BY-LAWS OF THE
LOUISIANA HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER COACHES' ASSOCIATION
1.0 Membership
1.1 In order to be a member in good
standing in the association, each member must pay annual dues by the date
imposed.
1.2
An application must accompany the dues.
1.2.1 The
application must be approved by the Executive Committee.
1.2.2 If
membership is denied, the President shall give written notice to the principal,
athletic director or the coach of the reasons why membership was denied. In
order to reapply, the applicant must wait one school calendar year.
ARTICLE II--FEES
2.0 Annual dues of twenty dollars
will cover the period of September 1 through August 31 if paid by January 15th. Dues paid after January 15 are thirty
dollars.
2.1 All checks should be made
payable to the LHSSCA and sent to address listed on the yearly application for
membership.
2.2 Any member in arrears of dues by
the due date of payment shall be suspended from the privileges of this
association.
2.2.1 The
executive committee will reserve the right to review any extenuating
circumstances.
3.0
Executive
Committee
3.1 The Executive Committee will be
comprised of the President, 1st Vice-President, and 2nd
Vice-President. Boys and Girls Division shall be represented on the Executive
Committee.
3.1.1 Duties
of the Executive Committee
3.1.1.1 The
President shall be responsible for calling and presiding over meetings;
preparing the agenda for each meeting; maintaining relations with the various
outside sports organizations that may be relevant to soccer; shall collect all
dues associated with membership; will be responsible for all financial matters
pertaining to this organization and will report to the members at each
meeting. The President will represent
the LHSSCA on the Executive Council of the LHSCA. The President shall also be responsible for the public relations
of the LHSSCA.
3.1.1.2
1st Vice-President shall assume the
duties of the President in the event of his/her absence; is responsible for the
membership directory of
either the boys or girls
division. The 1st
Vice-President will oversee the Academic All-State process for the boys or
girls division. Finally, the 1st
Vice-President will conduct the All-State process for the boys or girls
division.
3.1.1.3 The 2nd
Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in the event of the
absence of both the President and the 1st Vice-president; is
responsible for the membership directory of either the boys or girls
division. The 1st
Vice-President will oversee the Academic All-State process for the boys or
girls division. Finally, the 2nd Vice-President will conduct the
All-State balloting for the boys or girls division.
3.2 Appointed Officers
3.3 Appointed officers shall include
the Secretary/Treasurer.
3.3.1 Duties
of the Appointed Officers
3.3.1.1 The
Secretary/Treasurer will assist the President with all financial matters of the
LHSSCA; will be able to sign on the association's checking account; will give a
financial report to the members at the spring general membership meeting; will
communicate the All-State Teams and Coach of the Year awards to the media of
the entire state. The
Secretary/Treasurer will generally assist the President with all communications
and public relations of the LHSSCA.
3.4 School Head Advisor
3.5 The
Executive Committee shall appoint the position of School Head Advisor for a
two-year term.
3.5.1 Unless
otherwise decided upon by the Executive committee, the School Head Advisor will
generally be the principal or head master of the school of the president of the
LHSSCA.
3.5.2 Duties
of the School Head Advisor
3.5.2.1 The
School Head Advisor will act as liaison for the members of the LHSSCA and the
LHSAA; will inform principals/headmasters of association agendas when
necessary.
ARTICLE IV--VOTING
4.0 Each member is permitted one vote per
issue.
4.1 Issues
other than membership will require participation by at least fifty percent of the
membership in attendance at a meeting, or at least fifty percent response to a
mail-out (or email) vote, with a simple majority of the fifty- percent
necessary for a decision to be reached.
ARTICLE V--ALL STATE PROCESS
5.0 All State Selection
5.1 Each division in both boys and
girls will select an All-State team.
5.1.1 Nominations
5.1.1.1 Any
member may nominate players or coaches from his/her division. The players may be from the nominating
coach's team or from an opposing team.
5.1.1.1.1 NOTE: Players whose coaches are not LHSSCA members
are still eligible for nomination and selection provided that he or she is
nominated and/or voted upon by LHSSCA members.
5.1.1.2 Nomination
forms will only be accepted from the members in good standing who have paid
their dues by the appropriate deadline.
5.1.1.3 Nomination
forms are due to the 1st or 2nd Vice-President within 48
hours after the respective division's Semi-Finals.
5.1.1.3.1
Nomination forms may be sent to the 1st or 2nd Vice-President
any time after the respective division's playoffs have begun.
5.1.2 Balloting
5.1.2.1 A ballot
will be created from the nominations and distributed to the members within 48
hours of the completion of the division's respective State Championship.
5.1.2.2 Members
who did not send in nominations are still eligible to vote.
5.1.3 Voting
5.1.3.1 Only members in good standing
may vote for the All-State teams.
5.1.3.2 Each
member school may send in only one ballot for their respective boys and/or
girls divisions.
5.1.3.3 A
coach/member may vote for players of his/her own team.
5.1.3.4 Each
ballot must be identified with the member’s signature and school of
association. (Note: Typing a name in an electronic blank
constitutes a coach’s signature.)
5.1.3.5 Each
member may vote for up to 14 players in your respective division
(including your own), one State MVP, and one Coach of the Year.
5.1.4 Naming of All-State Teams
5.1.4.1 All-State first and second teams
shall be named for each division (Boys and Girls).
5.1.4.2 There
shall be at least ten field players and one goalkeeper named to the first team.
5.1.4.2.1 Players
making the first team shall be determined by a combination of two factors
including the total number of voters in the division
and the
natural cutoff (or break point) of the votes.
5.1.4.2.2
A player must receive a minimum of
four votes in order to be considered for the 1st team.
5.1.4.2.3 The
results of the voting will be available to any member of the LHSSCA at the
spring general membership meeting.
Immediately after the meeting all ballots will be destroyed.
5.1.4.3 There
shall be at least ten field players and one goalkeeper named to the second
team.
5.1.4.3.1
Players making the second team shall be determined
by a combination of two factors including the total number of voters in the
division
and the natural cutoff (or break point) of the votes.
5.1.4.3.2
A player must receive a minimum
of three votes in order to be considered for the second team.
5.1.4.3.2
The results of the voting will be available to any
member of the LHSSCA at the spring general membership meeting. Immediately
after
the meeting all ballots will be destroyed.
5.1.5 State
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
5.1.5.1 Each division in both boys and
girls will name a Most Valuable Player.
5.1.5.2 The
player who receives the most MVP votes will be named the LHSSCA State’s Most
Valuable player.
5.1.5.2.1 The MVP does not necessarily have to have
the most 1st Team votes because there is separate voting for the
MVP.
5.1.5.2.2
If two or more players receive the same number of MVP votes, the tie
will be broken by using the number of 1st team votes.
5.1.5.2.3 If the number of MVP votes is tied, and the number of 1st
team votes is tied, then CO-MVP’s will be named.
5.1.6 Coach of the Year
5.1.6.1 In order to be selected as Coach of the Year, the
coach must be a LHSSCA member in good standing.
5.1.6.2 The Coach of the Year balloting will occur as part
of the All-State balloting.
5.1.6.3 The Coach who receives the most votes in each
division shall be named the LHSSCA Coach of the Year.
5.1.6.3.1
If the number of votes is tied, each coach will receive the
distinction of being named Coach of the Year.
6.0 Academic All-State
6.1 Each division in both boys and
girls will select an Academic All-State team.
6.2 Criteria
6.2.1 Each varsity head soccer coach will nominate
varsity soccer players who meet the following criteria:
6.2.1.1 The nominated player must be in his
or her senior year in high school.
6.2.1.2
The nominated player must have a minimum of an
accumulated 3.50 grade point average
based
on a 4.0 scale for his seven previous
semesters
in high school.
6.2.1.2.1 Do not give extra quality points for honors courses, AP
courses or other extra quality point courses.
(A=4; B=3; C=2; D=1; F=0).
6.2.1.2.2 GPA is based on first seven (7) semester grades. Be sure to include the 1st semester of
senior year.
6.2.1.2.3 GPA must be carried out to two (2) places. Round to the nearest hundredths place.
(3.489 becomes 3.50)
6.2.1.2.4 Use your school’s system of computing GPA’s for
graduation.
6.2.1.3 The nominated player shall have exhibited
excellence in high school soccer.
Coaches will use discretion to determine “excellence” in high school soccer.
6.3
Selection
and Recognition
6.3.1 Student-Athletes
who meet all of the criteria mentioned in section 6.2 shall be considered
Academic All-State.
6.3.2 Schools
may honor their student-athletes as they see fit. However, the LHSSCA requires the following:
6.3.2.1
Student-Athletes should not be recognized as Academic All-State players
until:
6.3.2.1.1 The completion of the high school soccer season.
6.3.2.1.2 Their school’s All-District selections have been
completed.
6.3.2.1.3 The grades of the nominee are verified by their schools’
academic administrator, senior guidance counselor or athletic director.
6.4
Promotion
and Publication
6.4.1 The LHSSCA will promote and
publicize the Academic All-State teams during the weekend after the State
Championship matches.
6.4.1.1
Schools wanting to have their
student-athletes publicly recognized must email, fax, or mail the enclosed
LHSSCA form the corresponding
Vice-President (Boys or
Girls) by the due date.
6.4.1.2
Schools must use the official form to send in the
Academic All-State selections to the LHSSCA.
(All detailed information about each student-
athlete will be held in the
strictest of confidence. Only the names
and positions of the selected students will be released to the media.)
6.4.1.3 Schools may
reproduce the official LHSSCA Academic All-State certificate to give to their
selections.
6.5
Oversight
6.5.1 The
Executive committee reserves the right to insure the legitimate conduct of the
Academic All-State process.
7.0 Hall of Fame
7.1 The LHSSCA will name at least two persons per year to the
LHSSCA Hall of Fame.
7.2 Nominations,
with resume, must be submitted to the President and postmarked no later than
January 31st.
7.3 The
Executive Committee will select members to the Hall of Fame from the
nominations. The recipients will
receive a plaque at the annual All-Star Classic.
7.3.1 The
President will keep an on-going file of nominations to be considered each
year. Future nominations will be
selected from the historical nominations or the current year's nominations.
8.0 Appellate Process
8.1 All
appeals regarding a member's unsporting conduct, unprofessional conduct, or
violating the association Constitution or By-laws must be directed to the
President. The President will bring this issue to the Executive Committee and
will be dealt with in accordance to the LHSAA rules and regulations.
8.2 Any member is entitled to a hearing
before the Executive Committee. All
appeals will be heard at the spring general membership meeting.
9.0 All Freshmen Team Selection
9.1 Each division in both boys and
girls will select an All-Freshmen team.
9.1.1 Nominations
9.1.1.1
Any member may nominate freshmen from his/her
division. The players may be from the
nominating coach's team or from an opposing
team.
9.1.1.2
In order to be eligible, a player must be a
first-year freshman in high school and must have met the criteria to letter on
his/her school’s
varsity
team as a freshman.
9.1.1.3 Nomination forms will only be
accepted from the members in good standing who have paid their dues by the
appropriate deadline.
9.1.1.3.2 Players
whose coaches are not LHSSCA members are still eligible for nomination and
selection provided that he or she is nominated
and/or
voted upon by LHSSCA members.
9.1.1.4 Nomination forms are due to the
1st or 2nd Vice-President at the same time as the all-state
and academic all-state nominations.
9.1.1.4.1 Nomination forms may be sent to the 1st or 2nd
Vice-President any time after the respective division's playoffs have begun.
9.1.2 Selection
9.1.2.1 The 1st and 2nd
Vice-Presidents shall select committees in each of the three divisions to
review the nominations. The committees
may not consist of more than one member from a district and
should, whenever possible, reflect geographic balance.
9.1.2.2 Member coaches wishing to serve on the
All-Freshmen Selection Committee should notify their appropriate Vice-President
in writing.
9.1.3 Voting
9.1.3.1
The committee members
must submit their rankings of the nominated players to the appropriate
Vice-President by the deadline that is
imposed for the all-state team selections.
9.1.3.2
Each team should consist
of at least ten field players and one goalkeeper (if a goalkeeper is
nominated). There does not have to be a
second team if the committee determines there to
have been insufficient nominations of appropriate quality.
9.1.3.3
A committee member may vote for players of his/her
own team.
9.1.4
Results
The results of the All-Freshmen Committee’s selection process will be made available at the annual spring membership meeting.
10.0
Milton “Milt’ Gaudet Coach’s Award
10.1
Milton “Milt” Gaudet was
the first coach of St. Mary’s Dominican High School in New Orleans when the
program began in 1993. He had already
enjoyed a successful coaching career in baseball, basketball and football in
Louisiana and Texas, but he would return from retirement to coach a new sport
and work with young women. From its
inception, Milt would plant the seeds of success for the growing Dominican
program. He would be honored with the
District Coach of the Year award in 1997, and his final year of coaching in
1999-2000 saw the very beginnings of a team that would win the school’s first
state championship in 2003. Milt passed
away in September of 2007.
10.2
This award will be bestowed upon a coach whose team shows significant
on-the-field improvement during a period of at least one year. The coach should also display some of the
many qualities that Milt displayed: a genuine concern for student athletes,
leadership, spirit, generosity, and sportsmanship.
10.3
The committee chairman shall be the vice-president in
charge of the girls’ division. He/she
shall appoint a committee of other LHSSCA member coaches in the girls’ division
with the advice and consent of the President.
10.4
The nomination form will be distributed to member coaches
and made available on the LHSSCA website.
10.5
LHSSCA members may nominate any other LHSSCA member coach
in the girls’ division.
10.6
Nominations, with any attachments, shall be submitted in
writing to the Vice President in charge of the girls’ division, who will serve
as chairperson of the Milt Gaudet Coach’s Award Committee. Nominations will be due at the same time as
the nominations for all-state.
10.7
Committee members shall select one recipient from the
nominations received.
10.8
The recipient will be invited to attend the annual spring
meeting of the LHSSCA and will receive a commemorative plaque.
11.0
Robyn DesOrmeaux Courage Award
11.1 The award recognizes the tremendous courage
displayed by Robyn DesOrmeaux. Robyn is
a former Carencro High School and Louisiana State University goalkeeper. When Robyn finished her career, she was
second in LSU women’s soccer history all-time in career saves and shutouts
despite being able to play only two full seasons due to injuries. In November of 2004, Robyn was diagnosed
with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.
At the time of her diagnosis, she was given only a ten-percent survival
rate chance. She has aggressively
battled the disease since then, including a period of remission.
11.2
This award will be bestowed
annually upon a Louisiana girls’ high school soccer player from an LHSSCA
member school who has displayed some sort of courageous act on or off the field
including, but not necessarily limited to, overcoming an injury or physical
handicap or living through a specific hardship.
11.3
The committee chairman shall be the vice-president in
charge of the girls’ division. He/she
shall appoint a committee with the advice and consent of the President.
11.4
The nomination form will be distributed to member coaches
and made available on the LHSSCA website.
11.5
LHSSCA members may nominate any female high school soccer
player from an LHSSCA member school.
11.6
Nominations, with any attachments, shall be submitted in
writing to the Vice President in charge of the girls’ division, who will serve
as chairperson of the Robyn DesOrmeaux Courage Award Committee. Nominations will be due at the same time as
the nominations for all-state.
11.7
Committee members shall select one recipient from the
nominations received.
11.8
The recipient will be recognized at the annual LHSSCA
spring coaches’ meeting, and she will receive a commemorative plaque.
12.0
The Distinguished Alumnus Award
12.1
The recipients of the
LHSSCA Distinguished Alumnus Award have made outstanding contributions that
have furthered the development and/or recognition of high school soccer in the state of
Louisiana and/or the growth of the LHSSCA or has/have made an outstanding
contribution in a significant endeavor outside of soccer.
12.2
The Distinguished Alumnus
Award will be bestowed annually to at least two candidates who meet the
qualifications as described in 12.1.
12.3
The committee chairperson shall be the vice-president in
charge of the boys’ division. The committee
shall include the members of the Executive Committee and others as nominated by
the chairperson.
12.4
The nomination form will be distributed to member coaches
and made available on the LHSSCA website.
12.5
LHSSCA members may nominate any candidate who meets the
qualifications as described in 12.1.
12.6
Nominations, with any attachments, shall be submitted in
writing to the Vice President in charge of the boys’ division. Nominations will be due no later than January
31st.
12.7
Committee members shall select at least two recipients
from the nominations received.
12.8
The recipients will be invited to attend the annual LHSSCA
spring coaches’ meeting, where they will be recognized and will receive a
commemorative plaque.
ARTICLE XIII –
SENIOR SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
13.0 Senior Scholarship Award
13.1
Two monetary awards will
be given to graduating seniors from each graduating class beginning with the
class of 2009. One award will be for a
boy and one for a girl from LHSSCA member schools. These awards will be a
one-time, non-renewable award.
13.2
Applicants must be
graduating seniors from an LHSSCA member school who intend to attend a two-year
or four-year college or university.
13.3
Applicants must be in at
least the top 25% of their graduating class.
13.4
Applicants cannot have
accepted an athletic scholarship from their college of matriculation.
13.5
Applicants must
demonstrate solid citizenship, evidence a contribution to the soccer community
at large, and must have participated at the varsity level in their high
school.
13.6
Applicants must secure
two letters of recommendation: one from an eleventh or twelfth grade teacher,
and one from a member of the applicant's community. Neither of these should
be from the applicant’s soccer coach(es).
13.7
There will be no limit
to the number of applicants from a school.
13.8
Completed applications
must be submitted by January 15 to the LHSSCA President, who will chair the
senior scholarship committee. If he/she so chooses, the President may choose
another Executive Committee member to chair the committee.
13.9
The LHSSCA President or
his/her designee shall appoint members of the committee.
13.10
The committee shall
review the applications and select three finalists in priority order to forward
to the LHSSCA Executive Committee by March 1. Once the Executive Committee
accepts the recommendation of the selection committee, the recipients will be
contacted, and those who applied and were not selected will be notified. This will be completed no later than March
31.
13.11
The selection
committee will consider the entire application determining the finalists. No one section of the application is more important
than any other. (For example, the best on-the-field player does not have an
advantage over a player who was a reserve player.)
14.0 All Star Soccer Classic
14.1 The all-star soccer matches
will be sponsored by the LHSSCA and played on a Saturday in July pending
availability of the facility. In the event of a rainout,
there will not be a make-up
date.
14.2 Selection Committee
The LHSSCA Executive Committee
will select one member head soccer coach from each classification to represent
their division on the respective East or West All-Star selection committee along
with two at-large members for the East and two at-large members for the
West. The Vice Presidents will chair
the respective committees for the appropriate genders.
14.3 Coaching Staffs
The LHSSCA Executive Committee will select a head coach and two assistant coaches for the East and West All-Star teams. The coaches must be members of the LHSSCA in good standing for the current school year in order to be considered.
14.4 Squad Nomination
All Star candidates may be nominated to their
respective team by their coach, another member soccer coach, or any member of
the All Star selection committee, and provided that a nomination form is filled
out at the time or prior to the selection date. Position played must be listed on the All Star form.
14.5
Squad
Selection
14.5.1
Each
squad must consist of at least two goalkeepers, four fullbacks, four
midfielders, and four forwards. The
remaining players to reach the maximum total of 22 will be selected at-large by
the selection committee. All players on
both squads must be graduated seniors who have completed their fourth year of
high school eligibility. A list of at
least ten alternates will also be compiled.
14.5.2
No
school may be represented by more than two players per gender on the match
rosters that are initially selected.
14.5.3
Representation
on each team must include players from all three classifications. The formula for representation will be based
upon the number of soccer-playing schools within each classification. Consideration will be given to position
played. Alternates will be chosen first
based on position played.
14.5.4
If
any All Star does not accept his/her invitation to play in the game, a
selection will be made from the respective list of alternates with playing
position considered first.
14.6
Registration
and Schedule for the Day
14.6.1
The Executive Committee will set the schedule for the day
of the All-Star Classic.
14.6.2
All Star
coaches will report by the time designated by the LHSSCA Executive Committee
the day prior to the match. These
coaches must also attend the LHSAA soccer business meeting and coaches’ clinic
during July.
14.6.3
If an All Star player has not reported to the site by the
close of registration on the date published, he/she may be replaced unless
he/she has notified the LHSSCA of the reason for being late. The original player will not be contacted if
a replacement is selected.
14.6.4
Each All-Star player must bring gear appropriate to
his/her position.
14.7
All-Star Matches
14.7.1
The match will be a regulation
match consisting of two forty-minute halves.
If the match is tied at the conclusion of regulation, then the playoff
overtime, sudden death, and FIFA penalty kicks will be followed as needed.
14.7.2
All players on the roster shall
play at least approximately 1/3 of the match (roughly 25 minutes). The head coach has complete authority to
designate his/her starting line-up.
Prior to the match, the “home” team will be decided by the flip of a
coin.
14.7.3
Except for special All-Star rules
affecting play, the game will be played under National Federation Soccer Playing
Rules and officiated by LHSAA-registered officials. The LHSSCA Executive Committee is responsible for securing match
officials.
14.8 Oversight
The LHSSCA Executive Committee shall make all other necessary arrangements and agreements and provide necessary oversight for the function of the All-Star Classic as a quality soccer event.
ARTICLE XV--AMENDMENTS
15.0 Amendments
15.1 These
by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the
annual general membership meeting provided that proposed amendments have been
submitted in writing to the Executive Committee and placed on the agenda for
the meeting. Any approved amendments will be put into effect the following
season.
15.1.1 The
Executive Committee may institute emergency amendments.