• No chewing gum at any time

• Every skater must wear an ANSI certified helmet that fits properly. Helmets must be on and buckled BEFORE you step on the skating surface.

• All skaters are EXPECTED to participate in the entire practice session and give their best effort unless the coach excuses him or her.

• NO PROFANITY!

• Skaters are to demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times.

• No criticism of any skater at any time.

• Wear comfortable, form-fitting clothes to practice such as uniforms or spandex shorts with T-shirts.

• All skaters should have the appropriate wheels on when they arrive at practice. Skaters should not miss drills due to wheel changes.

• Skaters are expected to be on the skating surface within 10 minutes of the start of the practice session.

• When the coach is talking, no one else should be.

Sportsmanship Checklist

As a member of this team, you agree to abide by the following “best practices”:

• I abide by the practice rules.

• I try to avoid arguments.

• I always skate fair.

• I follow the directions of the coach.

• I respect the other skater’s efforts.

• I accept the judgment calls of the referees and coaches.

• I help the coach and other skaters whenever I can.

• I never “rub it in”, or gloat when I beat another skater.

• I don’t complain or make excuses when I lose.

• I treat my teammates, opponents, coaches and referees with respect.

• If a teammate makes a mistake, I encourage, not criticize.

• I try to learn from my mistakes and continue to skate my best.

Remember, good sportsmanship means having the ability to win without gloating, lose without complaining, and showing respect to others at all times.

What's Expected of me at Practice?

Parents: Please let the coach’s coach! All parents want their child to succeed. We also want to see your child succeed… as a team member and an individual skater. Parents must be able to respect the coach’s authority over the practices and events. Team FAST's coaches will not tolerate situations in which adults react inappropriate, senseless and even violent ways at any of our sporting events. Parents who demonstrate such behavior will be asked to leave and escorted out if necessary. Every parent wants to see his or her child become the next “champion.” We do not want our practices to become more about adult egos than kid’s enjoyment and participation. Even at the National level, parents need to be able to control themselves and work with the coaches. As parents it is our responsibility to help create a positive sports environment for our children. You wouldn’t want another parent putting your child down for making an error, why should you? Would you want to continue going to an activity that every time you made a mistake you were criticized? Do you like to be lectured after a long day at work about all the things you could have done better? Put yourself in your child’s shoes. Are you a self-designated sideline coach? The only person giving the skaters instructions should be the coach. I guarantee your child won’t tell you after the practice: Gee Mom/Dad, I missed you yelling instructions to me during practice.”

Skaters: RESPECT… All skaters should respect their teammates, their coaches, coaches and athletes from other teams, the officials who are refereeing the events and spectators and parents. Skaters who demonstrate disrespect will be disciplined in the form of strenuous exercise or drills and may face a suspension from the team practices or events. Extreme cases of disrespect or inappropriate behavior may result in a skater being expelled from the team. Inappropriate behavior during an event may cause the skater to be suspended from that event without refund of meet fees.

ATTITUDE… Every skater has a choice on any given day what his or her attitude will be. Parents, situations at home or school, jobs, friends… all have effects on a skater’s attitude. Skaters need to clear their mind of any negative attitudes before they show up for practice and events. Skaters need to be able to accept constructive criticism from the coaches and team leaders without getting offensive. A bad attitude can “spoil” the tempo of a good practice and can affect the performance of the other skaters. Needless to say, bad attitudes will be extinguished immediately and dealt with appropriately.

WINNING VS. LOSING… Every skater is expected to follow the coach’s instructions. Just like training makes you a good athlete, losing trains your mind to set new goals and will make you realize there is always going to be someone better than you. To become better, you must learn from the mistakes you make and correct them for the future. It’s not who you beat in competition, its how much better you performed than the last time. The quickest path to improvement is to compete against yourself. Instead of blaming equipment, another skater, coach or someone else for a loss, focus on the weak areas of your own individual performance. An individual skater becomes more successful when he or she learns from their own mistakes and continuously improves by setting goals and consistently following their training program.