Horseshoe Volleyball Club (HVC) has some teams that travel regularly to play in tournaments, has some teams where travel is limited to a few events per season, and some teams where there is no travel other than local travel to and from our own area. HVC prohibits all types of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, threats, harassment and hazing, all as described in the USA Volleyball SafeSport Handbook. The USAV SafeSport handbook (https://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/about-us/safesport) applies to all teams, even those who play only in AAU-sanctioned tournaments. HVC has established policies to guide our travel, minimize one-on-one interactions and reduce the risk of abuse or misconduct. Adherence to these travel guidelines will increase player safety and improve the player’s experience while keeping travel a fun and enjoyable experience. We distinguish between travel to training, practice and local tournaments (“local travel”) and team travel involving an overnight stay (“team travel”).
Local Travel
Local travel occurs when HVC does not sponsor, coordinate or arrange for travel.
Players and/or their parents/guardian are responsible for making all arrangements for local travel. The team and its coaches, managers or administrators should avoid responsibility for arranging or coordinating local travel. It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure the person transporting the minor player maintains the proper safety and legal requirements, including but not limited to: a valid driver’s license, automobile liability insurance, a vehicle in safe working order, and compliance with applicable state laws.
The employees, coaches and/or volunteers of HVC or one of its teams, who are not also acting as a parent, should not drive alone with an unrelated minor player.
HVC Travel Teams
Travel Team travel is overnight travel that occurs when HVC or one of its teams or designees, sponsors, coordinates or arranges for travel so that the team can compete locally, regionally or nationally. Because of the greater distances, coaches, staff, volunteers and chaperones may travel with the players.
HVC does not provide rooms for players when traveling to tournaments. Parents of players are responsible for making arrangements for players when staying overnight at tournaments. That may include staying with friends/relatives or booking hotel rooms. Coaches’ hotel rooms are paid by the club.
In most instances, parents may book rooms at hotels of their choice when staying overnight for tournaments. However, when tournaments have a “Stay-to-Play” requirement, parents must use the Stay-to-Play tournament housing service provider for booking rooms. Information will be provided to parents for when a tournament has a “Stay-to-Play” requirement and the tournament housing service provider being used for that tournament.
When the tournament is “Stay-to-Play”, the club may block a certain amount of rooms for coaches and parents to reserve. Information about blocks of rooms will be provided to parents as soon as possible to allow them to decide if they wish to stay at that hotel. If parents wish to stay at a different hotel, they still must reserve it through the tournament housing service provider.
Regardless of gender, a coach shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangements with a minor player (unless the coach is the parent, guardian or sibling of the player).
Individual meetings between a coach and a player may not occur in hotel sleeping rooms and must be held in public settings or with additional adults present, with at least one of those adults being the same gender as the player.
No coach or chaperone shall at any time be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while performing their coaching and/or chaperoning duties.
Prior to any travel, coaches will endeavor to make players and parents aware of all expectations and rules. Coaches will also support chaperones and/or participate in the monitoring of the players for adherence to curfew restrictions (if any) and other travel rules.
If disciplinary action against a player is required while the player is traveling without his/her parents, then except where immediate action is necessary, parents will be notified before any action is taken, or immediately after.
Additional Policies
Safety Policies
- Additional guidelines to be established as needed by the coaches;
- Respect the privacy of each other;
- Only use hotel rooms with interior entrances;
- Must wear seatbelts while riding in a vehicle and remain seated in vehicles;
• Behavior Policies
- Use courtesy and respect the rights of teammates and others in the hotel;
- Be prompt and on time;
- Adhere to the social media usage policy;
- Use appropriate behavior in public facilities, including language;
- Needs and well-being of the team come first.
Code of Conduct / Honor Code
1. Team members will display proper respect and sportsmanship toward coaches, officials, administrator, teammates, fellow competitors and the public at all times.
2. Team members and staff will refrain from any illegal or inappropriate behavior that would detract from a positive image of the team or be detrimental to its performance objectives.
3. The possession or use of alcohol or tobacco products, including vaping devices by any athlete is prohibited.
4. The possession, use, or sale/distribution of any controlled or illegal substance or any form of weapon is strictly forbidden.
5. Team members are reminded that when competing in tournaments, traveling on trips, and attending other club-related functions, they are representing both themselves and HVC. Athlete behavior must positively reflect the high standards of the club.
Failure to comply with the Honor Code as set forth in this document may result in disciplinary action. Such discipline may include, but may not be limited to:
Dismissal from the trip and immediate return home at the athlete’s expense;
Disqualification from future tournaments, either local or traveling;
Financial penalties;
Dismissal from team; and/or
Penalties set forth in the KRVA and USA Volleyball Participant Code of Conduct, which may include a lifetime ban.
Players are to refrain from inappropriate physical contact at team activities.
Players are to refrain from the use of inappropriate language