Varsity Community Basketball

General Information

Philosophy

· Varsity Community Basketball is a recreational, developmental program with a major focus on learning rather than competition. There is a place for the new, as well as the experienced player in any age category. All players will participate in game play and are expected to demonstrate good sportsmanship and consideration for the officials and all opponents.

Boundaries:

· NORTH: John Laurie Blvd NW between Sarcee Trail and 14 Street NW

· SOUTH: The Bow River between 16 Avenue NW and 14 Street NW

· EAST: 14 Street NW between John Laurie Blvd and the Bow River

· WEST: Sarcee Trail NW: West boundary of Silver Springs Golf and Country

Club between John Laurie Blvd NW and the Bow River

Member Communities

· Varsity Estates Varsity Acres Varsity Village Dalhousie Montgomery

· Charleswood Brentwood Triwood Banff Trail Briar Hill

· Hounsfield Heights St. Andrew’s Heights University Heights

· Capitol Hill Collingwood Upper Hillhurst Point MacKay

· Parkdale Westmount

Who’s Eligible?

· Boys and Girls from 7 to 19 years of age (as of December 31, 2009) who live within the above boundaries.

TYKES

· House league run within Varsity

· Do not play in city league

· Players will receive a T-shirt from the program – these are the player’s to keep

· Players must supply their own shorts

· The following are NOT allowed

· Cut-offs, jams or tear away shorts, pockets, pockets turned inside out, pocket openings, tears in the fabric, belt loops, loose strings

· If possible games against same aged groups from Edgemont and Silver Springs can be arranged

· This requires a volunteer to act as Tykes Coordinator

MINI, BANTAM, MIDGET

· Game play begins on the first weekend following Thanksgiving

· The first four games of the season are a seeding round. This places the teams in the appropriate division.

· Teams play under the Calgary Minor Basketball Association (CMBA)

· Teams play one game per week

· An exception may occur during seeding round and playoffs when there may be two games in one day

· Games take place on Saturday and can start as early as 8:30 a.m. or as late as 3:45 p.m.

· Midget, Juvenile and Junior players may also play games on Friday evening

· Games are played all over the city of Calgary

· Players will receive a uniform to use for the season. A uniform deposit of $100 is required at registration

· Uniforms are NOT to be worn to practice. Instead, the player should wear a T-shirt and shorts from home. You are reminded of the rules regarding shorts:

· The following are NOT allowed

· Cut-offs, jams or tear away shorts, pockets, pockets turned inside out, pocket openings, tears in the fabric, belt loops, loose strings

JUVENILE, JUNIOR

· These teams play under the CMBA.

· Fall 2009

· Juvenile and Junior programs

· These programs begin early and finish early to accommodate the Senior High school season

· Game play begins on mid September 2009 ending with city playoffs completed by late November 2009

· These programs play TWO games a week – usually one on Friday evening and one on Saturday, and then will continue to one game per week until early November

Winter 2010

· Juvenile and Junior programs

· Players who are not playing on Senior High School teams can play this winter season

· Teams play one game per week from January to mid-March 2010

· Only players who have played on the junior team at their high school are eligible to come back and play for the Varsity provincial qualifying tournament. Players who have played on the senior team at their high school are not eligible because of High School Provincials.

· Players will receive a uniform to use for the season. A uniform deposit of $100 is required at registration

· Uniforms are NOT to be worn to practice. Instead, the player should wear a T-shirt and shorts from home. You are reminded of the rules regarding shorts:

· The following are NOT allowed

· Cut-offs, jams or tear away shorts, pockets, pockets turned inside out, pocket openings, tears in the fabric, belt loops, loose strings

When and where do I register?

· Please register online starting May 3, 2009. Please click on the following link : WWW.COMPUSIM.COM/VARSITY/BASKETBALL/REGISTRATION

· Saturday, June 13, 2009 from 9:00 am to 12:00 p.m. at the Varsity Community Center

Cost

· Tykes $140

· All other age groups are $345

· If the cost is a problem for you, let us know and we can work something out.

· The cost increases reflects increases of the cost of gyms and in the past year lack of volunteers for our mandatory volunteer commitment for CMBA. (If we do not have the volunteers we must pay a fee to full fill our obligation)

· A LATE registration fee will be in affect July 3, 2009 ( $40/child) – August 31, 2009

· If you register between August 2 – August 31, your child will be put on a waiting list unless there is a spot for your child in the particular age level (an example might be as of August first mini girls have 19 players sighed up, your mini girl will take that 20^th spot, if your daughter has a friend who signs up… she will be on a waiting list)

Refunds: Please READ CAREFULLY: New for 2009-2010

In the event of insufficient registration, an activity may be cancelled and all monies will be refunded.
No refunds will be issued once evaluations have begun. If the age level has only one team, then no refunds will be issued once the first practice has begun.

Refund breakdown up to the first evaluation or practice

If you decide to pull your son/daughter out of the program after you have registered the following fees will apply:

Between July 3, 2009 – August 1, 2009: $45 per child (which means we will refund you $300 back of the $345 you paid to register your child). If you register at the tyke level the fee is $45 per child (which means we will refund you $ 95 back of the $140 you paid to register your child).
Between August 2, 2009 – August 16, 2009: $60 per child (which means we will refund you $285 back of the $345 you paid to register your child). $50 fee applied to tyke age level.
Between August 17 – August 31, 2009: $80 per child (which means we will refund you $265 back of the $345 you paid to register your child). $50 fee applied to Tyke age level.
Between September 1, 2009 – September 7, 2009: $160 per child (which means we will refund you $185 back of the $345 you paid to register your child). $60 fee applied to Tyke age level.
September 8, 2009: In the event of insufficient registration, an activity may be cancelled and all monies will be refunded. No refunds will be issued after the activity has commenced, except where the withdrawal is supported by medical certification.

Why this breakdown?

· In the past few years we have experienced players signing up, then wanting a refund and then asking to sign up again. The philosophy of Varsity Basketball is to ensure that all youth have an opportunity to play basketball. This is difficult to accommodate when at the 11^th hour we do not know how many players we have for each level. It is not fair for the players, coaches and volunteers who want to make Varsity Basketball a great program. Our goal this year is to have a minimum and maximum of 10 players per team.

Juvenile and Junior teams; participants who make their school teams will get a refund at the end of the basketball season (April)

Are you ready for registration?

· You must bring:

· A current, valid community association membership from a member community

· You can purchase a Varsity membership at registration

· If your player has never played within Varsity, we need a hard copy of a proof of age

· A photocopy of the player’s birth certificate, Alberta Health Care card, or passport

· Your player’s Alberta Health Care number

· A cheque for $100 post-dated to April 1, 2010. We require one cheque for

EACH PLAYER. When the player returns the uniform these cheques are destroyed.

· The name and phone number of your player’s doctor

· The name and phone number of an emergency contact

Equipment

· Uniforms

· All players except Tykes will wear a uniform supplied by Varsity Community Basketball

· The uniforms are very expensive so are NOT to be worn for any occasion except game play. Players who are caught wearing the uniforms to practice will be disciplined.

· To extend the life of these uniforms (and keep the cost of basketball down) we ask that you NEVER dry the uniform in the dryer – it makes the numbers peel off.

· IT IS ULTIMATELY THE PLAYER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO RETURN THE UNIFORM TO THE EQUIPMENT COORDINATOR AT THE END OF THE SEASON.

· T-shirt

· Some players like to wear a T-shirt under their uniform top. Only plain white T-shirts are acceptable.

· Shoes

· Players should have a pair of basketball shoes that they use only in the gym for their games and practices.

· Shoes that are worn outside pick up dust and lose their tread. Both these factors make it more likely for the player to slip and fall.

· A shoe with some ankle support can help as basketball involves a lot of lateral movement. The shoes should have a non-marking sole.

· The shoes need not be expensive – Wal-Mart and Payless can supply you without breaking the bank.

· Water bottle

· Get your player a water bottle and label it with his or her name

· This is a dry city and in some gyms the nearest water fountain is a long way away.

Evaluations

· For any groups that have enough registrants for more than one team, evaluations will be held. This allows the players to be grouped with players of similar skill levels.

· All levels of basketball will have the same evaluation process. All evaluation forms will be collected and given to the Varsity Basketball Coordinator upon completion of the evaluation. The drills will be age level appropriate.

· The dates and times of evaluations will be posted at the registration. Make sure to find out when and where your player must be present. Look for an email in min August for time and location of your child(s) evaluation.

Practices Times and Locations

· Your player will have one practice a week.

· WE CANNOT TELL YOU WHEN YOUR PLAYER WILL BE PRACTICING UNTIL AFTER EVALUATIONS ARE DONE AND YOUR PLAYER IS PLACED ON A TEAM.

· We are at the mercy of Parks and Recreation as well as the individual school and therefore will not know dates until late August. Gym times and location may change for your child in the second half of the season. Again we have no control over that. Your patience is appreciated.

· We will do our best to accommodate other obligations your child may have. However first we must accommodate the demands on the coaches of your player’s team.

General Rules

1. All coaches must undergo Police Record and Child Welfare checks every three years.

2. All players other than Juveniles and Junior MUST BE brought into the gym at

the start of practice and collected in the gym after practice. Violation of this rule can result in the player being benched for the next game. Players who continue this will be asked to leave the program.

· This rule is necessary, as in the past players have been dropped off at a gym location that is closed due to an emergency.

3. The evaluators’ decisions regarding placement of players will not be over-ruled by Varsity basketball. The evaluators are experienced coaches, players, managers who have no relationship to the groups being evaluated, (in that, evaluators are not allowed to evaluate the same age level that their children are in). The evaluators will make their decisions based on performance of your child. All evaluations will have the same format whereby evaluators will assess your child’s fundamental skills as well as their basketball playing skills. The evaluators will also consider team positions. Varsity Basketball believes you cannot have a team of all posts or a team of all guards.

4. Often players wish to be on the same team as a friend. This is usually accomplished easily. However, should one of the friends be evaluated onto a higher ranked team than the other, the higher ranked player must move to the lower ranked team to be with the friend.

5. CMBA rules ban the wearing of earrings, watches, rings, hats, neck chains, metal hair ornaments, and sweatbands on the arms. This includes Medic Alert bracelets.

· Discourage players from getting their ears (or anything else) pierced during the season. They will be required to remove the piercing and cover the open wound with tape – taping over earrings or other piercings is not acceptable.

6. Do not approach or talk to the referees, other than to thank them for a good job. If you violate this rule, the referee can eject you or award the victory to your opponents. Remember that many of the referees are not much older than your own players and they are doing their best. If you have serious concerns about anything that happens during the game contact me.

Policy Regarding Court Time

YOU PAY YOU PLAY. It is as simple as that. All players will have equal playing time per game.

· The coach may modify this as a disciplinary method. This must be recorded including: dates, time, reason of disciplinary action and submitted by email to the Basketball Coordinator.

· It is the coach’s choice of who plays in the last 3 minutes of the last quarter of any game.

Policy Regarding Practices; Two Adult rule:

There must be two adults (over18 years of age) in the gym at all practices. These adults must arrive at the start of the practice and remain until the last player is picked up.
Opposite Sex Policy: Male coaches who are coaching females must have a female adult in the gym at all times and visa versa for female coaches coaching males.

How to be a Basketball Supporter

The coaches and co-ordinator are volunteers, so try to help them

1. Let the coach know if your player has a medical condition that might affect his or her ability to play. The coach may ask you to be present for all practices and games if the condition warrants it.

2. Let the coach know, as early as possible, if your player will be absent from a practice or game.

3. Do not coach from the spectators’ bench. This distracts and confuses the players.

4. If you have any concerns, talk to the coach at some time when your player cannot hear you. Open conflict between the coach and parents is not healthy.

5. If your player has multiple obligations (other sports, lessons) that might interfere with his or her ability to attend games and practices, let the coordinator or coach know.

6. Learn the names of your player’s teammates and cheer for them at games. Cheering loudly is a confidence builder for the players and great for relieving parental stress!!

7. Remember your player will learn about sportsmanship from your behaviour. Cheer good play by both sides and avoid criticizing any player on the court.

Volunteer Positions

Varsity Basketball is a volunteer run organization, so it is necessary that parents and guardians be willing to volunteer their time to keep the program running. Please check out the job description on the basketball registration site. You must be willing to volunteer for a position.

GO TO: WWW.COMPUSIM.COM/VARSITY/BASKETBALL/REGISTRATION

Varsity Representative to CMBA Board of Directors (one per program)

· The CMBA board of Directors makes all decisions about the running of Calgary’s minor basketball programs.

· Attend CMBA board meetings

· Meetings take place on Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. at the Blackfoot Motor Inn.

· There are five- (5) meeting per season: September, December, February, the Annual General Meeting in early June, and a board meeting in late June.

Gym Coordinator: (one for whole program)

· Responsible for co-ordinating practice gyms for each of the Varsity Basketball teams.

· Tasks:

· Assist Varsity Community Association as it liases with Calgary Parks and Recreation in booking required gyms.

· Communicate with Varsity Basketball Division Co-ordinators, Managers and Coaches regarding practice gym times.

· Schedule a weekly practice time for each team.

· Distribute any available gym times to the team equitably.

· Assist Co-ordinators, Managers and Coaches problem solve with any additional gym needs.

Equipment Coordinator (one for whole program)

· Check on how many teams. Number of players on each team. Coaches’ names:

· Order jerseys, shorts, basketballs, clipboards, and safety kits for new teams.

· Organize equipment for each team

· Collect all equipment from each team at end of year.

· Make sure all repairs to uniforms are done.

· Make sure all equipment is handed in. If not call coaches.

· Photos before Christmas. (November is Good)

· AB Pro Photo

· If there is any equipment in disrepair-order new ones in July.

Division Coordinator

· Any division that has enough participants for more than one team requires a division coordinator

· This person acts as a liaison between the Head Coordinator and Registrar, and the teams in his or her division

· September

· Arrange for coaches and gym times for try-outs. ***

· Have coaches decide on the way tryouts are to be run.***

· Arrange for a non-parent evaluator to be present at tryouts. ***

· Call all players informing them of time and location of tryouts

· Coaches form teams.

· Coordinator works with coaches and arranges with the gym coordinator, practice times that are convenient for the coach.

· Coach or coordinator phones the teams to let them know.

· Coach and coordinator work together to decide on team placement.
(depending on coach)

· If a coach has not stepped forward for one of the teams then the coordinator arranges for the first practice and a parent meeting to find a coach together. If a coach cannot be found then the team folds and money is refunded.

· Encourage all teams to have a team manager.

· Coordinator distributes seeding round schedules, balls, first aid kits, and uniforms to coaches or team managers.

· October

· Coordinator distributes regular season schedules to teams.

· January

· Coordinator distributes 2nd half of season schedules to teams.

Basketball Coach (one or more per team)

· Run practice once per week. Prepare practice plan in advance.

· Teach appropriate basketball skills and run drills to prepare players for their game.

· Coach in game situations, substituting players as required and using game situations to teach players.

· Encourage each player to strive to meet his or her full potential primarily in basketball but indirectly, in life as well.

· Have fun along with the players, enjoying their growth and their experience of success.

Team Manager (one per team)

· This position is somewhat different from coach to coach.

· What I like to do as a team manager is to take most of the paperwork away from the coach so
that he/she can concentrate on coaching.

· Receive and distribute uniforms, keep track of who gets which one for the equipment coordinator.

· Fill out team and player registration forms and submit them to the proper authority.

· Receive and copy practice times, schedules and other relevant information for all team members.

· Distribute above information by e-mail, or at practice.

· Fill out scoresheet for coach so they can prepare for the game.

· Schedule parents to be minor official for each game.

· Arrange for someone to help with phoning or preparing for wind up.

· Since I have a fax at home, I also take care of phoning and faxing in the games we win.

· Collect and return uniforms to equipment coordinator at the end of the season.

Varsity Coaching Philosophy

We ask that our coaches assist our players in learning the fundamentals as well as improving their individual basketball skills. We require our coaches to be fair, making sure the players are having fun and are enjoying themselves. We believe being a coach is more than just showing the team the game of basketball. Studies have shown when players become adults and have been asked whom their strongest influences were, their answers were quite consistently and simply (other than Mom OR Dad), my Coach or my Teacher. Varsity Coaches are asked to remember this during practices and games.

Varsity Community Basketball

General Information

Categories

TYKES

MINI, BANTAM, MIDGET

JUVENILE, JUNIOR

When and where do I register?

Cost

Are you ready for registration?

Equipment

Evaluations

Practices Times and Locations

General Rules

Policy Regarding Court Time

How to be a Basketball Supporter

Volunteer Positions

Equipment Coordinator (one for whole program)

Division Coordinator

Basketball Coach (one or more per team)