This is the operational checklist for the tournament weekend. The team manager owns it. The head coach signs off on it. The parents get a copy. The chaperones carry it.
The trip is supposed to be fun. The checklist exists so the fun is not interrupted by the thing that should have been planned for.
The roster master. Every player’s emergency contact, allergies, current medications including dosage and timing, and insurance information on a single password-protected document. Not an open Google Sheet. The team manager and the head coach have access. A printed sealed-envelope copy lives in the first-aid bag.
Transportation consent. Every player has a signed transportation consent form on file with the team. Names the authorized drivers, the kid’s pickup-and-dropoff people, and the emergency-transport authorization. Per-trip is better than season-long for high-stakes weekends.
Rooming. Minors with minors of similar age, no mixed-age pairings without parental written consent. Adults in adjacent or facing rooms, never the same room as minors. The chart is built and shared with parents at least 48 hours before departure.
Chaperones. Two named chaperones, vetted and trained for the role. Phone numbers in the team thread. One alternate chaperone identified in case of emergency.
Curfew and bed checks. Written curfew. Bed checks done by chaperones, not by the head coach alone. Document time and that all kids were in their assigned rooms.
Local medical info. The closest hospital with a pediatric ER, and the closest urgent care, for each tournament venue. Addresses, phone numbers, distances, expected drive time. Saved in the chaperones’ phone navigation apps before arrival.
AED location. Confirmed before warmups at each venue. Walk to it. Time the walk. If it is more than 90 seconds, that is a conversation with the tournament organizer.
First-aid kit and CPR coverage. The team’s sideline first-aid kit is stocked and on-site. At least the head coach and one chaperone are CPR/AED certified within their two-year window.
Weather policies. Heat and lightning policies confirmed in writing with the tournament organizer before the team arrives. Wet-bulb globe temperature thresholds for cancellation, lightning all-clear protocol. If these are vague in the tournament rule packet, ask before warmups.
AQI plan for smoke risk. For outdoor venues in the West or in any region where wildfire smoke is plausible, a published AQI threshold for cancellation. The AirNow app loaded on the chaperones’ phones with the venue zip code.
Photo and video policy. Distributed to parents in the trip packet. No images or videos of minors posted without parental consent. Especially relevant for changing rooms, hotel hallways, and post-game emotional moments.
Communication thread. A designated parent thread for daily updates while the team is away. Photos approved by the rooming policy, not freelance shots. One short update per day from the head coach or team manager.
SafeSport reporting line. 720-531-0340 saved in every chaperone’s phone. The number is for use during the trip if a chaperone needs to make a report or get guidance.
The night-before run-through. The Friday before the team leaves, the team manager runs through this list with the chaperones and the head coach in 15 minutes. Anything not checked, addressed.
When the team is back home Sunday night, the checklist gets reviewed. What worked, what did not, what gets adjusted before the next trip. Continuous improvement is how programs that travel a lot stay safe at the volume they travel at.