Sports at SGM

SGM Sports Philosophy
The purpose of our program is to provide a fun, instructive and positive sporting environment where children can learn sportsmanship and the fundamentals of sports along with other life skills that are consistent with the teachings of St. Gerard Majella and the Catholic Youth Council.

Our program aims to give as many students as possible the opportunity to both learn and participate in a variety of sporting experiences. An integral part of this entire experience will involve age-appropriate competition.

For sports for the early grades (also known as "pet" sports), the major emphasis will be on exposure to a sport's rules and skill development with an opportunity for significant participation. As students move to higher-grade levels, the athletic experience will increase emphasis on real game strategies and tactics.

The common goals of our athletic program include:

Create an environment for the families of the parish and our neighbors to meet, interact and develop friendships that unify and strengthen the parish.
Create a healthy and safe environment in which the youth of the parish can develop friendships, learn leadership skills, and improve physical fitness and self-esteem by competing in athletic competitions.
Promote fellowship and sportsmanship with other parishes and educational institutions in the sports leagues in which we compete.
Teach players the fundamental skills, both team and individual, and basic rules associated with the sport being played.

Sportsmanship
We expect our coaches, parents, and players to exhibit Christian behavior on and off the field at SGM and while at other sports facilities while representing SGM. For the various roles, these expectations include:

Coaches are to recognize and encourage the players regardless of results. They will model Christian behavior to the players. The coaches will provide equal playing time regardless of athletic ability and provide a safe and fun environment to play.
Parents should model sportsmanlike conduct towards other parents, spectators, players, coaches and officials. Parents and fans need to limit comments at the field to positive encouragement. Parents should let the coach instruct the players on the field.
Players are expected to show respect toward parents, coaches, teammates, officials and especially opponents. We want our kids to play fair, hard and most of all, have fun!

Your child and you are making a commitment to a team. Please show up at all practices and games on time. Please let the coach know in advance if you are not able to make practice or a game. Similarly, if you believe your coaches are not fulfilling expectations, please bring details to the attention of the sports commissioner.

No Dissent/Sportsmanship Rule
The CYC South Central District enforces the “No Dissent/Sportsmanship” rule during seasonal soccer play. “Dissent” includes, but is not limited to, questioning a referee’s call, requesting an explanation of a call or voicing displeasure with a call in a tone audible to the referees, players and fans. “Poor Sportsmanship” includes swearing, smoking, verbal threats and any other action deemed unsportsmanlike by CYC.

Child Participation & Eligibility

General Eligibility
In all grade school divisions, a player is eligible to participate in the CYC Program in one of the following

Catholic parish of worship/registration.
Catholic school the player is attending.
Catholic parish of residence. If a parish boundary does not have an athletic program, the player qualifies to participate at a parish program that shares a boundary with the player’s parish of residence.
If a player attends a public school, the player can play for any parish whose parish boundaries fall within the boundaries of that player’s public grade school. Once a public-school player has enrolled to play sports in a particular parish program, that player must play for that same parish through 8th grade.

The child must be grade eligible to play in a particular sport. For example:

The child must be in Kindergarten during the beginning of the season for Baseball/Softball, Soccer and Track
2nd Grade for Golf
3rd Grade for Basketball and Volleyball
Pre-K (4 or 5 year old) for T-Ball and Pre-K Soccer.

Requirements

Any interested child of either St. Gerard Majella Catholic School or a member of St. Gerard Majella Catholic Parish is required to register on the TeamSideline website.
A child must secure permission from his/her parent or legal guardian by filling out our online registration form, which shall include a Release/Waiver of Liability. If the parent or legal guardian cannot perform the online duties as described hereby, then he/she will not be eligible to play.
A family registering a child to play a sport at SGM must pay all fees and deposits associated with that sport. The Sports Commissioners determine the registration fee with approval by the SGM Majella Club and sports council.

The factors considered in determining a registration fee include:
- registration fees
- league fees
- costs of officials
- cost of facilities, including costs associated with SGM facilities and rental costs
- costs associated with participating in tournaments
- uniform replacement costs
A child must be registered within the deadlines set forth by the registrar and commissioner of the sport being registered for. Children who fail to register before the deadline may only participate at the discretion of the Registrar and sports commissioner when their participation is in the best interest of the SGM sports programs. A $25 late fee applies to all late registrations.

Coaching and Volunteer Info

Under CYC rules, all head coaches, assistant coaches, and volunteers must complete all the requirements of the Archdiocesan Safe Environment Program and have a coaching ID in order to be on the team's roster. The Prevent and Protect STL document will guide you through the process for becoming compliant. If you have any questions, please direct them to Barb Hussey at communications@sgmparish.org or 314-965-3985 x3823.

If you are volunteering to be a coach a team grades 1 through 8, you will also need to complete these steps:

Get a coach ID – You will get an ID once you complete the online "Coaching to Make a Positive Difference Class". The Class Can be found at this link:
www.cycstl.net/coaches/coaches-training-program
Coaching to Make a Positive Difference - All Coaches and Assistant Coaches must participate in the CYC's Coaching to Make a Positive Difference clinic. 1st Grade through 8th Grade coaches are required to attend, but this clinic is highly recommended for Kindergarten and Pre-K coaches as well.

Team Uniform Coordinator
The team uniform coordinator is responsible for working with the program uniform coordinator to provide each player with a uniform and coordinating the return of uniforms. The team coordinator is also responsible for exchanging uniforms to ensure players have a proper sized uniform.

SGM Sports Information on Fees
The following fees are associated with the SGM sports program:

REGISTRATION FEE: Fees vary per sport
GYM MONITOR FEE: The Majella Club charges a $15 Gym Monitor fee per family, when registering for some sports that utilize the gym. This fee will be charged during the registration process. Per the sports handbook guidelines, all SGM head coaches shall be exempt from paying this gym monitor fee. In order to be exempted, coaches must obtain a special coupon code from a Commissioner or the SGM Sports Registrar. This coupon code must be entered into the system at the time of the coach's family sports registration process.
LATE FEE: All online registrations received after the deadline will be assigned to a "waiting list" and will be accompanied by a $25.00 Late Registration Fee. A Commissioner will contact you if a roster opening becomes available. If we are unable to assign your child to a team, your registration payment and the late fee will be refunded.

Please Note: This Late Registration Fee will be assessed per registration, not per player. In addition, if you register a child before the deadline, then register another child after the deadline, you are still accessed a late fee on the second child who registers past the deadline.
UNIFORM NOT RETURNED FEE: Depending on the sport, a fee may be charged if the player’s uniform is not turned in at the end of the season. Refer to the sports pages for more details.

REFUND POLICY
Until the close of the registration period for each sport, a full refund less a 6% service charge, will be given upon request. Within 30 days after the close of registration a 50 % refund of the total of all registration and late fees, less a service charge of 6% of the total fees. A full refund will be given at any time when a player cannot be placed on a team or can provide proof that they are no longer physically able to play.

CONFIRMATION
An email confirmation receipt will be sent to you once your registration is complete and received. Your credit card will be charged on your next statement. To enhance payment security, the address in your account profile must match the address of the credit card being used.

Team Formation Policy
The construction of individual teams shall be done in a manner which maximizes participant interaction and playing time. In meeting these purposes, a sports commissioner (with guidance from the Sports Council) shall consider:

Mixing players who attend SGM day school and other schools.
Mixing players in a manner that ensures that the makeup of teams varies from sport to sport. For example, the roster of players on a soccer team at a grade level is different than the mix on a basketball team.
Requests by individuals to coach together limited to one coach and one assistant per team.
For teams grade 5 and above, the skill level of players where there is more than one team.

Teams will be assigned as follows:

Kindergarten through 2nd grade teams will be by formed by randomly selecting children. The Sports Council will oversee this process.
In 3rd grade teams will be reassigned for all sports, including initial basketball and volleyball teams, under the guidance of the individual sports commissioner(s) and the Sports Council with input from coaches.
Per SGM sports policy, starting in 5th grade, if there are enough players to warrant the formation of more than one team in that sport at that grade level and enough players that are interested in forming a competitive team, then one team shall be designated as a competitive team and will be determined based upon an evaluation system. If there are enough players to create three or more teams in that sport at that grade level, and enough players interested in forming a competitive team to form two competitive teams, there will be a top competitive team composed of the most highly evaluated players and then an additional competitive team composed of the next most highly evaluated players.

For additional details on how teams are formed, refer to the Team Formation Policy

Coaches Resources

Volunteer Information
If you would like to be a coach/ assistant coach for your child’s team, please indicate this in the registration form or e-mail the appropriate Commissioner.

Under CYC rules, all head coaches and assistant coaches must complete all the requirements of the Archdiocesan Safe Environment Program and have a coaching ID in order to be on the team's roster.

Please see the Volunteer Requirements for information on how to complete coaching requirements.

Practices/Games
In order to avoid conflicts for our families, we cannot conduct ANY practices or games on Mondays from 5:30pm - 6:45pm due to PSR (Parish School of Religion) sessions. The parish policy states that no practices or games of any sort are to take place during PSR sessions since this is a distraction to PSR students.

Coaching Clinics
The St. Louis Sports Commission frequently conducts FREE coaching clinics throughout the year to anyone who is interested in attending. This is the perfect opportunity for ALL coaches (including those who are thinking about it) to take part in learning how to coach kids. The commission sponsors coaching clinics for Track & Field, Baseball, Soccer, Volleyball, Basketball and Wrestling.

Coaches Workshops
The "Coaching To Make A Positive Difference" clinic is REQUIRED by the CYC in order to coach sports. The speaker of this workshop is Bill Bommarito of Coaching Concepts. The coaches who have already attended this workshop have spoken very highly about Bill and his program. All CYC Head Coaches must attend this clinic. Once you are issued a card of completion, please report to the Sport Commissioner the identification number on your card to gain approval of your roster from the CYC. You may be asked to present your card at each game in order for your team to be eligible to participate in CYC play. Each Sport Commissioner will present information to all coaches regarding these clinics each year. This clinic is FREE OF CHARGE for all head and assistant coaches of SGM. Once you attend this clinic, you will not have to attend it again in the future. Feel free to browse www.cycstl.net/coaches to learn more about these sessions and to view a schedule for upcoming sessions.

Volunteer Seminars
The Archdiocese of St. Louis has initiated an educational sexual-abuse prevention program called, "Protecting God's Children", which is mandatory for ALL volunteers - including coaches - who work with children at the parish on a regular basis. This is for anyone who helps with the youth of our parish. Each session lasts about 2-3 hours and each group will be asked to view a couple videos. The session moderators will keep track of who completes this mandatory program. Once you attend this workshop, you will not have to attend it again in the future.

There will be sessions scheduled at SGM in the near future. Please contact our parish office at (314) 965-3985 to schedule your session soon!

Youth Camps and Clinics
The Majella Club organizes a Summer Soccer Camp for the youth of our parish, which is conducted by an organization not in competition with our program.. These camps usually take place in mid June (Kindergarten through 8th grade).

Compliments of the Majella Club, each baseball/softball team from SGM will have a chance to participate in hitting or pitching instruction with a batting cage facility or at SGM (3rd grade through 8th grade).

The Des Peres Lodge sponsors a Balls-n-Strikes Summer Baseball Camp (Kindergarten through 8th grade). These 4 hour sessions last for four days (in June and July) from Monday through Thursday (Friday is the rainout day) at the Des Peres Park ball diamonds. Fundamental drills covering throwing, catching, hitting, running and stealing will be stressed at this camp. All instructors have a minimum of college ball playing experience in their repertoire. You may sign up for this camp by contacting the Des Peres Lodge. In addition, Balls-n-Strikes conducts a hitting clinic in late March for those who are interested in preparing for the season ahead. Please visit the Balls-n-Strikes website for details or call them at 636-394-BALL (2255).

Please ask your coach or the sport's commissioner of camp suggestions.

If you know of a youth camp or clinic you want to tell us about, please contact the sports admin.

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