Foreword
Introduction
Statement of Faith
Missions
Code of Conduct
About Our Coaches & Board Members
Playing Time
Home Games
Traveling to Away Games
Practices
Fees & Sponsors
Volunteers
Uniforms
Player Challenge
Foreword
Players & Parents: It is important that you read and prayerfully consider the policies explained below before signing your registration form for any Victors sport. Please note: your signature indicates that you have read and are in agreement with all Victors policies.
Introduction
Victors Homeschool Sports was created to provide home-educated student athletes in grades 7-12 the opportunity to play competitive sports. We support and advocate home education for the glory of Jesus Christ as an excellent educational choice throughout the high school years. Victors hopes to meet a need for students who would like to play competitive high school sports while continuing on the homeschooling journey with their family. Victors is run completely by volunteer homeschooling parents. Each existing sport was started by parents who had a child interested in that particular sport. The Victors organization is committed to working together as families in discipling our young people for Christ, and in using competitive sports to build character and integrity.
Statement of Faith
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-19, Mark 12:29, John 1:4).
We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary (Matthew 1:20-23), and is true God and true Man (John 1:1, 14).
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant, and only infallible, authoritative Word of God, which exercises final and ultimate authority in faith and life, over the individual, the Church, and human reason.
We believe that man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), that he sinned and thereby incurred not only the physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God (Genesis 2:17, 3:6; Romans 5:12); that all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and are sinners in thought, word and deed (Romans 3:10–23).
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins to satisfy divine justice (Romans 5:9), was buried and bodily rose from the dead according to the Scriptures (I Corinthians 15:1-4). We believe that He died as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified by grace alone through faith, on the basis of His shed blood (John 3:16, Titus 3:5, Hebrews 7:25). We believe that those so justified are eternally preserved through the present ministries of our risen, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit (John 10:27-29, Hebrews 7:25).
We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of, and indwelt by, the Holy Spirit and, thereby, become the children of God (John 3:3, 14:16-17). We believe that regenerate man must walk in dependence upon the Holy Spirit in order to please God (Galatians 5:16).
We believe in “that blessed hope” -- the personal return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (John 14:1-3, I Thessalonians 4:13-18), and in the bodily resurrection of the just and unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the just, and the everlasting punishment of the unjust (I Corinthians 15:51-52, Revelations 20:11-15).
We believe that the Church, composed of all those who truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, is the Body and Bride of Christ. We believe that Christ is head of the Body, the Church (Ephesians 1:22-5:22); that all believers are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, and having thus become members of one another, we are responsible to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:3).
Code of Conduct
Acknowledging that none of us are perfect, and that all of us are in need of forgiveness, our hearts' desire in the Victors organization is to love the Lord by glorifying Him in all pursuits, and to love and encourage one another in following Christ. Therefore, we ask that while attending or participating in a Victors function, all players, coaches, parents, and fans seek to honor the Lord in our dress and in our conduct, including but not limited to the following:
* No profanity
* No booing of players, teams, coaches, umpires, parents, or others.
* No abusive or belittling language about or toward players, teams, coaches, umpires, parents.
* No disorderly behavior
* No alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs
Let us consider the many ways and opportunities we can be doers of God's Word (and not hearers only!) in our relationships with each other this year:
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God...Matthew 5:9.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity...Colossians 3:12-14.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful...Colossians 3:15.
Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down... Proverbs 26:20.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure,
children of God... Phillipians 2:14-15.
Our desire is to honor Christ in the way we treat one another. Competitive sports have a way of stirring the human spirit and revealing what is in our hearts, so our prayer is that we would call on the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in self-control at all times, and that we would bear good fruit and be found faithful to the Lord.
PLAYERS: SPECIAL ATTENTION!.... Playing on a competitive sports team is a privilege! However, it is not a right, nor is it a necessity of life. Your character and growth in Christ are the most important things. We care deeply that all of us among the Victors families would support one another in raising up young people for Christ. Therefore, the Victors organization takes character issues very seriously, whether on or off the court or field. This covers many areas of life, including honor to parents, respect toward coaches and teammates, honesty, good sportsmanship, integrity in all of life, diligence in your academic work and other responsibilities, just to name a few! In order to enjoy the privilege of playing on a Victors team, and having a Victors uniform, please understand that questionable on-going character issues will be addressed for the good of the student, the student's peers, the family, and ultimately for the honor of Christ. Please be sure to read all of the Policies page so there is no question as to what is expected.
About Our Coaches & Board Members
Please remember that all of our coaches are graciously volunteering many hours of their time to coach. Their efforts require tremendous sacrifices of time, energy, and sometimes even income and vacation time away from work. It is a rewarding position, but also a very difficult and demanding one that requires constant decision-making, and much of God's grace. Also, our board members are working behind the scenes year round, continually communicating and making decisions. Let us be quick to encourage our coaches and board members, and pray for them. Parents & players: please pray specifically throughout the year for your team's coach, and for your Victors board members: Jim Fehrenbacher, Ronnie Clark, Jim Kelly, Mike Hillerman, and David Pyles. Also, we are thankful to Shea Moody and Paul Reese for their prior service on the board and the tremendous amount of work they each did to help build the Victors organization.
Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thess. 5:11
Playing Time
The Victors teams are intended to be competitive. Our coaches make every effort to help all players improve their skills through team practices, and by encouraging individual practice and drills at home. Although our coaches seek to give all players playing time, we strive to be able to compete well against our opponents, and win as many games as we are able, to the best of our team's ability. Therefore, playing time for each player will vary, and no player is guaranteed a certain amount of playing time. Playing time per player is at the coach's discretion.
Home Games
Victors games are a family affair, and we encourage the whole family to come and enjoy great fellowship! Victors home games are played at various locations, depending on the sport. Please note that our home basketball games are played at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson. We hire security for our parking lot during games. However, it is very important that all children remain in the gym during ball games unless supervised by their parents outside.
Traveling to Away Games
We encourage at least one parent of each player to attend as many away games as possible. We do not travel to away games in the same way that many of the schools travel (a coach driving a bus loaded with players). Victors is completely run by volunteer parents, and the more parents we have traveling to away games, the safer it is for everyone. Parents: If you are not able to travel to a particular game, please make arrangements ahead of time for your child's transportation, considering the following, for safety reasons: All drivers carrying Victors athletes must be at least 21 years of age. The only exceptions would be that a Victors athlete can, with parental approval, drive himself/herself along with family members only, or be driven by an older sibling that may be under 21. If your child drives his or her sibling(s) to or from a Victors sponsored event, Victors leadership will assume that the parent(s) of the siblings have approved of that driving arrangement. Please do not send your child to a carpool/caravan meeting place without knowing who they will be riding with.
For the protection of our young people, each female player will need to travel either with her family or with her female teammates and an approved driver. Also, each male player will need to travel either with his family or with his male teammates and an approved driver. In other words, no mixing of girls and boys teams while traveling! We have had great cooperation with this in the past, and many grateful families.
For overnight trips (V Basketball Tip-off tournament, Baseball World Series, etc.), at least one parent from each family is strongly encouraged to travel with us. If you as a parent are unable to attend an overnight trip, please make arrangements for your child to stay with another family, and for another parent to be responsible for your child for the duration of the trip. (We do not have very many overnight trips!) Please see our website schedules for away game locations.
Dressing Modestly
As Victors, we seek to honor the Lord in all that we do.
This also includes the way we dress and is not limited to our players. This also
extends to parents, siblings, and guests that travel with us. We also do not
want to cause each other to stumble in our walk with the Lord. We do not want
to cause distraction for our players, either. Several of our sports take team
trips that include warmer weather. Modesty is the key. We ask that there be no
2 piece bathing suits, and if a tankini is worn, it must come below the waist of
the bottoms. Please, nothing see-through. What one person can wear and it be
modest another cannot, as God has made us all different. Please use wisdom. If
in doubt, don't wear it. For each trip, there will be a more specific standard
provided.
Girls, Boys, & Supervision
During team trips, there must be adult supervision at all
times if boys & girls are together. Part of the purpose for these trips is team building & relationship strengthening between teammates &
coaches. On trips such as World Series for our baseball team, female siblings and friends should participate in activities together and not follow the boys around. The
same goes for the boys. We do not want distraction from our purpose and goals
on these trips. If all end up at the pool together, there must be adult
supervision. For each trip, there will be specific boundaries & curfews. We
do want family bonding and when there are family activities, all will be together
and siblings will be hanging out together.
Practices
It is encouraged that Victors practices be attended by the team that is practicing and their immediate family members only. In other words, practices are not intended to be open to everyone. The practice session times will be better used to the fullest by the coaches and the athletes without the distraction of additional people. Victors practice sessions are often shorter and occur less often than our competitors' practice times, so making the best use of our time is important.
Recognizing that Sunday is the Lord's Day, the Victors organization encourages all team practices to take place on one or more of the other six days of the week.
Players are encouraged to attend all practices. Coaches depend on reliable attendance in order to plan and prepare effective practices. Please notify the coach in advance if you are unable to attend. Coaches reserve the right to limit a player's playing time if practice attendance is a problem.
Players, please come to practice with an attitude of humility, and with a teachable and coachable spirit, ready to learn and cooperate with the coach's practice plan. Since our practice sessions are relatively short, staying focused is important.
Fees & Sponsors
The Victors program seeks to keep its season fees as low as possible for all sports. No one in the Victors organization receives payment for his/her services, with the exception of a scholarship gift for the few college student assistants who have helped in the past. Registration fees cover expenses such as uniforms, facilities, referees, umpires, insurance, etc. We encourage all players to seek out sponsors in order to cover some of these costs. Simply print out a sponsor letter and sponsor agreement on the forms page of our website. After becoming familiar with these forms, the student athlete and his/her parent can seek out a sponsor(s). As you seek sponsors, begin with those in your community that you already do business with. The Victors program will feature all sponsors on our website and provide links to sponsor websites. We will also display sponsor names on our home game banners. Sponsors should make checks payable to "Victors Homeschool Sports."
Sponsor Letter - http://www.victorshomeschoolsports.com/pdf/2013-sponsor-letter.pdf
Sponsor Agreement - http://www.victorshomeschoolsports.com/pdf/2013-sponsor-agreement.pdf
Volunteers
Victors welcomes volunteers like you! If Victors has touched your family's life, consider how you might help us continue to make this program possible. Basketball season volunteers receive a free family season pass to all of our home basketball games. For a list of opportunities to serve, please see the volunteer form on our website. There are several ways you can let us know how you will help. After you fill out the form, you can mail it, turn it in with your player registration form, or email the information.
Basketball Season Volunteer Form - http://www.victorshomeschoolsports.com/pdf/2013-volunteer-form.pdf
Uniforms
All players are expected to return uniforms for storage at the end of the season.
Player Challenge
We are so glad that you are a part of the Victors team! The leaders of Victors are praying for you and your personal relationship with Jesus Christ!
As a Victors player, we challenge you to make a commitment to be a loyal team member, ready to help your team in any way you can. Discipline yourself to work with all your heart, as working for the Lord, and not for men (Colossians 3:23), and this will carry over into all of your life as a young person growing in the grace of Christ. On a side note, be grateful for your parents, thank them often, and be a help to them around the house. Speak kindly to your siblings; be diligent in your chores and academic work; walk in integrity. Seek to serve, and not to be served. Following Christ starts at home in the family!
If you have already asked the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart, then we encourage you to press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). Commit your youth to Him, and walk in His ways. You will never regret it!
Remember what our Lord Jesus Christ said are the two greatest commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself (read Mark 12:28-31). Don't forget to do what Jesus said is the most important thing (see Luke 10:38-42)...sit at the Lord's feet by reading His Word and praying to Him everyday. Do this and you will never lose your way. Give your heart fully to Christ, and you will find abundant life! The Lord loves you and considers you precious enough to die for. There is no greater love than that! (see John 15:13). There is nothing more important than these things.
In you have never accepted God's free gift of salvation and do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then we have GOOD NEWS for you! Your sins can be forgiven, and you can have eternal life with Him in heaven forever, because He paid the necessary price when He died on the cross. He was raised to life, that we might have life. If you desire to receive this gift of eternal life, repent and confess your sins to the Lord, invite Jesus Christ into your heart as Lord of your life, and you will be a new creation! If you wish to do this, then do not hesitate to let us know, so that we can rejoice with you and encourage you in your new walk with Christ.
May the grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be upon the Victors this year, for the praise and glory of Christ!
.............GO VICTORS!!!!!!!
Email: victorshomeschoolsports@gmail.com
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