Message to Parents
The lacrosse club coaches and staff would like to thank you for helping your player achieve their goal of being a Knights Lacrosse Player. Lacrosse is a team sport and in order to realize our potential this season, all coaches, players, and parents must believe in the team concept.
The mission of the coaching staff is to give every player the opportunity to earn a starting position on the team. This does not mean every player will receive the same amount of on-field attention. The Fall Season is designed to develop skills and knowledge of the game. Your player will have the opportunity to play as much as possible during the Fall Season games.
The Spring Season however is different. We play to win. The coaching staff will put the best team on the field to achieve this goal. The coaches spend a great deal of time with the players and can determine who the most productive players are at that time. Please respect the decisions we make regarding which players are on Varsity and JV squads and how playing time is decided. It is important that you understand the difference between a solid, dependable, and productive player and the player who makes an occasional great play.
Finally, a very important aspect of our program is team parent support & sideline behavior. We hope that you will always do your best to support our players, teams, & coaches in a positive manner. We ask that our team parents stay clear of teams during practices and games. This is an important time for the players & coaches to work together without interference from parents. Please feel free to observe, but refrain from “coaching” from your observation point. Support our players & teams in a positive manner at our games. Encouragement goes a long way. Encourage your athletes to do the same. Please do not criticize another team player or team coach, and never criticize an opponent or official. Positive feedback & comments from our supporters, directed towards the other teams & officials goes a long way. Support your player and his/her team regardless of the results. We would love to see our teams win every time out, but there are many valuable lessons learned when the scoreboard does not end up in our favor. Our program will always stress the importance of playing the game the right way and respecting the game through great sportsmanship and competition.
Team Policies
- Injuries & Concussions – Please make the coaching staff aware of any non-urgent injuries as soon as possible. An injury is not an excuse to miss practice. Your player is encouraged to attend all team functions in spite of his/her injury. If coaches, players, or parents suspect a player has suffered a concussion, we will follow the HRLax concussion policy and Return to Play procedures.
- Unsportsmanlike Conduct – Unsportsmanlike conduct and excessive penalties will not be tolerated. If you receive an unsportsmanlike penalty during a game or scrimmage, the coaches reserve the right to suspend you from the rest of the game and any or all of the remaining games. Continued sportsmanship violations will be handled by school administration using the VBCPS Student Code of Conduct.
- Fighting, bullying, or hazing – Fighting, bullying, or hazing (in person, in messages, or on social media) will not be tolerated. The Coaches, Program Manager, and school administrators will determine disciplinary action in accordance with the VBCPS Code of Student Conduct.
- Talking back to a coach, volunteer, or parent – We will not tolerate any backtalk. Not to a coach, parent, volunteer, or school representative. The player will face disciplinary actions.
- Trash Talking – Let your play speak for itself. We will not tolerate trash talking during a game or excessive celebratory gesturing.
- Talking back to an official – We will not tolerate any player talking back to or being disrespectful to an official. The coaches will deal with all officials before, during, and after a game.
- Disrespecting Designated Team Captains/Leaders – Throughout the year, we will designate team leaders and captains. Players will respect the designated leaders and follow their instructions. Remember – designated leaders are taking direction from the coaches. We expect them to get the same respect.
- Use of School Facilities – During the season, some school facilities may be available for the team to use (i.e. practice and game fields, classrooms, locker rooms, etc.). Each player must conduct himself or herself to the highest standard and obey all posted rules, as well as respect any school administrator or staff member that may be in charge.
- Team Plans and Procedures – We will have detailed plans on how we conduct practices, how we enter the field, exit the field, transport players to games and events, equipment storage, team functions, etc. There is a purpose for everything we do and how we go about conducting team business. The overall purpose and objective are to be efficient and eliminate team distractions and allow us to focus on becoming the best lacrosse team we can.
