OHSAA Preseason Meeting Andy Apple, Brady Middle School Athletic Director

A pre-season meeting is required by the OHSAA for all parents of the upcoming sports season. Each sport team is holding their own individual meeting. In addition to the content covered by each coach, we have several items we were asked to cover by the OHSAA, so please click ahead! Why do we meet?

JOIN ORANGE BOOSTERS! The Orange Boosters are looking for volunteers to serve on the Booster Board. If you have a child coming up through the ranks of middle school athletics, they’d love to have you on the Board. Check out the website-

JOIN ORANGE BOOSTERS Can’t serve on the Board? Consider joining this organization. They are an organization that supports all of our athletic programs Any level of support is GREAT. Contact them via the website for information- Support the Boosters!

Supplements Be aware that many dietary supplements are marketed for sale, and thus many promises are made. Check out the following website for further information on the topic, along with information on drugs, steroids, and alcohol- Like that sports or energy drink? Check out this study on such drinks and kids- 6/1182.full.pdf+html

Concussions Taken from the Center for Disease Control Site- A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that changes the way the brain normally works. A concussion is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth.

Concussions All Coaches go through training to recognize injuries, including concussions. Coaches will alert parents to situations that they feel may warrant further examination by a professional. There is sometimes a delay in the signs of a concussion showing up.

Concussions Signs you should look for- Headache or pressure in the head Nausea or vomiting Balance problems or dizziness Double or blurry vision Sensitivity to light Sensitivity to noise Feeling sluggish, hazy, foggy, or groggy Concentration or memory problems Confusion These may show up immediately, or may take days or weeks to show up. The CDC suggests seeking medical advice if one or more of the above symptoms occur.

Concussions What to do? 1.Athlete should report medical problems to the coach immediately if it occurs at practice or in a game. 2.Seek medical attention. Concussions affect people differently. Take the symptoms seriously.

Concussions Some danger signs that need to be taken seriously, as they may indicate a bigger problem- -athlete drowsy or can’t be awakened -one pupil larger than the other -numbness -repeated vomiting -slurred speech -increased confusion

Concussions Check out these websites for further information on concussions- NFHSLearn.com CDC.gov/concussions

Parent Resource Ever have a question about the parents role in middle school athletics? Check out this website for information- ID=18000

Parent Resource What will the video answer? -Should you “Coach Up” your son or daughter immediately after a contest? -Should you coach your child from the stands? -What is the best time to ask questions of the coach? -Is it alright to give a struggling game official a piece of your mind? And lot’s more!

Eligibility Standard is set by the school here at Orange. A student needs to pass 75% of the classes taken during the previous quarter. If not, that student is ineligible for the entire quarter. Once a student meets the above requirement, we then check on Grade Point Average to determine level of eligibility

Eligibility If a student is over a 2.0 GPA, they are unconditionally eligible. No restrictions. If the student falls between a 1.0 and 1.99, they are conditionally eligible, and must do the following- Attend 2 academic intervention sessions weekly Available throughout the week Weekly grade report due to Guidance Office by 2:30 on Thursday every week

Eligibility Weekly grade report is a checklist to make sure the student is working towards improvement. The student is completely responsible for taking this to class to have it filled out. It will include- “All work turned in?” “Attend all classes?” “On time to classes? (no more than 1 tardy)” “Days of academic intervention”

Eligibility Violations of conditional eligibility- First violation- sit out of next athletic contest Second violation- sit out practice and contests for one week Third violation- suspension from team for season

Eligibility We will then check GPA at mid terms for eligibility for the last 4.5 weeks of the grading period 2.0 and above- unconditional eligibility » if students has fallen here from above a 2.0, then this is first time conditional eligibility » If student remains here from last report, then continuing conditional eligibility, all of above restrictions plus referral to administration and grade level for strategy and intervention

Weather It’s Cleveland, weather changes by the minute. Should we have to cancel an event, this is the process- 1.Announcement is made at school. 2.Student-athletes are told to contact home. 3.Update is sent out to those that signed up via my website. (info coming later in this presentation) 4.Cancelation is posted on my website.

Weather Please do not call my office to ask if a game is still on. Assume everything is still on unless you hear from your student-athlete. If you are that curious, just look to the website.

Weather Thor Guard The school district has installed a lightning detection system called Thor-Guard. Detectors are located on the concession building at the track, and on the bathroom building by the Brady fields. This system has an audible siren when lightning conditions exist- a 15- second blast. Then a visual strobe light flashes as long as dangerous conditions exist. Take cover indoors or in your vehicle. Once the environment is safe, the siren will give three 5-second blasts, and the strobe light will stop flickering. This is when it is safe to continue practice/contests.

Participation The OHSAA has rules governing participation on non-school teams. If a student is on a team at Brady, that athlete may not participate on any other team of the same sport, during the same season, community or otherwise supported, until the Brady season is completely finished. This includes practicing with any other team. So if you play for Brady, you cannot practice or play for or with any other team in the same sport during the season.

Transportation Policy In order for an athlete to go home from an away game with his or her parent, that athlete needs to turn in a note from the parent BEFORE the athlete boards the bus to leave Brady for the away game. Each game requires a new note, so that the coach does not have to guess whether an athlete will be going home with a parent or on the bus. The athlete can only ride home from an event with his or her parent or guardian. At the away event, the athlete should go to the coach and tell the coach when he or she is leaving. Thus the coach has the ability to make contact with the parent.

Behavior Please note that being a member of an athletic team brings responsibility. Our athletes go out every day representing themselves, our school and community, and their individual families. We expect them to do so positively. Behavior problems at school during the day or after school can result in additional consequences from the athletic realm.

Website Have you seen my website? It has ALL of the information you could want or need about middle school athletics. Apple Or go to orangeschools.org, click on the staff link, and click on the web link next to my name.

Website highlight- Updates/Cancellations Page This is a great tool for receiving notifications from the athletic department. Sign up on this page to receive a notice to your or mobile device when whenever the Updates/Cancellations page has been changed.

Website highlight- Directions Page Check this page for Directions to away contests. This is very important in the fall and spring because soccer matches, softball and baseball games often take place on sites off of the school campuses. Other sports use different facilities as well, so if you are travelling to see our team play, check out the Directions page.

Who do I contact with sport specific questions? 1.What time is practice- Coach 2.Game schedule questions- Coach 3.Incident at practice- Coach 4.Kid needs to miss practice- Coach 5.Any other question- Coach 6.All other questions- Coach See my website for Coach contact information.

Why contact Coach first? It’s not that I don’t want to hear from you, but the coach is present with the kids at practices and games, and can better answer questions you might have. Coaches also have their own policies for running their teams, so the coach should be the first contact.

Conclusion Thanks for your time. Please fell free to contact me with non-sport specific questions at any time. - Phone , ext. 3445