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Weather Cancellation Policy Soccer is an all-weather
sport. We will generally play under rainy conditions. Unless you receive
official word of game cancellations due to weather, teams should report
to the field. As you know, the weather changes quickly in this area. We
will not play games when lightning enters the area or if the weather
makes the fields unsafe. We clear the field for until 30 minutes after
the last lightning strike has been spotted. GHSC will make this
decision.
We cancel games due to: (1) lightning, driving rain,
or other conditions making play dangerous or impractical or (2) ground
so wet that play be unsafe or will damage the fields, (3) temperature or
wind chill below our published limits.
We don't cancel merely
because it's raining or snowing. Announcements will be on the rainout
number 913-312-7390 as soon as a decision is made. Please call that
number first to listen to the latest message, and then Green Hills
Soccer Club advises that coaches and parents call their team's phone
tree so that word of last-minute cancellations can be spread quickly. The
President or the Board Member of GHSC in charge of that day's game will
cancel games at GHSC fields after consulting with the Field and
Maintenance Chairman and the Chairman of the Referee Committee for
reasons outlined below. All efforts will be made to have a decision at
least 1 hour before game starting time, but it may not always be
possible maintain that 1 hour interval with the first games of the day.
The goal of this policy is that both teams of games will have a clear
understanding on whether the game has been canceled and to avoid
situations in which one team comes and its opponent does not.
The
judgment to cancel or to suspend games because of miserable weather
will be based on a combination of cold, wind and rain or can be made
because the field conditions are to poor for safe play or to use them
would unreasonably damage the fields. When games are played on fields
with poor or unsafe conditions, it often will cause irreversible damage
to the field. It takes months, sometimes years, for the field to get
back into a quality playing condition.
Typical reasons that the
fields may be closed, even if bad weather has passed, include persistent
snow on the ground and rain that has been so pervasive that the fields
cannot be drained in time and would be torn up through use.
Depending
on the situation, it is possible that only one or two hours' worth of
games are canceled (e.g., a light snow that will melt off or a passing
thunderstorm), rather than a whole day's worth of games.
If
games are canceled due to weather, GHSC will re-schedule them as soon as
possible and notify coaches of the new date and times.
Authority
of the Referee. The referee of a game may suspend play on his or her
sole judgment due to poor weather or adverse field conditions, even if
the GHSC fields have not been closed. During games, any referee hearing
thunder or seeing lightning will suspend or cancel play on his field.
Players and spectators will be asked to clear the field and seek
shelter. If games are more than half over, they should be considered
complete. Other games may be resumed after the weather has passed.
There will be a 30 minute wait until after the last lightning or thunder
before play will be resumed.
Games, once restarted, must end at
least 5 minutes before the next scheduled game on that field. This
implies that interrupted games, which are being played on a field that
is also scheduled for use in the next time-slot, will need to be
rescheduled for another time or must resume play on an unscheduled
field, subject to the availability of the referee.
During
practices, any coach hearing thunder or being informed that thunder was
heard will tell the players to clear the field and seek shelter in
vehicles, and will inform other coaches so that all practice at the
facility is stopped. Practices that are one half or more completed
will be considered complete; kids should go home and not wait for a
restart of practice. Coaches should not leave until last child has gone
home. There will be a 30-minute delay after last occurrence of lightning
(or thunder) before practice is restarted.
Upon the suspension of play, teams must go to their vehicles do not leave the site until games or practices have been canceled.
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