WINCHESTER BOYS YOUTH LACROSSE (“WYL”) CODE OF CONDUCT
Winchester Youth Lacrosse, US Lacrosse and the Town Pride League (“TPL”) abide by the US Lacrosse Youth Council Code of Conduct governing all coaches, players, officials, and parents. The purpose of the code is to ensure that all of those people associated with lacrosse treat each other with dignity and respect.
The Code of Conduct is a condition of membership for all players, parents, coaches, and officials. All members who join Winchester Youth Lacrosse agree to abide by the Code of Conduct and to be subject to the consequences of violating the code. Every registration form for Winchester Youth Lacrosse includes the Code of Conduct, either directly or by reference.
All enforcement decisions made by the officials of Winchester Youth Lacrosse are final and not subject to review. No refunds will be granted to those players dismissed from the club for violating the Code of Conduct.
US Lacrosse Youth Council Code of Conduct Statement
I, as a player, coach, parent, spectator or official, pledge to conduct myself in a manner that complies with the US Lacrosse Youth Council "Code of Conduct" at all times. Accordingly, I pledge to:
"Honor the Game"
- Demonstrate respect to other players, coaches, and parents; officials; and spectators;
- Uphold the essential elements of the USL Youth Council "Code of Conduct", which are:
HONESTY and INTEGRITY
- Demonstrate and encourage good sportsmanship and the concepts of fair play;
- Focus on fun and participation;
- Know and abide by the rules of lacrosse, the established guidelines, and all eligibility requirements;
- Understand that the safety and welfare of all concerned is the top priority;
- Support the drug, alcohol, and tobacco free environment that is important for all youth sporting events;
Further, I pledge NOT to:
- Ever use profanity at a youth event;
- Criticize coaches, players, or game officials;
- Touch an opposing player, coach, or game official in a threatening manner
I agree to abide by and uphold the above stated "Code of Conduct" and understanding that violating this Code either by commission or omission will be subject to penalties as stated in the "Code of Conduct" which has been provided to all chapters, coaches, and officials.
Click here for the full version of the US Lacrosse Youth Council Code of Conduct.
ANTI-BULLYING POLICY
Bullying and Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Bullying of any kind is unacceptable in the Winchester Youth Lacrosse and will be dealt with promptly and effectively.
Why is it Important to Respond to Bullying?
No one deserves to be a victim of bullying. Everybody has the right to be treated with respect.
Bullying hurts; it hurts the person being bullied; it hurts the bully, it hurts the teams and it hurts the association.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is the use of aggression with the intention of hurting another person, whether a WYL participant or another person.
Bullying can be:
- Emotional - being unfriendly, intentionally engaging in group excluding behavior, graffiti, gestures, and name calling
- Verbal - name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumors, teasing, tormenting or taunting, vulgar language
- Physical - pushing, kicking, hitting, punching, aggressive and improper use of the stick, “cheap shots” or any use of violence
- Cyberbullying - any act of bullying through the use of the internet, interactive and digital technology, including posting to Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook or other social media comments equivalent to the items covered under “Verbal” and “Emotional” above
For purposes of this policy, “Bullying” means the use by one or more players of a written, verbal or electronic communication, including cyberbullying, directed at or referring to another WYL participant or another person, or a physical act or gesture by one or more players repeatedly directed at another person participating in a WYL event that:
1) Causes physical or emotional harm to such person or damage to such person’s property;
2) Places such person in reasonable fear of harm to himself or herself, or of damage to his or her property;
3) Creates a hostile environment during an WYL event for such person;
4) Infringes on the rights of such person during an WYL event; or
5) Substantially disrupts the team.
Bullying shall include, but not be limited to, a written, verbal or electronic communication or physical act or gesture based on any actual or perceived differentiating characteristics, such as playing ability, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, academic status, physical appearance, or mental, physical, developmental or sensory disability, or by association with an individual or group who has or is perceived to have one or more of such characteristics.
Procedures
Reporting an incident of bullying:
1) Players should report bullying incidents which occur at a WYL event or are about a WYL related activity to their age group coordinator.
2) That age group coordinator parent should report bullying incidents which occur at a WYL event or are about a WYL related activity to the WYL President (currently, Chris Froeb).
3) Any unsportsmanlike or bullying behavior at any WYL event witnessed by a Coach or Assistant Coach should be reported to the appropriate age group coordinator.
4) The age group coordinator or his or her delegate will confer with the parent(s) of the child claiming improper conduct and/or the coaches involved and will investigate the complaint in a timely manner; In serious cases, parents may be asked to come in to a meeting to discuss the problem. Serious cases will also be discussed at the Board level.
5) The WYL Board will be guided by the objective of eliminating the offending behavior where warranted and assuring that no player, parent or coach will incur any form of retaliation for having brought forth a complaint in good faith.
6) All bullying discussions will be kept confidential among the parties described above.
Outcomes
1) The age group coordinator or a members of the Board will contact the parent(s) of the alleged bully to discuss the conduct and any actions to be taken with respect to the alleged bully.
2) The bully may be asked to genuinely apologize and immediately change his/her behavior. When appropriate, the subject will be discussed without naming the participants at the team level including all coaches, players and/or parents.
3) After any incident has been investigated and dealt with, each case will be monitored to ensure repeated bullying does not take place.
4) In serious cases or repeated instances, suspension of one or more games may be imposed or, where warranted, expulsion or exclusion from WYL activities may be imposed upon determination of the Board of Directors of the WYL.
DRUG, ALCOHOL & TOBACCO POLICY
WYL has a zero tolerance policy against the use of drugs, alcohol, or tobacco by spectators, coaches and players at any WYL event. This includes, but is not limited to, use or possession on the fields, spectator areas, and parking lots. Individuals who violate this policy will be required to leave the venue and will be subject to further disciplinary action. Illegal activities will be reported to the police for appropriate action.
PLAYER/FAMILY COMMITMENT
The Winchester Youth Lacrosse Commitment Policy for travel team (3rd-8th) players is to ensure that all travel players receive a positive experience playing youth lacrosse. This is achieved by making a commitment to make WYL travel lacrosse your primary athletic activity during the Spring season and by establishing guidelines for participating on travel lacrosse teams.
Starting in 5th Grade, all WYL players should make an honest and good faith effort to attend all games and practices in their entirety. This policy extends to players and coaches alike and the commitment is up through the final weekend of play. We understand, of course, that unforeseen conflict can arise for all kids and families.
It is our expectation that any player who participates on a 5th-8th grade team makes lacrosse their primary Spring sport. Any 5th-8th grade player who repeatedly fails to attend games or practices because of other commitments will lose their spot on their applicable team and/or lose playing time. These decisions will be at the discretion of the coaches.
ALL travel players MUST notify the grade-level head coach ahead of time by email/team app if they need to miss a practice or game.
Player Communication
In order to encourage players to develop as young men, by the 5th grade, players should communicate directly with their grade-level head coach first. This includes concerns or questions regarding playing time, positions, team placement and suggestions for improvement/feedback. An exception is for health issues such as allergies, asthma, ADD/ADHD, diabetes, etc., which parents should communicate directly with the grade-level head coach if and when they feel the need. All health issues will be kept strictly confidential.
If parents have issues with any coach, they should discuss those with the boys’ age group coordinator, after observing a 24-hour waiting period. Or if the player has discussed the issue with the coach and the coach’s response does not resolve the issue, contact the boys’ age group coordinator.
Out of season player commitment
Winchester Youth Lacrosse strongly supports multi-sport athletes, and encourage lacrosse players to participate in other sports out of season.
At the same time, we hope that players who strive for the top travel teams are continuing to work on their skills out of season. It is unrealistic to believe a player can remain competitive at the travel/”elite” level within the TPL without continued focus and development on the skills needed to play lacrosse.
There are many ways to improve out of season – signing up for our WYL off-season programs, playing catch in the backyard, or other clinics and camps. In addition, local club lacrosse programs run during the Fall and Winter.
Players who only pick up their stick March-June will quickly fall behind of the more committed players (within and outside Winchester). There are ample opportunities to continue playing and practicing, we hope you can make it a priority even out of season.
Participation in Club Lacrosse Programs
Winchester Youth Lacrosse is committed to providing a town program that is capable of developing High School ready lacrosse players. We understand, however, that many of our boys will join local club programs as they become interested in further development. Several of the local clubs do a good job with exactly that.
As a program, WYL supports all efforts to improve, so long as those efforts do not conflict with our Code of Conduct. Until the June club tournaments commence, this means that WYL expects that our Spring team practices and games will be a priority over any club commitments.
The president of WYL will maintain an informal database of which WYL boys are playing for club programs. This database is intended to provide parents interested in certain clubs the ability to get references and ask questions. Please contact WYL directly if you are interested in any such references. WYL will not share information on our database without express consent. If your son plays club lacrosse and you are willing to share your experiences with other Winchester Lax parents, please email me at winchesterlax@gmail.com.
