents, follow the procedures spelled out in your schoolsstudent handbook. Players are expected to ride the bus to the game and take the bus home. If the need to ride home withyour parents is justified the coaching staff will make an exception if the proper forms have been completed in accordancewith the school student handbook.

Transportation will not be supplied for overnight trips. Players need to make arrangements to get to the rink of theaway game site. If you are unable to find transportation please notify the coaching staff.

Behavioral\Punishment Issues:

Punishment or suspensions for violating codes of conduct will be subject to the schools guidelines. Each schoolmay have different penalties that may be shorter or longer, however the Stars coaching staff will enforce each schoolspunishment as it pertains to their players.

Use of Drug and Alcohol: See your schools Code of Conduct PolicyGrades Requirements: See your schools Code of Conduct PolicyAbsentee\Tardy: See your schools Code of Conduct PolicyOther: It is the players responsibility to understand the schools Code of Conduct Policies and the consequences

for not adhering to them.

The Stars program also has specific rules as it pertains to Code of Conduct. These include missing practice, dress

code, etc. These areas are covered in this document and include consequences for not adhering to them. The Stars alsohave a general rule that is referred to as the Integrity Rule.

The Integrity Rule has been put in place to deal with issues geared towards instances of poor decision making,mistreatment of teammates, disrespect to coaches, teachers, or other authority figures, etc. This rule is put in place to dealwith a multitude of instances that may arise during a season.

Should a player break the Integrity Rule, the coaching staff will meet with the player to discuss the issue, andallow the player to offer an explanation. The coaching staff will then meet to discuss the instance, its severity, and itsimpact to others involved and the course of action to be taken. The player and their parents will be brought in to discussthe incident and a course of action. Should the parent(s) or player feel that any punishment given is unjust there is anappeal process.

The appeal process procedures are as follows:1) Parents and/or player are to contact the team General Manager in writing to make the appeal known.2) The GM will contact the coaching staff3) General Manager, Player, Parents, and the Coach(s) will meet to hear the appeal. Based on the severity of the

incident there may also be the need to include the schools Athletic Director.4) Based on the appeal, all parties, not including the player and parent, will determine if punishment is just.5) The team General Manager will contact the players family to relay the decision of the appeal.6) Upon appeal the decision will be final.

Parent Expectations:

The coaching staff has the final decision when it comes to playing time, systems, line combinations, and thevarsity roster. As a parent if you are unhappy with playing time, etc. you can use the open door policy to have your playercontact the coaching staff. If you are not satisfied with the answer or resolution you can then contact the team GeneralManager to schedule a meeting with the coaches to discuss your concerns. If you have a matter that may be of a personalnature or concerns of misconduct, contact the coaching staff or lead Athletic Director Kathy Bates.

Game Behavior:

The program is excited to see you at the games supporting your player, and the team. As parents you arerepresentatives of the Fox Cities Stars program and it is expected that you conduct yourself in a positive manner. Abusingthe officials, negative interaction with opposing fans and poor sportsmanship will not be tolerated. You must remember


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that you are the biggest role model for your player, and they look up to you and emulate your behavior. We hope that youwill send a positive message not only to our players, but to every fan you come in contact with.

If during the game you are unhappy with coaching decisions, etc. it is expected that you would use the open doorpolicy to talk with the coach. I would suggest waiting 24 hours to assess the situation prior to having your players addressthe concern with the coaching staff.

Player position/game play:

The talent level or physical abilities/limitations coaches see from players may not always be in agreement with

you as the parents. As coaches we have the great opportunity to spend a number of hours with your player during games,at practice, off-ice, film, etc. The decisions we make with respect to the games are based on many of the things we areable to see during non-game situations. The coaches goals for your player is to help ensure they have an enjoyableexperience, improve their skills, receive fair treatment and opportunity, see personal growth, learn accountability, andenjoy personal and team success.

Coaching Issues:

If you feel your player is not being treated fairly, you have concerns about the coaching staff, or have personalissues you would like to discuss regarding your player please do not hesitate to contact the coaching staff to discuss yourconcerns. If we are unable to come to a resolution you may contact Kathy Bates (Xavier Athletic Director) to set-up ameeting to discuss these concerns and look to create a resolution.

I have read and understand the Fox Cities Stars policies and procedures.

Parents Signatures: _____________________________________________________________

Parents Names: __________________________ ______________________________________

(please print)

Player Signature: _______________________

Player Name: ___________________________

(please print)

Updated 9/20/2011

2011-2012 fcs policies & procedures

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