DEEP CREEK BASEBALL ASSOCIATION, INC.
COACHES CODE OF CONDUCT
We
(Deep Creek Baseball Association, Inc.) believe that athletic competition
should be fun. Additionally, we believe that those who coach athletes, first
and foremost, have a duty to assure that their teams impart important life
skills and promote the development of good character. The essential elements of character building are embodied in the
concept of sportsmanship and six core ethical values: trustworthiness, respect,
responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship. The highest potential of sports is achieved
when coaches consciously teach, enforce, advocate and model
these values and are committed to the ideal of pursuing victory with
honor. Finally, we believe that sincere
and good-faith efforts to honor the words and spirit of this Code will improve
the quality of our sports program and the well being of our athletes. This Code of Conduct applies to all
Managers, Coaches and Administrators involved in DCBA sports.
TRUSTWORTHINESS:
1. Trustworthiness
— be worthy of trust in all you do and teach
athletes the importance of integrity, honesty, reliability and loyalty.
q Integrity — model
high ideals of ethics and sportsmanship and always pursue victory with honor;
teach, advocate and model the importance of honor and good character by doing
the right thing even when it’s unpopular or personally costly.
q Honesty
— don’t lie, cheat, steal or engage in or permit dishonest or unsportsmanlike
conduct.
q Reliability
— fulfill commitments; do what you say you will do; be on time.
q Loyalty
— be loyal to your league and team; put the team above personal
glory.
2. Primacy
of Educational Goals — be faithful to character-development
missions of the league and assure that these objectives are not compromised to
achieve sports performance goals; always place the emotional, physical and
moral well being of athletes above desires and pressures to win.
3. Counseling
— be candid with athletes and their parents about
the requirement of many colleges preventing recruitment of student-athletes
that do not have a serious commitment to their education, the ability to
succeed academically or the character to represent their institution honorably.
4. Respect
— treat all people with respect all the time and require the same of athletes.
5. Class
— be a good sport, teach and model class, be
gracious in victory and accept defeat with dignity; encourage athletes to help
up fallen opponents, compliment extraordinary performance, and show sincere
respect in pre- and post-game rituals.
6. Taunting
— don’t engage in or allow ‘trash talking’,
taunting, boastful celebrations, or other actions that demean individuals or
the sport.
7. Respect
Officials — treat contest officials with respect; don’t
complain about or argue with official calls or decisions during or after an
athletic event.
8. Respect
Parents — treat the parents of athletes with respect; be
clear about your expectations, goals and policies and maintain open lines of
communication.
9. Profanity —
don’t engage in or permit profanity or obscene gestures during practices,
sporting events, or any other situation where the behavior could be reflect
badly on the league or the team.
10. Positive
Coaching — use positive coaching methods to make the
experience enjoyable, increase self-esteem and foster a love and appreciation
for the sport. Refrain from physical or
psychological intimidation, verbal abuse, and conduct that is demeaning to
athletes or others.
11. Effort
and Teamwork — encourage athletes to pursue victory with
passion, to think and play as a team, to do their best and continually improve
through personal effort and discipline.
Discourage selfishness and put less emphasis on the final outcome of the
athletic event.
12. Professional
Relationships — maintain appropriate, professional
relationships with athletes and respect proper coach-student boundaries. Sexual or romantic contact with athletes is
strictly forbidden as is verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature directed
to or in view of athletes.
RESPONSIBILITY:
13. Life
Skills — always strive to enhance the physical, mental,
social and moral development of athletes and teach them positive life skills
that will help them become well rounded, successful and socially responsible.
14. Advocate
Education — advocate the importance
of education beyond athletic eligibility standards and encourage athletes to
set and achieve academic goals.
15. Advocate
Honor — prominently discuss the importance of character,
ethics and sportsmanship within the league and vigorously advocate the concept
of pursuing victory with honor.
16.
Good Character — foster the development
of good character by teaching, enforcing, advocating and modeling high
standards of ethics and sportsmanship which include the six core ethical values
(noted above).
17.
Role-Modeling — be a worthy role-model,
always be mindful of the high visibility and great influence you have as a
coach and consistently conduct yourself in private and coaching situations in a
manner that exemplifies all you want your athletes to be.
18.
Personal Conduct — refrain from
profanity, disrespectful conduct, and the use of alcohol or tobacco in front of
athletes or other situations where your conduct could undermine your positive
impact as a role model.
19.
Competence — strive to improve coaching competence
and acquire increasing proficiency in coaching principles and current
strategies, character-building techniques, and first-aid and safety.
20. Knowledge
of Rules — maintain a thorough knowledge of current game and
competition rules and assure that your athletes know and understand the rules.
21.
Positive Environment — strive to provide a
challenging, safe, enjoyable, and successful experiences for the athletes by
maintaining a sports environment that is physically and emotionally safe.
22. Safety
and Health — be informed about basic first aid
principles and the physical capacities and limitations of the age group
coached.
23. Unhealthy
Substances — warn athletes about
the dangers and of unhealthy and illegal substances including alcohol, tobacco
and recreational or performance-enhancing drugs.
24. Privilege
to Compete — assure that athletes
understand that participation in community sports programs is a privilege, not
a right and that they are expected to represent their league, team and
teammates with honor, on and off the field.
Require your athletes to consistently exhibit good character and conduct
themselves as positive role models.
25. Self-Control
—control your ego and emotions; avoid displays of anger and
frustration; don’t retaliate.
26. Integrity
of the Game — protect the integrity of the game; don’t gamble or
associate with professional gamblers.
27. Enforcing
Rule — enforce this Code of Conduct consistently in all
sports–related activities and venues even when the consequences are high.
28. Protect Athletes — put the well being of athletes above other considerations and take appropriate steps to protect them from inappropriate conduct.
29. Fair
and Open — be fair in competitive situations, selecting a
team, disciplinary issues and all other matters; and be open-minded and willing
to listen and learn.
30. Safe
Competition — put safety and health considerations above the
desire to win; never permit athletes to intentionally injure any player or
engage in reckless behavior that might cause injury to themselves or others.
31. Caring
Environment — consistently demonstrate concern for athletes as
individuals and encourage them to look out for one another and think and act as
a team.
CITIZENSHIP:
32. Honor
the Spirit of Rules — observe and require athletes to observe
the spirit and the letter of all rules including the rules of the game and
those relating to eligibility, recruitment, transfers, practices and other
provisions regulating competition.
33. Improper
Gamesmanship — promote sportsmanship
over gamesmanship; don’t cheat. Resist
temptations to gain competitive advantage through strategies or techniques
(such as devious rule violations, alteration of equipment or the field of play
or tactics designed primarily to induce injury or fear of injury) that violate
the rules, disrespect the highest traditions of the sport or change the nature
of competition by practices that negate or diminish the impact of the core
athletic skills that define the sport.
I
have read and understand the requirements of this Code of Conduct and
acknowledge that I may be disciplined if I violate any of its provisions.
_________________________________________________ _______________________________
Manager/Coach Signature Date