2023 Cross Country Team Rules- Mandatory Sign Off

Athlete and Parent/Guardian:

This google form is needed to verify two items...

1st- Parent/guardian attended the in-person  Mandatory Parent Meeting and/or reviewed the slides from the Mandatory Parent meeting online.  
  • Information regarding trainings, procedures, practice, etc is explained by coaches.
  • The meeting sets the foundation for the upcoming season so all parent/guardian and athletes are on the same page for the season.

2nd-Both Parent/Guardian & Athletes understand the USCXC Team Rules  and expectations from the coaches.  
  • Our team has four main rules that govern our philosophy.   
  • They are explained in detail with the items listed below.

Complete this form NO LATER THAN Saturday August 19, 2023.

Athlete and parent/guardian "sign off" for both items is to be completed electronically through this google form.


Thanks in advance!


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I attended the in-person Mandatory parent/guardian meeting for USCXC and/or reviewed the slides online related to the in-person Mandatory parent/guardian meeting.

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Athlete(s) First and Last Name
If you have more than one athlete on the team, please list each one.
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Parent/Guardian First and Last Name *
Enter Today's Date *
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1) Be a good teammate…everyone is a valuable part of the team, regardless of ability level.Stress the concepts of “Team Unity” and being a “Good Sport.”   Being a “Good Sport” is fundamental to the chemistry and success of this team and the program as a whole.  Focusing on “Team Unity” means understanding that decisions made by the coaches are made for the best interest of the team as a whole.   Both of these concepts stress encouraging your teammates at competitions and practices and respecting decisions made by your coaches.Understand that the role of a “Team Captain” is that of a liaison between the coaches and the athletes.   Coach Chermak and Coach Petrick will have athletes vote for the Team Captains at the start of the season.  Team Captains are leaders that go beyond just participating in the sport.  These athletes lead by example, keep the team moving in the right direction, motivate their teammates at practice and competitions, and treat everyone with respect.   Captains help maintain a unified front with coaches on decisions that impact the team.Look forward to an exciting and rewarding season.  Contribute to a positive atmosphere at practice.   Having a negative attitude at practice and/or a competition towards other athletes or coaches may result in being dismissed from practice or being dismissed from the competition.   If you are dismissed from practice and/or a competition due to a negative attitude, you will be issued a strike. *
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2) Be accountable…showing up is the first step.Arrive promptly to practice and then enter the facility to begin the warm-up.  Arrive no later than every MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY on Track @3:05pm, FRIDAY on Track @ 2:55pm, SATURDAY Locations to be Announced @ 8:30am unless otherwise noted.  Arrive promptly to competitions (be on the bus 5 minutes before the designated departure time) ready to perform.   Once that day’s practice begins, no athletes will be permitted to enter the facility or join the team. Attendance will be taken daily by the coaches and/or by members of the team- during check in at the start of practice during the screening for athletes.  Attendance will be taken as you board the bus for any meet that requires transportation.  Let coaches know of any injuries that you may be experiencing.  If you are injured, notify your coaches.  They will ask some questions regarding the injury in question and then direct you to the USCHS athletic trainer.   Listen to the USCHS athletic trainer’s instructions regarding your injury.   After you have seen the athletic training, you will discuss the visit with your coaches in order to understand the nature of the injury, and the next steps to get you healthy as directed by the athletic trainer.  Follow up with your coaches to keep them informed of any treatment the USCHS athletic trainer is providing.  If the USCHS athletic trainer wants to you see him/her prior to practice, inform a teammate so that your coaches know where you are and do not issue you with a cut for missing practice.Attend all practices and competitions.  Understand and adhere to the “3 Strikes and You’re Out” attendance policy.  If you have to miss practice you must tell your coaches IN ADVANCE prior to missing cross country.  If you follow these guidelines, you have three practices total you can miss.   But if you miss more than three practices throughout the cross country season, you will be removed from the team immediately.   You must turn in your school-issued uniform and warm-up the following week if you are dismissed from the team.Furthermore, skipping a competition counts as a strike toward the “3 Strikes” attendance policy.  If you miss practice the day before a competition, you will not be permitted to participate in the competition.   (If you miss cross country due to a religious obligation, college visit, or you do not attend school because you are sick, you will NOT be issued a strike, but still let your coaches know- via email/phone/in person - in advance that you will not be able to attend.) If you quit the team or are dismissed from the team at any point during the season, you will forfeit any varsity letter earned for that season.Ride the school bus to and from all away competitions.   Per school rules, athletes are permitted to leave an away competition with a parent/guardian only if a note has been presented to one of the coaches prior to leaving the event.   Furthermore, this note must be signed by both the parent and a high school administrator- no exceptions will be allowed.   In order to make sure there is no confusion between parents-administrators-coaches regarding the note, be sure to get the note(s) signed at least 2 days in advance of the designated event.  Make sure you notify a coach and sign out with a coach when you leave with your parent/guardian.  If you do NOT notify a coach and do NOT sign out with a coach before you leave a competition/meet/invite, you will be issued a strike. *
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3) Be coachable…your coaches will always put you in the best position to succeed.Follow your coaches’ instructions. Coach Chermak and Coach Petrick will structure the workouts that all athletes will complete.   NO consideration will be given to requests from outside coaches and/or personal trainers on changing/modifying workouts, running or not running in competitions, skipping workouts, etc.  If you are receiving supplemental training, supplemental coaching, and/or participating in supplemental workouts due to an out-of-season sport, then you should understand that USCHS Cross Country is the priority during the Fall Sports Season.  Coach Chermak and Coach Petrick are the only individuals in charge of determining your cross country workouts and participation in cross country competitions.   Not following coaches’ instructions may be grounds for dismissal.You are NOT permitted to work with any outside trainers/outside coaches/outside personnel other than your USCHS Cross Country Coaches- Coach Chermak and Coach Petrick- during USCHS Practice and/or during USCHS Cross Country Meets/Invitationals.  If any outside trainers/outside coaches/outside personnel show up at USCHS Practice and/or USCHS Cross Country Meets/Invitationals to work with (coach) an athlete, the individual will be dismissed from the practice and/or the event.  The athlete will then receive a strike.   The individual’s parents or guardians will be contacted and any further violation of this rule may result in the athlete being removed from the team.Please do not participate in non-USCXC races during the season.  Your coaches have planned the training for the HS schedule, and running other races will interfere with the HS season.   Represent Upper St. Clair properly by following school conduct rules at all practices and competitions.  Hiding or being in a location without coach permission will result in immediate dismissal from the team. If you are under the care of the USC Trainers, you will either go directly home or return to practice, depending on directions from the USC Trainers.  Improper conduct will result in immediate dismissal from the team.   Some examples of improper conduct are use of profanity, destruction of property, littering, bullying, use of drugs and/or alcohol, noncompliance with safety procedures during practice/competitions, participation in conduct detrimental to the team, etc. Hazing and ridiculing other athletes is strictly prohibited.  As a reminder, poor behavior on Social Media can impact your status on sports teams; this includes practice and meets for the USCXC. At races and invites and a coach/individual from an opposing team “disqualifies” you, keep running and finish the race.  Do not engage into a verbal altercation with the coach/individual.  Bring the “disqualification” to the attention of your coaches after you finish so that they can gather the facts and determine if the disqualification is legitimate or not.  Proper conduct must be followed at all times- on the bus, in the tent, while walking the course, racing, etc. *
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4) Be informed…communication between coaches and athletes builds trust.  All Healthy Roster (approved by the athletics trainers) online forms  need completed before Monday August 14, 2023.  Understand that the last day to join the Cross Country team is Monday August 21, 2023 by Noon.  No athletes will be permitted to join the team after that date- all paperwork must be completed and turned in by that date.  Everyone on the team must complete a time trial with a distance TBD.  Standards for the time trial will be announced by the coaches, and if an athlete is not able to meet the standard, it will impact participation in racing.  If we have restrictions  on number of entries for meets, the coaches will use a combination of time trial, practice data, and professional judgement to determine filling the fields for races (Varsity, JV, Freshman, etc.). If an athlete is NOT physically capable of completing the time trial, the coaches will determine if the runner is not yet ready to race in a meet. If an athlete misses the time trial, the coaches may have them make up the time trial at a different date or time. This will ensure that you are capable of completing the physically demanding workouts with the team.   Your health and safety is the main priority. This time trial will help your coaches determine which training group you will be a part of during running components.  Races and practices throughout the season will help your coaches determine training groups as the season progresses.  Coaches will assign “groups” of athletes during training to adhere to protocols.  Each “group” will have a Group Leader that is responsible for the entire group of athletes.  During runs off campus, Group Leaders will report back to the coaches when ALL group members have returned to the track. Groups and Group Leaders may be fluid and may change throughout the season based upon the coaches’ discretion. This system ensures that athletes are accounted for and minimizes physical contact.Give your personal best at all times and understand the purpose of each practice session. Be responsible by keeping track of individual progress.   If you score a point for the team by placing in a competition, keep track of this for your own records.   Understand that scoring a point in a varsity competition will allow you to earn a varsity letter.   At a regular season section meet, varsity is defined as finishing in the top 10 for USC.  At an invitational, you must run in the varsity race AND finish in the top 7 for USC to score a point.  Scoring in junior varsity and/or freshman races at invitationals will not used to determine lettering.Wear the USCHS-issued uniform for all competitions.  Failure to wear your school-issued uniform may result in your coaches not letting you run in a competition; furthermore, you may be issued a strike for this violation of team rules.  It is your responsibility to wash and dry your uniform throughout the season.   If it is damaged, stained, stolen, lost, it is your responsibility.  If you lend another athlete your uniform and it is damaged, stained, stolen, lost, it is still your responsibility.  If you give another athlete your uniform to turn in the coaches and it is damaged, stained, stolen, or lost, it is still your responsibility.  It is your responsibility to wash and dry your uniform before returning it on either of the two turn in dates.Return all school-issued warm-ups and/or uniforms at the end of the season during either of the two coach-specified time/dates to be announced.…  Turn-In Day 1 is to be decided, and Turn-In Day 2 is to be decided; both dates/times/locations will be announced at practice.  (Letters, pins, and other athlete-earned awards will not be distributed to an athlete until the school-issued items have been returned.  A fine will be issued to any athletes that do not turn in these items at the coach-specified time/date in the athletic cage.)  The current fine for lost, stolen, damaged, stained, or unwashed uniforms are $60 per item.For invitationals, Coach Chermak and Coach Petrick will decide which athletes are running the varsity and junior varsity races.  Due to online registration deadlines, decisions by the coaches on race participation may have to be made well in advance of the race date.   Additionally, the roster for a varsity race may be determined based on the overall fastest runners- even if the fastest runners are compiled from both the varsity and junior varsity races.   Coach Chermak and Coach Petrick have the final decision on race rosters- NO EXCEPTIONS.   For the WPIAL Championships, Coach Chermak and Coach Petrick will decide which athletes attend and which athletes compete.  Eight athletes attend the WPIAL Championships, but only seven compete in the race.  These seven athletes will be determined by Coach Chermak and Coach Petrick.   Due to online registration deadlines, decisions by the coaches on who attends/competes at the WPIAL Championship may have to be made well in advance of the race date.   Additionally, the roster for the WPIAL Championship may be determined based on the overall fastest runners- even if the fastest runners are compiled from both the varsity and junior varsity races.   Coach Chermak and Coach Petrick have the final decision on the WPIAL Championship rosters- NO EXCEPTIONS.All communication to the Coaches must be done in a respectful manner.  Aggressive, hostile, or demeaning language from a parent or athlete to a coach through electronic, face to face, or voicemails will be treated seriously.  Any communication of that nature will be reported to an administrator.   Coaches will cease communication if it is aggressive, hostile, or demeaning.  Questions related to race lineups from parents will not be addressed.  Athletes should ask questions at practice if they need clarification regarding race lineups.  Understand that if you compete in the WPIAL Championship and advance to the PIAA Cross Country Championships either individually or as a part of the team, you will be required to compete at the PIAA Cross Country Championships and represent Upper St. Clair.   If you are unsure about competing in the PIAA Cross Country Championships, your coaches will NOT permit you to participate in the WPIAL Championship.  This will enable someone else on the USCHSXC roster to compete in your place. *
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By signing the team rules, we (athlete and parent/guardian) understand that these are the expectations for the season.  We (athlete and parent/guardian) understand that breaking the team rules can result in dismissal from the team for the season.  We (athlete and parent/guardian) understand that these rules are non-negotiable and may be modified by the coaches as needed throughout the season. *
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ELECTRONIC USE POLICY- Review the DISTRICT ELECTRONIC USE POLICY shown below. *
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