BearLax Lacrosse Club Policies

• BearLax is a premier Lacrosse Club that will provide for its members premier coaching; opportunities to play with and against the best players in the West Coast and throughout the United States; and guidance in the college recruiting process. The BearLax mission is to help grow the sport of lacrosse in Northern California and also to develop athletes who can move on and play at the collegiate level. To become a member you must participate in the May try-outs. Schedule conflicts will be dealt with on an individual basis. Payment in May 2010 will ensure membership with the club until February 1st, 2011.

• BearLax will provide players with the opportunity to play lacrosse outside of their spring High School and NCJLA seasons. BearLax training will be held mostly in the summer and fall, with a few weekends in January added in to prepare players for their main season of competition!

• Players living within a 50 mile radius of the UC Berkeley campus may tryout for a team located in one of the following branches: Pleasanton, Danville, and Marin. There will be 1-3 high school teams, and 1-2 middle school team based in each of those locations.

• Tryouts will be held in May every year, in each location, and selection to a team will be made based on skill level, work ethic, and commitment. The selection committee will consist of the coaches who will be directly involved at every practice, the branch director, and the Cal Lacrosse staff.

• Membership for 1 year will cost $450 and includes the following: a minimum of 24 practices, 1 pair of shorts, 1 club t-shirt, college counseling, and coaching by Cal Berkeley Coaches/Current College Players/Elite High School Coaches/Former Collegiate players.

• All players are expected to attend every practice for their local team. If a player cannot make a practice, she must contact her coach at least 24 hours before the training session is scheduled to occur. Missing multiple practices without a legitimate excuse or prior notice could affect a player’s membership to the club.

• BEARLAX SELECT: Based on performance at the local branch tryouts, players will be selected to play on an elite team made up of girls from all three BearLax branches. Bearlax Select will practice in Berkeley, in addition to the local practices throughout the summer and winter. SELECT members will be required to attend specific tournaments depending on age group (see tournaments page).  ALL TOURNAMENTS will cost extra due to registration fees, and travel expenses.

• Players who make their local team, but not the SELECT team, will have the opportunity to move up over time with good performance, AND also play in a recruiting tournament if roster places are open. Local Tournaments are open to everyone! Again, ALL TOURNAMENTS cost extra.

• BearLax will endeavor to teach players skills which will help them in life as well as on the lacrosse field. The importance of teamwork, accountability, and initiative will be strongly emphasized. In order to make this growth possible, we encourage players to discuss concerns with their coaches directly(rather than parents). Each player will be held accountable for her actions as well as the decisions that she makes.

LOCAL TOURNAMENT POLICIES

• Players that attend practices and sign-up in a timely manner will have a greater chance of getting onto local tournament rosters.
• All players will be given an opportunity to play close to the same amount. This time will be given out at the discretion of the coach. If a player thinks that they are not being played as much as the others, it is her responsibility to communicate these feelings to the coaching staff.
• We strongly discourage players from participating in or joining other club lacrosse programs that will take away from their commitment to BearLax . We do not want to have to compete against our own players.

FEES AND REFUND POLICY

• If you have paid your yearly membership in full and have a sudden conflict - if we are notified by June 1, 2010 we will refund in full.
• Tournament fees and travel expenses are separate from the annual membership fee.
• The amount for each tournament will vary. They will be based on the requirements given by the tournament directors.
• Once an entry fee into a tournament has been paid it will not be refunded, or used as a credit to the next tournament. In the rare occasion that a tournament is cancelled in advance, the entry fees will be reimbursed. However, those tournaments cancelled during the event will not be refundable.
• $50 fine will be enforced for those individuals who sign up for a tournament and then fail to attend without due notice. These players will also risk losing their right to participate in future tournaments.

CREDIT / CANCELLATIONS / REFUNDS

• BearLax will keep records of all transactions. However, parents are encouraged to do so as well.
GEAR: Players are required to bring all necessary gear to every event. If gear is stolen or lost there will be a minimum of a $25 fine in addition to the cost of the gear, and may take up to 6 weeks to be replaced.

PARENTS

• Parents are required to defer to the BearLax staff for all decisions regarding the players, and how they are to be coached. Those parents who wish to become more involved in the program, please don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know.