Travel Policy
Des Moines Capitals Travel Policy
The Capitals travel regularly to play individual games, two or three games at a time, or in tournaments. The Capitals have established policies to guide our travel, minimize one-on-one interactions and reduce the risk of abuse or misconduct. Adherence to these travel guidelines will increase player safety and improve the player’s experience while keeping travel a fun and enjoyable experience.
We distinguish between travel to training, practice and local games or practices (“local travel”), and team travel involving a coordinated overnight stay (“team travel”).
Local Travel
Local travel occurs when the Capitals do not sponsor, coordinate, or arrange for travel.
• Players and/or their parents/guardians are responsible for making all arrangements for local travel. The team and its coaches, managers or administrators should avoid responsibility for arranging or coordinating local travel. It is the responsibility of the parents/guardians to ensure the person transporting the minor player maintains the proper safety and legal requirements, including, but not limited to, a valid driver’s license, automobile liability insurance, a vehicle in safe working order, and compliance with applicable state laws.
• The coaches and/or volunteers of the Capitals, who are not also acting as a parent, should not drive alone with an unrelated minor player and should only drive with at least two players or another adult at all times, unless otherwise agreed to by the minor player’s parent (preferably in writing).
• Where a coach and/or volunteer is involved in an unrelated minor player’s local travel, efforts should be made to ensure that the adult personnel are not alone with the unrelated player. In any case where coach and/or volunteer are involved in the player’s local travel, a parental release should be obtained in advance.
• Coaches and volunteers who are also a player’s parent or guardian may provide shared transportation for any player(s). It is recommended that they pick up their player first and drop off their player last in any shared or carpool travel arrangement.
• It is recognized that in some limited instances it will be unavoidable for a coach or volunteer of the Capitals to drive alone with an unrelated minor player. However, efforts should be made to minimize these occurrences and to mitigate any circumstances that could lead to allegations of abuse or misconduct.
Team Travel
Team travel is overnight travel that occurs when the Capitals coordinate or arrange for travel so that our team can compete locally, regionally or nationally. Because of the greater distances, coaches, volunteers and chaperones will often travel with the players.
• The Capitals will provide reasonable advance notice before team travel. Travel notice will also include designated team hotels for overnight stays as well as a contact person. This individual will be the point of contact to confirm your intention to travel and to help with travel details.
• The Capitals will make efforts to provide adequate supervision through coaches and other adult chaperones.• A coach shall not share a hotel room or other sleeping arrangement with a minor player (unless the coach is the parent, guardian or sibling of the player).
• Because of the greater distances, coaches, staff, volunteers, and chaperones will often travel with the players. No coach or volunteer will engage in team travel without the proper safety requirements in place and on record, including valid drivers’ licenses, automobile liability insurance as required by applicable state law, a vehicle in safe working order, and compliance with all state laws. All chaperones shall have been screened in compliance with the USA Hockey Screening Policy and if possible all team drivers (excluding commercial bus drivers) shall have been screened. A parent that has not been screened may participate in team activities and assist with supervision/monitoring of the players, but will not be permitted to have any one-on-one interactions with players.
• Players will share rooms with the appropriate number of players assigned per room depending on accommodations.
• The coach will establish a curfew by when all players must be in their hotel rooms or in a supervised location. Regular monitoring and curfew checks will be made of each room by at least two properly screened adults.
• Team personnel may ask hotels to block adult pay per view channels.
• Individual meetings between a player and coach should not occur in hotel sleeping rooms and should be held in public settings and with additional adults present.
• All players will be permitted to make regular check-in phone calls to parents. Team personnel shall allow for any unscheduled check in phone calls initiated by either the player or parents.
• The team will make every effort to accommodate reasonable parental requests when a child is away from home without a parent. If any special arrangements are necessary for your child, please contact team personnel who can either make or assist with making those arrangements.
• If disciplinary action against a player is required while the player is traveling without his/her parents, then except where immediate action is necessary, parents will be notified before any action is taken or immediately after the action.
• In all cases involving travel, parents have the right to transport their minor player and have the minor player stay in their hotel room.
• During team travel, coaches, team personnel and chaperones will help players, fellow coaches and team personnel adhere to policy guidelines, including, without limitation, the Travel Policy and Locker Room Policy.
• Prior to any travel, coaches will endeavor to make players and parents aware of all expectations and rules. Coaches will also support chaperones and/or participate in the monitoring of the players for adherence to curfew restrictions and other travel rules.