TRAVEL
Travel fees for your family are paid on your own. Each athlete must have a chaperone at every competition and arrange for them to be transported. NO EXCEPTIONS! Most competitions have spectator/gate and parking fees. Please be prepared and bring cash as many competitions are Cash only.
HOTEL
Hotel fees vary from competition to competition. Staying at the meet host hotel is not required.
Each hotel room must have a supervising adult staying in the hotel room. Your team’s head coach must know in advance who is in charge if it is not the parent.
No members of the opposite sex may stay in the same room with an athlete, other than relatives.
COMPETITION
Meet directors usually release the competition schedule a week or two before your competition. We will pass this information to you in full detail as soon as we receive it.
All team members shall wear the designated uniform. Team members must remain in FULL uniform until after the awards ceremonies. Team members shall stay together before and after competition time. They may leave only at the dismissal or permission of a coach.
All team members shall stay and be present for the awards ceremony, unless you have a special circumstance and have made prior arrangements with your coach.
COMMUNICATION
We will communicate team information via email, the team blog (teamsuncountry.com), and the team Facebook group. Links and more info are on page 1 of this manual.
Regarding Team social media, please keep all comments and discussion on social media positive and encouraging to team members. If you have any concerns please contact your head coach, program director or the director of operations rather than posting online.
Coaches may choose to offer their personal cell phone numbers to parents for emergency contact only (for instance on the day of a meet). Please do not contact a coach on their personal phone for non-emergencies, and please note the student-coach cell phone communication expectations outlined in the Safe Sport policy, above.
If you are happy tell a friend, if not please tell us.
BOOSTER CLUB
The Team Sun Country Booster Club is a 501(c)(7), parent-run organization, set up to support the athletes, coaches, and our program. The Booster Club will assist in the organization of fundraisers, team parties, and community service events. Annual booster club fees will be determined at the beginning of each season, and outlined in the Program Costs section below. Your gym account will be auto-billed this amount. This amount may be changed by a majority vote of the BC board. Booster club membership is non-refundable. Booster club membership is only for competitive athletes; developmental students are always welcome to BC events but do not pay membership dues.
You may raise funds for competition expenses. The Booster Club will hold and keep track of all monies earned. Parents can request a Sun Country Booster Club sponsorship request letter to be shared with friends, families and local business contacts. To use these funds as allowed according to the by-laws, you must request money be transferred from your BC account from the BC treasurer. Here is a sample list of what your fundraising money can be used for: educational expenses, competitive expenses (entry fees, coach’s expenses, hotel, parking), competitive uniforms and more. To see a complete list of what your fundraising money can be used for please refer to the SC Booster Club by-laws. Fundraising is made simple and easy.
COMPETITIVE TEAM PLACEMENT
The head coach of each team will decide the best placement for your child. Although age is a factor in team placement, children of the same age may be placed on different teams due to their skill level. Mobility through the levels can only be achieved when a high level of proficiency has been demonstrated at your current level, and the potential for a high level of proficiency in the next level is apparent. Placement is handled individually; please don’t compare your child’s progress or performance with other parents or athletes. Each athlete is an individual and will achieve success at their own pace.
PRIVATE LESSONS
Sun Country encourages participation in group classes and practices for the additional benefits they provide students, like teamwork and peer bonding. Group lessons are more inclusive for the students in our community, and teach students soft skills like cooperation and listening in a group setting. Private lessons are available in certain circumstances, such as:
- A student who needs some extra support on a specific skill
- A student with special needs that does better in a private setting
Private lessons may only occur when the gym is open for business, during non-peak gym hours, and when there is gym space available without disrupting other classes and practices. Private lessons must be scheduled and coordinated through the program's Department Leader.
OUTSIDE INSTRUCTION
Sun Country's coaches are extremely dedicated to the athletes' success. Sometimes receiving coaching from outside the organization can benefit athlete progression. For example, we view participation in the high-energy environment of some gymnastics camps as great opportunities for healthy skill development, and highly encourage participation in certain camps and clinics.
However, there are some less-obvious factors with outside instruction, such as complications arising from differing coaching styles, and skill development that is unsafe or otherwise not in line with the long-term progression goals of our coaches and athletes.
Therefore, we kindly ask that any private lessons or outside instruction must be approved by the head coach of the program.
MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION
Please be cautious when posting videos or photos on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat, etc. When you post videos or photos of you and your teammates in uniform you are representing our program. If you need to ask if it’s questionable – don’t post it!
Sun Country must approve all designs bearing the Team Sun Country and/or Sun Country Sports Center® name and/or logo. Anything created without our approval will not be acceptable and cannot be worn or sold independently; this includes gifts. In addition, you CANNOT use the Sun Country Sports name or any variation of our name in your e-mail address.