General Information
Philosophy: It is the philosophy and purpose of our middle school athletic department to maximize participation of our students in our athletic programs while maintaining a high standard of excellence in academics.
Required Forms: All athletes must have an IHSAA approved physical form on file in our office before he or she may participate in any practice or contest. ALL PHYSICALS MUST BE DATED AFTER APRIL 1 OF THE PRECEDING SCHOOL YEAR. The parent of the athlete must also complete the online signature forms before participation. These forms may on our school website. The high school and middle school athletic departments together offer a one time opportunity to get an athletic physical in the spring which is good for the following school year. These are offered at a reduced rate to be determined closer to the actual date. You are welcome to use your own family doctor instead if you prefer (at your own expense). Impact testing is also required for some sports. The athletic trainer will make that available here at school when it is required.
Eligibility: The athletic director will monitor the academic performance of student-athletes The athletic director retains the prerogative (in collaboration with parents, teachers, and coaches) to initiate an Athletic Contract at any time with the goal of improving academic performance before the final grading period reports. In order to remain eligible, any student-athlete who is not meeting course standards must enter into an “Athletic Contract” with parents, coach(es), and athletic director. The student-athlete will be allowed to participate in all team activities, except contests/competitions until the athletic director determines he/she has met the goals of the Athletic Contract. As long as said contract is fulfilled, the student-athlete will have probationary status until the next academic check-in. If said student-athlete does not fulfill the contract he/she will first be suspended from all team activities for one week. If the contract is not fulfilled for a second time, the student-athlete may be subject to further sanctions up to and including suspension from the team.
Health Insurance: The school does not provide, sponsor, nor administrate health insurance plans for athletes. Health insurance is the responsibility of the parent or guardian.
Athletic Trainer: ZMS provides an athletic trainer at most home events. We also try to have a trainer at road football and wrestling contests. Athletes from any ZMS team may see the trainer after school and/or at an athletic event. The athletic trainer may determine the fitness of the athlete to return to competition after sustaining an injury.
Athletic Locks and Procedure: Athletes who use an athletic locker will purchase a lock ($7) from the athletic dept. The athlete will keep and use this lock for all sports, tryouts, camps, etc. throughout his/her years at ZMS. This helps the athletes so they no longer have to learn a new combination every sport season and they don't have to wait until after tryouts for a lock. We require the locks to be from our athletic department so that in case of emergency, we have the key and combo for quick entry. Locks are sold to teams at the beginning of their sport season, or purchased from the AD anytime on an individual basis.
Attendance & Participation: A full day of attendance to class is required for an athlete to participate in a practice or contest. This does not include pre-arranged absences for medical or dental appointments, etc. For athletes who miss practice playing time may be affected at the coaches’ discretion. The team commitment is that athletes are expected to be at all practices unless excused for appointments, illness or emergencies.
Student-Athlete Code of Conduct: The student-athletes should conduct themselves in a way that does not discredit themselves, the team, the school, and community. All athletes and parents/guardians should read and familiarize themselves with the information in the student handbook with regards to student conduct.
Weather Cancellations: In the case of bad weather, some events may get canceled at the last minute. We try to make these decisions by 2:00pm when possible. Check the website first, but feel free to call the school if unsure.
Pictures: The athletes may choose to purchase individual shots at their own expense. These are prepaid on the day of the picture, usually early in the season.
Schedules On Line: All ZMS athletic schedules can be found on line at our school website by clicking on schools, Zionsville Middle School, Athletics, and then Schedules. You may also find information for athletics and other school events under "calendars" on the school website.