Parent's Guide

Developing Student – Athletes

A Guide for Dixon Football Parents

Academics:  The number one thing any parent can do for their son or daughter is to ensure that they know that their academic progress is important to you. The following are suggested to help improve academic performance:

• Attend all open houses and parent conferences.

•  Know when each grading period ends, and see all progress reports and report cards as soon as they come out. (Because Dixon High begins school early in August, we now have 2 grading periods during football season.)

• Ask to see a weekly grade check regardless of their GPA.

•  If you have internet access, the school has a list of email addresses for all teachers. Feel free to contact the teachers directly to keep up on the progress of any class.

• During the football season, weekly grade checks are turned in to the coach before being allowed on any team bus for away games, or dressing for a home game.

• If your child goes ineligible before the season ends, we are not allowed to recognize them at the awards banquet at the conclusion of the season, because they did not complete the season as a member of the team. 

Make sure your child’s courses are appropriate for him.

·        Help your child choose his/her courses carefully.

·        If any of his/her courses are too difficult, or too easy, or inappropriate, talk to your school counselor.

·         If your child hopes to play football at the next level at a Division I college or a Division II college, ask the counselor for information about NCAA guidelines, and make sure he is taking courses he needs to be eligible.

Discuss your child’s classes and set goals. Sit down with your child at the beginning of each semester and help him set realistic academic goals for that term. Setting goals gives your child something to focus and work on; it also makes him aware of exactly what your expectations are.

Talk to your child about time management. Playing any sport requires a substantial time commitment. Athletes therefore need to develop good time management skills in order to get everything done.

• Encourage your child to use all of the time he’s given in school to study or to do homework.

•  Help your child create a study plan and then help him identify anything that might sabotage his/her plan (e.g., lying down on the couch to watch TV after practice before homework is done).

• Have your child consider taking 1^st thru 6^th period (7:30 to 2:05) so he will have time to do homework before practice.

•  Coaches will have their classrooms open during lunch for students to do homework and get help with assignments if needed.

Make your child accountable.  It’s human nature to be tempted to “slack off” when we are not held accountable. Your child needs to know that you care and that you are monitoring his/her academic progress.

• Go over every progress report and report card with him and contact the teacher if they have a low grade in a class.

Work with the school. Teachers, Counselors, Coaches and Principals are there to help your child get the best education possible. A divorce, health problem, domestic violence, or a death in the family can affect your child’s attitude and performance at school. If such an occurrence should arise, call the school and tell them what’s going on. If you have a concern that relates to a specific class, call the teacher. For other concerns, call your child’s counselor and coach. If necessary contact the principal.

NCAA Requirements:  Before an athlete can play a sport or receive an athletic scholarship at a Division I or II college, he/she must meet specific academic criteria as set forth by the NCAA:

• A student must have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA (based on a 4.0 scale) in 14 core courses and the required SAT or ACT score.

• All students hoping to attend a Division I or II School must have their grades run through the NCAA Clearing House.

•  For further information, check with either the counselors office or the Athletic Director of your school.

Athletics:  Importance of Weight Training.  Football is a strenuous, violent, and physically demanding sport. It is therefore important for football players to follow a serious off-season conditioning program that combines weight training and plyometric exercises.

• Conditioning helps prevent injury!

•  Encourage your child to attend any off-season conditioning program offered.

Nutrition: Equally important to any off-season conditioning program, is a good nutritional diet. It is important for football player to eat a balanced, healthy diet that includes:

·        Fruits, vegetables, meat, and foods high in complex carbohydrates (e.g. pasta, potatoes etc.)

·         The meal the night before a game is especially important; it should be a nutritious meal that’s high in carbohydrates.

·        FLUIDS! Taking in the proper amount of fluids, particularly during the summer and early fall months that produce days of excessive heat.

·         Avoid caffinated drinks as they promote dehydration!

·        Before practice, make sure your child has begun drinking water or a sports drink.

·        Make sure they bring plenty of water to practice in their own container, marked with their name.

·        We discourage any sharing of water bottles between players. We want to eliminate the chance of any illness being passed between athletes if possible.

Injuries: Injuries are a part of athletics. Preventing injuries should be of the utmost importance to everyone.

 Athletes can help prevent injury by:

·        Being in good physical condition when the season starts

·        Having the right equipment

·        Warming & stretching properly before all practices and games

·         Drinking enough water,

·         Getting the proper rest and nutrition

·        Working closely with their conditioning coach and trainer.

Injured players need to have the team trainer examine the injury to see if a doctor needs to further diagnose the injury. If a player sees a physician, they will need a signed note from the doctor to clear them to return to the practice or playing field.

Dangers of Steroids: In recent years, a number of prominent athletes have chosen to use steroids to build muscle and gain strength. Steroids, however, are dangerous and can cause liver damage, heart damage, and sterility. Make sure your child knows how dangerous steroids can be. Sometimes the pressure to look for an “advantage” in improving performance can lead to making a wrong decision. Help educate your child to the dangers of steroids and encourage them to talk with the trainer and conditioning coach about dietary supplements to help gain that “competitive edge”.

Playing College Football:  If your child is hoping to play football at the next level, there are several options. There are 230 Division I colleges, another 365 Division II and III colleges in the United States.  There are also the NAIA schools and literally hundreds of Junior Colleges across the United States. Playing football requires talent and a great deal of dedication. If you have the drive, the grades and the ability, there are plenty of possibilities to pursue after high school.  Make sure you are working with your counselor to take the proper classes to be eligible if you choose to go on and compete.

At Dixon High we are signed on with Max Preps.com to get video of our athletes out to all college programs. The football program at Dixon High will do its part to promote any athlete hoping to move on.

How Best to help your child:  The best way to help your child is to:

·        Provide encouragement and to be positive, both at home and in the stands. If there is a problem, have your child talk to the coach privately. If the problem is not resolved, feel free to set up a meeting with the coach yourself. Talking with a coach immediately after a game, when emotions are most likely still high, is seldom the best time to have a conversation. Schedule a time where you can sit down in the office and talk without interruption.

·        Know that you are the most important person in your child’s life and that your child wants you to be proud of him.

·         Be in the stands, rain or shine, and cheer for him and his/her teammates. Please understand that we as a coaching staff know you love your child and are his/her biggest fan. Talking to the coach about your child is never taken as a “negative” and will never be held against the player. You are expected to be your child’s biggest advocate, so do not feel bad about wanting to speak with your child’s coach. We as a coaching staff ask only in return that you support all the players in a positive way in the stands, home or away.

Fan behavior is an issue across our country today and Dixon is no different. We are asking our parents to model good positive behavior at athletic events and show other communities what a class act Dixon really is.

Equipment: All equipment, including game jersey’s must be returned at season’s end or you will be charged the cost of replacing the missing items.

Your Child’s playing time or position: This is the subject that brings on frustration to a parent quicker than any other. As parents, we all want the best for our children. We also see them through a different set of eyes than anyone else.  Your child’s high school coaches maybe the first to objectively evaluate his/her ability in a particular sport. For parents who had visions of college and possible professional career for their childs, the high school coach maybe the one to have to bring reality into the picture.

All players will be evaluated and tested for speed, strength and agility at the beginning of the season. Over the course of the season they will be evaluated on courage, attitude, quickness, football intelligence and technique.

Some important points you should know concerning your child’s playing time:

(1)               Playing time is based on game performance, team commitment, team needs, and effort at practice. 

(2)             (2) No single individual makes the decision of who starts, decisions are reached on a consensus of coaches. 

Every effort will be made to get every player into each contest, there are no guarantees regarding playing time. Team success will always come first.

 Player positions will be based on the team’s needs. Dixon High is a small program when compared to other schools in our division. Many of our exceptional athletes could play many different positions. We do not have the depth of talent, or number of athletes to let players play where they want all the time. Our players must play where their ability will bring the most success for the entire team.

Any player who quits a team during the season may not try out or practice with another team sport until the football season is over.

Travel to and from Contests:  Student –Athletes must ride the team bus to the contest but may go home with their own parents after the game as long as the student is riding with their own parent (per district rules) and the parent has checked in with the Head Coach to let him know they are taking their child with them.

School Attendance: All student-Athletes must attend four periods in order to practice or play in a game. Doctor’s appointments, a funereal, or court appearance must have a written note to excuse the attendance. Prior notification is preferred, when practical.

Attitude towards Officials: Contests are rarely, ever truly, decided by the official’s calls. Emotions run high for both teams every Friday night. It is important to remember that in every contest, any team will make more mistakes (a missed block, dropped pass, missed tackle…) that could change the outcome of the game, than any official’s call. As coaches, we share a similar task with you in the stands; staying focused on our players and not the official’s calls. Yelling negative comments at the officials is never going to influence or change the officials’ attitude towards DHS. We must all try to keep our comments directed toward our team in a positive, supportive way. Let’s all work to have a positive reputation with officials around the league and have Dixon known for being a class community to visit. The result would benefit all of the athletic teams in the City of Dixon.

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Last modified: 07/27/11