Our goals for this year are primarily for the girls to have safe fun and to get some basic skills in basketball and sportsmanship. There will be no official score keeping and no winners or losers. It is the MLGBA's rule that all girls get equal playing time and play all positions every game. Enclosed is a rotation blank that has been helpful in the past, to keep track of who was in and in what position.

• All refereeing will be done by the coaches/asst. coaches/parent volunteer at each game (one from each team).
  
  
• The teams will play a zone defense.
  
  
• No pressing.
  
  
• All the girls fall back when the ball changes hands under a basket.
  
  
• We will stop the game for teaching points, but for the first half of the season, not penalize the girls for minor violations (traveling, backcourt, out of bounds, double dribble, dribbling with two hands, etc.)
  
  
• We will call fouls when they occur, explaining the violation, but they will lose the ball. Later in the season we will try foul shots.
  
  
• We will alternate taking the ball out instead of jump balls. Later in the season, some teams may be up to jump balls, at least at the beginning of the halves. But usually they waste so much playing time lining up its not worthwhile during the game. At that point the coaches can work out the specific details regarding jump balls at individual games.
  
  
• We have only one hour for each game with second grade playing four consecutive hours at Belmont Hills Elementary School 9-1 every Saturday.
  
  
• Please have a 10 minute warm-up and be ready to begin promptly at 10 past the hour.
  
  
• We will play two 20 minute halves with a 5 minute half time.
  
  
• There will be substitutions every five minutes
  
  
• The coach needs to assign a time keeper, who will call out substitution time
  
  
• The floor must be cleared on the hour for the next game.
  
  
• Each coach needs to have a first aide kit with ice at games and practices (see attachment)

It is imperative that the coaches enforce the following rules;

1. No jewelry, no pierced earrings
2. No long finger nails
3. No eating or drinking in the gym by children or parents
4. Coaches and the team sit on one side of the gym and parents/spectators on the other.
5. No parental sideline coaching, as it is very confusing for the girls. Feel free to speak to offenders and invite them to be part of the coaching staff next year.
6. The girls must be in uniform to play, with non-skid sneakers.
7. Encourage ponytails, hair out of the face, etc for saftey.
8. Parents must control other siblings in the gym, they may not go to other parts of the school. They must be adult supervised in the playground.

Also attached is a handout put together by Rich and Diane on coaching young girls. There are some really good pointers. Please read this and incorporate these principles and drills into your practices. Also enclosed are the general rules for the MLGBA. This document will serve as the "Rules for Second Grade" Any modifications, comments, questions, problems etc., let one of the commissioners know. Carol Lesch, Susan May, Donna McGowan, Chuck Schectman