Southern Indiana Spikes: Spikes News & Misc
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The spikes organization is based on several solid ethical principals. One of those principals is that every coach & staff member are expected to ahere to a code of ethics...at all times. Here a a list of some of those ethics:
- TOLERANCEThis quality goes hand-in-hand with patience. Kids are going to be rowdy, moody or lazy. Tolerance takes the different mind-sets and turns the focus to the tasks afoot. Be Patient!
- ACCEPTANCEAll children are so very different. Each one has varied potential and skill levels. A good coach is one who recognizes each child as an individual and he/she encourages that child to perform at his/her very best level. Perfection is not required!
- MOTIVATIONBaseball can be viewed as kids throwing a ball back & forth, or it can be viewed as an opportunity for growth. The true test lies in sparking a childs interest to learn and grow and keeping that spark alive each game.
- RESPECTWeve seen many games in which the coaches, and sometimes parents, of the other teams berate and belittle their children for making mistakes. Sometimes they even go as far as criticizing opposing team members. Good grief! Were playing youth baseball! This isnt the Major League World Series. A Coach never singles out a child for making a mistake in front of their teammates and he does not allow parents or other team members to do so either. At the beginning of every game Coach reminds parents & players that were all in this sport to learn, compete and have a good time.
- SPORTSMANSHIPPerhaps this should have been on top of the list, but being toward the end does not lessen the importance. The definition of sportsmanship is to teach kids (and coaches) to work together as a team in order to achieve a common goal. It also means teaching kids to respect other players, umpires, coaches, parents, fans as well as each other. Insults are not tolerated. Berating the umpires is not tolerated. Mistakes are team mistakes, and they are used as teaching tools for the next game.
- ABILITY TO TEACHSounds simple, right? Its not. How many times has a parent signed up a child for a sport, only to have a well-intentioned father decide to coach? He may or may not know the sport. He may or may not relate well to his players. There is a huge difference between the team whose members do what is yelled at them, and the team whose members actually understand what to do and why. A good coach teaches his players basic fundamentals, explains concepts and enables his/her players to think logically when making a play. A typical practice/game scenario is Youve got a runner on X base and a runner on Y base, Z outs. The ball comes to you. What do you do? The kids are able to use logic and make the best choices based on situations. One reason parents encourage kids to play sports is to hopefully broaden their horizons and to give them additional skills they wouldnt get otherwise. While winning a game, a particular tournament or even having a winning season is great, we consider it a bonus and not the main purpose of the Spikes program. Playing sports should be a positive experience, and it should be one that children look forward to each and every day.
- LOVE OF KIDS: COACHES MUST LOVE KIDS. Coaches must have the energy to make every practice and every game a new experience for players and parents alike. Without their vision and energy, sports would be dull and unappreciated. Coaches must offer a day-to-day challenge for players, which is contagious and which is motivation for everyone involved at all levels.
- LOVE OF THE GAME: Coaches must love their sport, and, more importantly, must show their players enthusiasm for every aspect of the game. This would include techniques and tactics. The love of the game must also show the players the love for fair-play, respect for opponents, officials, and spectators, and positive reinforcement for teammates. Only a good coach who loves the game can provide the correct aspects involved in the winning and losing of competition.
Spikes Parents Are Also Held To High Expectations!
Parents and Guardians of Spikes players are also expected to ahere to some very ethical guidlines. Here are the Spikes "Parents Codes of Conduct" as if they were being spoken to you by the Teams's Head Coach:
1.Please cheer for your child, but refrain from yelling at them. During games, please realize I will be instructing them, so please dont compete with me for their attention. Please be encouraging and cheer for both teams, but dont yell instructions. Thats my job. Thanks!
2.The kids that play more are the ones that are at practice regularly, have a good attitude, have developed the skills to play at this level, can perform & understand the positions they are asked to play, are in shape, and are attentive. I will begin analyzing each player and placing them in appropriate positions where I feel they will have the greatest success (and most likely not get hurt). Every player will play, but no amount of time is guaranteed in any particular game and in anyway.
3.Please dont yell at the umpires. Again, thats my job. They will make mistakes that are part of the game. We emphasize to the players that the umpires do NOT decide the outcome of the game, our teams level of competitiveness does. At this age, I am not as concerned with the outcome of the game as I am learning about competing, playing to their best ability, being good sports, and having fun!
4.If you have a problem with me, anyone of my staff, another parent, the umpire, or anyone else, please talk to me first. Please do this AFTER a practice, at a scheduled time, or if during a tourney, AFTER the last game of the day.
5.All players should do home-work. They are expected to practice outside of scheduled team events. In other words, spend time with your player repeating the skills taught at every practice & game. Repetition is the key to learning and fine tuning the skills they are taught!
6.All games and practices are Drug-Free Zones. No smoking or chewing at games or practices. Please refrain from consuming alcohol during practice times & game times. Remember, the kids are always learning from us adults.
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If you have something you would like considered to be added to our Spikes website, such as a picture, news article or just information, just contact your team's (age division) website administrator (you can ask your Head Coach whom that is). That person can present it to the website team, and if it can be used, it will be added to the site. (We have to watch how much[and what] we add to the website as we are limited on storage space)
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