ALEXANDRIA CARDINAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND PARENTS HANDBOOK 2016
FOOTBALL TEAM PHILOSOPHY ALEXANDRIA CARDINAL FOOTBALL The Alexandria Cardinal Football program is a team of coaches, athletes and parents who, through hard work and dedication strive for improvement of self and team. Every athlete is a very important part of the football family, but the team of athletes is only one part of the family. There are three teams that must work independently and together to make this football season successful. The team of players and the team of coaches and the team of parents must all function together and work to build trust and respect within the football family for this to be a successful and enjoyable season for your son. It is the hope of the football coaches that every player will take with them something beyond football and realize that the lessons learned during the next four months carry over into life. Lessons like courage, self-discipline, motivation, goal-setting, confidence, teamwork, time management, sacrifice, commitment, trust, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and focus are all valuable character traits in life and will be developed within all the members of the football team. DREAMS AND FRAMES OF REFERENCE As a parent, I understand that you have dreams for your son and they might include being a starter or a major contributor on this football team and I also understand that you love your son and that you want what is best for him. I have a son too and I share many of the same dreams for him. As a parent this is our frame of reference and I understand this. However, as a coach of this team, I have a different frame of reference. As a coach, my frame of reference has to be around the team and what is in the best interest of the team as a whole. This means that on this team we will have 100 different dreams of 100 different sets of parents. I understand that you are now handing these dreams that you have for your son over to us as coaches and that these dreams are delicate and we will treat them as such. I hope you will understand that at the varsity level of competition it is about putting the best players on the field that will give the team the best chance to be successful in a game. We can only play eleven players on the field at a time and as coaches we understand that our biggest job is evaluating the talents and abilities of the players and making the decision about who plays when and where to give the team the best opportunity to be successful on a given night. This is not a job we take lightly and it is one we do with the understanding of the dreams that you have for your son and we will do the best we can and be respectful of this. I ask that you please respect the very difficult job that we have as coaches to put together all pieces to help make this team as successful as possible. Please trust us as coaches and have faith that what we are doing is in the best interest of the team as a whole and is respectful of every individual player.
EXPECTATIONS Players: (Remember you are a role model for the younger players in our program, you have little eyes on you.) What good is it to be good if you re not a good person? Don t ever do anything that would reflect negatively on you, your family, your team, your school or your community. Always give 100% effort. Always have a positive attitude. Be prepared, know your assignment. Treat others with respect and dignity. Always practice good sportsmanship-be 100% class at all time- POISE! Be a student-athlete. Attend all team practices, meetings and contests. Be early to meetings, practice and bus departures. Follow the Code of Conduct at all times. Be 100% chemical-free. BE AT YOUR BEST FOR YOUR TEAM WHEN YOUR BEST IS NEEDED. Parents: (Remember you are a role model for your son.) Emphasize the importance of well balanced meals and a regular sleep pattern. Love your son. Be positive with your son. Let him know you are proud that he is a part of the team. Help and encourage your son to meet the expectations set for them. Cheer for our team and players and remember opponents and referees deserve your respect. Promote having fun on a team, team values are important. Stay calm in injury situations. Allow your son to progress and perform at a level consistent with his ability. Support and trust the coaching staff. Follow the Code of conduct. Coaches- Our mission is to: Be hard-working, thorough, professional and loyal. Promote behavior that reflects well on the team, school and community- Code of Conduct. Develop each player s talents to the fullest. Promote character development of each player. Operate with integrity and respect. Promote unity, pride, unselfishness, trust, and confidence in the team. Promote the value of an education.
PRACTICE POLICIES As coaches, we believe the only way to improve football skills and knowledge is through participation in regular practice, team training sessions and team meeting sessions. To this end, attendance at all practices, strength training sessions and meetings is expected from all players. If for some reason your son cannot attend practice, but is in school your son should let me know ahead of time. Each situation will be handled on its individual merits. We will have 1-aday practices during the pre-season from August 15 th -August 26 th, Monday-Friday; practice times will be at 8:00AM-1:30PM. During school, practice will start at 3:15PM and run for about 3 hours on Monday-Friday and some designated Saturdays, including a strength training session to follow each practice. There will be practice over the Education Minnesota Break in October, including Saturdays and during the morning. Please plan accordingly as we do expect all 10 th -12 th grade players to be in attendance. TRAVELING All athletes are expected to ride the bus to and from contests and scrimmages. The bus ride home after the game is an important time for the team to be together to process the game and have time with teammates. No player will be allowed to compete if they miss the bus to the game unless prior permission is granted by the Activities Director at least two days in advance. GAME EXPECTATIONS You are a part of a team and your actions reflect on your self, parents, team, school and community so always conduct yourself with class and poise. Do the little things, play like a champion and always compete no matter the game situation. Following each game, we will have a brief team meeting in the locker room or on the field if we are on the road. After each home game everyone is invited for cookies, coffee and a game wrap up in the cafeteria. ISSUE RESOLUTION If there are any conflicts that may develop it is important that the Issue Resolution Process be followed. This process begins by your son meeting with me or his position coach. If there is no resolution following this meeting then a meeting with your son, you (the parent), and myself will take place. If there is still no resolution following this step then a meeting with your son, you, Mr. Brakke and I will be scheduled. It is imperative that your son is involved in each step. Please follow the 24 hour rule, allow a day to cool off or process your thoughts before acting on a strong feeling. Please call and schedule a meeting with me or a position coach, never come to us on the practice or game field, or in the locker room following a practice or contest. I believe a lot of possible issues can be alleviated through communication either with me or your son. While some issues are not very flexible many are, so please have your son communicate with me or his position coach if you feel there is an issue developing.
EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS All equipment necessary for your son to participate in football will be issued to him. It is his and your responsibility to care and maintain this equipment throughout the course of the season. This includes regular laundering of practice and game pants and jerseys. PLEASE FOLLOW THE CARE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE GAME PANTS AND JERSEYS TO ENSURE THE LIFE OF THIS CLOTHING. It is the responsibility of your son to return all equipment issued to him at the conclusion of the season on the designated day. Game jerseys and helmets can be available for purchase at the end of the season for the cost of replacement, see coach Empting for details. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE It is the belief of the football staff that the players on this team are students first and athletes second, without school there would be no football. We also believe that regular attendance in all classes is the best way to learn and stay caught up. We believe that your son should be in school every hour of every day unless they are ill; we believe the same is true about football practice. If your son needs extra help in a school subject, we would encourage them to seek the teachers help in the morning if this is not possible and after school is the only option then we ask that they get a pass from the teacher to practice. If it gets to be a situation where they are missing a lot of practice time to get after school help, then maybe football is not a good choice for them at this time and more time needs to be spent staying caught up with school. QUITTING THE TEAM Those who come and stay will be champions. It is my hope and expectation that every player who starts the season on the team will finish the season on the team. If for some reason your son feels football is not for them and they wish to no longer be part of the football team, I ask that they schedule a meeting with me to discuss their choice to quit the team. If they still feel football is not in their plans it is their responsibility to return any team issued equipment and uniforms to me immediately. The players on this team are important people to me and to the coaches. An athlete s choice to not be part of the team any longer will not be met with any grudges or hard feelings on the part of me or any of the coaching staff.
NAME: GRADE: ALEXANDRIA CARDINAL CRITERIA FOR EARNING A LETTER IN FOOTBALL 1. 1 point for each half of varsity game participation. 2. 1 point for participating in each additional school sport (previous year.) 3. 2 points for selling 15 Cardinal Cards, 3 points for selling 16 or more. 4. 2 points for scoring 50 or more points in our fitness testing challenge, 3 points for grade level position champion. 5. 2 points for no late or unexcused missed practices, 4 points for perfect attendance. 6. 2 points for no team rule violations and no reports from the office or teachers (no deficiencies in the classroom.) 7. 1 point for a 2.5 GPA or 2 points for making the 1 st quarter honor roll. 8. 1 point for returning all equipment on the designated day at the end of the season. 9. 1-5 points for SENIORS, who finish the season in good standing and have made daily contributions in practice. This is determined by the coaches. 10. 1 point for all players on the game roster for a section championship game. 11. 1 point for all players on the game roster for each state tournament game. 12. 1 point for working as a volunteer at a football project such as: a. Saturday LAR Youth Tackle Football (1 pt each day, 2 point maximum) b. Saturday YMCA Flag Football (1 pt each day, 2 point maximum) c. Local Punt, Pass and Kick contest (1 pt) d. Elden s Foods Cardinal Fever Promotion (1 pt) 13. 2 points for earning Cardinal Football Player of the Week. TOTAL POINTS: **24 points must be earned to achieve a varsity letter **All letters must be applied for by submitting this completed form to coach Empting at the conclusion of the season.