_Recreation Gym Rules, Policies and Conduct

_The goal of the Mahwah Recreation Basketball program is to provide an opportunity for all children of Mahwah to learn some basketball skills, have some fun with their friends and classmates and to teach good sportsmanship.
 
We are fortunate to have the use of our schools to conduct recreational basketball during the winter months.  It is important to remember that the same rules that apply during school hours also apply to us when we are playing basketball in the gym.  We have had issues in the past and thus we are asking that parents ENSURE that their children are not playing in the hallways while games are going on. There is to be no ball bouncing off the floor, walls or ceilings and absolutely no touching of anything taped or stapled to a wall or bulletin board.  Failure to follow these rules will result in the loss of the gym space and affect all players in the league.
 
Please review the following GYM RULES, SNOW POLICIES and PLAYERS / PARENTS CONDUCT with each parent / player:
 
GYM RULES:
 
  1. Only Water Bottles are permitted in the building – No Gatorade, Coffee, etc. in the gyms.
  2. No food in the gyms.
  3. No unsupervised children are allowed in the hallways or bathrooms.  It has been a recurring problem in the past and we must insist that parents supervise their children closely.  Failure to follow this particular rule will result in a loss of gym space for the TMYSB basketball program.
  4. Parents or guardians must be present during games – do not drop off your child and leave them alone in the gym.
 
SNOW POLICIES:
 
  1. If schools are closed or lets out early due to snow conditions or forecasts, all after school activities will be cancelled.
  2. If school is closed on Friday due to snow or there is an expected snowstorm on Friday evening / Saturday morning, Saturday games at Joyce Kilmer will be cancelled.  Lenape and Ramapo Ridge may be open at the discretion of the school custodians.
  3. If it begins to snow while games are going on, the Custodian may cancel the activity and close the school.
  4. If a game or practice is cancelled, we will attempt to re-schedule the activity if there is available gym time.
 
PLAYERS / PARENTS CONDUCT:
 
***All Parents/ Players must print and sign the Sportmanship Pledge and turn it in to their coach.  Click here for printable copy
 
  1. This is a recreational basketball league and is not intended to be a highly competitive situation.  The coaches, parents and players are not to argue with the ref or question his call in a confrontational way.  Coaches are the only ones that should talk with the referees and that should always be done in a calm and respectful manner.  Yelling at or arguing with a referee will result in the coach receiving a Warning from the Mahwah Youth Sports Boosters, which could affect your coaching status in the future.
  2. If a player commits an unsportsmanlike act on the court, such as arguing with a ref or an opposing player or is guilty of excessive physical play, that player should be removed from the game to ‘cool off’ and gain composure before returning to the game.  Subsequent poor behavior may result in game suspension(s).
  3. The score of the game should not be over-emphasized.  Of course everyone tries to win every game, but not at all costs.  Good sportsmanship takes priority over winning or losing a game.
  4. Do not run up the score on a weaker opponent.  We do not want any team winning by 20 or more points.  If your team is winning by 10 - 20 points, the coach should be doing the following kinds things:
  • Play those kids that have gotten less playing time in the past and rest your better players (within the rules of playing time parameters).
  • Back off on defense.  Play a soft zone defense and advise your players to not block shots or steal the ball from your opponent.  Give your opponent an opportunity to shoot the ball.
  • Make it your team’s goal to get the kids who normally don’t score (much) to make a basket.
  • DO NOT FAST BREAK.  Tell your team to make at least 3 passes before shooting.