High School Awards Program 2021: Important Dates, Allotment, and Responsibilities

2021 HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS PROGRAM

IMPORTANT DATES Awards Pages Updated February 1 Contact & Allotment Forms Due February 15 Certificate Stock Distribution April 15 Nominations Due to Area Chairs See AC Directory Area Final Selections Due to USL No later than July 1 Local Announcement Once Approved By USL USL National Press Release Tentatively July 15 Official Grievance Deadline July 8 2022 New Area Form December 15

AWARDS ALLOTMENT ALL-AMERICAN/ALL-ACADEMIC* 1 Award for Every 6 Qualified Teams (Round-Up at .5) Example 1: If Area has 15 qualified teams. Their allotment is 3 (15 programs/6 = 2.5 rounds up) Example 2: If Area has 14 qualified teams. Their allotment is 2 (14 programs/6= 2.33 rounds down) BOB SCOTT (B)/JACKIE PITTS (G) 1 Award Per Area COACH OF THE YEAR 1 Award Per Area *Roster of Head Varsity Coaches is required to confirm allotment

AREA CHAIR SELECTIONS Area Chairs are selected by the head coaches within their Area/Region. (If a formal coaches association does not exist, area chairs may be appointed by US Lacrosse). Area Chairs must be current members of US Lacrosse Area Chairs shall be a current or former interscholastic coach or administrator within the area they are serving. (Exceptions must hold a majority vote of the coaching body.) Term is 2 years. Area Chairs may serve up to 2 consecutive terms. (Exceptions shall be made through USL on a case-by-case basis)

AREA CHAIR RESPONSIBILITIES Chairs shall support the US Lacrosse mission and vision. Chairs shall represent and serve as the liaison for their coaching organization to US Lacrosse. (Major changes or adjustments to the process shall carry a majority vote of the coaching body). Chairs shall administer and oversee the awards process for their area. This includes: Complete the annual Contact and Allotment Form. Compile and submit to US Lacrosse the list of ALL High School Varsity and approved Scholastic Club Head Coaches within their area (to include: school, coach name, coach email) via the electronic process. Communicate with all head coaches concerning the deadlines and procedures for the awards process. Distribute a ballot to all eligible head coaches in the area on all the awards before to the meeting where voting will take place. Maintain the awards process's confidentiality and final results (May announce locally upon approval from US Lacrosse) Distribute awards to recipients promptly. If needed, Chairs are encouraged to contact US Lacrosse for guidance.

ALL-AMERICAN ALL-AMERICAN DEFINITION: US Lacrosse All-Americans are the best players from their area. They exhibit superior skills and techniques, possess exceptional game sense and knowledge, and embody good sportsmanship. ALL-AMERICAN ELIGIBILITY Member of their varsity lacrosse team (or approved scholastic club program). Played in a majority of their teams games for the current season. (For 2021, a minimum of 9 games is required) Must be a starter or significant contributor to their team. Must be of outstanding character and be in good academic standing in their school. Strong consideration is given to players who have received All-State, All-County, or All-District LACROSSE honors, etc., in the current season. (For areas that have post- season awards, US Lacrosse recommends the coaching body votes on minimum criteria, whether All-League, All-District, All-County, All-State, etc. and adds it to their process). (continued next page)

ALL-AMERICAN ALL-AMERICAN ELIGIBILITY Must NOT have received a diploma from a secondary school before the current season. A player who violates their school or program s written contract or code of conduct may be excluded from consideration. Violations must be disclosed. Sportsmanship and safe play are attributes that must be considered. In this regard, an account of the number of Cards (Women s Game) or Unsportsmanlike fouls (Men s Game) attained by a player in the current season should be considered during nomination and voting. If a player has a substantial amount of cards or unsportsmanlike fouls, it is recommended that the Area Chair request testimony from the nominating coach as to how the player s fouls are not lessening of their sportsmanship.

ALL-ACADEMIC ALL-ACADEMIC DEFINITION: A US Lacrosse All-Academic Player who exhibits exemplary lacrosse skills, good sportsmanship on the field, represents high academic achievement standards in the classroom, and volunteers with their community. ALL-ACADEMIC CRITERIA/ELIGIBILITY Must be a Junior or Senior on their varsity or approved scholastic club lacrosse team. Must have played in a majority of their team s games for the current season. (For 2021, a minimum of 9 games is required) Must be a starter or significant contributor to their team. Shall have left their mark beyond the lacrosse field and classroom by making significant contributions of service to the school and/or community. Has a minimum cumulative (freshman year through application deadline) grade point average of 3.7 out of a 4.0 academic scale. If in doubt, please ask the school guidance counselor for assistance determining acceptable GPAs for a 5.0 scale or weighted GPA. (continued on next page)

ALL-ACADEMIC ALL-ACADEMIC CRITERIA/ELIGIBILITY (continued) All-Academic nomination must be completed through the online submission process. Nominations must include transcripts with a signature from their school s guidance counselor. Nominations must include information on any significant community service that was completed. Must NOT have received a diploma from a secondary school before the current season. A player who violates their school or program s written contract or code of conduct may be excluded from consideration. Violations must be disclosed. Sportsmanship and safe play are attributes that must be considered. In this regard, an account of the number of Cards (Women s Game) or Unsportsmanlike fouls (Men s Game) attained by a player in the current season should be considered during nomination and voting. If a player has a substantial amount of cards or unsportsmanlike fouls, it is recommended that the Area Chair request testimony from the nominating coach as to how the player s fouls are not lessening of their sportsmanship.

BOB SCOTT/JACKIE PITTS AWARD DESCRIPTION: This award recognizes a senior player in each area who goes above and beyond in service to her/his team, school, and community. An athlete, who truly honors the game of lacrosse, is invested in the development of the game in her/his community and is an exemplary member of her/his team. This player exemplifies the fundamentals of lacrosse, works hard to improve her/his game, and exemplifies the spirit of the game both on and off the field. Academically, he/she is an outstanding student and a valued role model in her/his school. CRITERIA: Member of their varsity lacrosse team (or approved scholastic club program). Played in a majority of their teams games for the current season. Must be a starter or significant contributor to their team. Must be of outstanding character and be in good academic standing in their school. Must be a high school Senior (Post-grads are not eligible). (continued next page)

BOB SCOTT/JACKIE PITTS AWARD CRITERIA continued: Completion of the Bob Scott/Jackie Pitts nomination form by the head coach or athletic administrator. Resume and/or Letter of Recommendation referencing years of lacrosse involvement and their contributions to the game, school, and community. Letter of Recommendation referencing athlete s commitment to personal development within the game. Athlete can be but is not required to be an All-American or All-Academic candidate.

COACH OF THE YEAR DEFINITION: This award honors a boys and a girls Head Varsity Coach who exemplifies the ideals of lacrosse. The award is intended to recognize the individuals overall coaching performance and contribution, not just coaching wins although they may be considered. CRITERIA/ELIGIBILITY: Must be a Head Varsity or Head approved Scholastic Club coach. Nominees must be members in good standing within their area coaches' association and a member of US Lacrosse. Nominees must demonstrate outstanding sportsmanship on and off the field. Nominees must demonstrate excellent rapport with their players, officials, and other coaches.

AWARDS SELECTIONS OPTIONS Areas may choose one of the following ways to select their honorees: 1. Single ballot per award; ALL coaches' vote. 2. Single ballot per award; Committee of coaches (approved by coaching body) votes. 3. Single ballot per award; a combination of committee/all coaches' vote. a) This could mean the committee creates the ballot from the nominations, and then the entire coaching body votes. b) The entire coaching body votes, and then a committee reviews the selections and makes adjustments as they see fit. c) To pare down the nominations and make the process more manageable, smaller votes by leagues/divisions within the area can be held to put forth their top candidates for consideration. An area can hold an all-coaches' vote or send the adjusted ballot to the committee for final selection.

VOTING PROCEDURE Date of in-person and/or electronic ballot shall be set at a minimum 2 weeks' notice to all eligible coaches. Chair shall circulate all nominated and deemed eligible candidates and their bios to all eligible coaches before the meeting. Vote by electronic ballot shall be open for at least one week. Coaches may choose not to participate and should notify the chair of their decision. Coach members will rank the players on the final ballot from 1 (highest) to X (lowest) based on the number of players on the ballot. The Chair will tally the points per nominee and the award slots will be filled based on the points received. TIE votes will be resolved as follows: a re-vote by the coaches (or committee), including ONLY the tied candidates. **Any changes to the voting process must receive a simple majority vote of all the eligible area coaches (Head Varsity or Head Approved Scholastic Club). US Lacrosse shall be notified of these changes as parts of the process cannot be adjusted.

2021 AREA CHAIRS PROTECTED PAGES Boys & Girls Area Chairs protected pages One page for Boys Area chairs & one page for Girls Area Chairs Password protected for Area Chairs access ONLY Will include the following: Important reminders How to receive your area s nominations How to submit 2021 Finalists for your area to US Lacrosse Certificate Templates All-American, All-Academic, Bob Scott or Jackie Pitts, and Coach of the Year

2021 FINALIST SUBMISSION 1. Go to the Boys or Girls Area Chairs protected page 2. Download the Finalist Submission Spreadsheet 3. Use the provide drop downs These columns have custom game specific drop downs: Awards Title Lacrosse Area Gender Position

2021 FINALIST SUBMISSION continued 4. Complete all columns a. Exception Coach of the Year (no grad year, no position) 5. 6. 7. Save spreadsheet as follows: 2021 Boys or Girls Your Area Finalists Send spreadsheet to gamesadministration@uslacrosse.org Upon approval, area honors will be posted on the Boys or Girls High School Awards page.

QUESTIONS US Lacrosse Games Administration Staff Caitlin Kelley Women s Lacrosse Director Rick Lake Men s Lacrosse Director Liz Piper Manager, Games Administration Please submit questions to: gamesadministration@uslacrosse.org