Dear Gators,

First, let me say welcome to the family!  We are very excited that you are a member of the Baltimore City Gators Inc Girls Lacrosse Club Team! We are a 501(c)3 organization and an FCA affiliate.

To play on the HS Team, you must play for your high school or another club team. and have at least 1 year experience. The MS team you must be entering grade 6 in September’s school year. There is a cost for just about everything from uniforms to tournaments. The fees are based on the needs of the team and the cost of the tournaments. We will write grants or whatever we must do to help to defray the cost of the tournaments, but at most the cost could be, over the time playing, about $80 for uniforms, $800 possible transportation depending on the distance, and 2-4 tournaments averaging a cost of $1600 per tournament. With a 25-girl roster at most, each girl should be paying about $1,000 and the average club team pays about $2500 per season. Our fee is way below the actual cost to play. I know this sounds expensive, but I just want to provide the opportunity for the girls to play more skilled competition and get exposure to college and High School coaches. MS will start practicing between February and March 1. MS will play in MYLA league. Also, unfortunately, there are NO REFUNDS once your payment is made, no matter the circumstance. The current fee to play is $130 for MS (if they practice from September to October there will be no fee for that) and $500 for HS. For any recruitment, HS girls must make 80% of all team activities. Attendance will be taken.

 

There may be some equipment for me to give away to new players and each girl will receive a uniform to be turned in at the end of the season. Girls' lacrosse equipment includes: a girl's stick (there is a difference in the girls and boys), girls lacrosse goggles, mouthpiece, and cleats.

If your daughter fails off her high school team, she cannot play for the Gators that same season. If your daughter grades are not up to par in middle school, she will be on academic probation. No Exceptions! Grades Matter!! I WILL BE CHECKING!!! The Baltimore City Gators Inc requires each player to submit their final report card at the end of the school year to coach Roycroft. Each Gator must maintain at least a B average. A strong academic record will be able to open more doors to colleges than you can imagine.

 

Below are bullet points of the requirements each player on the Gators must abide by. Please read all of what’s expected as a player. 

·       Expected to be at ALL practices- Emergencies will be discussed: sick, family emergencies, religious preference, etc.

·       A missed practice will result in a reduction in play time and/or taken off the recruiting web site (HS). Dedication will be in question. Attendance will be taken.

·       Need to be prepared with proper gear at all practices, games, events, etc.- Failure to have the proper uniform, gear, may lead to non-participation

·       Need to be properly hydrated and nourished- Ready to perform (water is the best for hydration)

·       If unable to attend a team function, this needs to be communicated at least 24 hours in advance. I understand emergencies, but communication is key.

·       Respect is HUGE! YOU need to be respectful always (coaches, teammates, officials, school officials, opponents, etc.)- Disrespect at practice will result in being dismissed from practice, Disrespect will not be tolerated!

·       Set the bar for the level of sportsmanship; respect the game officials and opponents always, particularly while on the field of play, you never know what college or high school coach may be in the stands watching you

·       Take responsibility for your actions during a game and accept consequences appropriately

·       No inappropriate postings on social media- If you wouldn’t say it in front of an adult, then don’t post it. 

·       Abstain from the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs

·       Put your schoolwork first and try to maintain a G.P.A. of at least a 3.0. College and High School coaches want 3.0 or better, and a 3.0 is not too bad. SAT of at least 900 and ACT of at least 20. You must maintain an eligible status to play on the team!

·       The ladies that show up and abide by what is written are the ladies we will market to play at the next level!

·       COMMUNICATION is a MUST! We are here to help with any issues that may arise! 

Our lacrosse team is designed to accommodate 25 players, not 12 or less. In the past, you may have participated on teams that have promised your daughter a tremendous amount of playing time involving many games. You may have concerns as to why we chose to carry this number of players. We created this team as a quality alternative to not playing at all in the off-season. The

term quality is important. We believe that quality is vital to the mission. If you total that all up, it defines fun. Fun is not failing; succeeding is not always winning. It is not fun to fail, regardless

of the game's outcome. We believe that quality has nothing to do with playing every minute of every game. A quality competitive experience exposes a player to equal or superior talent, in

which the player can compete at her chosen position with consistent enthusiasm, effort, and skill. She will receive training based on her needs. We will give her an opportunity to lead and

motivate others. As such, she must be mentally and physically prepared to accept that role in every practice and game. If your daughter elects to compete to play at the college level, recruiters will look for a consistent demonstration of skills and attitude on the field. Scrapping together 7 to 12 players to play a game will not demonstrate anything but mental and physical fatigue for the ladies that showed to play. There is only some chance of improvement for anyone.

Improvement requires a change in the mindset of a team. It is impossible to improve or develop by just playing games. That means they must show for practice! We have 3-5 practices a

MONTH at most! For us to complete our promises to you, we have designed a schedule that accommodates practices. Having a small program, practice/workouts are as important and, in

many ways, MORE important than actual games. We have invested in continued lacrosse education and coach training to assure you that that boredom will not be your experience with this organization. We will provide practices that are fun as well as instructive. Our practices will reflect issues that have occurred in previous games and include input and leadership from players as to specific ideas and personal needs. Therefore, we will try carry enough players to be competitive in every minute of every game and to conduct meaningful practices.

The following are, by most everyone's standards, reasonable and acceptable absences for not attending TEAM commitments. They are a family vacation, family emergency, religious conflict, school-related activity (not schoolwork), injury/Illness, and college visits and exposure camps. All legitimate personal reasons. But remember this; the team is left with not enough players and occasionally forced to play down to our opponent. By weeks end the players are fatigued, sore and are logically out of it.

If you have chosen your daughter to become a Gator, then trust the Program for her development. Let the journey be your daughter's. Do not overprotect your daughter. She will never experience life in a shell. You must be just as committed to the team as your daughter. Every player matters and their and your commitment to bringing them to practices, tournaments, scrimmages/games are vital to our/her success on the field. Car-pooling is a plus. Whether you are carpooling or riding, this helps the team.