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PHILOSOPHY: The student
activities program is voluntary and extra-curricular. Team
membership is earned through excellence in athletics,
academics and sportsmanship. Participation in high school
activities is a privilege and not a right. With this
privilege, it is the responsibility of the participant to
uphold the standards established by Poquoson High School.
Those standards are based on the fundamental premise that
the participant is in a position of leadership and he/she
should represent the sport, the school and the community in
the highest manner. Each athlete should strive to compete
at the highest level at practices and in events.
Sportsmanship, preparation (both athletically and
academically) and maximum effort are the keys to success at
Poquoson High School.
General Rules Applicable to All
Teams:
- In order to participate in an
activity or practice on a given day, a participant must
be in school for the entire day unless excused for
medical appointments or other school authorized reasons.
- Team members must travel to and
from contests with their team, unless head coach gives
prior approval.
- Team uniforms may be worn only for
participation in the sport for which it is issued.
Uniforms or warm-ups may be worn during the day of an
event if approved by the team’s coach. Students and
their parents are financially responsible for all
uniforms and equipment issued to them. Any student who
has not completed his/her payment obligations at the
close of the season will not be permitted to compete in
any further competition until the obligation is met.
All uniforms must be returned to the team’s coach at the
end of the season. Each coach will schedule specific
uniform and equipment turn-in days that will be
announced by the coach.
- All athletes must report injuries
to their coach and to the athletic trainer. This must
be done when the injury occurs.
- If a team member resigns or is
dismissed from a team for violations of rules after the
team has made its final selections, he/she will be
ineligible to participate in the athletic program until
the team from which he/she resigned or was dismissed has
concluded all activities for that season. Individual
cases may be appealed to the Activities Director.
- Once a student becomes a member of
an athletic team, he/she must make participation a
priority over family vacations and non-school trips.
Students and parents must realize that missing practice
may effect the playing/performance time of the student
and the awarding of a letter or other award at the end
of the sport season. Absence from athletic practices
and/or events for other school-sponsored activities must
be discussed with the coach before the absence will be
excused.
- Each head coach will prepare and
present individual team policies to each athlete and
their parent at the beginning of the sports season. The
athlete is responsible for obtaining a parent/guardian
signature indicating acknowledgement of the team
policies if the parent cannot attend the meeting.
- Letters, certificates and awards
will be presented at the end of each season at an awards
program. Each sport will give the following awards:
Most Valuable Player, Best Sportsmanship, and the third
award will be the coaches choice (most improved,
defensive player, best batter, etc.). Varsity athletes
receive a letter and junior varsity athletes receive a
certificate upon satisfactory completion of the
following as evaluated by the coaching staff; selection
to the team, attend all practices and games/matches
performing at skill level or higher, complete season
including all tournaments, return all equipment and
uniforms issued or pay replacement costs and abide by
all training and citizenship rules established by the
coaching staff.
SPORTSMANSHIP: We expect each student
to conduct himself or herself properly at all times during
the season. This includes conduct on buses, at practices
and at games. We will not condone improper language or
behavior. Sportsmanship is a heavy emphasis in the VHSL and
at Poquoson High School. We all ask that you encourage your
son or daughter to keep that in mind. Sportsmanship is the
responsibility of all spectators also. Please remember that
our opponents are our guests and that the officials are
trained in their profession and are doing their best to
officiate the events according to established rules.
Students demonstrating good sportsmanship may be nominated
by coaches to be eligible for scholarships through
“Champions by Choice”.
CITIZENSHIP: We expect that all
students understand that they represent the Poquoson
community at all times. The community holds athletes to a
high standard and they should conduct themselves properly at
all times: in the classroom, at events and at all other
times. The Poquoson Code of Conduct and Conduct of
Extracurricular/Co-curricular Activities are always in
effect.
ACADEMICS: VHSL requires that each
student athlete pass 5 new courses for graduation the
preceding semester and take 5 courses for graduation during
the current semester. We expect students to keep their
grades up. Students who have academic needs after school
should communicate with their coaches in advance and receive
passes from their teachers to practice.
Seniors wishing to play sports in
college should check in guidance for copies of the “Guide
for College-Bound Student Athletes and Their Parents”.
SPORTS MEDICINE: We are pleased to have
Todd Korabek, a certified trainer, on our faculty. He will
be in attendance at most home games and will hold training
room hours daily. If you have questions, please see him or
call him. If your son or daughter needs to see a physician,
the athletic trainer will need the doctor’s release prior to
permitting him or her to return to active participation.
Please be sure your son or daughter eats a proper diet and
hydrates daily.
VHSL PHYSICAL AND PARENTAL CONSENT
FORM: This form must be completed before any student
can tryout or practice for a VHSL sponsored activity. The
physical date must be after May 1, 2006 and the student must
have some form of insurance, either military or private or
school.
RISK OF INJURY: While each coach and
the trainers teach and emphasize safety during practices and
during events, there is a risk of injury associated with
sports. That injury can be as minor as a muscle strain, but
could be more severe and could include death. We are not
discussing this to alarm you; rather, we want you to
understand that competitive athletics has risks and that we
must be in communication to minimize them. Please contact
your coach or athletic trainer if you have a question.
WEIGHT ROOM/CONDITIONING: All
students/athletes using the weight room after school should
have a current VHSL form on file with the activities
director. All weightlifting should be done with proper
supervision. Students are expected to be respectful of
others, work out safely and put away all weights properly.
TEAM POLICIES: Poquoson Athletics has
two types of team policies: there is a general policy that
applies to all students and includes the Code of Conduct and
the Extra-curricular/Co-curricular activities Conduct. In
addition, each head coach has team policies that govern the
conduct of the sport. The head coach should give you a copy
of these policies. It is very important that students and
their parents understand these policies. If you have any
questions, ask the coach for clarification.
COMMUNICATION: Communication between
coaches and parents is necessary for a successful season.
Constant communication will insure that decisions affecting
athletes are made by coaches and by parents using all
available information. This communication can be initiated
at the pre-season Coaches’/Parents’ meeting and can be
enhanced through phone calls or personal contact as
necessary. Coaches may also provide team information by way
of team web pages and/or ischool. Concerns should not be
given to the coaching staff after a game; rather parents
should call to schedule an appointment with the coach. If
you still have concerns after meeting with the coach, you
may contact the Activities Director at 868-7184 to discuss
the situation.
www.poquoson.org/phs/athletics
www.SSFChampions.org
www.highschoolsports.net
www.nfhs.org
www.vhsl.org
www.ncaaclearinghouse.net
HAZING: There will be no form of
hazing or team initiation of student athlete’s permitted.
Hazing is defined as any activity that humiliates, degrades
or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the
person’s willingness to participate.
SUPPORT: Please support your son or
daughter by attending as many of their activities as
possible! Also, please remember that all high school
athletes, our opponents and ours, try their best; sometimes
they are successful and sometimes they are not. They all
deserve your positive support.
- Season passes are available for
students at the cost of $60 and for adults $90.
The
passes may be used at all PHS home athletic events in
regular season.
SCHEDULES: Please visit
www.highschoolsports.net to view all of Poquoson’s up to
date sport schedules.
Thank you for your interest in and
support for the Islanders’ programs. We hope to see you
often this season!
Lee Ann Hartley
Activities Director |
