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PLAYER GUIDELINES - HONORING THE GAME
Lacrosse has a long and a proud history in Maryland and here at St. Peter’s. A lot of great things happen on the lacrosse field and it is an honor to be involved in the sport. Honor the Game - Many of you have had parents or coaches talk to you about sportsmanship, or what it means to be a “good sport.” What does it mean to you to be a good sport? Sportsmanship is important, but in order to get the most out of your lacrosse experience, we want you to honor the game. We say the Honoring the Game goes to the ROOTS of the matter, R-O-O-T-S: RULES, OPPONENTS, OFFICIALS, TEAMMATES, and SELF.
R is for RULES - The rules of lacrosse are what allow us to keep the game fair. Respect for the rules is important, even when it’s possible to break them without getting caught. We want you to play by the rules, even if you think you won’t get caught if you break them. Breaking the rules dishonors the game, even if you win.
O is for OPPONENTS - Without opponents, we could have no game. A good opponent makes us do our best. Sometimes your opponents are friends of yours. We want you to respect your opponents, and remember they are out there to have fun just like us. We want you to try your hardest to win, not because you dislike your opponent, but because you want to play your best.
O is for OFFICIALS - It is very important to respect officials. Often, this can be the most difficult part of Honoring the Game, so we need to remember to keep it as a focus when we play. Officials have been selected and trained to enforce rules, and they have a very hard job. Without the officials the game would be unsafe and unfair. Officials are not perfect (just like coaches, players and parents!) and sometimes make mistakes. However, there is no excuse for treating officials with disrespect when they make errors. We want you to show respect for officials, even when you disagree with the call.
T is for TEAMMATES - Lacrosse is team sport. Being with your teammates should be fun. Later in life you will often be part of a team, and it is important to learn to work together. We hope you feel a commitment to each other as teammates and that you will agree to always play as hard as you can in practice and games. Please encourage and support each other on and off the playing field.
S is for SELF - Some people only Honor the Game when their opponents do, but we want our players to Honor the Game no matter what the other team or its fans do. We want our players and our teams to Honor the Game even when others do not because we set our own personal standards. And we live up to them no matter what. We have respect for ourselves and would never do anything to dishonor the game.
At St. Peter’s Lacrosse all players, parents and coaches are expected to respect the Rules, Opponents, Officials, Teammates, and Self! If you do these five things, you are Honoring the Game!
These guidelines were derived from those published by the Positive Coaching Alliance. For more information you can visit the PCA website at: www.positivecoach.org
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