The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association believes that while lacrosse is a co-curricular activity, rather than an extra-curricular activity, a student athlete's primary responsibility is to their academics. We are committed to working with our student athletes to ensure that their lacrosse experience enhances their education.

Players in the 6th grade and up,  must maintain passing grades in all classes in order to play in practice and games.  Youth coaches would like to work with parents in helping, in any way, the academic success of our student-athletes.  Parents are asked that they communicate any concerns when their athlete is struggling with grades and needs any time or assistance to get back on track.  

 If a player is academically ineligible to play, the TVYLA Coaching Staff will work with an athlete, their parents/guardians, teachers, and/or tutors to help the student athlete regain good standing in their classes. It is our recommendation that a player notify a coach to impending grade problems before they are in issue so that we make work with a student to help them from falling behind. 

While TVYLA is considered a club, and not associated with the school district, every effort will be made to work with the schools to ensure our program meets or exceeds academic athletic eligibility standards set be the school district.

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association aims to provide a sporting environment where all those involved in its activities are treated with dignity and respect, and without harassment or discrimination.

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association recognizes that all those involved in its activities cannot enjoy themselves, perform to their best, or be effective or fully productive if they are being treated unfairly, discriminated against or harassed because of their race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age (over 40), mental or physical disability, or sexual orientation.

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association prohibits all forms of harassment and discrimination not only because it is against the law, but because it is extremely distressing, offensive, humiliating and/or threatening and creates an uncomfortable and unpleasant environment. 

If any person feels they are being harassed or discriminated against by another person or organization bound by this Policy, please contact a Head Coach, staff member, or TVYLA Board Member

While Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association does not implement a strong attendance policy, please consider the following when making the decision to miss practices, games, or team events:

•  Our coaches teach a team oriented philosophy.  One cannot teach this philosophy without the team around.
•  We believe team sports are one of the most effective means in teaching a young athlete commitment.
• Our coaches spend time designing a detailed practice and game plan every day based on the number of players on the team.  It only takes a few absent players to make that plan obsolete.
• Absent players make it incredibly difficult to coach effectively.

We understand that we do not live in a perfect world and that absences are inevitable.  However, please make every effort to attend all practices, games, and events.

If a player is to be absent, we do ask that you notify the head coach (Not the program director) as soon as possible so appropriate or necessary changes can be made to their plans. 

Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association events will likely continue regardless of weather. The exception being in the case of extreme cold, lightening, or heavy rain that leaves us without usable facilities. Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association staff will make every effort to notify players and members of cancellations. These notifications will be through all, or one of: text messaging, email, web site news, and on our Facebook Page.

In the event of visible lightening, ALL outdoor activity will be halted for a minimum of 30 minutes from the most recent witnessed lightening strike.

Teton valley Youth Lacrosse Association requires that every player participate in all on lacrosse activities, including practices and games, with the required equipment in good and legal condition.  

Required Women's Equipment:

• Women's specific Helmet
• Women's specific stick
• Mouth guard (fitted, and in good shape)
• Cleats on grass, athletic shoes for the gym, ore pavement. Cleats are not necessary for K-2 age groups)
• Proper athletic attire for the conditions.
• Goalies: NOCSE rated chest protectors and properly fitted throat guards

Required Men's Equipment:

Men's Lacrosse Helmet (if you purchase a helmet, rather than rent one from the club, it must be black to match the rest of the club

• Mouth Guard (fitted and in good shape)
• Shoulder Pads (NOCSE rated is highly recommended as they will be required in years to come.)
•  Arm Pads
• Gloves
• Cleats while playing on grass
• Athletic Shoes while playing on pavement
• Legal Lacrosse Shaft, pocket and head
• Athletic supporter and cup are mandatory for all TVYLA players.
• Goalies: chest protectors and properly fitted throat guard. (Arm pads not required.)

All players, at all levels should have both long and short sleeves as well as shorts and long pants for every practice. Long pants are required for ALL practices in a gym, or on pavement. No exceptions. Temperature will determine long or short sleeves and shorts or pants when practicing on grass. Determination will be made at practice, and not before.

No player should ever stand in the goal, at any time, without a throat guard and chest protector. (The only exception would be during 3x3 play with tennis balls)

PREFACE

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association is committed to treating all people with respect, dignity and fairness. These values, along with the basic right of all Lacrosse members to participate in an environment that is enjoyable, safe and healthy, has resulted in the Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association developing specific objectives to create a safer and more tolerant sporting environment.

Lacrosse is not immune to acts of discrimination, harassment and abuse and in fact shares the common features of most sporting environments where close physical and emotional relationships can develop and inappropriate or unlawful behavior can take place.

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association is both ethically and legally responsible to prevent discrimination and more specifically harassment from occurring in Lacrosse. The adoption of the Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association Member Protection Policy reflects our commitment to serving and protecting its members and participants throughout all levels of the sport. This Policy is only one component of the overall strategy and the implementation and enforcement of this Policy will require ongoing commitment.

LEGAL NOTICE 

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association does not give legal advice to individuals. The information contained in this document is not and should not be considered as legal advice.

This Member Protection Policy covers issues that are the subject of federal and state laws. Every effort has been made to comply with relevant federal and state laws. It is important to obtain independent legal advice about any breach of this Policy.

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association does not accept responsibility for any errors or omissions contained in this Policy, or loss or damage however caused (including by negligence) which an organization or any of its members, employees or agents or any other person, may directly or indirectly incur that arises out of or in connection with the use of or reliance on this Policy.

1. Purpose of this Policy 1. Purpose of this Policy

This Policy aims to ensure our core values, good reputation and positive behaviors and attitudes are maintained. It assists us in ensuring that every person involved in our sport is treated with respect and dignity, and is safe and protected from abuse. This Policy also ensures that everyone involved in our sport is aware of his or her legal and ethical rights and responsibilities.

The Policy attachments provide the procedures that support our commitment to eliminating discrimination, harassment, child abuse and other forms of inappropriate behavior from our sport. As part of this commitment, the Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association will take disciplinary action against any person bound by this Policy if they breach it.

This Policy has been endorsed by the Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association Board and copies of the Policy and its attachments can be obtained from our website at www.tetonlax or the TVYLA Board.

2. Who this Policy applies to

This Policy applies to the following, whether they are in a paid or unpaid/voluntary capacity:

• Individuals sitting on TVYLA Board of Directors;
• Volunteers;
• Support personnel (e.g. managers, sport trainers, scorers);
• Coaches and assistant coaches;
• Athletes and players;
• Referees and other officials;
• Parents, guardians, spectators and sponsors to the full extent that is possible.

This Policy will continue to apply to a person even after they have stopped their association with the Sandpoint Lacrosse Club if disciplinary action, relating to an allegation of child abuse against that person, has commenced.

3. Organizational Responsibilities

Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association must:

• Adopt, implement and comply with this Policy;
• Publish, distribute and otherwise promote this Policy and the consequences for breaching it;
• Promote appropriate standards of conduct at all times;
• Promptly deal with any breaches of or complaints made under this Policy in an impartial, sensitive, fair, timely and confidential manner;
• Apply this Policy consistently without fear or favor;
• Recognize and enforce any penalty imposed under this Policy;
• Ensure that a copy of this Policy is available or accessible to the persons to whom this Policy applies;
• Appoint or have access to appropriately trained people to receive and handle complaints and allegations and display the names and contact details in a way that is readily accessible; and
• Monitor and review this Policy at least annually

4. Individual Responsibilities

Individuals bound by this Policy are responsible for:

Making themselves aware of the Policy and complying with the standards of conduct outlined in this Policy.

Consenting to a National Police Check if the individual holds or applies for a role that; 

• Involves direct and unsupervised contact with people under the age of 18 years
• Involves working with people under the age of 18 years
• Involves regular contact with people under the age of 18 years
• Complying with all other requirements of this Policy;
• Co-operating in providing a discrimination, child abuse and harassment free sporting environment;
• Understanding the possible consequences of breaching this Policy.

Policy Position Statements 

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association is committed to the safety and well-being of all children and young people accessing our services. We support the rights of the child and will act without hesitation to ensure a child safe environment is maintained at all times. We also support the rights and well-being of our staff and volunteers and encourage their active participation in building and maintaining a secure environment for all participants.

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association places the safety and welfare of children above all other considerations. The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association requires that any child who is abused or anyone who reasonably suspects that a child has been or is being abused by someone within our sport, to report it immediately to the police or relevant government agency or a TVYLA representative.

All allegations of child abuse will be dealt with promptly, seriously, sensitively and confidentially. A person will not be victimized for reporting an allegation of child abuse and the privacy of all persons concerned will be respected. 

Refer to our procedures for handling allegations of child abuse.

If anyone bound by this Policy reasonably suspects that a child is being abused by his or her parent/s, they are advised to contact the relevant government department for youth, family and community services in their state/territory.

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association is very serious about age appropriate play and protecting our players from all injuries, but in particular we are attentive to the very real dangers and consequences of TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury, and what we commonly call 'concussions.'

A concussion is an injury to the brain. Concussions are caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or even a blow to another part of the body with the force transmitted to the head. Even what appears to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious. Concussions range from mild to severe and no loss of consciousness is required to sustain a concussion. You cannot see a concussion; it is NOT a bruise to the brain and therefore is typically not an injury which appears on CAT scans or MRI's. The signs and symptoms of a concussion may appear right after an injury, or may take several hours or even days to fully appear. For this reason, the cooperation and understanding of a player's parents and or/guardians is critical.

US Lacrosse, the national governing body for youth lacrosse in the country, is leading the way to ensuring concussion awareness and prevention in youth lacrosse, and has partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC, in conjunction with numerous leading experts in the medical and sports field, has compiled concussion related resources to assist youth sports' programs, parents and players. Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association strongly recommends that ALL parents/guardians, along with their sons and daughters, familiarize themselves with this information, which can be found on the CDC website (links provided below).

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association very strongly recommends that every qualified player obtain a pre-concussion IMPACT test. This is a baseline exam of a player's brain function that, when combined with a post-injury-exam, provides a medical professional with essential information in determining the type and severity of damage. This information is critical for a provider to determine when a player can safely return to play. A link to the IMPACT site is included below. On their site, you will find contact information for local providers that offer this service.

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association is committed to educating its coaches, parents and players about the seriousness of concussions. All of our coaches are provided information on preventing, recognizing, and responding to a concussion.

If a concussion occurs: Recognizing the signs of a concussion and the proper treatment of a concussion requires the cooperation of the parents, the player, the family's medical provider, as well as the coach to ensure that the best information and decisions are made for that player's safety. The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association policy for any player that is believed to have sustained a concussion, no matter how severe, is for the coach to remove that player from participation and seek medical attention:

When in doubt, leave the player out.

No player may return to game play or practice on the same day of a sustained concussion.

Any player suspected of having a concussion should be evaluated by an appropriate licensed health care professional that day.

No player who the coaches believe has sustained a concussion, whether by exhibiting signs of a concussion or having sustained a blow to the head, will return to the field for practice or a game without the express written medical authorization/permission from the child's appropriate licensed health care provider, stating specifically that the child is completely cleared to fully participate in youth sports and in particular, lacrosse.

Return to play means participate in a non-medically supervised practice or athletic competition.

To assist in the effort to protect our players' most important asset, their brains, we ask all parents to spend the time to review the CDC website, and the 'Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports' tool kit, by following the links below:

Idaho State Law Regarding Concussions

CDC Heads Up Youth Sports Page

CDC Heads Up Printable Coaches Fact Sheet

CDC Heads Up Printable Players Fact Sheet

CDC Heads Up Parents Fact Sheet

US Lacrosse Website

ImPACT Testing Home Page

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association expects all Members to behave in an ethical manner on and off of the field. Unethical behavior including illegal activity, drug and/or alcohol use, and tobacco use will be dealt with on a case by case basis. It has been the belief of this program that dismissal is not an effective means of punishment for actions that we determine to be detrimental to this program. We will make every effort to apply punishment in a fair and reasonable manner in conjunction with a player's parents/guardians. Punishment may include community service, attending NA/AA meetings in the case of alcohol or drug infractions, retributive calisthenics, counseling, essays, or anything deemed appropriate at the time and is agreeable with the players' parents/guardians. Expulsion from this program will be used as a very last resort.

Purpose

The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association is committed to ensuring a harmonious, fair and just environment by ensuring that members have access to processes that allow for any grievances to be resolved. 

Objective

• To provide for fair, effective and open organization response to member complaints.
• To minimize personal and organizational dysfunction arising from unresolved grievances.
• To foster standards of ethical behavior and conduct that contribute to a productive workplace.

Grievance Resolution Options

A member who believes something is unfair or unjust in relation to a matter has the following grievance resolution options available to them:

Informal

Informal resolution of concerns can often be the most effective way of dealing with issues. While this approach is informal, concerns raised in this manner will be taken seriously and where practical.

Informal options include resolving the grievance directly with the person. (eg manager, coach, player) 

Members should not approach anyone during a game or practice situation, but wait until an appropriate time after the game or practice.

Formal

Formal written complaints can be sent to the President of the TVYLA. Written complaints shall include the following information:

• complainant's name and contact details
• explanation of the complaint, describing what happened, how it happened, who was involved; and action taken so far;
• the outcome being sought by the complainant.

On receipt of a formal complaint, the President will determine an appropriate course of action that may include formal investigation and the involvement of independent parties to mediate or conciliate an acceptable outcome.

Once the investigation has been completed a response will be forwarded to the complainant within two weeks of receipt of the complaint. 

Payment for player dues is due, in full, at the start of the team's first organized practice.

 

If there are extenuating circumstances, a grievance may be filed and circumstances will be reviewed by the Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association Board. Please refer to the Grievances and Complaints Policy.

 

Scholarships are available dependent on need and funds available.  Please refer to the Financial Aid tab on the home page.

Refunds for player registration fees are as follows:

-Before the first Friday following the first day of organized practice:

o Full Refund, minus thirty dollar admin fee.

-After the first Friday following the first organized practice:

o non-medical = 50% of registration fee

o medical = full refund, minus thirty dollar admin fee

-After two weeks of organized play:

o non-medical = no refund

o medical - amount decided by the TVYLA Board

 All requests for refunds must be made in writing and sent to the Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association Board President.

 Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association only collects personal information when you request our services and only uses the information collected to provide those services for you. If you choose to register a player, or make a purchase, you will be asked to provide contact information (such as your name and shipping address) and financial information (such as your credit card number and expiration date). This information is used for registration, billing purposes and to process your order. Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association handles all of this data as well as all personal information with the utmost confidentiality.

Rental equipment is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. A rental equipment package consists of a Stick, helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, and arm pads. Rental cost is forty dollars.  TVYLA will also, at the time you rent equipment, will collect a fifty dollar check for a damage deposit.  When TVYLA equipment is returned at the end of the season clean and in good condition, the check will be returned.   Please check the rental request button during registration and rental costs will be automatically added to your dues. 

The use of rental equipment from Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association is at your own risk. No safety equipment can prevent all injuries. Lacrosse is a physical and active sport with the potential for injury. Protective equipment is designed to decrease, not eliminate, the incidence and severity of injury.

You are responsible for adjusting the equipment to fit properly. Improperly adjusted equipment can be dangerous.

You are responsible for maintaining the equipment as well as returning it promptly in a clean and serviceable condition. Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association understands that some wear is normal.

Charges for lost or damaged equipment can be up to, but will not exceed:

• Helmet is one hundred fifty dollars (Men's or women's)
• Shoulder pads forty dollars
•  Elbow Pads thirty dollars
• Gloves forty dollars
• Stick forty five dollars (Men's or women's)

Many Teton Valley Lacrosse events require travel to venues outside of Teton County, and occasionally outside of Idaho. The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association does not offer any kind of transportation to any away event. Players are entirely responsible for obtaining their own means of transportation to and from these events. The Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association will make every effort to provide adequate directions, times, and meeting places, but players are ultimately responsible for arriving at the destinations at the times designated by the coaching staff.

US Lacrosse is the national governing body of the sport of lacrosse. Membership to US Lacrosse brings numerous benefits to this organization, and because we are a participating program with US Lacrosse, we feel, we provide a far better experience for our athletes. US Lacrosse membership opens doors for grants, coaching education, certifications for coaches and officials, positive coaching education. Without US Lacrosse affiliation, our athletes are not eligible for All-American or Academic All-American Honors. There are also liability and insurance incentives. In order to benefit from any of these things as an individual, all members of this program must also be active US Lacrosse members.

 

All players must be active US Lacrosse members at the time of registration. Your US Lacrosse number will be required in order to register on this site. All Teton Valley Youth Lacrosse Association players MUST maintain their membership in good standing throughout the Teton Valley Lacrosse regular season, and during any TVYLA events. A player's US Lacrosse number is required for a player to register with any TVYLA teams.