Ladyhawks
Volleyball
2011-2012
Welcome
It is that time of year again! That time when we come together and begin to prepare for our new
season, where old friendships are rekindled and new ones bor
n. Welcome to all the new players.
Goals
At the beginning of every season, a team determines what it wants to accomplish and how it is
going achieve it. Our Ladyhawks are no different. Setting goals and achieving them is a major
component of our success and will be addressed as the season begins. We must remember that
our goals must be backed up with our commitment to reaching them. Our athletes are expected to
set high expectations for themselves and their teammates on the court as well as in the classroom.
If we leave practice each day having taken a step up toward reaching our goals, we will be a
successful basketball program which will play deep into the post-season.
Eligibility and Mandatory Forms
Minimum eligibility requirements are as follows:
9th Graders – all 1st semester freshmen are eligible. 2nd semester freshmen must have
passed 5 subjects during their 1st semester in order to participate.
Beginning of 2nd year (sophomore) – must have passed 5 subjects the previous semester
and have accumulated 5 units.
Beginning of 3rd year (junior) – must have passed 5 subjects the previous semester and
have accumulated 11 units.
Beginning of 4th year (senior) – must have passed 5 subjects the previous semester and
have accumulated 17 units.
All students participating in athletics at HCHS prior to participation must have a current physical,
on the approved GHSA form, a parent release form, a student-athlete code of conduct form, an
insurance form, and a weather form on file. All forms are available in the front office or see Ms.
Rhonda for a copy.
Practices
All players who are selected to one of the volleyball squads are expected to attend all scheduled
practices and, additionally, make every effort to attend any “emergency” practice sessions. All
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student athletes must be in school for 3 periods during the day in order to participate in practices
and/or competitions. If there is a conflict with any scheduled practice, it is the player’s
responsibility to notify their coach at least 24 hours in advance. Verifiable emergency situations
will be an exception. If you are sick, you are still required to contact your coach either directly or
through the front office. It is NEVER acceptable to send information to a coach through another
player. Failure to follow these procedures will result in an unexcused absence. Additionally, any
and all missed practices due to disciplinary actions will be considered unexcused. The penalty for
missing practice with an unexcused status is as follows and is subject to change according to coach’s
discretion. All penalties are to be done before and/or after the next scheduled practice and are the
student-athlete’s responsibility. Failure to do this work may result in dismissal from the team:
1st absence – 5 super girls, 25 depth jumps, 2 minutes of stairs and 3 suicides.
2nd absence - 5 super girls, 25 depth jumps, 2 minutes of stairs, 3 suicides and will be
benched for the next game.
3rd absence - 5 super girls, 25 depth jumps, 2 minutes of stairs, 3 suicides and will be
benched for the next 2 games.
4th absence - 5 super girls, 25 depth jumps, 2 minutes of stairs, 3 suicides and will be
benched for the next 5 games (the player may be dismissed from the team at the coach’s
discretion).
5th absence – Dismissal from the team.
Any athlete missing a practice with an excused status is responsible for making up the work missed
during the absence and in a timely manner. Failure to do this work may result in dismissal from
the team.
In the rare chance that a practice or competition needs to be cancelled, all Ladyhawk basketball
players will be notified via the HCHS intercom system. Please be attentive to any announcements
that occur during the school day. All regularly scheduled practices and competitions are included
on the practice and game schedules.
In fairness to our players and their coaches and in order to keep work time focused, all practices
will be “closed.” Our practices this year will be as follows:
Mondays – Fridays: 3:30-5:30
Study Halls- Time and Location TBA
You are required to report to study-hall in room This is a great opportunity to get help from your
teammates or the teachers available in tutoring sessions. Bring your school work and be prepared
to study silently. There will be no socializing. Cell phones are prohibited!
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Team Rules and Punishment for Violations
We are an athletic TEAM and must function as a team. Certain rules are necessary for the
smooth operation of the team and failure to adhere to these rules will result in an appropriate
punishment relative to the severity of the violation. The basic rules are as follows:
Treat all others (coaches, teammates, officials, fellow competitors, etc…) with respect.
No verbal profanity or gestures.
Pay attention at all times (when a coach is talking, make eye contact and be ready to listen).
Hustle at all times.
Be on time to practice, ready to go.
The following items are not allowed at practices or competitions: jewelry, metal hair clips,
*cell phones (see rules below), drugs, drug paraphernalia, alcohol, weapons and all other
items not allowed at school.
Any and all injuries are to be reported immediately to a coach.
The cell phone policy will be in effect for the entire season and is as follows:
Practice Days
No cell phones are to be out, on or off, without the coach’s permission during study hall;
during practices, including water breaks; in the locker rooms; anywhere in the vicinity of
the gym.
Players may use their cell phones after practice is dismissed as long as it is not in the gym.
Game Days
Home Games: Cell phone use is prohibited 1 ½ hours prior to all games. This includes
the gym area, the lobby, the locker room, outside the building but on campus, and any
other area the coaches may include. After the post-game talk, you may use your phones.
Away Games: Cell phones are not allowed on the bus. Any calls/texting should be
concluded 30 minutes prior to boarding the bus.
Punishment for violating the team Rules, including the Cell Phone Policy, may result in the
following punishments: any combination of super girls, depth jumps, stairs and suicides, among
other activities. In cases deemed severe by Coach Caldwell, dismissal from the team
Team Travel
All players are to ride the bus to and from all competitions, except when busses are not scheduled.
If you wish to ride back from a game with a parent or guardian, this must be requested by the
custodial parent/guardian preferably in advance and approved by the coach in charge. After any
home game or practice and after returning from an away game, please make arrangements to be
picked up from the HCHS gym on time. Any student-athlete not picked up from the school
within 10 minutes of the completion of a practice or upon the return from a game are subject to
the following:
1st Offense: verbal warning
2nd Offense: parent/coach conference
3rd Offense: possible dismissal from team
On the rare occasion that a student-athlete might be picked up late due to unforeseen
circumstances it is imperative that the coach be contacted. The safety of our students is the
number one priority. Any disciplinary decisions related to late pick-ups are at the discretion of the
head coach and his staff.
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Varsity players may be awarded the “Senior Award” if they have participated on the varsity squad
for a minimum of two years and are in their graduating year. Additional awards that the varsity
player may earn are as follows: the “MVP Award” for outstanding play and team contributions,
the “Defensive POY Award” for outstanding commitment in defensive play, and the “Most
Improved Player Award” for the exceptional advancement in basketball skills. Other awards may
be presented at the coach’s discretion. All varsity squad members will receive their “Letter” if they
meet the following criteria;
Not missed any practices and/or games due to disciplinary problems.
Have NO unexcused absences.
Have no more than two excused absences.
The coach will address any unusual or unique circumstances and any exceptions to these criteria
are solely the coach’s decision.
Ladyhawk Booster Club
The sole purpose of the HCHS Ladyhawk Booster Club is to support Ladyhawk volleyball. This
involves fundraising to aid in keeping the equipment in working order as well as supplying the team
with adequate provisions not allowed for in the HCHS athletic budget. All requests, proposals,
and projects must be discussed with the head coach before implementation and must be approved
by school administration and/or the Henry County Board of Education. Meetings are to be
scheduled on a regular basis and are open to all members of the booster club. Executive sessions
will include the booster club president, vice-president, and the head coach. All parents and
guardians of Ladyhawk players are invited and encouraged to participate. Additionally, ALL
Ladyhawk players are to be present at and participate in all Ladyhawk Booster Club fundraising
projects.
Each player is required to pay a program fee to help offset any expenses directly related to the
operation of our basketball program. Please refer to the following fees schedule:
Participation fee: $50 (paid only if not collected for a Fall sport)
Volleyball fee: $60 (includes your uniform)
Total Fee: $110.00
This is to be paid by Please bring all payments to Coach Wright. Make all checks payable to
HCHS Ladyhawk Volleyball. If you have any special requests in regards to payments, please see
Coach Wright well in advance of the payment deadline.
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How to establish rapport with your athletic child
by Lloyd Percival
I have been asked to do a book about the role parents should or should not play in the careers of their
athletic offspring. I began to research the subject in some detail because it has been my experience that the
popular consensus or “expert” opinion sometimes is not as accurate as it appears. First, I talked with the
young athletes and found that though parents often present a problem, the youngsters appear anxious to
solve it. They want their parents to be closely involved but without creating pressure and without causing
either a super-critical or an over protective environment. Here are some golden rules.
1. Make sure that your child knows that- win or lose, sacred or heroic- you love them,
appreciate their efforts and are not disappointed in them.
This will allow them to do their best, to avoid developing a fear of failure based on the specter if
disapproval and family disappointment if they do mess up.
Be the person in their life they can look up to for constant positive enforcement. Learn to hide your
feeling if they disappoint you.
2. Try your best to be completely honest about your child’s athletic ability, their competitive
attitude, sponsorship and actual skill level.
3. Be helpful don’t “coach” them on the way to the track, diamond or court…on the way back
…at breakfast…and so on.
Sure, it’s tough not to, but it’s a lot tougher for the child to be inundated with advice, pep talks and
often critical instruction.
4. Teach them to enjoy the thrill of competition, to be “out there trying” to be working to
improve their skills and attitudes… to take physical bumps and come back for more. Don’t
say “wining doesn’t count” because it does. Instead, help develop the feel for competing, for trying
hard, for having fun.
5. Try not to re-live your athletic life through your child in a way that creates pressure; you
fumbled too, you lost as well as you won. You were frightened, you backed off at times, and
you were not always heroic. Don’t pressure your child because of your pride.
Sure, they are an extension of you, but let them make their own voyage of discovery into the
world of sports…Let them sail into it without interference. Help to calm the waited when things get
stormy, but let them handle their own navigational problems. Find out what your child is all about and
don’t assume they feel the way you did, wants the same things, or has the same attitude.
You gave him life, now let them learn to handle it, enjoy it. Just remember there is thinking,
feeling, sensitive, free spirit out there in that uniform who needs a lot of understanding, especially
when their world turns bad on them. If they are comfortable with you-win or lose- they are on their
way to maximum achievement and enjoyment- and you will get your kicks too!
6. Don’t compete with the coach.
The young athlete often comes home and chatters on about “coach says this, coach says that,” ad
nauseam. This, I realize, is often hard to take. When a certain degree of disenchantment about the
coach sets in, some parents side with the youngster and are happy to see him shot down. This is a
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mistake. It should provide a chance to discuss (not lecture) with the youngster the importance of
learning how to handle problems, react to criticism and understand the necessity for discipline, rules,
regulations and so on.
7. Don’t compare the skill, courage or attitudes of your child with other members of the squad
or team, at least in range of him/her hearing.
And if your child shows a tendency to resent the treatment he gets from the coach, or the approval
other team members get, be careful to look over the facts quietly and try to provide fair and honest
counsel. If you play the role of the over-protective parent who is blinded to the relative merits of your
youngster and his actual status as an athlete and individual, you will merely perpetuate the problem.
Your youngster could become a problem athlete.
8. You should also get to know the coach so that you can be assured that his philosophy,
attitudes, and ethics and knowledge are such that you are happy to expose your child to him.
The coach has a tremendous potential influence.
9. Always remember that children tend to exaggerate, both when praised and when criticized.
Temper your reactions to the tales of woe or heroics they bring home. Don’t cut your youngster
down if you feel he is exaggerating—just take a look at the situation and gradually try to develop an
even level.
Above all, don’t over-react and rush off to the coach if you feel an injustice has been done.
Investigate, but anticipate that the problem is not as it might appear.
10. Make a point of understanding courage and the fact that it is relative.
There are different kinds of courage. Some of us can climb mountains but are frightened to get into
a fight; others can fight without fear but turn to jelly if a bee approaches. Everyone is frightened in
certain areas—nobody escapes fear and that is just as well since it often helps us avoid disaster.
Explain to your youngster that courage does not mean an absence of fear but rather means doing
something in spite of fear or discomfort.
In a way, the parents are the primary coaches. I have talked with many great athletes who, in
evaluating the reasons for their success, have said: “My parents really helped—I was lucky in this
respect.”
To me the coaching job the parent has is the toughest one of all and it takes a lot of effort to do it
well. It is worth all the effort when you hear your youngster boast (now or later on) that you played a
key role in his success.
Information provided from www.coachmeyers.com
Compliments of
Don Meyer Basketball Camps
P.O. Box 159054
Nashville, TN 37215-9054
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