March 29, 2000
DEFINITIONS
Skill of the sport:
Those basic physical actions, techniques and procedures that have been
determined by the IHSA Board of Directors to be essential to the sport.
Following is a listing of interscholastic sports and the skill(s) of
each sport for which IHSA maintains a season as determined by the Board
of Directors:
Badminton: Striking or simulating the striking of a shuttlecock with a racquet in the form of serving or returning.
Baseball: Using or simulating the use of a bat, ball or glove to hit, throw, catch or pitch. Running bases.
Basketball: Any shooting, passing, dribbling, rebounding, shot blocking, defending activity using or simulating the use of a basketball.
Bowling: Any delivery or simulated delivery of a bowling ball on any surface toward bowling pins.
Cross Country: Running any distance on any surface other than a track.
Football: Any blocking, tackling, catching, punting, kicking or throwing activity using or simulating the use of a football, or using any traditional football training equipment, including, but not limited to blocking sleds or blocking dummies.
Golf: Striking a golf ball with a club in any manner, such as pitching, driving, putting, chipping.
Gymnastics: Any activity which uses or simulates use of apparatus such as a mat, vaulting horse, pommel horse, horizontal bars, parallel bars, uneven bars, still rings, spring board, mini-trampoline, trampoline, etc. including but not limited to balances; mounts or dismounts; flight, free, connected, locomotor, non-locomotor, or bounding movements; turns; twists, or swings.
Soccer: Any dribbling, passing, throw-ins, kicks, shooting, heading, tackling, or goal keeping using or simulating the use of a soccer ball, or any other equipment used in playing the game of soccer.
Swimming and Diving: Any activity in which participants turn, start, kick, dive including entering water from a springboard or starting platform, or propel themselves through water by means of any stroke, including but not limited to freestyle, backstroke, butterfly or breaststroke.
Tennis: Striking or simulating the striking of a ball with a racquet in any manner, including, but not limited to forehand, backhand, serve, return, volley, lob or overhead hit.
Track and Field: Running any distance on a track, jumping for height or distance, throwing using any implement, technique or motion associated with any field event.
Volleyball: Any passing, setting, digging, spiking, tipping, dumping or blocking activity using or simulating the use of a volleyball or using any volleyball competitive equipment a ball and a net.
Water Polo: Any dribbling, throwing, shooting, passing or goalkeeping activity using or simulating the use of a water polo ball.
Wrestling: Any activity in which participants engage in or simulate set-ups, takedowns, reversals, throws, escapes, riding or nearfalls.
Participate:
To be present for and personally engage in any organized tryout, drill,
practice, training or competition activity for a sport.
School season:
The period of time a school may conduct activity in a sport, commencing
with the date on which a school engages in its first contest at any
level and ending with the date of the school's last contest at any level
in any given school term.
School team:
An entity comprised of one or more students in a school, under the
control and conduct of the school, which represents the school in
interscholastic athletic competition.
Competition "in" or "that involves" the skill
of the sport:
An event in which teams and/or individuals compete against one another,
utilizing one or more of the skills of the sports listed above, under
specified competition rules, to determine one or more winner(s).
Demonstration:
The act, process or means of making one's ability, skill or potential to
play a sport evident to one or more observers.
Tryout:
An organized occasion on which one is considered for selection to a team
in a sport by undergoing evaluation of the ability, skill or potential
to play the sport.
Team activity:
Anything done by the team or its members together to plan for, prepare
for, travel to, compete in or evaluate after the completion of
non-school competition.
A coach:
Any person, regardless of whether they are employed or volunteer, who
instructs, supervises, or otherwise manages student athletes in
conjunction with a practice, tryout, drill, workout, evaluation, or
competition activity.
Involved in any respect:
Engaging in anything to do with the non-school team, including, but not
be limited to coaching, scheduling, transporting, officiating and hiring
of officials, training, taping, managing team expenses, purchase of
uniforms and equipment, etc.
College, junior college or university athletic team:
An organized team in a sport sponsored and operated by a college, junior
college or university.
Culminate in Competition:
Organized competition which is held for teams or individuals within two
weeks of the first session of a non-school instructional program
School Year:
That period of time commencing with the first day of school in the fall
and culminating on the last day of school in the spring, commonly called
school term.
Coaching school, camp or clinic:
An organized event at which instruction in a sport is given to three or
more students simultaneously and/or collectively.
Week No. 4 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar. The IHSA Standardized Calendar utilizes the first full seven day week of July that begins on Sunday as Week No. 1. Week No. 4 in the Standardized Calendar starts on Sunday, July 23, in 2000, Sunday, July 22, in 2001, and Sunday, July 28 in 2002.
Physical Conditioning Programs:
Organized physical activity performed without use of any "skill of
a sport" which is designed and intended exclusive to facilitate the
development of physical strength, agility, muscle tone, stamina
flexibility and general physical fitness of participants.
Recreational Programs:
Organized free play, with no instruction, coaching or participant
evaluation of any kind, with the exclusive goal of providing enjoyable
physical activity to participants in more than one sport at any and all
times.
Scrimmage:
Practice under actual or simulated game-play conditions, involving
members of one or more individual teams.
Game:
An organized contest between two different teams.
By-laws and Illustrations
3.111 During the school season for a given sport, in a school which maintains a school team in that sport, a student shall not participate on any non-school team, nor as an individual unattached in non-school competition, in that given sport, or in any competition that involves the skill of the sport in question. Violation shall cause ineligibility for a period not exceed 365 days. An exception may be made by the Executive Director under the guidelines adopted by the Board of Directors for competitions sponsored and conducted directly by the National Governing Body for the sport.
1. Q. May a student participate on a team or as an individual
outside their school?
A. Yes, provided such participation does not occur during the school
season for the sport, as defined above.
2. Q May a student who is a member of a school cross country team run in a 10K road race apart from the school cross country program during the school cross country season?
A. No. "Running on any surface other than a track" is defined by the Board of Directors as a skill of the sport of cross country. NOTE: This illustration can be applied to any sport and/or season by referring to the definition of "skill of the sport" and accompanying list of skills determined for each interscholastic sport by the Board of Directors. See definitions above.
3. Q. Is there a difference between "skill of the sport" and "skills of a particular event" in a sport, in regard to competition in "the skill of the sport?"
A. No. The list of "skills of the sport" which the Board of Directors has determined are essential to each sport (see above), are applicable to any and all events within a sport, regardless of whether a particular event utilizes a specific skill or not. For example, since "running any distance on a track" is a skill essential to the sport of track and field, a discus thrower, whose specific track and field event may not utilize the skill of running, is still prohibited from engaging in non-school running competition during the school track and field season, because "running" is a skill of his/her sport.
4. Q. Is there any circumstance in which special permission may be granted to permit a student to compete in a non-school event in or utilizing "the skill of the sport," during the school season for the sport?
A. Yes. The Executive Director may make an exception under guidelines adopted by the Board of Directors for competitions sponsored and conducted directly by the national governing body for the sport.
Suggested Guidelines:
1. Submission of a completed request form and the required supplementary
documents;
2. Submission of written verification from the National Governing Body
for the sport that it is the sponsor and will conduct the event.
5. Q. How is the term "maintains a school team" defined
in the context of a school which does not sponsor or otherwise
facilitate competition in a sport during the regular season (see By-laws
5.000 - 5.450)?
A. Such a school is considered to be "maintaining a school
team" on the date any student first represents the school in an
interscholastic contest in the sport. Beginning on that date, any
student from the school who subsequently practices or competes outside
the school in the sport, will violate this by-law.
6. Q. May a high school student-athlete be randomly selected from
the crowd at a sports event to shoot from half-court and win a prize if
the shot is made?
A. Yes. Performance of an athletic feat when randomly selected and when
the feat does not involve competition against other individuals, is not
considered to be "competition in the skill of the sport.
7. Q. When does the "school season" end for (a) varsity
or (b) non-varsity athletes in a sport?
A. The "school season," as defined above, ends for (a) varsity
athletes, (b) non-varsity athletes, and all other students in a given
member school on the date of the school's last contest at any level in
the particular sport.
3.112 Students may participate in a tryout for a non-school athletic team while a member of a high school team in the same sport, provided the tryout is exclusively a demonstration of skills with no practice or instruction involved. A student shall be considered to be a member of a school team when he/she engages in any team activity, including but not limited to tryouts, drills, physical practice sessions, team meetings, playing in a contest, etc., on or after the date specified in By-law 5.000 and its sub-sections.
8. Q. May a tryout be conducted in more than one session over one
or more days?
A. Yes, if determined to be necessary by virtue of the numbers of
individuals participating or the extent of skill demonstration being
pursued in the tryout, and provided it meets the definition of a tryout
given above.
9. Q. May a tryout include a scrimmage?
A. Yes, provided it only involves individuals who are actually trying
out, and within parameters of all other by-laws.
3.113 The phrase, "participate on any non-school team," as utilized in By-law 3.111, is defined to mean engaging in any team activity, including but not limited to, tryouts (except as defined in Section 3.112), drills, physical practice sessions, player evaluations, team meetings, etc.
10. Q. May a student who is a member of a school 12-inch fast pitch softball team attend weekly team meetings during the high school softball season for a team that competes in a non-school 12-inch slow pitch softball league?
A. No.
11. Q. May the student in #10 above attend a meeting to organize and plan a fund raising activity for the non-school team?
A. Yes, provided the meeting focuses exclusively on the fund raiser and not on any activity identified in the definition of "team activity" above.
3.114 In the event a school does not maintain a team which competes during the regular high school season for a sport but enters one or more students into competition for the first time in that season at the beginning level of the IHSA tournament series for the sport, the date of the beginning level contest in the IHSA series shall be the date on which the school shall be considered to have a school team in that sport.
12. Q. May a student who attends a school which does not maintain a school team in a given sport participate in practice sessions at a neighboring school which does maintain a school team in that sport?
A. No.
13. Q. May a student in a school which does not maintain a school team in a given sport participate in a scrimmage in the sport at a neighboring school?
A. No.
14. Q. May a school which does not maintain a school team in a given sport enter one or more of its students in competition against a neighboring school during the regular season for the sport?
A. Yes. However, such competition shall be considered to be competition by the school team, and the date on which it first occurs shall be considered to be the date on which the school has a school team in that sport.
3.115 Students shall not be permitted to participate on or practice with any college, junior college or university athletic team.
15. Q. May a high school team practice at the same time and place as a college team?
A. Yes, but under no conditions may the high school team or individual members of the high school team interact in any manner whatever with either the college athletes, coaches, or other college personnel. While technically permitted, monitoring the situation to insure there is no violation of the by-law, and such practices are not advised.
3.116 To be eligible for a school team in a given sport, students must cease non-school practice and competition in that sport no later than the date on which the school team engages in its first interscholastic contest in that sport.
16. Q. Does this by-law pertain only to varsity student-athletes?
A. No. It applies to all students at member schools.
3.117 During the school year, a person who is a coach in any sport at a member school, may be involved in any respect with any non-school team, only if the number of squad members from his/her school which are on the non-school team roster does not exceed one-half the number of players needed to field a team in actual IHSA state series competition in that sport.
17. Q. What number of players is needed to constitute "one-half the number of players needed to field a team in actual IHSA state series competition" in each sport?
A. The number in each sport for which IHSA conducts a state series
has been determined by the Board of Directors. Specifically, the
limitations are:
Badminton-3; Baseball-4; Basketball-2; Bowling-2; Cross Country-3;
Football-5; Boys Gymnastics-12; Girls Gymnastics-8; Soccer-5;
Softball-4; Swimming- 15; Tennis-3; Track and Field-17; Volleyball-3;
Water Polo-3; Wrestling-7.
18. Q. May a school soccer coach serve as a coach for a non-school basketball team, on which students from the school participate, during the school term?
A. Yes, provided the number of students from the school at which the individual coaches does not exceed the number listed in #1 above.
3.121 During the school year, students shall not participate in a) any coaching school, camp or clinic, which is attended by more than two (2) persons from the school which the student attends, for any interscholastic sport or which provides instruction in any skill of an interscholastic sport. A coaching school, camp or clinic is defined as any program, sponsored by an organization or individual, which provides instruction in sports theory and/or skills and which does not culminate in competition. Programs that involve only demonstration of skills and sports theory without providing instruction and requiring active participation by attendees are not considered coaching schools. Violation shall cause ineligibility for a period not to exceed 365 days.
19. Q. A non-school softball team plans to begin practice in January for its summer competitive season, and continue these practices twice a week until its first competition in June. Would a student violate the by-laws by participating in these practice sessions?
A. Yes, on two possible grounds: a) competition must follow the first practice session of a team within no more than two weeks( see definitions above) and in this case it would not; b) a student may not practice with a non-school team while a member of a school team in the same sport.
20. Q. May a tennis player participate in an instructional activity involving a number of individuals but in which, during each instructional session, two students from the same school are on one court and two others from that same school are on another court in the same facility or complex of tennis courts?
A. No. The fact that the instruction occurs in the same session and the same activity causes it to be a violation.
21. Q. If more than two students from one school attend a particular camp or clinic during the school year, are all students at the camp or clinic, even those from other schools, in violation of this by-law?
A. No.
3.122 Students may attend a coaching school, camp or clinic during the summer months provided they do not attend before school is out in the spring or after Saturday of Week number 4 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar. Such coaching schools, camps and clinics may be conducted by an individual, group or even a member school and instruction at such programs may be provided by any person. However, in the case of a school-sponsored camp, participation may not be restricted to high school students who have been certified eligible for athletics.
22. Q. May an incoming freshman participate in a school sponsored camp?
A. Yes, provided there is no violation of By-law 3.080 (Recruiting) by the school conducting the camp.
23. Q. Since attendance at camps, clinics and coaching schools is prohibited after Week No. 4 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar, are private lessons also prohibited?
A. Any instructional program, regardless of its name, which meets the definition of a coaching school above is prohibited.
24. Q. Is participation in cheerleading, pom pon, speech, music or other activity camps or clinics restricted by this by-law?
A. No. This by-law, as all the by-laws in Section 3.000, pertains exclusively to athletics and the eligibility of students for athletics.
3.123 Students may participate in non-sport specific school physical conditioning programs and recreational programs.
25. Q. Is there any time period during which participation in school physical conditioning and/or recreational programs, as defined above, is prohibited to student athletes?
A. No.
26. Q. May activities involving the "skill(s) of a sport" be conducted as part of in a school physical conditioning program?
A. Such activities are permitted in school physical conditioning programs, provided they are conducted purely for the development of strength endurance and general physical fitness, without instruction, coaching, competition or other relation to the theories and strategies of any sport.
3.124 During the school year, students may serve as demonstrators for a coaching school, camp or clinic conducted exclusively for coaches or officials. Students may participate in one practice session for such event with the instructor for whom they will demonstrate.
27. Q. May the instructor for a camp/clinic use students who are members of the team that he/she coaches as teachers or in other assistant positions at the camp?.
A. Yes, provided that the camp/clinic is conducted exclusively for coaches or officials.
28. Q. May the students serving as demonstrators at a clinic practice with the instructor in advance of their demonstration?
A. Yes, provided the student(s) engage in no more than one practice session with the instructor on no more than one day prior to the date of the demonstration.
3.161 Participation by high school students in summer programs must be voluntary and in no way be an actual or implied prerequisite for membership on a high school team.
3.162 Students may participate in summer baseball/softball leagues sponsored by schools, during the period between MONDAY OF WEEK 44 and Saturday of Week 7 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar.
3.163 Schools may permit persons who coach a sport at a member school to have a maximum of 25 contact days in that sport with students during the summer (camps, clinics, leagues, etc.) The contact days may be used between the time school is out in the spring and Saturday of Week 4 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar. Students may have only 25 contact days per sport. A contact day is defined as any date where coaching or instruction in the skills and techniques of any sport takes place. These limitations apply to all sports except Baseball and Softball.
29. Q. Is participation by a student in a summer school class taught by a coach considered to be a contact day.
A. Yes, for both the individual student(s) and the coach, unless it is a class which awards academic credit toward graduation from the school.
30. Q. What is the difference between a "camp" which counts as a contact day and a "class" which does not?
A. A "class" is a legitimate academic activity in the school's curriculum which grants credit toward graduation from the school to students who successfully complete it. A camp is not.
31. Q. If a coach is purely a spectator at a non-school contest, and does not speak to or otherwise communicate with students from the school where he or she coaches, before, during, after or about the contest, is that considered to be a contact day for the coach?
A. No.
32. Q. May two or more coaches on a school's coaching staff have contact with an individual student on the same day?
A. Yes, but such contact is counted as a contact day for each coach and the student.
33. Q. If a coach has contact with a student more than once in a given day, how is that counted for contact days?
A. One contact day.
34. Q. If a person coaches more than one sport at a school, can the coach have a contact day in Sport A on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and a contact day in Sport B on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday with the same student?
A. Yes.
35. Q. Is participation in a 7-7 football passing league game considered to be a contact day?
A. If a coach from the school of the participants is involved in any respect with the game, including but not limited to providing instruction, organization, supervision or transportation to participants, it is considered to be contact and each day on which such contact may occur is considered to be a contact day for both the coach and each individual student involved.
36. Q. A school coach conducts or works at a camp where some days
involve instruction in sports skills and other days involve purely
physical conditioning activities. Clearly, any day which involves sports
skills instruction are "contact days." Are the days on which
only physical conditioning activities are conducted also considered
"contact days"?
A. Yes. In this case, they are part of a sports skills camp and are thereby interpreted as "contact days."
37. Q. If a high school coach is also the parent of a high school athlete at his/her school, is it a "contact day" if the coach works with and/or instructs his/her child in the skills of a sport?
A. No, as long as the work and/or instruction the coach engages in with his/her child is not also similarly provided to other students from the school.
38. Q. Is interaction between an high school coach who also owns, operates or works at a private sports club or in a public sports program during the activities of such a club or program restricted by the limit on "contact days"?
A. Yes. If such interaction includes any "coaching or instruction in the skills and techniques of any sport" during the period between the "time school is out in the spring and Saturday of Week 4 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar," it will be restricted by the "contact day" limitation.
3.164 Schools may transport students from their schools to summer league contests, coaching schools, clinics or other non-school contests in the summer.
3.165 Schools may conduct coaching schools, camps or clinics
during the summer, provided:
a) The event is conducted between the close of school in the spring and
Saturday of Week 4 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar.
b) The event is open to any high school student and is not restricted to
students who have been or expect to be high school athletes.
c) The event provides common instruction and activities for all
participants.
39. Q. May participants in a football camp, clinic or coaching school wear pads and/or other protective equipment in camp activities?
A. Yes.
3.166 Students may participate in a summer school class taught by a coach or other faculty member from their school and which offers instruction in interscholastic sports, provided the class is not restricted to students who have been certified eligible for participation in interscholastic athletic and the class is approved by the local Board of Education. In addition, credit toward graduation must be granted by the local Board of Education. Summer school courses offering instruction in interscholastic sports, must conclude by Saturday of Week 4 in the IHSA Standardized Calendar.
40. Q. Is participation by a student in a summer school class in a sport, taught by a coach in that sport, considered to be a "contact day under By-law 3.163?"
A. Yes, unless it is a class for which the school grants academic credit toward graduation.
3.167 Schools may not organize or participate against other schools in a football scrimmage or game with the exception of 7-7 passing leagues. (Touch only)
41. Q. May participants in "passing leagues" wear pads?
A. No. Passing leagues are limited to "touch" football.
Helmets and football shoes are the only "football equipment"
which may be worn by participants.
42. Q. May participants in one camp, coaching school or clinic "scrimmage" with and/or against participants in another camp, coaching school or clinic?
A. No.
3.170 OPEN GYM LIMITATIONS
3.171 Schools may open their gymnasiums or facilities for recreational activities to students or other persons who reside in or outside their district, under the following conditions:
a) A variety of recreational activities are available during the
course of the year.
b) There is no coaching or instruction in the skills and techniques in
any sport at any time.
c) Participation is voluntary and is not required directly or indirectly
for membership on a high school squad.
d) Comparable opportunities are afforded to all participants.