2018-2019 AAU, USA Gymnastics & Trampoline and Tumbling Manual Sun Country Sports Center AAU & T&T West Location 1 USAG Millhopper Location 333 SW 140 th Terrace 4010 NW 27 Lane Jonesville, Florida 32669 Gainesville, Florida 32606 Phone: (352) 331-8773 Phone: 352-378-8711 Fax: (352) 474-2120 www.suncountrysports.com Team Sun Country Website: www.teamsuncountry.com Sun Country Instagram: SunCountrySports Team Sun Country Instagram: TeamSunCountry Parent Facebook Group- Please Request to Join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/469013809800973/ AAU Program Director Zach Flaherty TeamW@SunCountrySports.com USAG Women s Program Director Mary Carlson Team@SunCountrySports.com USAG Men s Program Director Greg Weller GWGymnast1@yahoo.com T&T Program Director Joel Thomas Tumble@SunCountrySports.com Owner - Linda Bennett Linda@SunCountrySports.com
Welcome to the Team Sun Country family! The mission of our competitive teams is to inspire excellence in the sport of gymnastics and trampoline & tumbling, encouraging athletes to reach their greatest potential through development of a strong mind, body and character in a safe and positive environment. Our goal is to provide a positive, safe environment where your children can work toward their greatest potential and experience something they will never forget! Our experienced staff will teach your child the fundamentals of competitive gymnastics. Competitive sports require a year-round commitment. Athletes will learn fundamental life-skills that will benefit them far beyond their gymnastics careers; these additional skills include self-discipline, goal setting, teamwork, and time management. The decision to join Team Sun Country is a big one and is an annual commitment from both the athlete and their family. Team members do not move on and off the team. You are either on the team or off the team. This handbook is written to help you understand the responsibilities associated with this program. Please read it completely and sign that you have read and that you agree to everything listed in this manual. Thank you for choosing Team Sun Country! We are so happy you are here! **************************************************************************** COMMITMENT Sun Country and the Team Sun Country coaching staff believe that participating in this sport will help show your child the importance of commitment. We will all be committed to program, team, and self as our basic philosophy. We believe in the importance of developing character as well as developing skills. When an athlete joins the team, it is a commitment for the entire year, not just the competitive season. Please do not use Sun Country as a punishment for your child. It is important that each athlete be at practice and at each scheduled event. No refunds for tuition, team assessment fees or competitive expenses will be given in the event of an expulsion, a member quitting, or the end of the season or year. ATTENDANCE Please be at practice and be on time! If you know in advance that your child will be absent, please notify your team s head coach by calling the gym or via email. This will help coaches plan practice in advance. The coach reserves the right to refuse or accept any excuse. Practices two weeks prior to a competition are extremely important. Absences during this time frame may result in removing your child from competition. Excusable absences are as follows: Sickness (fever, vomiting) Family emergency Pre-approved participation in a school related function. All competitions, camps, and clinics that your coach chooses are mandatory. The competitive schedule is thoughtfully chosen with your child s entire season in mind, and with focus placed on performing their best at state, regionals, or nationals. It is imperative that all Team Sun Country gymnasts attend scheduled meets as just that: A TEAM. If we offer dance classes for team it is expected that you will attend the class. You will have your workout and competition schedules well in advance. Please plan accordingly. Attendance at Team Sun Country summer camp is expected. This camp usually falls on the last week in June, or between Summer A & B at UF. You may prepay for this camp throughout the year instead of waiting until the last minute. Early pay discounts will be given. There will be no regular gym workouts the week of summer camp. Athletes with minor injuries are expected to participate in workouts and gym activities. It is often possible to work around injuries to increase flexibility and strength, while working on specific events and skills. There are several dates that the gym is closed. Please to try plan vacations around these dates. Independence Day July 4th, 2018 Labor Day -September 3rd, 2018 Thanksgiving- November 22nd 25th, 2018 Xmas -December 24th 25th, 2018 New Years- December 30th, 2018 January 1st, 2019 Other school holidays (when schools are closed) we WILL have practice. Please plan on attending. 2
DRESS CODE Practice: Jewelry is NOT allowed at any time. Hair must be pulled back in a ponytail and out of your face. Nails are to be cut short. Girls leotards must be worn without shorts. Please wear a sports bra and briefs if necessary. Grips, tape, and any athletic devices should be put away when you are done with practice. Competition: Jewelry, hair, and nails as per practice (above). Full uniform is required for competition and awards. Full uniform consists of Leotard, warm up, slides and team bag. Please wear proper undergarments. Keep all grips, tape, and athletic devices with you at all times. If your routine requires music, you are responsible for carrying your own floor music during competition. PARENT AND RELATIVE EXPECTATIONS Your coaches are knowledgeable and thoroughly trained instructors. In addition, they have an extremely difficult job which requires hours of behind the scenes work in order to make sure your child has a successful season. Trust their judgments and decisions, and provide them with as much positive support as possible. Good sportsmanship and polite manners are mandatory in the gym and at all competitions. Please obey the venue s rules regarding not saving seats, videotaping, flash photography, etc. Remember, both athletes and parents represent our program and teams. High standards are expected! Angry or belligerent behavior toward any of the Sun Country coaches, staff, or team members will not be tolerated. Sun Country is a privately owned organization. All rules, guidelines, and decisions are at the discretion of the owners and are not open for debate. Parent interference with Sun Country decisions will not be tolerated. Please direct all questions regarding policy to the Program Director, followed by the owner. If you have a question regarding billings or fees please contact the front desk. Please do not coach your child from the viewing area. Cheer them on, but please don t distract them. Please do not pull your child out of practice or competition if you are not happy with their performance. Discuss it with the coach afterwards. If fees are not paid on time your athlete will not be allowed to participate in practice or competition. If you share custody with another parent, please make sure this doesn t prevent your child from full participation in the program. Conversations in the parents room are to be kept positive. Please do not compare your child with others. Please be respectful of the team, the other parents in the room and the gym. Talking negatively to other parents about our program or coaches in our facility will not be tolerated. If we feel the discussion is not positive we will ask you to leave. Coaches may not be pulled out of practice for parent meetings. Parent meetings must be scheduled outside of team practice times. Please support the gym by assisting with or attending our Annual Howl a Palooza to benefit local non-profit organizations. Please support the gym by assisting with at least 1 session at each home meet. For your child s benefit please keep your observation time in the gym to a minimum. DISCIPLINE POLICY Sun Country will follow the following discipline policy: First offense will result in a meeting with the athlete. Second offense will result in a meeting with both the athlete & the parent. Third offense will result in dismissal from the team. Teammates are expected to treat one another with mutual respect. They should treat and talk to one another in a manner in which they want to be spoken to. We do not tolerate pettiness, gossiping or cliques; which attempt to exclude or alienate certain members. Back talk, rolling of eyes and any other disrespect for coaches or teammates is unacceptable. After a warning, the team member will sit out of practice until the problem is solved. A problem between a student and staff member will first be addressed with the Program Director. 3
If not solved, a parent will be notified of the problem or infraction of the rules and will be expected to assist the coach in solving the problem. A parent should never reprimand or discipline someone else s child. We will handle any disciplinary problems privately and professionally. ATHLETE EXPECTATIONS Team members shall follow all directions, corrections, and routine changes without complaint or bad attitude. Athletes must be in direct supervision of a coach to enter the facility or be on any equipment at any time. No one is allowed in the gym without a coach! Cell phones are to be turned off or to silent mode and put away during practice time. Team members are not to be texting or talking on their phones during practice time, including break times. Help keep the gym clean. Throw away your tape, pre-wrap, snack wrappers, and drink containers when you leave the gym. There is to be NO open food in the gym at any time. Please take your water bottles home with you nightly. Snacks or lunch break during workout will only be given when workouts are longer than 4 hours. We expect every team athlete to be photographed on photo day; to be included in our annual team composite. SAFE SPORT AT SUN COUNTRY As a youth-serving organization, the safety and well-being of the athletes in our programs is our top priority. Sun Country is committed to creating a safe and positive environment for all athletes that is free of misconduct. Our facilities have a zero-tolerance policy related to all forms of misconduct addressed by Safe Sport, and we take careful measures to ensure all our policies and procedures are followed. We welcome your feedback and support, and encourage you to share any comments or concerns that you may have with our management. Coaching sports, particularly gymnastics, creates opportunities for physical contact between a coach and athlete. Physical contact is acceptable when it is reasonably intended to coach, teach, or demonstrate a skill or to prevent injury (spotting). Our coaches exercise extreme care to ensure that such contact is not invasive of sensitive areas of the body. Infrequent, non-intentional physical contact, particularly that which arises out of error on the part of the athlete or coach, does not constitute physical misconduct. How Parents Can Help 1. TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN. Talk about their bodies, inappropriate touching, personal boundaries, and what to do it they think someone violates those boundaries. 2. OBSERVE. Monitor your child s participation. Stay alert for situations where the potential for misconduct exists. 3. REPORT. If you observe a policy violation, your child is uncomfortable, or a situation just doesn t seem right, report the situation to the gym s management. Important Information to Know about our Policy 1. Staff will never be alone with a student. Two adults (one can be a parent), or at least three students will be present in a group at all times. 2. Out-of-program contact with students, such as babysitting, tutoring and ride giving, is prohibited. 3. Traveling/Rooming with a student s family to/at a Sun Country sanctioned event is prohibited. 4. Electronic and social media communications (texting, friending, following, etc.) between staff and students must never take place on an individual/one-on-one basis. Group messaging with either (1) no fewer than 3 students, or (2) a student and their parent/guardian, and following through company social media accounts are permitted. 5. Physical contact that is reasonably intended to coach, teach, or demonstrate a skill or prevent injury (spotting) does NOT constitute misconduct. 6. The full text of Sun Country s Misconduct Prevention Policy is available for your review. 7. Please bring any concerns immediately to a manager. You child s safety is our top priority. TRAVEL Travel fees for your family are paid on your own. Each athlete must have a chaperone at every competition and arrange for them to be transported. NO EXCEPTIONS! Most competitions have spectator and parking fees. Please be prepared and bring cash as many competitions are Cash only. 4
HOTEL Hotel fees vary from competition to competition. Staying at the team hotel is not required. o o Each hotel room must have a supervising adult staying in the hotel room. Your team s head coach must know in advance who is in charge if it is not the parent. No members of the opposite sex may stay in the same room with an athlete, other than relatives. COMPETITION Meet directors usually release the competition schedule a week or two before your competition. We will pass this information to you in full detail as soon as we receive it. All team members shall wear the designated uniform. Team members must remain in FULL uniform until after the awards ceremonies. Team members shall stay together before and after competition time. They may leave only at the dismissal or permission of a coach. All team members shall stay and be present for the awards ceremony, unless you have a special circumstance and have made prior arrangements with your coach. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION Please be cautious when posting videos or photos on Facebook, You Tube, Instagram, or SnapChat. When you post videos or photos of you and your teammates in uniform you are representing our program. If you need to ask if it s questionable don t post it! Sun Country must approve all designs bearing the Team Sun Country name and logo. Anything created without our approval will not be acceptable and cannot be worn or sold independently; this includes gifts. In addition, you CANNOT use the Sun Country Sports name or any variation of our name in your e-mail address. COMMUNICATION Please check your email and our team blog, (www.teamsuncountry.com) to stay informed. We also have a Team Sun Country Gymnastics Parent Group on Facebook; since this is a closed group you must request to join. Please keep all comments and discussion in this group positive and encouraging to team members. If you have any concerns please contact the director separately rather than posting in this group. Coaches may choose to offer their personal cell phone numbers to parents for emergency contact only (for instance on the day of a meet). Please do not contact a coach on their personal phone for non-emergencies. If you are happy tell a friend, if not please tell us. BOOSTER CLUB The Booster Club is a parent run organization set up to support the athletes, coaches, and our program. The Booster Club will assist in the organization of fundraisers, team parties, and community service events. Annual booster club fees are due June 25 th and are currently $60 per family. Your gym account will be auto-billed this amount. This amount may be changed by a majority vote of the BC board. Booster club membership is non-refundable. Booster club membership is only for competitive athlete s, developmental students are always welcome to BC events but do not pay membership dues. You may raise funds for competition expenses. The Booster Club will hold and keep track of all monies earned. To use these funds as allowed according to the by-laws, you must request money be transferred from your BC account from the BC treasurer. Here is a sample list of what your fundraising money can be used for: educational expenses, competitive expenses (entry fees, coach s expenses, hotel, parking), competitive uniforms and more. To see a complete list of what your fundraising money can be used for please refer to the SC Booster Club by-laws. Fundraising is made simple and easy. Be as involved as you would like to be. It is however a requirement of the club that each family volunteer for at least ONE session at each home meet. These meets are a big part of fundraising for the club. Parents that help with set up and take down of the gymnastics equipment for our home meets will get a credit to their gym account. COMPETITIVE TEAM PLACEMENT The head coach of each team will decide the best placement for your child. Although age is a factor in team placement, children of the same age may be placed on different teams due to their skill level. Mobility through the levels can only be achieved when a high level of proficiency has been demonstrated at your current level, and the potential for a high level of proficiency in the next level is apparent. Placement is handled individually; please don t compare your child s progress or performance with other parents or athletes. Each athlete is an individual and will achieve success at their own pace. 5
PROGRAM COSTS DUE TO SUN COUNTRY All Sun Country families are expected to be Auto Pay customers and leave a credit card on file. Tuition, competitive expenses, team assessment and booster club will be billed on the 25 th of the month prior. If your payment is declined and/or payment has to be collected after the 25 th of the month you will be charged an additional $25 late service fee on top of any returned payment fees. Note: Sun Country charges $25 for any insufficient funds. All Fees below are NON REFUNDABLE. Item Cost Details Membership $60 Due annually on your anniversary Must be members of Sun Country Sports Center date Monthly Tuition Varies - Due monthly Please see the current team schedule and tuition sheet for your athlete. Team Assessment Developmental: $150 AAU, USAG Girls, Boys and T&T: $175 Regardless of team these fees are due annually (broken into 2 payments, July and August) Covers the cost of repairing or purchasing new equipment, coaches education and clinics and other expenses incurred by the team. Competitive Expenses- FALL Season (USAG Girls Level 2-5) Competitive Expenses- SPRING Season (AAU, T&T, All Boys & Girls Optional) Girls Level 2-5: $750* per season divided by 6 payments ($125 per month for months July December) AAU: $540* per season divided by 6 payments ($90 per month for months October - March) T&T: $750* per season divided by 6 payments ($125 per month for months October - March) Boys Compulsory: $990* per season divided by 6 payments ($165 per month for months Oct March) Boys Optional: $1290* per season divided by 6 payments ($215 per month for months Oct March) Girls Optional: $1650* per season divided by 6 payments ($275 per month for months Oct March) All athletes on the team pay the same fee regardless of whether you compete in a meet or not. This fee covers your athletes entry into the competitions + coaches fees as listed below. All athletes on the team pay the same fee regardless of whether you compete in a meet or not. This fee covers your athletes entry into the competitions + coaches fees as listed below. Booster Club $60 due July / Family Booster Club membership is required. Dues are determined by a majority vote of the booster club and can change from year to year. Become an active booster club member to help defray costs of competitive expenses. Competitive Uniform AAU Approximate: $161 T&T Boys Approximate: 138 T&T Girls Approximate: $133 Boys Approximate: $138 Girls Compulsory Approximate: $292 Girls Optional Approximate: $338 Prices are based on last year s uniform and will be paid approx. 3 months prior to competition. AAU: Leotard and Warm Up (jacket and pants) T&T Boys: Step in, shorts, pants warm up jacket T&T Girls: Leotard, Jacket and pants Boys: Step in, shorts, pants, warm up (jacket and pants) Girls: Leotard and Warm Up (jacket and pants) Competition Bag Choreography and Music Association Membership Dues $30 + tax Augusta Backpack OR $50 + tax Under Armour Backpack Varies per routine. paid annually AAU: $14 membership paid annually runs Sept 1 August 3 USAG: Prices Vary Based on Competitive Level ($27-$59). Paid annually runs August 1 July 31 While a team bag is not required your athlete is not allowed to have any bag on the competition floor that is not a team bag. Paid for by OPTIONAL Girls Gymnasts only AAU: Currently due to Sun Country but might be to do AAU in the future. USAG: Paid directly to USAG by each family *Competitive expenses are estimates based on last season s fees. This fee might vary slightly once we have the competitive calendar for 2019. 6
Coaches fees at competition include the following: o Driving expenses -.54 per mile (federal guidelines) or car rental plus actual gas purchase (whichever is less expensive and easier for the coach) o Flights if necessary o Meals - $40 per day maximum ($10 breakfast, $10, lunch, $20 dinner) o Competition coaching fee - $50- $75 per session based on the length of each session, and the coaches seniority; o Hotel - as needed depending on the competition. Expenses for Regional and National competitions are not included in the above payment plan and will be billed separately, should the head coach decide to attend these meets. All coaches usually go to these competitions DISCOUNTS: Please see the front desk for sibling and multi-class discounts. FREE Afterschool for children that participate in 2 or more competitive programs at Sun Country (same child only). REMINDERS Refunds WILL NOT be issued due to someone quitting, injury, or removal from the team. Tuition is the same each month regardless of how many weeks there are in a month. There will be NO credits for holidays, cancelled practices or missed practices due to personal reasons, injuries or competition. Tuition fees and workout schedules are subject to change. 7
Medical Treatment Release Form Every year each team member must have an updated Medical Treatment Release Form filled out and signed. These forms allow coaches, instructors, and staff members to authorize any medical emergency treatment. Please return your form to the office before your child has their first competition. I do hereby grant permission for my child,, to participate with Sun Country Sports Center, Inc., coaches, their staff, or assistants. I also not only grant permission for, but also encourage ANY necessary emergency medical treatment that may be required. Signature of Parent #1/Guardian #1 date Home phone number Cell phone number Signature of Parent #2/Guardian #2 date Home phone number Cell phone number Work phone number of parent #1 Work phone number of parent #2 Contact if unable to reach parent: Emergency Contact s Name: Emergency Contact s Phone Number: Preferred Doctor: Preferred Doctor Phone number: Preferred Hospital: Preferred Hospital phone number: 8
2018 / 2019 Team Sun Country Registration Agreement Name of Athlete: Date of Birth: Team: T-Shirt Size: Please print clearly E-mail address of Mother: E-mail address of Father: E-mail address of Athlete: Please send all e-mails to (circle one): mother or father Mother s Cell: Father s Cell: Athlete s Cell: Earliest Time athlete can be at practice: School 2018/19: I have read and understand all of the information in the Team Manual and agree to follow all written rules and policies stated within. I have shared all information with my child, so he/she can follow the rules and policies as well. I have read and agree to the financial plan laid out under, Program Costs due to Sun Country and understand I am responsible for the entire seasons expenses even if my child drops the team. I understand that all fees including but not limited to competition expenses, team assessment fee and uniform are NON REFUNDABLE. I understand that my child cannot compete until I pay my athlete registration fees, my booster club fees, return the completed Medical Release form and Release of Liability Waiver. I understand that pertinent information is either posted on our Facebook page, our Team Sun Country web page, or e- mailed and I agree to look for information on a regular basis. Please keep your email account current in our system. I agree to release my name, phone # and email for a Booster Club team directory. Parent #1/Guardian #1 Signature Parent #2/Guardian #2 Signature Date Date Office Use Only Please check when turned in Sun Country Team Registration Agreement Medical Treatment Release Form 9