Athletics

Mt. Olive Lutheran School Athletic Policy

In order to provide students with a complete, well-rounded program, Mt. Olive Lutheran School believes extracurricular activities are an important tool in teaching students to make use of their God-given talents and skills. We define extracurricular activities as any activity that takes place in whole or in part outside the normal classroom setting. Considering the resources of time, facilities, and coaches, we strive to provide the opportunity for as many students as possible to participate in various athletic activities. We strive for full utilization and development of God-given talents through our extracurricular program.

Credo

We believe each of us has a unique package of gifts, talents, and abilities from God’s grace. Some of these are physical, some intellectual, some emotional, and some attitudinal. Since the maturation rate of each student is different, and the accurate early identification of gifts is difficult, we should encourage each student to develop their talents and gifts as they grow. We believe that participation in extracurricular activities is a privilege, not a right and that it is contingent on students maintaining satisfactory academic progress and attitudes while following the guidelines in the Eligibility Policy. We believe that participating in extracurricular events should maintain the highest Christian standards in word and deed during competition, practice, and general school life. We believe that competition is important, however, the primary purpose of the extracurricular activities is that God is glorified as participants use their God-given gifts, talents, and abilities.

Goals and Objectives

1. To provide a means by which our church and school may give witness of Jesus Christ to the community and to individuals.

2. To provide for Christian fellowship.

3. To develop loyalty to church and school through sports.

4. To develop the highest Christian standards of sportsmanship.

5. To develop proper attitudes towards one’s body and its care and development.

6. To develop a lifelong interest in physical activity and exercise.

7. To develop skills for all participants.

8. To provide an opportunity for all to participate in sports on a regular basis.

Role of the Board of Christian Education

The Board Shall:

1. Appoint an athletic Director

2. Yearly review the athletic policy with the Athletic Director, make changes as needed, and approve the policy with a majority vote.

3. Reserve the right to approve or disapprove any sport and approve or dismiss any coach or Athletic Director with a unanimous vote.

4. Reserve the right to override any decision(s) of the Athletic Director with a majority vote.

Role of the Athletic Director

The Athletic Director Shall:

1. Approve all extracurricular sports.

2. Appoint a coach or coaches for each sport using proper forms and following proper policies.

3. Have a coaches meeting as needed to set up practices and games and to go over any rule changes.

4. Approve practices, games, and tournaments with each coach before they begin.

5. Approve all announcements and permission slips sent home.

6. Attend all meetings of the Southern Minnesota Lutheran Conference or send a representative of Mt. Olive.

7. Reserves the right to make decisions together with the principal as needed on items covered or not covered in this policy.

8. Make sure that M.I.A.A. officials are engaged for all sports requiring them.

9. Make sure of adequate equipment and first aid supplies before the school year begins.

10. Have a meeting with the parents and the athletes in grades 5-8 to discuss rules, eligibility guidelines, and schedules.

Qualifications and Expectations of Coaches

1. Only persons approved by the Athletic Director and Principal mm ay serve as coaches.

2. A coach must be a member of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church or a sister congregation, and must be a positive Christian example through active church attendance and fellowship.

3. A head coach should be a minimum of 19 years of age.

4. Assistant coaches will be appointed by the coach and meet the qualifications in clause

5. All coaches should meet with the Athletic Director before beginning practices or games. Minor changes in the schedule need to be approved by the Athletic Director in advance.

6. Coaches using the gym should see to it that the floors are swept at the end of each practice session.

7. Coaches are to remain at school until all the players have been picked up. When all players have left, the coaches need to make sure all the doors are locked securely before leaving.

8. Coaches are encouraged to lead a team prayer before all games.

Code of Ethics for Coaches

1. I will treat each player, opposing coach, official, parent, and administrator with respect, Christian love, and dignity.

2. I will do my best to learn the fundamental skills, and teaching the fundamental skills and strategies of my sport.

3. I will become thoroughly familiar with the rules of my sport.

4. I will become familiar with the objectives of the athletic program at Mt. Olive Lutheran School. I will strive to achieve these objectives and communicate them to my players and their parents.

5. I will uphold the authority of the officials who are assigned to the contests in which I coach, and I will assist them in every way to conduct fair and impartial competitive contests.

6. I will learn the strengths and weaknesses of my players so that I might place them in situations where they have a maximum opportunity to achieve success.

7. I will conduct my practices and games so that all players have an opportunity to improve their skill level.

8. I will communicate to my players and their parents the rights and responsibilities of individuals on our team.

9. I will cooperate with the Athletic Director in the enforcement of rules and regulations, and I will report any irregularities that violate sound competitive practices.

10. I will protect the health and safety of my players by insisting that all of the activities under my control are conducted for their welfare.

Student Responsibilities

In general, the privilege of participating in Mt. Olive’s athletic program is extended to all students in grades 5-8. Participation will depend on the student’s ability to assume certain responsibilities. The greatest of these responsibilities is to their Lord and Savior. They are also expected to represent their church, school, parents, and community in a proper manner.

All student-athletes shall:

1. always give glory to God, not to themselves, by doing the best with the gifts God has given them.

2. display proper respect for those in authority, including administration, teachers, coaches, officials, and also other school personnel.

3. display a genuine spirit of cooperation and sportsmanship.

4. make a commitment to the team by being at all scheduled practices and games.

5. excuse him/herself to the coach either in person or by note or phone call when not able to attend a practice or game.

6. be on time for all practices and 15 minutes prior to game time. If a player misses a game or practice and has not excused him/herself beforehand with the coach, their playing time may be effected in the next scheduled game. (If a player missed due to an illness or family emergency it would be considered an excused absence and will not be penalized for missing the game.)

7. dress according to the school dress code when attending a school function.

8. use language befitting a Christian; profanity will NOT be tolerated.

9. not smoke, drink alcoholic beverages, or take drugs that are not prescribed by a physician for illness.

10. avoid doing anything that would embarrass themselves, their Lord, their parents, their team, or the school.

Any infraction of the above expectations will result in disciplinary action(s). The action(s) taken will be decided in cooperation of the Principal, Athletic Director, and the coach.

Parents’ Code

As a parent whose child or children are participants in Mt. Olive Lutheran’s athletic program, I will:

1. Support My Child
Children are learners and part of learning is making mistakes. Show your child by example that mistakes are opportunities for learning. Be positive and look for those things that your child does right. If you feel that something should be pointed out to your child, use complete feedback:
+ tell them what they did right
+ tell them constructively what they did incorrectly

+ tell them what they should do next

2. Support My Child’s Coach

The coach is your child’s teacher. Coaches are volunteers, and frequently they are parents too. Show your child that you support the coach and your child will listen better and learn more. A coach is just like you: friendliness will make you more receptive than unfriendliness. Let the coach know that you appreciate the effort being given and the time be or she is putting in to help your child. Look for good things that are done, not the mistakes that are sometimes made. If you criticize your child’s coach, your child may become negative also. Be positive in your role model.

3. Support My Child’s Team

No matter who plays well and who doesn’t, no matter whether your child’s team wins or loses, please support ALL the players on the team and your child will have a much better relationship with teammates. In turn, he or she will learn to support them also and will make many new friends. Be positive rather than negative.

4. Support My Child’s Opponents

This is sometimes the hardest one to master. Your child will learn more if your opponents are well prepared and give your team a good game. And, believe it or not, your child may learn more in defeat than in victory. Performance seems to be a bigger issue when a team loses. But, parents and children have a tendency to be critical of opponents when they lose the game. A child that sees parents appreciate another team and the players on that team learn about respect. Respect wins friends and in turn your child will get respect as a good sport. Show positive support for the other team.

Scheduling Guidelines:

1. The schedule will be made to avoid conflict with other previously scheduled school/church events.
2. Cancellation of scheduled games due to any reason will be made by the Athletic Director in consultation with the opposing schools Athletic Director and/or Principal.
3. Girls and boys “A Team” basketball may participate in a maximum of three tournaments.
4. Girls and boys “B Team” basketball may participate in a maximum of one tournament.
5. Any changes or additions in the set schedule need to he approved by the Athletic Director in
advance.

Transportation:
Parents are responsible for transportation of their children to and from all games, scrimmages, and practices.

Athletic Opportunities

Fall:

Coed Soccer grades 5-8 (If the number of players warrant splitting the group, we will divide the group
according to grade)
Girls’ volleyball grades 7-8 (If the number of players warrant splitting the group, we will divide the group
according to grade)
Girls’ volleyball grades 5-6 (If the number of players warrant splitting the group, we will divide the group according to grade)

Winter:

Boys’ Basketball grades 5-8
Girls’ Basketball grades 5-8 (If the number of players warrant splitting the group, we will divide the group according to grade)
Girls’ Cheerleading grades 3-5

Spring:

Co-Ed Softball grades 7-8 (If we are in need of additional players we will invite the 6th graders to join and fill the team.)
Track grades 5-8

Athletic Fees

All participants are required to pay a fee for their particular sport to cover the cost of officials, equipment and uniform maintenance. The fee is not enough to fully fund the program, but rather helps to offset the cost. All fees are due prior to the first scheduled contest. Checks can be made out to Mount Olive Booster Club. The fee schedule is as follows:

A Volleyball $25
B Volleyball $25
Soccer $20
A Basketball $35
B Basketball $30
Softball $10

Athletic Academic Eligibility Policy

The athletic Eligibility Policy has been written so that all interested individuals will have the same understanding of the rules.

1. Unexcused Incompletes
Incomplete work is any assignment that is not finished when the teacher is ready to collect it. All unexcused incomplete work must be finished before the student may participate in any interscholastic activities or practices.

2. Academic Status
Students need to remember that academics are an important part of their school life. Any student with an “F” In any subject on a report card or mid-term will be declared ineligible for participation in the next weeks activities. Any student falling below a 2.0 grade average will be declared ineligible. The student will also be given a two-week period to show improvement. If there is no sign of effort, the student will remain ineligible for another 2 weeks. If the students still showed no improvement ineligibility for the remainder of the season would be the next step.

A teacher has the right to waive this rule if he/she feels that the student is putting forth an excellent effort or is showing improvement in the areas that have been weak.
A parent may also request a meeting to discuss the ineligibility of their student. If such a meeting is requested a committee made up of a School Board member, Principal, Athletic Director, and the Teacher involved will meet within the next day if possible. The student may continue to practice until this group has met.

Mt. Olive Booster Club

The purpose of the Mt. Olive Booster Club is to supervise all extracurricular athletic activities held at Mt. Olive. It is also to operate and maintain the canteen used for those events. The Booster Club hosts the Charger Classic held at Bethany College.

Members of the Mt. Olive Booster include the officers, the Principal, the Athletic Director, and ALL parents of students grades 5-8 who have children involved in sports and cheerleading. It is very important that all members of this group attend the scheduled meetings throughout the school year to help make decisions that may affect each student involved in athletics at Mt. Olive.

The funds that are raised by this group are used to purchase athletic equipment, uniforms, cover referee fees, and help maintain the gym.

Please show your interest in your school’s athletic program by attending all meetings scheduled and participating in this group. Involvement in this group can be fun while working together for the benefit of our students and school.