III. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A. TEAM MEMBERS

Team members should contribute to the team, help it grow and be an enjoyable experience, and they should be unconditionally supportive of their teammates.

Team members are responsible for scheduling lessons, paying in a timely manner, and notifying the coach at least 24 hours in advance if they will be missing a lesson.

All team members will ride as much as possible throughout the entire academic year. If team members are not riding most days, it is expected that they engage in some other physical activity, as riding does require a degree of athleticism and fitness. It is required that team members attend any mandatory meetings scheduled by the captains, faculty advisor, or coach if applicable. If a team member is unable to attend a mandatory team function, he/she should notify the captains as soon as possible.

Team members may decide on a per-semester basis whether they wish to be a showing team member.

All team members are responsible for:

• Purchasing an ASTM/SEI approved helmet
• Attending lessons with the team as often as possible during the show season and the off-season
• Responding promptly to captains' requests regarding meetings and paperwork
• Attending any mandatory team meetings and as many other team functions as possible (snacks, practices, parties, shows)
• Helping the team fundraise
• Paying team social dues
• Assisting in preparations for a Williams IHSA Horse Show

Showing team members are responsible for:

• Attending all team mounted practices and scheduling a make-up ride for any missed practices with the team coach (in the event that the rider fails to attend a team practice the week prior to a show, that rider will not compete in the show)
• Scheduling and attending additional lessons during the show season
• Attending team snacks before a show in which the rider plans to compete
• Obtaining and cleaning all their show equipment before competition regardless of whether the equipment belongs to the individual rider or is borrowed from the team's stock
• Reimbursing the team for the cost of entry fees within a reasonable period of time for any show to which the team member commits but fails to attend regardless of whether a substitute rider can be found (any extenuating circumstances will be reviewed by the student leadership of the team and faculty advisor)

The team's coach may suspend any team members from competition should they fail to fulfill these requirements.

In order to avoid confusion, contradiction, and intra-team conflict, team members should utilize the captains as resources and moderators for disputes and other criticisms. If team members have an issue with all of the captaincy, their next resource should be the faculty advisor. Additionally, it is important for team members to respect the position and roles of their captains. The captains are the team members' liaisons and advocates with the trainers/coach, faculty advisor, College Council, show officials, and IHSA.

**Note: It is illegal for anyone other than the team coach or, in the absence of a coach, the captains to approach show officials and judges!**

B. TEAM OFFICERS

The team officers must be enthusiastic, receptive, responsible, invested individuals who give their unquestioning dedication to the team and help it through its trials and tribulations, be they administrative or interpersonal. Two co-captains and one team manager will be responsible for successful management of the team and coordination of the rest of the team's leadership. No more than two of these team officers shall be seniors. It is the duty of experienced team officers to educate and train new team officers.

Elections of captains and team manager will be held after spring break, and overseen by the faculty advisor. Candidates for captain or team manager should submit a written self-nomination to the faculty advisor, who will then compile a master list of candidates for voting. Write-in votes will be accepted in the actual election. Only team members are allowed to vote. Those candidates for captaincy with the two highest vote totals will be elected to the two co-captain positions and the team manager candidate with the highest vote total will be elected as team manager. If the team wishes to impeach a captain, it will require a 2/3 vote of the team.

In the event that only one team member runs for the captaincy, the team must approve that individual's election with a 2/3 vote. An individually elected captain may then select a co-captain and team manager, provided that these individuals are willing and meet the requirements for office. These selected candidates, too, must be approved by the team with a 2/3 vote. Should no team members run for office, or should the single candidate not receive a 2/3 vote, the coach and/or faculty advisor may appoint the team officers.

It should be noted that the listed duties of team officers outlined below are not exhaustive and may change as the team grows. Additionally, the division of labor outlined below may be modified under the approval of the captains and holder of those positions involved in order to fit individual officers' experience or interests.

B.1. The responsibilities of the captains include:

• Holding regular meetings with the team, faculty advisor, and holding weekly meetings with the coach during the show season.
• Coordinating the team leadership
• Attending all IHSA meetings and shows
• Serving as liaisons between the team and coach/faculty advisor/show officials/judges/College Council
• Being non-judgmental and non-discriminatory on issues involving the team or individual team members
• Assisting other team members and the coach during horse shows. At the request of the coach, captains may (according to their level of experience) help "coach" teammates at the shows, providing encouragement and feedback
• Meeting with the Faculty Advisor twice each semester
• Meeting with the coach before each show to determine alternates in the case of restrictive entry limits (competing riders will be chosen based on seniority, dedication, and perceived contribution toward the team's overall competitiveness)
• Meeting regularly with the team manager and ensuring that all leadership roles and responsibilities are being taken care of
• Fostering an atmosphere of team unity and healthy competitiveness

The following are guidelines for ways that captains may divide up team duties. These duties should be clearly delineated and assigned no later than the second meeting of the new captaincy. Note: these duties may be shared and/or reallocated throughout the year depending on the captains' current needs and constraints. The importance of these guidelines is to ensure completion of key tasks and promote and equal division of labor.

Captain 1 is responsible for:

• Registering the team and individual team members in the IHSA.
• Submitting show entries
• Maintaining the team website
• Maintaining the team listserver
• Fulfilling the position of a treasurer, which includes but may not be limited to: cutting checks, keeping track of the budget, and attending College Council budget meetings.
• Helping to organize and run a home IHSA horse show

Captain 2 is responsible for:

B.2. The responsibilities of the team manager include:

• Ordering team gear, such as t-shirts, shorts, warm-ups, etc.
• Managing horse draw, the posting of classes and courses, and the team binder at away shows
• Keeping an accurate, current tally of individual and team point totals
• Coordinating on-campus publicity, such as DA/DM ads, all-campus emails, and posters
• Scheduling dates for team meeting and large social events like the end of the year banquet
• Organizing team fundraising efforts on campus
• Assisting captains in coordinating the team leadership, etc.

The captains will gradually acquaint the team manager with the duties and responsibilities assigned to the captaincy, such that the team manager will be familiar with all tasks by the time of the following year's elections. However, it is neither guaranteed nor required that the team manager become captain in subsequent years. Being team manager is not a prerequisite for becoming captain.

C. COACH

Any professional wishing to hold the title of coach for the team must:

• Be educated in hunt seat equitation
• Be or become knowledgeable concerning IHSA rules
• Be responsible for evaluating all members of the team for level placement in the IHSA
• Be responsible for approving the helmets of all team members
• Provide lessons to any team members that wish to lesson with him/her (at his/her appropriate fee)
• Set up and maintain lesson schedules and billing practices
• Attend weekly meetings with all captains at the same time during the show season
• Sign all paperwork necessary for registration and entry at shows
• Be present at all shows and provide coaching to all team members at shows
• Be present at all IHSA regional meetings
• Encourage a positive, supportive atmosphere and one of team unity

It is the coach's right to require a lesson and/or team practice with him/her from all showing members of the team each week during the show seasons, but the coach cannot restrict where a team member chooses to train regularly and cannot discriminate against team members who train with someone other than him/her.

The coach will enter into a contract with the team at the beginning of each academic year. All fees and practices shall be in writing in this contract. If the coach fails to meet any of the above requirements to the satisfaction of the captains and/or team, the team reserves the right to revoke the title of coach at the end of the showing season. A 2/3 vote of the showing members of the team and a 2/3 vote of the team officers is needed to revoke the title of coach. Additionally, the coach has the right to resign at the end of a semester's showing season. In either case, both parties will be notified of any changes in a timely manner.

D. FACULTY ADVISOR

The faculty advisor must have an interest in assisting the team in its endeavors and serve to validate the team in the eyes of the college and the IHSA. He/She signs as the college’s representative on all paperwork certifying the eligibility of the team and its members, and authorizing the continuation of the team as a college entity and within the IHSA. The faculty advisor may also serve as a liaison between the team and the college or the team and the coach, should conflict arise.

The faculty advisor is responsible for:

• Serving as the administrative representative of the college
• Serving as an official team contact for the IHSA and receiving all IHSA correspondence
• Meeting regularly with the team officers
• Acting as a an advisor to the team captains regarding team affairs
• Overseeing elections

IV. SHOW RESPONSIBILITIES

In the event that the Williams Equestrian Team holds an IHSA show, the responsibilities of the team and the coach and/or host of the show shall be delineated as follows. All responsibilities and fees shall be placed in writing in a contract signed prior to the show. It is expected that, with the exception of those duties that must be performed the day of the show, all obligations will be met within a reasonable period of time before the date of the show.

The responsibilities of the coach and/or host of the show are to:

• Assign stewards
• Inform the captains no later than a month prior to the date of the show what work the team will need to do to prepare all facilities adequately, including but not limited to cleaning or painting jumps (as needed), making sure the ring(s) is/are in adequate shape, clipping, grooming and braiding of horses, labeling of tack, and setting up the PA system
• Decide with the captains on a horse draw list and placement of horses in appropriate divisions
• Have on hand all tack at least one week prior to the date of the show, including saddle pads
• Provide all necessary equipment for maintenance of horses, including but not limited to boots, medications and other supplements, and bathing
• Trailer horses to the show location if horses are rented
• School horses adequately the day prior to the show and on the day of the show, and have reserved for this purpose an adequate amount of time and schooling riders
• Set appropriate fees

The responsibilities of the team officers are to:

• Secure a judge
• Decide with the coach on a horse draw list and placement of horses in appropriate divisions
• Obtain extra bathroom facilities
• Complete any paperwork, such as horse draw lists, programs, prize lists, and posting of courses
• Contact appropriate IHSA officials to obtain program information
• Provide ribbons and prizes
• Secure food for the day for show participants
• Run the coaches/captains meeting
• Secure EMTs for the day
• Provide judge accommodations such as food, assistants, etc., on the day of the show
• Manage registration, money, scratches, etc.

These responsibilities may be divided or shared between the captains and the team manager as agreed upon by the team leadership according to individual strengths and preferences.

The responsibilities of the team members are to:

• Help clean horses, tack, and the barn the day prior to and day of (before and after) the show
• Help prepare the show location by cleaning, painting, or organizing
• Manage horse holding and care on the day of the show
• Set up parking
• Do the announcing
• Keep six official programs with complete, accurate results
• Publicize on campus