Dundas Dynamo
Overall Playing Time

In addition to the information listed on the "Fair Play" vs "Equal Play" sheet, there are a few more points I would like to make in regards to overall playing time.

As stated earlier, at the Novice, Atom, and Major Atom level, the OBA rules state that each girl must play a minimum number of shifts. The Dynamo Philosophy is that all he girls should have a chance to play the last quarter even if it is only 2 minutes, in comparison to some other girls who may play 5 or 6 minutes. We feel this is necessary at this level to encourage participation and learning.

The Dynamo Philosophy of Fair Play is represented by a number of variables. Number one would be attendance at practice. Girls who do not attend practices will not know what is expected of them at games therefore, they do not deserve, nor is there any justification in having them play equally with the girls that are always there. Missing one practice is not grounds for dismissal or benching, which is not something we are in the practice of doing, but the players and their parents need to know that chronic absenteeism will be. The same will apply to girls missing games due to injury or other reasons. If a player misses 1 or 2 games of a tournament and then shows up to the championship game, even though they have driven a long way, they cannot be expected to receive equal time during the final game. The other girls have committed themselves to the whole weekend and contributed to the team making it that far and therefore should see more court time. The second variable would be player’s attitude. All our coaches volunteer their time to teach their players about the game of basketball. They do this in a positive atmosphere and we expect our players to act accordingly. If a player’s attitude is detrimental to the team, they may be removed from that team. We have never had a problem with this and do not anticipate it happening this year.

All players will play equally if all players attend practices, attitude is positive and the skill levels are the same. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Some players are stronger than others, and because of this we at Dynamo have tried to create a balance between equal play and win at all costs philosophy. However, there will be times when players will see more court time than others. This may occur during close games and during championship competitions. This decision will be left to the discretion of the coaches.

Over the past 10 years, we have developed and modified our Philosophy to provide the most positive atmosphere for the players in our community. If you are in disagreement with our Philosophy and feel that all players should see the same amount of court time regardless of attendance, attitude, etc. then this may not be the program for you.