RECREATION
SERVICES
INTRAMURAL
PARTICIPANT
HANDBOOK
Drew
Guay
Staff
Assistant: Recreational Programming
aguay1@fsc.edu
978-665-4648
www.fsc.dosportseasy.com
www.fscfalcons.com
Introduction
The driving force
behind the Recreation Services department is to promote student success by
prioritizing student learning and development through educationally purposeful
activities, leadership opportunities and employment. We are committed to
offering healthy lifestyle choices through safe, quality programming to the
college campus emphasizing student learning beyond the classroom. This manual is to serve as an informative and
procedural guide for all intramural sports participants. Team captains (or a representative) are
expected to become familiar with this manual and abide by the parameters set
forth in this manual. Additionally,
captains are asked to share the information outlined in this manual with team
participants. Any questions or comments
concerning this manual should be directed to the Staff Assistant for Recreation
Services or Student Supervisor. Recreation
Services reserves the right to change or modify rules, policies or procedures
at anytime.
Assumption of Risk
Participation
in any Fitchburg State College Intramural Sports activity is completely
voluntary. Individuals assume
responsibility for all injuries that result from their participation in the
program. In sports, there is risk to the participants involved due to the physical
nature of activities. Injuries including, but not limited to, sprains, strains,
contusions, fractures, head, neck and back injuries are possible. It is
strongly suggested that individuals have sufficient health coverage and a
physician’s approval before participating in any physical activity.
Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Policy
Tobacco, alcohol
and other (illegal) drug use is not permitted during any intramural sports
activity or event. Any participant or
spectator found using tobacco, alcohol or other drug will be asked to leave the
contest, facility or field immediately.
Additionally, any player or spectator suspected of being under the
influence of alcohol or other drug will be asked to leave the contest, facility
or field immediately. Any player that
has been asked to leave the contest for any reason will officially be ejected
from the contest. Any incident may be
referred to Campus Police or the Campus Judicial System.
Intramural Sports Program
The word
“Intramural” comes from Latin origin and it means ‘within the walls’. The
program is for all Fitchburg State College students and faculty/staff who would
like to participate in contests with and against each other. Competition is offered in sports for men,
women, co-rec and individual/dual based on participation. Competition is
provided in the form of leagues, tournaments, and special events each
semester. The programs offered are
based upon student interest and the availability of resources and facilities.
Extramural Events
Each
year, intramural champions and interested teams may represent Fitchburg State
College in a variety of events (i.e. flag football, basketball, softball)
against champions from other colleges and universities. Information on extramural events will be
provided to campus champions and interested teams during the season.
Participation
Each participant
should be knowledgeable of the rules, policies and procedures of the event or
activity in which participating. Each
participant has the right to expect a fair opportunity to participate, while at
the same time maintaining a high level of sportsmanship and respect for
opponents, teammates and the Intramural Sports staff. Participation in any event or activity is
strictly voluntary. Failure to abide by
the guidelines set forth by Intramural Sports may result in removal from the
event or activity. All participants are
responsible for their own actions.
In order to participate in an intramural
activity, the participant must bring their One Card to the contest. Without this card, you WILL NOT be eligible
to participate in that contest.
Eligibility
All current Fitchburg State College students, faculty and staff are eligible to participate. Pertaining to inter-collegiate athletes, students whose names appear on an official intercollegiate varsity or junior varsity squad list (i.e. practice squad) on the day of the first played scheduled intercollegiate game, for that related sport, shall be ineligible to compete in that sport or a related sport for a period of one academic year. For reference, related sports are outlined below.
Varsity Athlete Related Activities
Baseball / Softball Softball, Wiffleball
Basketball 3 on 3 basketball and 5 on 5 basketball,
special activities
Football Flag
football
Ice
hockey Floor hockey
Soccer Indoor and outdoor soccer
Track/Cross Country Track Meet, Run leg of
Triathlon
Team Rosters
Participants’ full
names must appear on the scoresheet.
Participants may play for their team in any regular season game,
provided they are not listed on another team’s roster [Co-Rec Exception:
participants may play on two teams provided one is a Co-Rec team]. For example, new participants may play in a
team’s third game of the season provided they are not listed on another team’s
roster. Participants must be present at
a game to be added to the scoresheet. Once
a participant is listed on the scoresheet and the game has begun, they may not
be removed from that scoresheet. In
order to participate with a team in the playoffs, a participant must have
played in a regular season game with that team.
The limit on roster size is two times the
number that are allowed to play at one time (i.e., for 5 on 5 Basketball the limit is 10 participants) with the exception of the Falcon Cup. A team will receive as many championship
t-shirts as players on their roster for the championship game. The team will decide how the shirts are
distributed.
Violation of Participation Guidelines
Any team using a
participant who is ineligible shall forfeit all games in which the person
played if the violation is detected prior to the start of the playoffs. If a violation is detected during a playoff
game, the team shall forfeit the game in which the ineligible participant
played. If this occurs and the violation
is detected prior to the start of the next round of the playoffs, the team that
originally lost the game shall be awarded the win and shall advance in the
tournament. If the violation is detected
after the start of the next round of the playoffs, the team shall be
immediately removed from the tournament.
For example, if a team uses an ineligible player in a first-round game,
but the violation isn’t detected until after the team’s second-round
game, the team would automatically lose the second-round game. Please refer to the forfeit policy section of
this manual for additional information.
Team Captain Duties
1. Pay the team entry fees.
2. Attend all meetings pertaining
to his/her team’s activity.
3. Submit the appropriate team
roster. Make roster changes and
additions when necessary, according to the eligibility rules.
4. Pick up schedule.
5. Notify team members of date,
place, and time of contest or schedule changes.
6. Enter line-up on appropriate
score sheets.
7. Relay all information to all
team players, fans, coaches, etc. from the intramural handbook and all other
information that was given at the captain’s meeting.
8. Be knowledgeable of all
playing rules governing the sport in which they are participating.
9. Be knowledgeable of all
eligibility rules and department policies.
Managers/Captains must read and understand and abide by the Recreation
Services Participant Handbook.
10. Display good sportsmanship.
11. Team captains are held
responsible for the actions of teams, specific players and/or spectators.
Gender Rules
If
a league is offered in your gender and it is made, you must play in that league
(unless you’re signing up for co-recreational). If the result is males playing
in a female league, specific rules pertaining to that situation will be
distributed through the Intramural Sports office.
Equipment, Jewelry and Apparel
For most
activities, basic equipment is provided to all participants. Participants wishing to use personal
equipment (e.g., softball bat, basketball etc.) may do so, provided the equipment
is in good shape and is acceptable to both teams. All equipment is subject to inspection by a
member of the Intramural Sports staff and may be refused for any reason.
Intramural Sports is not responsible for any personal equipment lost or damaged
during an event.
Most activities
prohibit the wearing of jewelry for safety reasons. The only jewelry that will be permitted is
medic alert bracelets and necklaces, provided they are taped down and wedding
bands (not rings). All other visible
jewelry must be removed prior to the start of an event, including rubber bands,
bandanas and “do-rags” (if tied in a knot). Intramural Sports is not
responsible for any jewelry lost during an event.
Since Intramural
Sports are athletic events, it is expected that participants will wear athletic
apparel. For outdoor events, tennis
shoes, running shoes and rubber cleats are acceptable (exception – no cleats of any kind for Ultimate Frisbee or Track Meet). NO METAL CLEATS ARE ALLOWED. For indoor events, court shoes are
required. Any shoes that leave marks on
the floor will not be permitted.
Registration
Process
All teams signing
up for Intramural Sports should do so at www.fsc.dosportseasy.com. Depending on the
sport, teams may have to pay a fee which can be processed at the
Entry and Forfeit Fees
All team events and
select individual events may require an entry fee. The fee must be paid at the time of registration
or prior to the captains meeting via electronic funds on a OneCard. Additionally,
any team that misses a scheduled game will be required to pay a forfeit fee of
$10 to remain on the schedule.
Captain’s Meetings
For all team events
and select individual events, a captain’s meeting prior to the start of the
season may be held. Please refer to the
registration form for more information.
Additionally, all team events may also have a captain’s meeting prior to
the start of the playoffs. Captain’s
meetings are held to provide each captain with important information including
rules and game schedules, as well as to answer any questions captains may
have. It is the responsibility of each
team’s captain to attend the meeting or have a designee attend the meeting.
Team Names
Each team must
indicate a team name when registering which will be limited to 17 characters.
Inappropriate or obscene team names will not be allowed. Recreation Services reserves the right to
change or modify team names.
Protests
It is one of the
goals of Intramural Sports to provide a fair environment in which to play. Referees and other staff members strive to
interpret and enforce the rules correctly.
However, on occasion mistakes occur.
To remedy a potential mistake made by an employee, protests are allowed. The first type of allowable protest is a rule
misinterpretation. In order to protest a
rule misinterpretation, the team captain must immediately notify the
scorekeeper working the game that they wish to protest. Failure to inform the scorekeeper immediately
following the play will result in the inability to protest the
situation. Please note, judgment calls may not be protested!
The second type of
protest allowed pertains to player eligibility rules. Eligibility protests must
be filed with the supervisor before, during or shortly after the contest or
event in which an alleged ineligible player participated. Failure to complete and return the protest
form in a timely manner will result in the inability to protest the contest or
event.
To complete a
formal protest, it should be filed by 12:00 pm the following business day in
the Intramural Sports Office. The typed
protest should be submitted to the Staff Assistant. A $10 protest fee is required at this time. The captain will be notified of the decision
in writing via e-mail.
Scheduling
At the time of
registration for team events, each team is required to submit their
availability. Each team’s regular season
games will be scheduled according to their availability. Please note that teams providing limited
availability may not receive the same number of games as other teams! Regular season schedules will be distributed
at the captain’s meeting prior to the start of the season. Playoff schedules will be distributed at the
captain’s meeting prior to the start of the playoffs. Any team wishing to reschedule a regular
season game may contact the Intramural Sports Office to request the change,
provided it is at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled game. We will make every effort to reschedule the game. However, if we cannot, the team will receive
a loss.
For individual
tournaments, we will make every attempt to schedule around your team’s
availability. Depending upon the number
of games needed to schedule the event, this may not be possible.
Any team that
cannot play a scheduled game may also concede the game. A team conceding a game will receive a loss,
but they will not receive a forfeit. To
concede a game, contact the Intramural Sports Office no later than 11:00am on
the day of the game or by 11:00am on Friday for Sunday games.
The scheduling
process for individual events will be explained at the time of
registration.
Divisions and Classifications of Play
For league sports,
all events will include men’s and women’s divisions of play. Although two divisions are offered, a minimum
of four teams is required to form a schedule.
Additionally, within each division, “A” and “B” classifications will be
offered. The “A” classification is for advanced
and intermediate teams, while the “B” classification is for beginner
teams. Please note that the Recreation
Services staff reserves the right to move teams from one classification to
another.
For Falcon Cup
events, there is one division of play that incorporates both genders, “A” and
“B” teams.
Players Seeking Teams [Free-Agents]
Players wishing to
participate in a team sport, but are unable to form an entire team, may
register as a “free-agent”. To do so,
visit the Intramural Sports website at http://fsc.dosportseasy.com.
Playoffs
Each league event
will consist of a regular season and playoffs.
Playoff schedules will be distributed at the playoff captain’s meeting,
which will be announced towards the end of the regular season. Teams will be scheduled for their first
playoff game based on the availability they provide. Subsequent game dates and times are
pre-determined so they may or may not coincide with a team’s availability. Please note that we may be unable to
reschedule playoff games! We suggest
that each team have plenty of subs on their roster in case of schedule
conflicts.
Postponements / Inclement Weather
Outdoor activities
may be cancelled or postponed due to inclement weather. Activities may be postponed during an event
by the Intramural Sports staff working the event or may be cancelled prior to
the start of the event. It is the
responsibility of the team captain to inquire about cancellations due to
inclement weather. We will make every
effort to reschedule events/games due to inclement weather.
Forfeit Policy
There are a variety
of instances that may result in a forfeit including:
1.
Any
team that is not present at game time shall receive a forfeit.
2.
Any
team that does not have enough players to start or continue a game shall
receive a forfeit.
3.
Any
team that participates in a contest with an ineligible participant.
4.
Any
team that receives a sportsmanship rating of “one” shall receive a forfeit.
It is the
responsibility of the team captain to inform team participants of their game
schedule, including any rescheduled games.
A team that receives a forfeit will be required to pay a forfeit fee of
$10 to remain on the schedule. The fee
must be paid by 12:00 pm the following business day.
Participant Conduct
It is important
that each intramural sports activity is conducted in a fair and enjoyable
atmosphere. We realize that intramural
contests and events are very important to the participants. However, good sportsmanship should not be
overlooked. To insure that fair play and
good sportsmanship prevail, Intramural Sports employees (game officials,
general managers, supervisors and professional staff) reserve the right to
warn, penalize and eject players, teams or spectators for conduct deemed
inappropriate or unsportsmanlike.
Participants and
spectators who choose to engage in acts of unsportsmanlike or inappropriate
behavior before, during or after a contest or event are subject to disciplinary
actions. The Intramural Sports staff may
issue an ejection with or without warning if actions are considered to be
unsportsmanlike, deliberate or creates an unsafe playing environment. Any ejected player must leave the Intramural
Sports facilities (out of sight and sound) and must leave within given time
deemed necessary by the Intramural Supervisor.
Examples of unsportsmanlike actions include, but are not limited to,
profanity, vulgar or abusive language or actions, unnecessary roughness, two
technical fouls or yellow cards (or a red card), taunting, and fighting or
inciting a fight.
If a suspension
occurs in the last game of a certain sport, it will carry over to the next
intramural team sport and/or individual/dual sport in which that
individual/team participates. If a
person is ejected while participating in an intramural tournament, he/she will
be suspended from the remainder of the tournament and may be subject to other
penalties depending upon the nature of the incident.
All participants
that are ejected from an Intramural Sports event will be immediately suspended
for all Intramural Sports events until reinstated by the Staff Assistant for
Recreation Services (or designee). To be
reinstated, the ejected participant must schedule a meeting with the Staff
Assistant for Recreation Services (or designee) prior to the next scheduled
contest. This meeting will be conducted
during normal business hours. During
this meeting the cause for ejection will be discussed, as well as all
subsequent sanctions. When all sanctions
have been fulfilled, the participant shall be officially reinstated. All games in which suspended players
participate will be considered forfeits by that team. Any player who is ejected who does not
schedule a meeting will remain suspended indefinitely until said meeting
occurs. Please refer to the forfeit
policy section of this manual for additional information.
Any team that has
two players (the same player twice or two different players) ejected throughout
the regular season will immediately lose the game in which the second ejection
occurred and will be removed from the schedule and will be ineligible for the
playoffs. Any team that has one player
ejected during any playoff contest will immediately lose the contest and will
be ineligible for the remainder of the playoffs. Please refer to the sportsmanship rating
system section of this manual for additional information.
Any acts of
inappropriate or unsportsmanlike conduct may be referred to Campus Police or
the Campus Judicial System for additional sanctions.
Sportsmanship Rating System
A sportsmanship
rating system will be used for all officiated intramural sports contests. The philosophy of Intramural Sports is that
good sportsmanship is expected in the conduct of every participant in every
contest. A “good sport” is fair,
courteous, has a positive attitude and accepts results gracefully. All individuals and teams participating
should comply with the spirit of the game as well as the written rules that
govern the activity. In order to
encourage proper conduct during contests, members of the Intramural Sports
staff will issue a rating to each team after a contest.
Team Ratings
In
order to qualify for the playoffs in league activities each team may not
receive more than one rating of “2” or “1” throughout the season. Any team receiving a second rating of “2” or
“1” during the regular season, or their first rating of “2” or “1” during the
playoffs, shall be immediately removed from the schedule.
Each
team will be given an overall rating between 1-4 after each contest. A general description of
each
rating and the behavior that constitutes each rating is listed below:
“4”
Rating – Excellent Conduct and Sportsmanship
Players fully cooperate
with all officials and other team members.
The captain calmly converses
with officials about rule interpretations and calls. The captain has full control of their
teammates and spectators throughout the contest. Teams may not receive any technical fouls or
unsportsmanlike penalties.
“3” Rating – Average Conduct and
Sportsmanship
Team
behavior was acceptable, but not noteworthy.
This is the highest rating that may be given to a team receiving one
technical foul or unsportsmanlike penalty.
“2” Rating – Below Average
Conduct and Sportsmanship
Team
members show verbal dissent towards officials and/or opposing team
members. The captain exhibits minor
control over teammates, but is still in control of him/herself. This is the highest rating that may be given
to a team receiving two technical fouls or unsportsmanlike penalties or that
had a player ejected.
“1” Rating – Poor Conduct and
Sportsmanship
Team
is completely uncooperative. Captain has
no control over teammates or themselves.
This is the highest rating that may be given to a team receiving three
technical fouls or unsportsmanlike penalties.
Any team receiving a rating of “1” will receive a forfeit.
Additional
Rules Regarding the Rating System
1.
If a team forfeits a game or a game is cancelled
due to inclement weather, both teams shall not receive a rating for that game.
2.
The ratings given by the intramural sports
officials are final and may not be changed subsequent to the game.
Disciplinary Guidelines
The following are
penalties guidelines for infractions. Each
situation will be handled on an individual basis and all interpretations will be made by
a/any member(s) of the Campus Recreation Intramural Staff. Multiple offenses of any combination of the
following infractions may result in a stiffer penalty.
·
Abusive
Language/Unnecessary Roughness.
1st Offense – One game suspension
2nd Offense – Two game
suspension
3rd Offense – Suspended from all
Intramural Activities for one semester
·
Physical
or Verbal Threat.
Ejected immediately by official or
supervisor
1st Offense - Letter sent and at
least a one game suspension up to one calendar year
2nd Offense – Suspension from
sport or permanent suspension
·
Fighting
/ Inciting a Fight
1st
Offense – Immediate ejection by supervisor/Campus Police, referred to Campus
Police and minimum 3 months up to 1 calendar year suspension
2nd Offense – Permanent
Suspension
·
Damage
to Facility/Equipment
Any
person causing damage to the Campus Recreation facilities or equipment will be
held financially responsible and individual/group privileges may be revoked
·
Assumed
Name/Fake ID
1st
Offense – Immediate ejection by Supervisor/Campus Safety and suspension from
the rest of the season for that sport
2nd Offense – Suspension from all
Intramurals for 1 year, registration fees not refunded