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Rules and Policies 2024

SENECA VALLEY TRACK AND FIELD

RULES AND POLICY MANUAL

 REVISED 2024

 Coach Ray Peaco

   

Seneca Valley School District Athletic Department

Common Coaches Rules for Athletes--Revised January 2024

Student-Athlete Rules and Regulations

  1. Athletes will not possess, use or consume drugs or alcohol. They will not possess any paraphernalia associated with drug use. Any violation of this rule may subject the athlete to consequences like those outlined in Seneca Valley School District policy number 227 or 227.1.

 

  1. Harassment of any individual will not be tolerated. Allegations of any form of harassment are to be reported to the head coach immediately. Definitions of harassment and a list of examples that constitute harassment can be found in Seneca Valley School District policies #248 and #248.1 that address harassment.

 

  1. Hazing is a specific form of harassment. Hazing is a type of harassment used for the purpose of initiation into a group. Hazing of any type will not be tolerated. Any act of hazing or perceived act of hazing must be reported to the coach immediately. Examples of hazing activity and the district definition of hazing can be found in your student athlete manual along with Seneca Valley School District policy #247 that addresses hazing.

 

  1. Horseplay will not be tolerated. Horseplay is defined as a forceful physical action like pushing, shoving, wrestling, or shadow boxing that is performed without the intention to do bodily harm. Unfortunately, individuals involved in horseplay are often injured or embarrassed by the action. Athletes should not engage in horseplay and should put a stop to any horseplay that they may witness. Any horseplay actions must be reported to the coach.

 

  1. All athletes are to attend school the day of the game. If the game is played on a non-instructional day, the athlete must attend school on the immediately preceding instructional day. Students who are absent from school or do not arrive prior to 11:00am will not participate in any co-curricular/extracurricular activities or practices on that day without the written approval of the appropriate building principal or designee.

 

Students who have an early dismissal are ineligible to participate in after-school activities without a doctor’s excuse and/or the written approval of the appropriate building principal or designee. Students must have permission from the principal or designee to not return to school on the day of an early dismissal.

School Holidays/Break: It is expected that student-athletes meet the attendance parameters on the last school day prior to all District Holidays or breaks. Any student-athlete who does not meet this attendance requirement will be ineligible for the entire duration of the holiday and/or school break.

  1. Students who are assigned out-of-school suspension or expulsion may not participate in or attend any practice or game until the student is reinstated in school. (For example, a student suspended from school on a Friday will not be permitted to participate in a game on Saturday.)

 

  1. Full participation and attendance at all competitions, practices, and events is expected of all participants. Athletes that miss practice or a game for any reason without prior permission from the coach may be suspended for 1 game for each missed event during the season. It is the athlete’s responsibility to obtain advance permission. If absences become habitual the coach has the right to determine if the athlete may finish the season as part of the team.

 

It is the expectation that all district teams take priority over travel/club team commitments. Missed practices or games because of travel/club team commitments subjects the student-athlete to the discipline action.

  1. Student participants are expected to strive to achieve the highest academic, as well as athletic, achievement. To this end, students are responsible for time management and prioritization of responsibilities to maintain their academic standing while participating in athletics. If during planned season activities, a situation develops which places your academic activity at risk, it is the student's responsibility to bring the issue to the attention of their head coach with a proposed resolution prior to the conflict. Students who are excused from class for participation in athletic activities have the responsibility to complete work assigned or completed during their absence.

 

  1. While participating in and traveling to/from competitions, practices and activities, the student participant is subject to the student disciplinary policies of the Seneca Valley School District. Conduct in violation of school policies will be promptly reported by coaches to the building principal and/or athletic director for disciplinary action.

 

  1. All student-athletes are held to the expectations of appropriate social media use as outlined in the Code of Conduct section of the Student-Athlete Manual.

 

Seneca Valley Track and Field 

Specific Team Rules and Guidelines

I.     PRACTICES are Mandatory! 

  1. We practice every school day, except those noted on the master practice schedule.  Practice is only canceled if school is canceled. Please review the online practice/ meeting schedule.
  2. Practice starts promptly with attendance at 2:55 p.m.   Attendance is taken daily!  (New this year: you can earn 5 varsity letter points for completing your season with perfect attendance. You are required to be at all practices prior to and between two meets.  If you miss a practice (s) between two meet days, you run the risk of not participating in the next meet.  You will need to provide an acceptable excuse for your absence.  If you are sick, you may be asked to provide a doctor's excuse or verification from a parent.  As in year's past, you must be present the day before a meet in order to compete in the following day's meet.  Any questions, please ask! 
  3. You are expected to be at practice every day.  This is not new! Make your plans now so you can make all the practices.  You need to sacrifice.  Unexcused absences: (Penalty: 1st offense, verbal warning by event coach, 2nd Offense, additional verbal warning by head coach, 3rd offense: warning/discussion with student-athlete's parents, 4th offense: all letter points will be deducted, the student-athlete will not be eligible to earn a letter for the current season, 5th offense: the student-athlete will have a conference with the head coach about the continuation of the season.)  Two unexcused late to practice will equal one unexcused absence.  Student athletes will be given the opportunity to make up unexcused absences with the head coach’s permission.  Makeups will be done on selected Saturdays throughout the season. These practices can be used to erase an unexcused absence.  You must notify the head coach in advance.
  4. You are expected to remain at all practices and meets until they are over. Doctor and dental appointments should be made with practice and meets in mind.  Talk to your employer now so you can work out your schedule.  Let me know immediately if any employer gives you a challenging time. Prioritize: Family/Health 1st, School/Academics 2nd, Track and Field Team 3rd, work, clubs and other activities 4th, etc. (Personal vacations, Band and Choral Trips are unexcused absences) If you need to leave early from a non section meet or practice, you must check out with your event coach first.  Travel release forms are needed to leave meets with your parents.  Section meets are required, everyone must stay until the meet has been completed.  Travel release forms will be collected at the end of the team's post meeting.

II.    Equipment:

    1. The school will provide the following: Uniform Top. SV Track and Field sweat outfits are purchased by the athlete and can be used for their entire career. Athletes have agreed to provide their own matching, black short bottoms.  A choice of split running, compression, or loose-fitting throwing shorts are acceptable. (Black only, no logos).  Athletes can pass their outfits to a younger sibling upon graduation.   All school issued items are to be returned immediately upon completion of your season.  You will be charged for lost or stolen uniform at a replacement cost of $50.00.
    2. You will be permitted to wear black sliders under your black shorts.  When we move into the invitation and individual season, you may wear tight-fitting (compression) shorts of your choice in lieu of the black shorts, black only with no logos.  Relay teams must match.  Female athletes: boy cut only, no bikini styles permitted.
    3. School uniform tops and uniform bottoms are to be worn for meets only, not in practice, or gym classes.  Only school-issue uniforms will be permitted at meets. See Coach Peaco if you can’t afford to purchase a sweat outfit from the booster organization.  There are options available for you.
    4. Hats, gloves, socks, shoes, spikes, towel for showering, rain gear--provided by the athlete.  Crocs are not permitted for practice use, pre-workout or during workouts. Athletes must wear proper footwear and take care of their feet and bodies.  You are a varsity athlete, please act, prepare and train like one!
    5. The boys and girls team will have a designated home base locker room.  The student-athletes should bring a lock to secure their personal items in their lockers

 III.   OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

  1. Everyone must have a signed health insurance form turned in.  Seneca Valley High School does not carry insurance for its athletes.  Insurance can be purchased from the school.  Contact the high school athletic office and review the insurance waiver form.
  2. Complete the parent portal before the season begins.
  3. A weekly eligibility list is issued by the athletic office. Failure in the classroom will result in you not being able to compete.  You must maintain a 2.0 QPA. If you should be declared ineligible for a period, you will attend two mandatory study halls that are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You have to go to study hall and then report to practice.
  4. Academics:  You are here to learn and earn a diploma. Receiving poor grades limits your chances of succeeding in the future.   You must understand the fact that your main responsibility at this point in your life is to be a good student.  No college coach or future employer wants an athlete that does not envision the ability to succeed.
  5. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco.  None of these will be tolerated.  Every athlete must have taken the drug test before they will be permitted to participate in track and field in any capacity.
  6. Behavior:  You are a member of the Seneca Valley Track and Field team.  Any action by you reflects on everyone.  Be a credit to yourself as well as your team on the field and in the classroom.
  7. Injury:  When you sustain an injury, let the coach know immediately. The coach will send you to the trainer.  You are responsible for letting your coach know the extent of your injury and the treatment prescribed by the trainer. If injury prevents participation, you are expected to attend and help at meets by working a field event, working the finish line, or in some other capacity.  You are still a part of the team and failure to attend meets with your team could jeopardize your athletic letter.  Please review our lettering policies.
  8. Note:  Injuries, fatigue and overtraining can cause significant physical and mental problems over the course of our season.  Our students basically range in age from 14-18 and their bodies and minds are not fully equipped to handle the daily stress of school, home responsibilities, and participating in multiple sports during the same sports season.  We strongly recommend that our student-athletes focus on one sport and one practice session per day.  Multiple sporting events and additional practice sessions above and beyond our daily workouts can and probably will lead to either a mental or physical breakdown during the season.  Please understand that we have the student-athletes best interests in mind when we establish a season training plan.  Outside practices should be avoided to not interfere with the development and training of student-athlete.

 

  1. Social media is a very intricate part of all our lives, and we need to fully understand the positive and the negative aspects of this form of communication.  Student-athletes, coaches, and parents of the Seneca Valley Track and Field team must be aware of the consequences of posting and communicating negative information about the team, team members and coaching staff via any social media outlet.  If anyone has a concern about communicating about the Seneca Valley Track and Field program, the individual should speak directly to the head coach of the program.  Posting negative information via Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, MySpace, Penn tracks, Instagram, etc. will not be tolerated by this program. Please be cognizant of the consequences of using social media negatively.  We expect all members of our track and field family to work together toward a common goal.  Make sure you fully understand the following guidelines concerning the use of social media:  -Everything you post is public information – any text or photo placed online is completely out of your control the moment it is placed online – even if you limit access to your site. Information (including pictures, videos, and comments) may be accessible even after you remove it. Once you post a photo or comment on a social networking site, that photo or comment becomes the property of the site and may be searchable even after you remove it.  What you post may affect your future. Many employers and college admissions officers review social networking sites as part of their overall evaluation of an applicant. Carefully consider how you want people to perceive you before you give them a chance to misinterpret your information (including pictures, videos, comments, and posters). Like comments made in person, the Seneca Valley Track and Field team will not tolerate disrespectful comments and behavior online, such as:

*Derogatory language or remarks that may harm teammates or coaches; other Seneca Valley student athletes, teachers, or coaches; and student-athletes, coaches, or representatives of other schools, including comments that may disrespect our opponents.  

*Incriminating photos or statements depicting violence; hazing; sexual harassment; full or partial nudity; inappropriate gestures; vandalism, stalking; underage drinking, selling, possessing, or using controlled substances; or any other inappropriate behaviors.

*Creating a danger to the safety of another person or making a credible threat of serious physical or emotional injury to another person.

*Indicating knowledge of an unreported school or team violation—regardless if the violation was unintentional or intentional.

Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in an immediate suspension from the team.  A student –athlete will have a meeting with the head coach and athletic director to decide any future participation in our sport.

IV.   MEETS

Away Meets:   Coach will notify you as to dismissal time.  Athletes should see the teacher of the class they will miss to collect any assignments.  Athletes are responsible for notes and work for classes missed.

  1. Dress to compete.  We go to all meets in uniform and sweats.
  2. All athletes will ride busses to meets.  (exceptions must be authorized by the athletic director in advance), extenuating situations, field trips, job shadowing, BC3 classes, over crowded buses, etc.
  3. All the athletes will support our teams.  Be at the events or in the stands so we can cheer together. 
  4. Athletes will stay until all the section meets have ended.  We may be supporting an event, we may need a last minute substitution, or we may have a team meeting at the end of the meet. If you cannot commit to your team, then why are you on a team?   Parents/Guardians may take student athletes home from away meets after the meet concludes and the post-meet meeting has concluded.  The  event coaches will collect the travel release/or receive parent/guardian signature. Forms and or signatures confirm that the student is leaving with his or her parent/guardian.  Exceptions:  Invitationals and non-section meets you are expected to stay until all your events have been completed.  You are also expected to stay until your teammates have completed the same event.  I.e. girl’s PV is over when the Girls’ PV competition is over.  You are encouraged to stay for the Boys competition, but it is not mandatory.  You still must provide a travel release form/signature and a face-to-face meeting must take place with the coach in charge. Failure to do so will result in loss of letter points and no participation in the next meet.
  5. At the conclusion of the section meets, we will assemble in a designated area at the stadium or track.  Be there at the designated time.  Use the restroom facilities quickly and report to your designated area on the field.
  6. ABSOLUTELY NO ONE is permitted to ride home from a meet with anyone except their own parents. (Exception)-- Athletes can only go with another parent with visual and verbal consent from both sets of parents and an email is given to the coach on the day preceding the meet.  This is from the Central Administration Office.  No one is permitted to do this the day of the meet.
  7. Any athlete leaving a meet without seeing Coach Peaco and / or submitting a travel release form will not attend the next away meet and they will forfeit any letter points earned at this meet. Any athlete leaving the last away meet without seeing Coach Peaco could forfeit their varsity letter.

Home Meets:  At the beginning of a meet, you are to meet in the AUX gym no later than 3:00 p.m.  We will have a brief meeting before entering the stadium as a team.  At the conclusion of the meet,  the team will gather in the band bleachers for our post-meet meeting. This is a required team meeting for all section meets. The boys' and girl’s teams are to sit together in separate locations in the bleachers.   You should know the results of your efforts before you leave the stadium.

  1. Help whenever possible.  Your teammates and coaches really appreciate you lending a hand.  We need people to rake, time, and move equipment and hurdles.  (this is also helpful at away events)

V.  FORMS AND PAPERWORK

   All forms and paperwork must be completed and turned in prior to the first day of practice. You can be considered part of the team, but you can’t practice without the proper forms and releases.  Anyone that does not have all the forms or paperwork completed can be cut from the squad after the first week’s practice.  The last day to join the team is March 10.  This is mainly for individuals who were cut from another sports team and would like to give the track and field team a try.

 

SV TRACK MEET COMMANDMENTS  

The dual meet order of events is listed below.  MEMORIZE IT.

  1. Know when you run and listen for announcements. This is part of track and field.  If you miss an event, we can not redo the race or event.  Do not leave practice the night before a meet without knowing what events you are doing the next day.  Runners memorize your split times carefully.  Laps should not have to be counted in outdoor track.  
  2. Field events start early.  Get plenty of run-throughs or practice jumps/throws, etc.
  3. You must warm-up for each event.
  4. If your events require starting blocks, get them and yourself to the starting line early to set your blocks at the correct numbers. Find a buddy to keep an eye on your sweats.
  5. If you are in a running event, make sure you warm up properly. You should be sweating before you step up to the line. We will run in some chilly weather. This goes for all events on the track and in the field.
  6. Know where the clerk of course is and where your event starts.
  7. Don’t bother officials about your times.  Get your sweats on first.  The coaches will have your time later.  
  8. After a race, don’t let me see you lying on the ground.  Never show your opponent that you are exhausted.  Have a friend help you walk off your exhaustion.  Warm down, it cuts down on aches and pains later.  Especially if you are running again in the meet.  
  9. Stay in our designated area, help teammates.  CHEER!  SUPPORT!  ENCOURAGE!   BE A TEAM PLAYER.
  10. Never leave the meet without checking with Coach Peaco.  We want you to stay and support your team. Know the results of the meet before you leave.  We do keep team scores and only the team really wins or loses.
  11. Make sure you have the equipment you need to participate on meet day.  Return the equipment after your event.  Be sure you know where you placed your sweats and who is watching them for you.  They are expensive and you will be responsible for replacing lost school issued equipment.  
  12. NEVER talk back to an official, starter, opposing coach or athlete.  SHOW YOUR CLASS.
  13. NEVER throw any equipment out of disappointment or frustration. SHOW YOUR CLASS. Do you know the first time breaker in a dual meet is the disqualification of a coach or athlete? 
  14. HELP is always needed during meets.  Pitch in and make it a more enjoyable meet for all of us. SHOW YOUR CLASS.
  15. Make a commitment to RAIDER TRACK & FIELD, and be part of the winning team.  Be proud to be a RAIDER.  Be ready to prove it to others, to your team and to yourself.

 VARSITY PRACTICE SCHEDULE

2:55  to 3:10:                Attendance and possible team meeting--don't be late. Letter points will be deducted and late practice will be counted.

3:10 to 3:25                 Event plyos, warmups and stretching with event groups. Weight-lifting schedule by event. See even coach!

3:25 to 4:50:                Event Conditioning.  Get to all your events or alternate your practice times with your coach.  Coaches will determine the amount of time to spend on                                      this area.  You must make a commitment to be good. You always begin your day with your primary event coach.  Attendance will be taken at this                                            point.  If you are wandering around, you could lose letter points for attendance. 

4:50 to 5:00                 Cool down, core activities, stretching.  Post practice meet with event coach.

 

VII.   ORDER OF EVENTS

 Usually Girls first, then boys:

 3200 relay, 100/110 hurdles, 100 meters, 1600 meters, 400 meters, 400 relay, 300 hurdles, 800 meters, 200 meters, 3200 meters, 1600 relay.  Field events vary from meet to meet.  We will have an established rotation for our home meets.

REMEMBER running events take precedent over field events.  You must report to the field, then go and do your running event.  Rules state you must report back to your field event in a reasonable amount of time after your running event is completed.

VIII.  TEAM GOALS

  1. WINNING SEASON
  2. MAKE PLAYOFFS
  3. SEND ATHLETES TO WPIALS AND TO STATE MEET.
  4. IMPROVING YOUR PERSONAL PERFORMANCE AND MATURE AS A YOUNG ADULT
  5. BECOME A QUALITY STUDENT-ATHLETE
  6. HAVE FUN!

**Please review the annual track and field lettering policy each year. This policy is available on our website!  It is your responsibility to understand what is required of you as a team member and what you are required to do as an individual earning a letter.  This is a distinct honor that should be treated with respect!

 

**Visit the athletic website for all forms/directions that may be needed each year.  There you will find a complete checklist and more detailed information!