This Parents' Code was edited from Character Counts! Campaign at the Josephson Institute of Ethics
As a parent, you play a special role in contributing to the needs and development of young players. Through your encouragement and good example, you can help assure that the boys learn good sportsmanship and fair play.
They'll likely develop a lifelong love for this sport, and best of all - they will have fun.
Support Your Child
Supporting your child by giving encouragement
and showing interest in their team is very important. Help your child work
toward skill improvement and good sportsmanship. Learn the basics of the
lacrosse. Teach your child that hard work and an honest effort are often
more important than victory - that way your child will always be a winner
despite the outcome of the game!
Always Be Positive
Parents serve as important role models
for their children. Learn to recognize and applaud good, clean plays by
your child's team as well as good plays by the opposing team. Show respect
for the officials and opposing teams. Support all efforts to remove verbal
and physical abuse from youth sports activities. Do not encourage or applaud
rough play.
Remember That Your Child Wants to Have
Fun
Remember that your child is the one playing
lacrosse, not you. It's very important to let children establish their
own goals - to play the game for themselves. Take care not to impose your
own standards and goals on them. Don't put too heavy a burden on your child
to perform or win games. Surveys reveal that 72% of children would rather
play for a losing team than ride the bench for a winning team. Children
play for the fun of playing.
Reinforce Positive Behavior
Positive reinforcement is the best way
to help your child achieve their goals and reduce their natural fear of
failure. Nobody likes to make mistakes, but it's an important part of learning.
The freedom to take risks in learning new skills, such as developing a
dodge is critical to advancement and having fun. Always point out the good
things your child accomplished.
Don't Be a Sideline Coach or Referee
Coaches and referees are usually parents
just like you. They volunteer their time to help make your child's youth
lacrosse experience a positive one. They need your support too. That means
refraining from coaching or refereeing from the sidelines. If you'd like
to be a coach, we have opportunities for you.
Our approach to the 2nd/3rd Chester PAA Grade Lacrosse Team
1. Our goal is to introduce young players
to the concepts and individual skills associated with the great game of
lacrosse. It is hoped that they'll continue to enjoy the sport for many,
many years.
2. Our first priority is safety. Though
lacrosse is generally thought of as a rough contact sport, at this level
contact will be limited to stick checking. Protective equipment will be
worn at all times and coaches will closely control all on and off-field
activities.
3. Our emphasis will also be on fun and
good sportsmanship
4. Practices will be fun. Games will be
fun. Everybody plays. Anybody can learn and play any position. Emphasis
in games will be on familiarizing players with full field play and the
play of individual positions. We do not "lock" players into specific positions.
We mix the rotations every game so we have a balance of experienced and
less-experienced players on the field at one time. We seek equal playing
time for every player. Due to the high number of players we have, this
sometimes leads to teams scoring more on us. Winning games is not the point
at this level. It's about fairness, sportsmanship and fun.
5. Players who continually miss our practices,
however may not play as much as those who have made the commitment to come
out very week. It's about fairness. And, it's also about safety. Lacrosse
is a sport that requires skilled and safe play with the stick and the body.
We carefully coach this every practice. Players not receiving this important
coaching are not considered well prepared to play this sport.