Larch Hills Ski Team Policies
1. Ski Team Decisions – The Larch Hills Ski Team (LHST) Coaches, the team treasurer and a three-person Parent Admin Committee will be responsible for making decisions regarding the LHST program. The group will meet annually in April to plan the upcoming season.
2. Electing Parent Admin Committee - The Parent Admin Committee members will be elected for a 2-year term. Parents interested in being a member of the Parent Admin Committee must declare their intention to the Head Coach one week prior to the Fall team parent meeting. Nominations will not be taken from the floor and a vote will only happen if there are more than 3 candidates. The team Treasurer is part of the Parent Admin Committee. Volunteer Coaches cannot sit on the Parent Admin Committee.
3. Parent Admin Committee – The Parent Admin Committee will support the team through the year and act as a sounding board and decision-making body for issues and financial decisions that arise during the year that impact any member of the LHST, including athletes and parents.
4. Annual Parent Meeting - The Parent Admin Committee will arrange a parent meeting annually in early October.
5. Larch Hills Nordics Society (LHNS) Human Resources (HR) Committee is the decision-making body for issues that arise during the year that involve coaches.
6. Budget – The treasurer will prepare the year end statement and the proposed budget annually following the fiscal year end of Sept. 30. The budget and year end statements will be approved by the Head Coach, the Coaches (group leaders only) and the Parent Admin Committee and presented at the annual parent meeting in the Fall.
7. Athlete Age - Skiers must be 9 years old by Dec. 31st of the ski season in which they join the team.
a. Exception – A 8-year-old whose parent is a LHST coach may be eligible to join if approved by the LHJRT Head Coach.
8. Waxing - Families are responsible for applying their own glide wax to their skis at all events other than Nationals. Grip wax application will be a team effort coordinated by the lead wax tech for the event. Families must bring their skis to the event site in the condition and by the time specified by the lead wax tech. If skis are improperly prepared or late arriving, the wax team has the right to refuse to wax them.
9. Snow camp (Silver Star)
a. U10s must be accompanied by an adult if they are staying overnight.
b. There will be no refunds once you have committed to staying overnight or attending the day. You are responsible to pay for accommodation fees and ticket costs.
c. If you don’t have a parking pass, you must park in the overflow lot.
d. Fees will be reassessed on a yearly basis and are highly subsidized by LHST.
e. Chaperones – will have assigned duties (food prep, athlete support off-snow including enforcing proper behaviour etc.) and will not pay to stay overnight as they will have required duties. The number of chaperones will be appropriate to number of participants and their age.
10. Nationals
a. Going to Nationals is optional.
b. The LHST budgets annually to support National athletes. Team financial support is allocated fairly among the athletes racing at Nationals.
c. Athletes must submit monthly training logs beginning in May to the Head Coach to receive team funding.
d. Athletes wanting to receive team funding for Nationals must attend 4 races, average attending 2 out of 3 practices per week and demonstrate commitment to year-round training (at the discretion of the LHST Head Coach).
e. Athletes must be in compliance with the LHST Code of Conduct in order to represent the LHST & LHNS at Nationals.
f. The team financial support for athletes racing is for athletes whose YOB corresponds to the U16/U18/U20/U23 age categories.
g. The LHST Head Coach will designate the number of adults required to support athletes racing at Nationals. Designated Adults include coaches, wax technicians and other parents required for general support (i.e. meals and transportation).
i. Team financial support for the Designated Adults is determined by the Head Coach.
ii. The athletes racing at Nationals will share the costs, for accommodation and rental vehicle costs (including fuel) for all Designated Adults. Designated Adults are required to cover their own food costs and travel to and from Nationals.
h. Fundraising for Nationals
i. Participating in fundraising for Nationals is a choice. Athletes may opt out of fundraising.
ii. Credit will not be given for partial participation in fundraising activities.
iii. The fundraising work is divided approximately equally among the athletes who are participating in fundraising. Parents/family members can choose to do their kids fundraising activities for them.
iv. Some fundraising opportunities (selling grocery cards or selling meat) are considered a bonus. These bonus fundraisers do not exempt athletes from doing their share of the activities that are deemed to be specific National fundraising activities. The athletes do not have to participate in every activity, but rather do their fair share and make up for missed work at other times of the year.
11. Race Fees
a. Families are responsible for paying race fees for their athletes.
12. Ski Swap – LHST parents and athletes support the annual ski swap by volunteering and the LHST retains 100% of profits.
13. Roller skis
a. Team skate roller skis are primarily for the use of the first year U14’s and for occasional practices for younger groups. Second year U14’s and older skiers are encouraged to purchase their own skate roller skis.
b. Team classic roller skis are primarily for the use of second year U14’s. U16 and U18+ skiers are encouraged to purchase their own classic roller skis.
14. Designated Race Coach/Wax Tech Expense Reimbursement – 50 cents/km if attending solely to support the team and 25 cents/km if attending the race as both a parent of a racer and a race coach/wax tech to the team.
15. The ski team will reimburse reasonable accommodation (with receipts) and 50 cents/km for travel expenses for coaches attending courses or for the designated lead coach and designated wax tech travelling to a race other than Nationals. The mileage reimbursement is for the distance to the destination and back only and does not include driving while at the race event. Carpooling and room sharing is encouraged when more than one coach is attending a course.
16. Team Apparel
a. Coaches warm up jackets are paid for by the team, including replacement jackets for ones that have worn out. Coaches pay the same price as athletes for jerseys, tights or race suits.
b. Athletes are reimbursed 25% of the cost for a jacket, jersey/tights, or race suit upon receipts being provided to the team Treasurer.
c. The general public will be permitted to purchase team apparel at full price, but it is not encouraged as the athletes really like to see the team apparel on members of the team only. If too many non-ski team members are wearing the clothing, it then it is not really a team uniform.
17. Code of Conduct Violations
If the LHST Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy is violated, depending on the severity, the following procedure will be followed:
a. Individuals will resolve any differences or disputes by discussing the problem with the other individual(s) in a respectful manner.
b. If an athlete has violated the Code of Conduct and Ethics, coaches and/or the Parent Executive will decide on an appropriate course of action, depending on its severity. This may include:
i. The athlete providing a written apology.
ii. Suspension from training practice for a specified length of time.
iii. Being sent home from a camp or trip at the athlete's cost.
c. If a parent has violated the Code of Conduct and Ethics, the Parent Admin will decide on an appropriate course of action.
d. If a coach has violated the Code of Conduct and Ethics, the LHNS HR committee will decide on an appropriate course of action.
18. Air Quality – When there are wildfires burning and smoky skies, ski team practices the following protocol will apply based on Environment Canada’s Air Quality Health Index for the North Okanagan:
a. If the risk is high (AQHI 7 or greater), practices will be cancelled.
b. If the risk is moderate (AQHI from 4-6), practices will take place with modifications to intensity.
c. If the risk is low (AQHI below 4), practices will continue unchanged.
Updated April 2024