Absences/Missed Practice

Attendance at practice is where a player earns his position. Each player will be expected to attend all practices. If an athlete misses practice and the head coach is unaware of where that person is the following will apply:

• First Unexcused: miss one half of the next contest at that athletes level
• Second Unexcused: miss the next contest in its entirety at that level
• Third Unexcused: dropped from the squad

If an athlete habitually misses practice for any reason or behaves in any matter on or off the field that does not represent the values of this football team, it is the right of this staff to dismiss that individual from the team. The head coach will meet with the athlete and parent to discuss these situations prior to the dismissal.

Excused Absences

There are times when it is necessary for an athlete to miss practice. If an athlete has to miss a practice then that individual must meet with the coach at their level PRIOR to the practice they will miss. If the coach feels that the reason to be gone is a legit reason, then the athlete will not be given an unexcused absence. This may include: family emergencies, addressing academic issues, or medical appointments as a result of an injury sustained during the season. Excused absences will not apply to: minor appointments (hair cut) or jobs. If you do not notify the head coach prior to practice - it will be treated as an unexcused absence. It is also important to understand that if you are a member of this team than it is expected that practice will be a priority. If you do miss you can expect to make up the conditioning that you missed. If you miss once our games begin, it is not unreasonable to realize that you may miss some playing time.

Tardiness

Tardiness to practice will not be tolerated at any time. This includes practice, meetings, and weight room sessions. Any athlete who is tardy to any of these will be dealt with after practice in the form of extra conditioning. If the tardiness becomes habitual then more serious consequences will be applied. This includes the loss of playing time or in extreme cases dismissal from the squad. The head coach at the level where the tardiness occurs will handle these situations.

Weight Room

During the season, the football team will lift twice a week in the mornings before school. The schedule will be finalized prior to regular practices beginning. Each athlete is expected to attend each and every lifting session. It is the belief of this staff that regular weight workouts during the season are important to maintain our competitive edge and also continue to prevent injuries. If you miss a weight room session, you will be given one opportunity to make the workout up. If you miss this session, you can expect a loss of playing time. The head coach will determine the length of time to be missed. How many sessions that have been missed will be taken into consideration.

Training Rules

All of you will be held to the rules and regulations of the high schools good conduct policy. We expect you to abide by them and if any infraction occurs will we follow the conduct policy.

Locker Room Use

1. Keep the locker rooms clean at all times. Pick up your gear and lock it away each and every night.
2. Towels should be placed in the roll a ways after practice. They are not to be thrown in a pile in the locker room.
3. Horseplay in the locker room will not be tolerated. Problems in this area will result consequences and in extreme cases dismissal from the team.
4. Any music played in the locker room must be school appropriate. No foul language will be tolerated. This goes for an athlete's language too.
5. All athletes will be out of the locker room 30 minutes after the conclusion of their practice. So get in, get showered, and get out.

Health and Safety

Football can be a long and tough season. It is important that an athlete maintains good health during the football season. This includes: getting adequate sleep, maintaing healthy eating habits, and staying hydrated. Failure to pay attention to these things can hinder your ability to perform at your best each night.

Football is a contact sport where serious injury can at times occur. Helmet safety is one of the biggest priorities that our staff has each year. The coaching staff at Dallas Center-Grimes High School will not teach a player to butt, ram, or spear an opposing player. This type of action could result in serious injury to the athlete initiating the action and to the one receiving it. This is against the rules. Playing the game right is the only way we will play it at DCG!

Lettering Policy

It is our hope that you contribute something other than a body to this team. Team spirit, enthusiasm, sacrifice, discipline, and being a great teammate are just a few of the things that we expect. Therefore, every junior and senior will earn a letter in football if they are able to contribute these things during the course of the season. All of our players, starters or reserves, have a very important role to play during the week. That is why we use this policy. A person who may not play a lot on Friday but plays a role in the preparation throughout the week deserves the credit for the win and a chance at letter as much as anyone else. That all being said, an individual can lose the letter during the course of the season if they do something that takes away from their contribution to our team’s chance at success. Should a case like this arise, the individual will sit down with the head coach and have explained to them what has occurred and the consequences of their actions.