Team Guidelines

Team Guidelines - Rules, Policies, Forms,
Lettering and Awards

Behavior:

As coaches we will establish our guidelines for behavior and consequences according to policies on student/athlete behavior outlined by the Cobb County School District.

The Interscholastic/Extracurricular Activities Code of Conduct (JHEB 8/11/04) policy states that participation in interscholastic/extracurricular activities in public schools is a privilege. Students participating in these activities are school leaders who are looked up to and emulated by other students. They are role models who represent their school and more importantly depict its character. With leadership comes responsibility and student participants must adhere to high standards of conduct. When students violate these high standards, the school district may withdraw the privilege to participate in interscholastic/extracurricular activities.

1. A student who uses or possesses illegal drugs or alcohol on or off
school property shall be suspended from intererscholastic and/or
extracurricular activities as provided in Regulation JHEB.

2. A student who is arrested for, or charged with a misdemeanor
involving moral turpitude or a felony shall be automatically
suspended from interscholastic and/or extracurricular activities.
The student shall remain suspended from these activities until
such time as the matter is resolved in favor of the student.

These guidelines are intended as minimum consequences for the referenced behaviors. Administration and local schools may adopt additional rules and regulations as they deem appropriate and necessary.

The Interscholastic/Extracurricular Activities Code of Conduct (JHEB 9/28/00) regulation states that a student who commits the following offenses shall be disciplined. The discipline may include, but not be limited to, suspension or permanent dismissal from the team or activity:

A. Any use of illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
B. Missing practice (unless excused by coach).
C. Cutting school or classes.
D. Acting in an unsportsmanlike manner when representing the
school.
E. Leaving school without notifying the coach.
F. Violating curfew.
G. Any act at school or away from school which results in any
discipline by school administration.
H. Any act at school or away from school which, in the opinion of the
coaches and administration, reflects in a negative manner on the
school, athletic program, or activity.

We want our teams to represent themselves and our school to the best of their ability at all times. We expect our runners to conduct themselves properly during practice sessions, team meetings, traveling, and at meets. Our runners should display good sportsmanship and respect toward coaches, teammates, competitors, officials, parents and bus drivers at all times.

We know relationships can develop between teammates, and we want our boys and girls to get along. Our runners need to know that all coupling should take place outside of our team practices, meets, bus trips, and functions (i.e. holding hands, hugging, kissing, walking arm in arm and/or any distracting behavior).

“Character counts or cuts, it’s your choice!”

Alcohol/Illegal Drugs:

Each high school shall provide written notification to all participants in extracurricular activities of the code of behavior expected of students regarding alcohol/illegal drug use and the subsequent disciplinary measures for violation of the expectations. Penalties for violation of the expectations regarding alcohol/illegal drug use shall be as follows:
1st Offense: Minimum ten (10) school days suspension from extracurricular activities or seven (7) school days suspension with enrollment in the MACAD SUPER I Program. Maximum: Suspension from extracurricular activities for up to one calendar year with permanent suspension possible for serious offenses.

2nd Offense: Minimum: Twenty (20) days schools suspension from extracurricular activities and a diagnostic assessment for chemical dependency. Maximum: Suspension from extracurricular activities for up to one calendar year with permanent suspension possible for serious offenses.

3rd Offense: Minimum: Suspension from extracurricular activities for one calendar year. Maximum: Permanent suspension possible from extracurricular activities for serious offenses.

All rules applying to Cobb County/Allatoona student/athletes apply to our cross-country runners. Any and all cases will be evaluated and handled by the coaching staff on an individual basis. Any violation can affect a runner’s status on the team and their qualifying for team and letter awards.

Attendance:

According to Cobb County guidelines, Cobb County high school coaches have the authority to require high school student athletes to attend or participate in high school practices and contests over outside events. We do expect our runners to attend all practice sessions, meetings, team functions and meets. It is mandatory that our runners attend half of the school day to be able to practice or compete. Our runners should always be aware of practice being cancelled due to inclement weather or some other reason. We do practice in the rain. Our runners should use our web site, and pay attention to school announcements to know about any cancellations and/or changes of practice or meets. If a runner is involved with ISS or under out of school suspension they may not participate in practice or meets until they return to class and this could result in dismissal from the team. In case of injury, a runner must still attend practice and meets unless the runner has an appointment for rehabilitation or to see a doctor. The runner must check with Coach Ravenscraft prior to going to the appointment.

In keeping track of attendance, all runners will be allowed two absences, on their third absence the runner will be subject to dismissal from the team. Our runners must always be present the day before a meet, as well as all scheduled meets. Being absent the day before a meet disqualifies a runner from participating in that meet.

To avoid the need for excused absences, we will build off days into the calendar to help our runners schedule appointments for academics, tutoring, doctor/dentist visits, senior pictures, college visits, etc. We want our runners to plan around these off days, so that every runner can be at all cross-country activities. If problems arise or other situations concerning attendance occur, only Coach Ravenscraft should be contacted. We do require near perfect attendance for lettering criteria.

We want our runners to be on time for all practice sessions, meetings, team functions, and meets, including bus/car departures set by the coaching staff. Being tardy two times equals one absence; a runner will be subject to dismissal from the team the fifth time they are late.

We also ask that our runners be able to complete all practice sessions and meets. Leaving a practice or meet early can be just as detrimental to our team as being tardy. If a runner is to leave a practice session or a meet without checking with a coach, they will be subject to suspension from the team for one day. This suspension will include any meets that may be within the time frame and will count as one absence.

Practice times and destinations will be consistent to help with attendance and punctuality. Check monthly calendars and practice time schedule (routine) on this website (Team Training) to know where and when practice is located.

Transportation Policy:

The Cobb County School System does not provide transportation to athletic events off campus except for authorized competitions. Daily practice can be held off campus at the Army Corp of Engineer property or the Kennesaw Mt Battlefield trails. We will need to have parents, runners and coaches provide transportation to these practice areas. We have a policy on this matter to protect the rights of parents, student drivers and coaches and require a hold harmless agreement (permission form) by all runners for transportation from parents, runners and coaches.

Our Policy:
It is the policy of the Allatoona cross-country program that transportation to and from practice, and possibly some competition, is the responsibility of the parents or individual runners if of driving age. Transportation of runners by parents, other runners and coaches require a hold harmless agreement that acknowledges parental consent (permission) and waives the right to file suit in the event of injury caused by an accident.

Other:
When traveling to meets, we will require our runners to be with the team on the designated transportation (bus/car). Runners must be on time for departure, especially for meets. If a runner misses a departure with the team to a meet, they will not be able to participate in that meet. Only in a case of family crisis or emergency we will allow runners to travel back from meets with parent or family member. Runners must have prior approval from Coach Ravenscraft.

Required Participation Forms:

We have required permission and information forms that need to be on file for every runner in order for them to participate this season. The forms are the athletic insurance/consent, pre-participation physical, information sheet, goal sheet, consent to participate, team contract, transportation hold harmless agreement (permission), and clothing size/order form. The forms will be given to all runners or they can be printed using downloads below. All forms must be completed and turned in between May 18 and August 3, 2009. Our runners can practice after this date if the forms are turned in!

Letter Requirements and Qualifications:

Runners must meet the requirements and running qualifications to earn a cross-country letter award on a yearly basis.

Requirements:

1. Attendance – Our runners can only have 2 or less absences from
all team activities and practices. Our runners must attend/run in
every meet.

2. Participation – Our runners are expected to put forth a 100% effort
in all team activities, training and racing.

3. Behavior – Our runners must act accordingly towards teammates
and coaches as outlined in our team guidelines.

Participation/Behavior – Things to do and REMEMBER:

-Always put forth your best individual effort in practice.
-Follow daily practice routine.
-Run correctly (pace, distance, route) in practice.
-Do not disrupt practice or team meetings– verbally or physically.
-Do not wear other high school’s t-shirt, shorts or other clothing to
practice.
-Drive safely to practice and especially into the national and county
parks.
-Follow park guidelines during practice. Control noise and NO
destruction of national and county park property.
-Do not fight or argue teammates or coaches at practice or meet.
-Always have the correct clothing for practice.
-Always have the correct gear for meets, wear the designated uniform
and clothing.
-Follow team routines and always behave appropriately at meets.
-NO wading, swimming, walking in creek, river, lake or other
waterway at practice or meet.
-Be prepared and know what is expected on a team trip. Take care
of hotel rooms, restaurants, shopping malls and or any other place
we may go while on a team trip.

Running Qualifications:
1. Team place - The top 12 boys and girls based on team place at
each meet. Each runner’s place at each meet will determine their
place on our team. We will add the team place values together
and divide by the number of meets run to get their average. All
runners with a 12.0 or better average will qualify for a letter award
based on team place. All meets count toward total unless the
runner is INJURED. If a runner misses a meet they receive the
highest team place value for that meet.

2. Automatic time qualifiers: 5K courses only - Runners must run the
listed time below (or better) at a meet or race that is 3.1 miles-5K.

3. Coaches discretion – The coaching staff reserves the right to award a varsity letter to any runner in a situation where they may not have met the above criteria. They also reserve the right to withhold a varsity letter from any runner who may reach the place or time standard, but does not uphold the standards of attendance and behavior associated with Allatoona Cross Country.

Team awards for the season:

Awards will be given to one boy and girl in the following categories at the end of the season.

Performance
Coaching
Improvement
Academic
Freshman

We will also award top 7 runners, school records, summer mileage totals, seniors and runners of the week will be chosen after each race or meet, based on performance.

Downloads:

Year(s) Running Boys Girls

4th 18:30 23:30

3rd 19:00 24:30

2nd 19:30 25:30

1st 20:30 26:30

Information Form

Transportation Consent

Clothing Order Form