What kind of workout program do you use? Do you recommend any kind of supplements for my child?

We workout diligently and our training is influenced by Westside Barbell. There is absolutely no need to workout on your own or to hire a personal trainer. We highly discourage any sort of workouts on your own without the consultation of our coaches, because often players when they work the same muscle groups daily do more harm than good. Rest is necessary to let the body recover. It is expected that your child will be with US his TEAM in order to get our TEAM better. Our coaching staff does NOT recommend any kind of supplement for your child.

Parent Name: Cell Number:

Shirt size: Short size:

2. Do you stay in more than one place?

3. What does your parent(s) or guardian(s) do for a living? What hours do they normally work?

4. What is the most important lesson you have learned from your parent or guardian?

5. What football teams have you played on before? How did those teams do?

6. What is your favorite part of football practice and why?

7. Write a paragraph about yourself to introduce yourself to others (who you are, what you are all about, what is important to you).

8. What are the toughest problems you face at home?

First 30 Day Checklist

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  Contact coaching staff
  
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  Meet with players (As a team and individually)
  
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  Have players fill out information form
  
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  Check grades and eligibility
  
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  Equipment inventory
  
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  Inspect facilities, recommend improvements or repairs.
  
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  Meet with Athletic Director
  
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  Meet with faculty
  
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  Meet with principal
  
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  Meet with community and businesses promote our program
  
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  Make Spring Calendar
  
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  Make Summer Calendar
  
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  Organize coaches office
  
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  Schedule Spring game and any open dates in the Fall.
  
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  Create Master Calendar (May-Dec)
  
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  Make the Budget
  
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  Create fundraising plan
  
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  Establish Discipline plan
  
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  Offensive/Defensive/Special Teams package for spring
  
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  Review FHSAA rules/regulations
  
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  Establish Player Committee
  
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  Order Business Cards, hand out to parents with my contact info
  
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  Make Promotion schedule
  
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  Meet with custodial staff
  
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  Lines on field
  
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  Booster Club Meeting w/ parents
  
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  Program for season
  
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  Setup team HUDL account
  
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  Website development
  
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  Put out ad to hire new assistant coaches (If needed)
  
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  Schedule 1st staff meeting.
  
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  Create Twitter/Facebook for team promotion.
  
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  Create theme for year
  
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  Send out emails to college coaches with our athlete list.
  
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  Plan Football camp for kids
  
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  Order Coaches apparel
  
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  Make Directory of league coaches
  
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  Start character program and study hall
  
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  Begin off-season workout immediately
  

I want to take this opportunity to WELCOME YOU to Gulf High! You are about to embark on a great four years! Some say that your high school years are the best years of your life and here you are, getting ready to begin!

I don’t know if you have any experience playing football but if you have any level of interest we would love to have you come on out and give it a try! I am sending a letter to every freshman to invite all of you to play football next year for the GULF BUCCANEERS. Our football program will only get stronger and stronger with each one of you that decide to play. Every freshman class is different! What will your freshman class be like? What can your legacy be after four years?

We want you to be a part of this amazing opportunity. Our football program prides itself on being a family! We desire to be excellent in everything; from the way we look, to the way we play, to the way we treat each other. Whether you have 7 years playing experience in Pop Warner Football or no experience ever playing, we want you to apart of our TEAM!

Please stop by my office or send me an email if you have any questions! I really look forward to hearing from each one of you.

If you plan on playing football for us next year, we would like to see you out this summer preparing for the upcoming season!

Best of luck finishing your eighth grade year and graduating from Junior High School!

Coach Compton

Administration

As Head Football coach my biggest obligation is to foster a safe environment that promotes growth and well being in our student athletes and to protect the integrity of our football program, our students, our community, and our school. The last thing that any of us want is to have an incident bring shame to our school. As a head coach you must be prepared and have a plan to deal with disciplinary issues, liability, and safety. You must be able to manage a budget, deal with player eligibility, make sure students are physically cleared to play, and be able to communicate with players, parents, and administrators.

As a coach I have seen numerous incidents play out at some schools I have been at and in the news. We must be prepared to deal with issues that are potentially season and program killing or that risk an athletes safety. In Florida alone over the past 5 years we have seen schools go through the following situations; student struck by lightning waiting for a game to come back from rain delay, "hazing" in the locker room resulting in charges being filed on a player, rape charges on 5 football players in one program, multiple students arrested for felonies, a football player shot during a fight off campus, on field fight resulting in multiple players suspended and being suspended from post season play, and playing an ineligible player who met the age of 19.5. These are just a small list of things that are a head coaches and an athletic director’s worst nightmare.

While some of these things may not have been able to be prevented when we hear of cases such as these we will make a plan in order to make sure that our players, coaches, and support personnel understand why these issues are important and how we can prevent them from happening. We will discuss these issues and practice any situation that we can in order to give students the tools to avoid these situations. We must coach character daily! We will hold players accountable to a standard of excellence. They are representatives of our football program and if their character does not match the expectations of our program they will not be apart of our team.

One of the biggest threats of liability for a sports team is lightning. At Wekiva High School a few years ago a student was struck by lightning while waiting by a fence for a football game to resume. We will be mindful of state policy in terms of inclement weather and specifically lightning. The best course of action is of course to have a Lightning Guardian alarm in order to be safe as possible. Having a certified trainer or a administrator in charge of monitoring lightning is also recommended to keep coaches bias from getting involved. As coaches we will do our best to monitor thunder / lightning and provide alternatives in these situations arise.

Student athletes will be required to follow or friend our coaches page on Facebook or Twitter if they have a social media account, if they lie to us and tell us they do not have a social media account that player will be subject to our team discipline policy. Our players are representatives of the football program. If a player gets arrested or is bullying via social media the paper will not say a "Gulf High School student" it will say "a Gulf High Football player arrested." As coaches it is our primary job to protect the integrity and image of the program and protect the safety of our students. We will monitor their social media interactions and ensure they are presenting themselves in a good light. Twitter in particular is used by college recruiters and can negatively affect a players ability to play at the next level. Social media bullying is also one of the leading causes of teenage suicide, we will ensure that our players engage in none of those behaviors and conduct themselves in a self respectable manner.

Exertional Heat Stroke is the leading cause of preventable death in high school athletes. In Florida our risk is greater. A wet bulb globe of 92, equivalent to a heat index of about 105 practice should be cancelled. Anytime the Heat index is creeping into the 100 degree range we should consider modifying practice or have alternative placements for practice. Restricting Access to Water is forbidden. We will always allow our student athletes access to water. We constantly remind our students to drink water throughout the day and encourage them to carry a gallon of water with them. We have worked with schools and teachers to allow athletes to drink water during class time.

Students are required to clear a physical and go through concussion testing before being cleared for football practice. In addition players are required to go through a state mandated number of non contact practices in just helmets and jersey and in shells in order to acclimate to heat.

A student will not be allowed to participate in practice without a physical or concussion testing. The head athletic trainer will be in charge of concussion protocol's.

Should a player get hurt or injured he should report the problem to a coach or the athletic trainer first. Going to the pediatrician, doctor, or ER for an ankle sprain can result in the player needing doctor clearance to get back on the playing field which can take weeks or months.

Always see the athletic trainer and allow him to evaluate and recommend the next step.

All coaches will be trained in identifying concussions. In the event that a concussion is suspected, the trainer will monitor and evaluate the athletes readiness to return to play via the concussion protocol. We will never risk an athletes long term health for football. As soon as symptoms are observed or an athlete takes a shot to the head he will be evaluated before returning to play.

MRSA Infections are a growing problem in locker rooms and weight rooms. We will always keep sanitizing spray in our locker rooms and weightrooms and will encourage our students to use them daily. We encourage students to take home their cloth and wash it as often as possible and will sweep the locker room before the weekend or anytime after a rain soaked practice to ensure that student's take their cloth home and wash it. Students will be assigned to clean and sweep out the locker room daily. We will take pride in our environment and we will take care of our equipment. We must prevent cleanliness issues.

Any form of hazing / bullying will not be tolerated. This includes name calling, exclusion, actions to be accepted, harass, and humiliate. We will coach our players relentlessly on treating others with respect and not violating a player privacy, personal space, or dignity. Any violation of the hazing and bullying policy can result in immediate dismissal from the team and will reported to appropriate authorities.

In addition we will discuss and practice other situation events that can "kill a program" this includes things such as: Fight between two players on the field/sideline, stealing or policy if someone steals from you, handling disrespect, handling injustice, off the field conduct (alcohol/drug policy/drinking driving/fighting/taking advantage of people; especially women)

All of those situations and more can bring great shame and destroy peoples lives, and destroy a football program. Our players will firmly understand their responsibilities. We will father these children and guide them. We cannot assume they know better. We will hold them accountable.

Team Rules

Team First

Every decision and reaction you make think about how it will affect the team. Always put your team first, don't be selfish.

Display respect to everyone that you meet. You don't always have to be right, have the last word, or let your opinion be known. Treat women as if they are someone's mother, daughter, or sister; because they are.

Be committed to what you do. Show up on time to everything, everyday prepared to compete. Treat school and football as if it were your job. No calls, no shows in real life are a ticket out the door.

Come to work with the tools you need to be successful. Most importantly come mentally prepared with a positive attitude. Don't forget your equipment.

Do not hang around people who don't have your best interests in mind. Those you surround yourself with are the reputation you will gain, good or bad. Don't put yourself in poor situations.

Every decision you make has a long term impact. Make sure the decisions you are making are decisions that you can live with years from now. W.I.N.

Always have your job in mind. If you are a student, an athlete, and a son. Dominate your job and be excellent at all three. If your job is to hit a new clean max, dominate the weight. If your job is to spill a pulling guard, dominate with technique. Know your job and execute it! All the time!

No excuses. Be prepared to accept responsibility for your actions and never place the blame on somebody or something else. You can control your thoughts, words, actions, and habits. Don't let someone or something take control from you!

Be gracious! Be a positive impact on somebody else. Help someone out, go out of your way to help others. Pay it forward!

Team Leadership Council

We will establish a Team Leadership Council. This Leadership council will be based off nominations from the team on our Big 3 Board and will be co-signed by the coaching staff. Our council will have input on team rules, discipline, apparel design, and other decisions regarding the team. These student athletes will be made up of players who show up every day and routinely go above and beyond to make the team better.

When our student athletes are given a voice they quite often go above and beyond the expectations that the coaches would put forth. Allowing the students a spot at the table when it comes to rules and discipline makes those rules much easier to enforce; as they were made by their peers and the coaches together.

Team Discipline

Holding the team accountable is an area in which many struggling programs fail at. It is a difficult area because there are so many moving parts, but it is one of the most crucial in running a successful program. The kids must be committed and held accountable or they will do whatever they want. Humans are inherently lazy and it takes strict standards in order to push them to get somewhere extraordinary.

Workouts/Practice

• Excused – Coaches discretion. May need make up conditioning

(Excused by Coach Compton; player/parent contact reported a day before directly to a coach. Telling a coach the day after is NOT excused. Typically only excused practices are sick, death in family; participation in an on campus sport; coach approved camp/combine/recruiting trip. Doctor visits/dentist, family vacations, watching siblings etc would need parental contact preferably before hand to arrange. If a student has a job it is expected that he work his job around football schedule. Any excessive absences will be dealt with by the leadership council)

• Unexcused Missed Workout – 15 sets of stadium steps.

• ISS/OSS/Detention – Will be punished twice. Once for a referral, once for everyday late or miss. Can result in suspension or removal from team depending on nature or frequency of offense.

• Late to Workout/Meeting – 2 sets of rolls, can increase for repeat offenses or how late.

• Game Week, No Call/No Show - No Dress/No Travel

• 3 Unexcused Absence-Removed from Football Team.

Out of school suspension: Coaches discretion, possible removal from team.
Study Hall

•Late to Study Hall – 10 up/downs per minute late

Considered Absent after 15 minutes
Conduct

•Conduct in class – Coaches Discretion

•Bad Language – Roll 1 length of the field.

•Unclean Locker – 2 sets of grass drills or rolls.

⃰Habitual Offenders- Optional to double and triple disciplines

⃰All Discipline must be completed before allowed to play in a game

Our players are expected to be excellent examples and role models in the school and the community; they represent our program, their families, and themselves. The following behaviors are not the behaviors that represent our program and they are behaviors that will not be tolerated. All are discretionary offenses but can result in suspension/expulsion from team.

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  Disrespecting school staff.
  
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  Skipping class
  
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  Cheating.
  
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  Inappropriate actions with female students or staff
  
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  Drug/Alcohol use.
  
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  Hazing/Bullying.
  
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  Arrests
  
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  Repeated Suspected Criminal Activity
  

Coaches Code of Conduct

Winning is a consideration, but not the only one, nor the most important one. Care more about the student athlete than winning the game. Remember that players are in sports for fun and enjoyment.
Be a positive role model to your players, display emotional maturity and be alert to the physical safety of players. Do not use foul language! Model the behavior you wish your players to engage in. If they see you do it, they will think it's okay for them as well.
Be generous with your praise when it is deserved; be consistent, honest; be fair and just; do not criticize players publicly; learn to be a more effective communicator and coach, don’t yell at players.
Adjust to the personal needs and problems of player, be a good listener, never verbally or physically abuse a player or official; give all players the opportunity to improve their skills, gain confidence and develop self-esteem; teach them the basics.
Organize practices that are fun and challenging for your player. Familiarize yourself with the rules, techniques and strategies of your sport; encourage all your players to be team players.
Maintain an open line of communication with your players’ parents. Explain goals and objectives of your organization.
Be concerned with the overall development of your players. Stress good health habits and clean living.
To play the game is great; to love the game is greater.
We will coach the game with the principles of sportsmanship in mind.

Parents Code of Conduct

Do not force your children to participate in sports, but support their desires to play their chosen sport. Children are involved in organized sports for their enjoyment. Make it fun.

Players Code of Conduct

Play for fun!

Be mindful of body language. Be confident not cocky in your approach. Do not use negative language; turn everything into a positive (ex: Don’t say “James can’t block” say “James I need you to give everything you got to get him out of the way”)

Do right rule is always in effect!

Academic Plan

Academic success is one of the biggest things we emphasize in our football programs. We must do everything we can to ensure that our kids have the best opportunity to maximize their potential in life by making sure they graduate. Not every athlete is built the same, and not every student is built the same. Some get passed through the system, some have learning disabilities, and some need the support in order to be successful academically. Our Coaches will celebrate the kid who has a 4.5 weighted GPA, but we will also celebrate the kid who was a perennial F student who brings his grades up to a passing level. Our goal is to make sure they stay on track and graduate.

Daily Contact

In my opinion this is a thing that has to happen in order to run a program successfully. Coaches need to have daily contact with their team members to ensure that they are doing the right things on campus daily. Having a "football class" is more about having the opportunity to see and address our student athletes daily, to monitor their grades effectively, and provide them additional support where need.

On Wednesdays we have done team study hall for schools who have early release on Wednesday. We do grade checks on Monday to ensure if there are any issues the kids can get with teachers and get them resolved at study hall. After our first 9 weeks students who do not have D's or F's and are doing the right things will be released from study hall.

We will celebrate the student who gets a 4.0 and we will celebrate the kid who busts his tail to receive a passing grade. Part of our academic plan includes weekly goal sheets which includes an academic goal. The student will write their goals for the week, and a team-mate will be partnered up to check in to make sure they achieve their goal. The goals are student made and gives them ownership / responsibility for their own success. Peer's check in to make sure they are able to achieve their goal or help to get it done. Position coaches check off goal sheets on Monday's; students write new ones before they leave for home on Monday.

We typically do this on a Monday; sometimes we will do it twice a week on Monday and Thursday. We are typically concerned with one Skyward number, which is missing assignments. We will not tolerate missing assignments in class. It is the single biggest factor in determining academic success. Poor test/quiz grades we can get help for; but not attempting the work is unacceptable and our athletes will be held accountable for it.

Our student athletes are expected to be leaders in the classroom, on the field, and off the field. Our players are expected to sit up front, be yes sir/no sir, yes sir/no maam and do everything they can to help the teacher. Classroom issues will not be tolerated. Any negative e-mail, contact from teacher, or a referral about a football player causing issues in a class will be handled promptly by the head football coach; and any subsequent issues will result in disciplinary action up to and including suspension from games / practice or removal from the team.

Some schools that have been very successful at retaining athletes and getting athletes to the next level have utilized a coaching supplement to have an academic / recruiting coordinator. This person can be a guidance counselor / teacher / coach who would be responsible for skyward checks, teacher/parent contact, and helping promote student athletes to colleges. Having a guidance counselor trained in NCAA eligibility is also advisable, because some things such as certain credit recovery classes are not accepted by the NCAA and can result in a student athlete being ineligible for offers they may receive.

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ACADEMIC GOAL "In order to be outstanding academically this week I

must________________________________________________________________

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GRATTITUDE GOAL "I will show appreciation to _______________ this person by

___________________ for _____________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

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GAME GOAL "I will help my team win on Friday by

____________________________________________________________________

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COACH SIGNATURE

x____________________________________

Recruiting

One of our greatest responsibilities as coaches is to get our athletes to the next level. While the vast majority of our athletes will never play a down beyond high school football, it is our duty to ensure the kids who can; have every opportunity to reach the next level. Some coaches view getting to the next level as the athletes/parents responsibility. It is my view that getting athletes to the next level is the coaches responsibility; because you cannot rely on inexperienced high school students or inexperienced parents to manage and navigate the intricacies of recruiting.

It is our responsibility because a lot of the athletes who can go on to play college football may not have the means or support necessary to go to college and advance their education on their own. Many of the players I have coached may not have had that opportunity if a coach hadn't been in their corner working for them. If we can get a kid to a better stage in life by promoting him, then we will do everything that we can. 

It has been my privilege to work with some fantastic student athletes and the extremely hard working fantastic coaching staffs. As a result I have worked with over 20+ athletes who have received college scholarships to play at the next level and receive a college education. As a Head Football coach I will tiresly promote our players. If they have a desire to play at the next level we will do the best we can to find them somewhere to go

Our program will be a pillar of the community and our players will be expected to give back to their community. One of the first things I would do is to try to create partnerships with businesses, churches, and charities in the area. I would introduce myself to as many of these places, explain the mission of our program, and inform them that our football program would like to create a partnership to build community pride and to support our local businesses. I would offer a sticker, flag, or some piece of promotional item that these businesses could post that would let the community know that they support our high school and in turn I would encourage our players and our parents to support those local businesses. The most important part of this process is to get the foot in the door, leave a good impression with people who are invested in the community, and network for potential sponsorships, event opportunities, promotions, donations, and volunteer opportunities.

These relationships are not one sided; our players will be expected to give back to their community by volunteering to help wherever we can. Volunteering at a shelter, habitat for humanity, volunteering to help run a local event, visiting a hospital, wounded warrior, etc. Anywhere that we can help. We want the image of our football program to be that of one that goes above and beyond. A perfect example of this is the football program at Clemson University. Dabo Sweeney took his team out for a movie night; when the movie was over the football team walked all the aisles and picked up all the trash they could from other people who has left it on the floor. Without a doubt this made an impression on the community, these were players who were learning to go above and beyond to be a beacon for their community.