Team Handbook

Team Rules:

  1. Family and school obligations come first
  2. Safety is the first priority on the wrestling mat
  3. Respect your parents, coaches, teammates and opponents
  4. When coaches are talking, you are listening
  5. Wrestling moves will be used only on the mat
  6. Be on time to all practices and events
  7. Walk at all times unless otherwise instructed
  8. Weights and equipment are absolutely off limits
  9. Encourage everyone to be the best they can be
  10. Report any injuries or illness to coaches immediately

Weekly Practices

  • All wrestlers must weigh in for attendance prior to each practice
  • Clean, snug fitting t-shirt and shorts must be worn to all practices
  • Wrestling shoes are required and not to be worn outside of the wrestling room
  • Headgear is encouraged at practice and mandatory at tournaments
  • Mouth guard is mandatory for wrestlers with braces and encouraged for all others
  • Wrestlers must bring a water bottle with their name on it to every practice
  • Only wrestlers and coaches are allowed in the wrestling room
  • No food is allowed in the wrestling room
  • If a wrestler is sick, please notify the head coach and keep them off the mat
  • Snow day or early release from school cancels practice

Tournaments & Dual Meets

  • Competing in tournaments and dual meets is highly encouraged
  • Tournaments require a registration fee which must be paid online at the time of registration
  • Transportation to and from tournaments and dual meets is the responsibility of the parent
  • Skin check will be performed at each event to look for skin conditions and trimmed finger nails
  • Wrestlers are grouped into round-robin brackets of 3-5 kids based on age, weight, and ability
  • Each bracket will be assigned a number which coaches will write on wrestlers hands
  • Wrestlers must have a coach on the corner of their mat before beginning the match
  • Parents and family members are encouraged to cheer in a respectful manner
  • Parents should not “coach” their wrestlers during the match
  • Every match will be three periods unless a pin or technical fall occurs
  • Wrestlers must shake hands with their opponent, opponent’s coach, and own coach after the match
  • Sportsmanship is expected no matter the outcome of a match (wrestling will get very emotional)
  • Teammates may wrestle each other at dual meets and tournaments
  • A coach or parent must accompany any wrestler if leaving the gymnasium

Spartan Home Tournament

We will be hosting a tournament and will need all hands on deck to run a successful event.   We expect the entire Spartan Youth Wrestling family to be involved in the preparation, execution, and cleanup of the event.  The event also serves as our primary fundraiser to cover expenses, maintain equipment, and continue to offer a first class wrestling development program.  The tournament director will be in contact for further details.

Goals

Our wrestlers span a variety of ages, sizes, and abilities, and our parents have varying levels of experience with the sport.  In order to ensure each wrestler and parent in our wrestling family is benefiting from the program as much as possible, parents and wrestlers will be participating in a goal setting exercise. Understanding what each wrestler and parent expects from the program will allow coaches to give personalized attention to each athlete and give them the best experience possible.

Weight Management

Weight loss will never be encouraged in the Spartan Youth Wrestling program.  All wrestlers will be responsible for weighing in once a week to ensure coaches can arrange safe training partners at practice and appropriate opponents at competitions.  If there is ever a question about weight management, please speak to the head coach privately.

Hygiene

Wrestling is a contact intensive sport and germs will spread rapidly.  All wrestlers should shower immediately following practice and competitions and launder all clothing and equipment.  Disinfectant wipes such as these may also be used immediately after practice and competitions as an extra layer of defense.  Skin conditions such as ringworm and impetigo are extremely contagious and are common if good hygiene practices are not followed.

If a rash is found anywhere on a wrestler they must go to a doctor in person for evaluation and tell the doctor that they wrestle.  If the rash is diagnosed as non-contagious the wrestler needs a doctor’s note specifically stating that in order to return to wrestling.  If the diagnosis is ringworm or another contagious condition they must have a doctor’s note indicating what the diagnosis is, be medicated for at least 72 hours (or longer if doctor prescribed) and the rash must be shrinking in size before returning to wrestling.  For the safety of all of our wrestlers and coaches a wrestler may be asked to stay off the mat for additional time based on our discretion to ensure the condition is completely safe. 

Coaches may conduct skin checks at any point during the season to ensure no wrestlers have undetected rashes.

Injuries

Safety is the number one priority at all times, but injuries can occur.  Any injury incurred during a practice or tournament must be reported a coach immediately.  If the injury requires medical attention please provide a doctor’s note to the head coach explaining the injury and any restrictions from participation.  Prior to returning to full participation a doctor’s release must be provided to the head coach.

Communication

Clear lines of communication throughout the season are critical to a successful program.  The three main methods of distributing information will be through the BAND App, the SpartanWrestlingCT@gmail.com email account, and the Spartan Youth Wrestling Facebook page.  Any questions throughout the season should be directed to the head coach at practice, via email, phone call, or Spartan Wrestling BAND message.

Adult Behavior Policy

At any Spartan Youth Wrestling event, practice, or competition, any adult who: verbally abuses, attempts to intimidate, is flagrantly rude, or cannot control their language or actions with an official, coach, or SYW volunteer, shall be asked to leave to SYW event and property.  The adult’s children shall also be removed from the event.

End of Season Awards

To be announced at the season kickoff party

USA Wrestling Policy on Abuse and Harassment

USA Wrestling (USAW) is committed to providing a safe environment for its members, participants, coaches, officials and volunteers and to prevent abusive conduct and harassment in any form while participating in the activities of USAW. USAW promotes good sportsmanship throughout the organization and encourages qualities of mutual respect, courtesy and tolerance in all members, participants, coaches, officials, staff and volunteers. USAW advocates building strong self-images among the youth participants. Athletes with a strong self-image may be less likely targets for abuse or harassment; similarly, they may be less likely to engage in abuse or to harass or bully others around them.

To this end, USAW has established the following guidelines of behavior and procedures for our staff, volunteers, coaches, officials and participants. All members of the organization, as well as parents, spectators and other invitees are expected to observe and adhere to these guidelines.

  1. Abuse or harassment of any kind will not be tolerated within the organization. This means USAW does not accept physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse, harassment or similar misconduct from any person towards athletes, staff, coaches, officials, volunteers, parents, spectators or any other persons while they are participating in or preparing for events or activities conducted under the auspices of USAW.
  2. Physical and sexual abuse, including, but not limited to, striking, hitting, kicking, biting or wanton gesturing, lewd remarks, indecent exposure, unwanted physical contact, any form of sexual contact or inappropriate touching are strictly prohibited within the organization and as a part of its events and activities. Physical abuse does not include physical contact that is reasonably designed to coach, teach or demonstrate a wrestling skill.
  3. Emotional abuse or verbal abuse is also prohibited. This may include, but is not limited to: yelling, insulting, threatening, mocking, demeaning behavior or making abusive statements in regard to a person’s race, gender, religion, nationality/ethnicity, sex or age. Emotional abuse does not include controlled and disciplined verbal communication that is generally accepted in sports as a reasonable method of coaching or teaching the sport.
  4. To further protect USAW youth participants, as well as our coaches, officials and volunteers, we strongly advise that no adult person allow him/herself to be alone with a child or with any group of children in a private setting during or while they are participating in sponsored activities of USAW. In particular, in such circumstances, we recommend that coaches or other adult members of the organization:
  • Do not drive alone with a child participant in the car
  • Do not take a child alone to the locker room, bathrooms, or any other private room
  • Provide one-on-one training or individual coaching with the assistance of another adult or athlete
  • Have private conversations with youth participants within view of others instead of a private office
  • Do not socialize individually with the participants outside of sponsored activities.
  1. When staying overnight with youth participants, children should be paired up with other children of the same gender and similar age group, with chaperones in separate but nearby rooms.
  2. USAW encourages parents to become as active as possible in sponsored activities, practices and other events. The more the parents are involved, the less likely it is for abusive situations to develop.
  3. USAW will timely respond to any and all allegations of abuse or harassment in matters that are within the purview and jurisdiction of USAW. USAW expects that allegations of abuse or harassment that are properly within the purview and jurisdiction of officials or persons at other levels or of other organizations will be timely responded to and dealt as appropriate. When necessary and appropriate, this information should be communicated to the appropriate authorities for investigation and should be reviewed by appropriate officials, with timely notification to the alleged offender of such allegations.
  4. Any person accused of sexual or physical abuse may be asked to resign voluntarily or may be suspended until the matter is investigated and resolved. Regardless of criminal or civil guilt in the alleged abuse, the continued presence of the person could be detrimental to the reputation of the organization and could be harmful to the participants. A person who is accused but later cleared of the charges, may apply to have a suspension lifted or, if applicable, to be reinstated within the organization. Reinstatement is not a right, and no assurance is made that the person will be reinstated to his/her former position.
  5. Any person who violates this Policy, who fails to appropriately report matters covered by this Policy, who makes a false report with respect to matters covered by this Policy or who threatens retaliation or reprisal against an individual for reporting a matter under this Policy will be subject to discipline or other action as may be within the purview and jurisdiction of USAW.

Harassment and abuse are defined in various sources such as state law, case law, sports organization and professional association codes of conduct and training manuals, corporate and business workplace documents and human rights commission materials. USAW has not adopted any specific definition of harassment or abuse, choosing instead to defer to such general sources and definitions for reference and application, depending on the circumstances. As further elaboration of examples given above, the following generally describe conduct that may be considered harassment or abuse:

  • Any improper or inappropriate comment, action or gesture directed toward a person or group that is related to race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other personal characteristic.
  • Creating an environment through behavior or course of conduct that is insulting, intimidating, humiliating, demeaning or offensive.
  • Harassment usually occurs when one person engages in abusive behavior or asserts unwarranted power or authority over another, whether intended or not, and may include, for example, name-calling, threats, belittling, unwelcome advances and requests for sexual favors (as well as undue pressure to perform or succeed).
  • Harassment includes child abuse.
  • Child abuse can include physical contact – or the threat of it – that intentionally causes bodily harm or injury to a child. This may include, for example, hitting, shaking, kicking, shoving, forcing an athlete to wrestle when injured or mandating excessive exercise as a form of punishment. It may also include touching for the purpose of causing sexual arousal or gratification that involves a child, rape, incest, fondling, exhibitionism and sexual exploitation. It may also include chronic attacks on a child’s self-esteem, such as psychologically destructive behavior consisting of ridiculing, screaming, swearing, racist comments, threatening, stalking, hazing and isolating.